10 Best Cat Foods for Allergies in Canada – 2024 Reviews & Top Picks

If you suffer from allergies, you know how uncomfortable it can be. But cats can also suffer from environmental or food allergies. While food allergies are not as common, some cats can develop an allergy to certain food ingredients, usually to a protein. If your vet has advised you to keep your cat away from certain ingredients, you may now be on the lookout for a new food that will help your cat.

Here, we did the work for you and created reviews of 10 of the best cat foods for cats with allergies in Canada. Each of these products is designed for cats with sensitive skin and stomachs, and we hope that you’ll find the right one to help your cat feel better.

A Quick Look at Our Favorites of 2024

The 10 Best Cat Foods for Allergies in Canada

1. Blue Buffalo Sensitive Stomach Adult Dry Cat Food — Best Overall

The best overall cat food for allergies is Blue Buffalo Sensitive Stomach Adult Dry Cat Food. It has FOS prebiotics designed to support digestive health and nutrient absorption. The main ingredient is deboned chicken for a healthy and high source of protein. LifeSource Bits are included, which are smaller, darker kibble pieces that contain a blend of antioxidants, vitamins, and minerals for immune system health. Blue Buffalo never contains by-products or any artificial flavours, colours, or preservatives.

However, it doesn’t necessarily work for every cat with stomach issues. It also includes chicken, which is one of the main culprits for some cats with food allergies.

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2. Purina ONE Sensitive Systems Dry Cat Food — Best Value

The best cat food for allergies for the money is Purina ONE Sensitive Systems Dry Cat Food. The first and main ingredient is whole turkey, and the food contains prebiotic fibre for easy digestion. It helps cats with sensitive skin because it has omega-6 fatty acids to promote healthier skin and coat. It has a blend of antioxidants for a stronger immune system and doesn’t contain artificial ingredients.

However, it doesn’t help all cats with sensitive stomachs, and it also contains chicken.

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3. Instinct Limited Ingredient Diet Dry Cat Food — Premium Choice

Instinct Limited Ingredient Diet Grain Free Dry Cat Food is our pick for premium choice. It’s expensive but it works well. It’s a limited-ingredient food that features the novel protein of rabbit, which might work for cats with allergies to common proteins. It has farm-raised rabbit as the only protein. While most cats aren’t sensitive to grains, it’s also grain free. It includes omegas for healthy skin and coat and antioxidants for the immune system. It doesn’t contain any fillers or artificial colours or preservatives.

But it’s quite expensive, and it seems to make some cat’s poop a little on the stinky side.

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4. Hill’s Science Diet Sensitive Stomach & Skin Dry Cat Food

Hill’s Science Diet Sensitive Stomach & Skin Dry Cat Food contains FOS prebiotic fibre and is a recipe that aids the digestive system and promotes healthy skin and coat. It’s gentle on the stomach and has omega-6 and vitamin E for extra skin and coat health. It has added antioxidants for the immune system and supports heart health.

However, it’s expensive and picky cats might not like it. It also includes chicken.

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5. Purina Pro Plan Vet Diet Hypoallergenic Cat Food

Purina Pro Plan Vet Diet Hypoallergenic Cat Food has been formulated specifically for cats or kittens with food allergies. It’s comprised of limited hydrolysed protein and purified carbohydrates, which help reduce allergic reactions. Hydrolysed protein means it’s broken down into small components so that it can’t cause an allergic reaction. It’s proven to work well for many cats!

It is rather expensive, though, and ships from the U.K. Plus, it doesn’t work for all cats.

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6. Iams Proactive Health Sensitive Digestion & Skin Dry Cat Food

Iams Proactive Health Sensitive Digestion & Skin Dry Cat Food has a fibre blend that aids in easy digestion and has included omega-3 and -6 for a glossy coat and healthy skin. It contains real turkey as the main ingredient and doesn’t have any artificial preservatives or colours.

It contains beet pulp, which is a bit of a controversial ingredient¹, but there’s probably not enough for concern, and it has chicken.

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7. Pro Plan Sensitive Skin & Stomach Dry Cat Food

Pro Plan Sensitive Skin & Stomach Dry Cat Food features real lamb as the main ingredient and guaranteed live probiotics. It also has natural prebiotic fibre to aid your cat’s digestion and antioxidants for overall immune system health. It includes oatmeal and rice, which make digesting easy, and a combination of omega-6 fatty acids, vitamin A, and zinc work together for healthy skin and coat.

It doesn’t necessarily work for all cats, though, and some picky cats might not like it.

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8. Royal Canin Sensitive Digestion Dry Cat Food

Royal Canin Sensitive Digestion Dry Cat Food offers optimal digestion by using a combination of nutrients and prebiotics for digestion and intestinal flora health. It is highly palatable and high in calories to sustain your cat’s energy, which can also mean eating less at mealtime, which can help with sensitive stomachs. Royal Canin’s recipe can ensure that your cat has optimal absorption of the necessary vitamins and minerals.

However, it is expensive, and not all cats will benefit from this food.

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9. Blue Buffalo True Solutions Digestive Care Wet Cat Food

Blue Buffalo True Solutions Digestive Care Wet Cat Food is only one of two canned foods on this list. This one is a highly digestible formula that should help your cat’s poop, and it has prebiotic fibre for digestive health. It also has included vitamins C and E to support the immune system and features real chicken as the main ingredient. It doesn’t have any by-products or artificial preservatives or flavours.

However, it’s expensive and contains chicken.

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10. Hill’s Science Diet Sensitive Stomach & Skin Canned Cat Food

Hill’s Science Diet Sensitive Stomach & Skin Canned Cat Food is a canned food. It’s formulated for both skin and digestive health because it’s easily digested with natural fibres, which should make your cat’s poop optimal. It’s grain free and contains omega-6 and -3 for a shiny coat and healthy skin.

Unfortunately, this is expensive cat food. Plus, the texture of the pâté is a bit weird, and many cats don’t seem to be fans of this food.

Buyer’s Guide: Picking the Best Cat Food for Allergies in Canada

Now that you’ve had the chance to see what’s available, let’s go over a few points that you might want to consider before making your decision.

Hydrolysed Proteins

Most food allergies are triggered by a common protein. The top culprits are chicken, beef, and dairy. It might surprise you to learn that grains are not commonly something that triggers allergies. If you suspect that your cat has a food allergy or intolerance, speak to your vet before buying any food.

Your vet might recommend putting your cat on a diet containing hydrolysed proteins, which are broken down to such a degree that your cat’s digestive system won’t have an allergic reaction.

Novel Proteins

It’s common to use a novel protein for cats with food allergies with common triggers. Novel proteins are any protein that your cat has never eaten. So, if your cat has eaten beef and chicken, fish or rabbit are both novel proteins that you can give your cat.

You can also try venison or duck if you’re trying to figure out what proteins are safe for your cat. Your cat’s immune system won’t recognize the new protein as a threat, just like with hydrolysed proteins.

Limited Ingredients

A limited-ingredient diet is exactly what it sounds like. The fewer ingredients in the food, the less likely there will be an allergic reaction. Many of these diets will be limited to one source of protein and use as few other ingredients as possible. This can be helpful as a means to figure out the triggers.

Vet Authorized

When your vet has officially recognized that your cat likely has a food allergy, they might give you a prescription for hypoallergenic cat food. You’ll have to remember that while your cat is on a special diet, everything else that your cat eats, like treats or people food, must be approved by your vet or not given at all.

Regardless of whether you use a prescription food, you should speak to your vet for recommendations for your cat’s diet.

Final Verdict

Our favourite overall cat food for allergies is Blue Buffalo’s Sensitive Stomach Adult Dry Cat Food. It has FOS prebiotics designed to support digestive health and nutrient absorption. It’s free of artificial flavours, colours, and preservatives. Purina ONE Sensitive Systems Dry Cat Food includes prebiotic fibre for easy digestion and helps cats with sensitive skin for a great price!

Limited Ingredient Diet Grain Free Dry Cat Food is our premium choice pick. It’s a limited-ingredient food that has farm-raised rabbit as the only protein and doesn’t contain artificial colours or preservatives. Our vet chose Hill’s Science Diet Sensitive Stomach & Skin Dry Cat Food for the FOS prebiotic fibre that aids the digestive system and is gentle on the stomach.

We hope that these reviews have shown you that there are many options out there, even when your cat can’t eat certain ingredients.

See also:

• 10 Best High-Fibre Cat Foods in Canada
• 10 Best Cat Foods for IBD in Canada

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Featured Image Credit: Olga Kazanovskaia, Shutterstock