The best sensitive stomach cat food, with advice from veterinarians

Choosing the champion delicate tummy feline nutrient depends connected what's causing your cat's digestive issues, specified arsenic nutrient intolerances, allergies, oregon inflammatory bowel disease. If nutrient allergies are not an issue, your veterinarian mightiness urge a delicate tummy look with debased to mean fat, easy digestible carnal proteins, and fewer carbohydrates. These formulas often see supplements that assistance alteration gut inflammation and amended digestion, similar probiotics and omega-3 fatty acids from food oil. Certain types of dietary fibre whitethorn payment your cat, too.

To marque our picks for this guide, we evaluated galore delicate tummy feline foods with proposal from vets, focusing connected each food's ingredients and nutritional value. One of our apical canned nutrient picks is Royal Canin Digestive Care Thin Slices successful Gravy, which contains insoluble fibre to assistance forestall constipation. For adust food, we urge Hill's Science Diet Sensitive Stomach and Skin Adult Salmon and Yellow Peas Recipe. It includes prebiotic fibre to enactment steadfast digestion.

All of our picks conscionable the favored nutrient standards acceptable by the Association of American Feed Control Officials (AAFCO) and travel the Global Nutrition Guidelines published by the World Small Animal Veterinary Association (WSAVA) — 2 important considerations erstwhile buying for the best feline foods.

Remember, due to the fact that cats are known to cough up hairballs, it's casual to miss signs of a delicate stomach, including vomiting and regurgitation, predominant escaped stools, oregon gas. But if your feline vomits worldly with precise small to nary hairsbreadth oregon vomits much than erstwhile a week, they should spot their veterinarian, says Dr. Kelly Diehl, a veterinary internist with a subspecialty successful gastroenterology. While changing your cat's fare could amended their symptoms, it's important to consult your vet earlier changing their diet. If your feline has a nutrient allergy, your vet whitethorn prescribe a hypoallergenic fare to relieve their symptoms. 

Read much about how Business Insider Reviews tests and recommends favored products.

Highlights for the champion delicate tummy feline food

Best wet: Royal Canin Digestive Care Thin Slices successful Gravy - See astatine Chewy

Best dry: Hill's Science Diet Sensitive Stomach and Skin Adult Salmon and Yellow Peas - See astatine Chewy

Best for kittens: Royal Canin Kitten Loaf successful Sauce - See astatine Chewy

Best for seniors: Purina Pro Plan Adult 7+ Prime Plus Ocean Whitefish and Salmon - See astatine Chewy

Best wet

If your feline regularly experiences digestive issues, your veterinarian mightiness urge switching to a bedewed nutrient fare to assistance relieve their tummy issues and support them good hydrated. Wet feline foods incorporate importantly much moisture than kibble, typically 75% to 78% moisture compared to 10% to 12%. This added hydration is important for cats who suffer h2o done vomiting oregon diarrhea, says Dr. Kelly Fishman, a veterinarian and laminitis of Strut Animal Mobility Specialists. 

The best and healthiest bedewed feline foods typically person higher macromolecule and little carbohydrate contented than adust food. This tin assistance with weight control and digestion, says Dr. Jamie Richardson, a veterinarian and caput of veterinary medicine astatine Small Door Veterinary. 

Our champion delicate tummy feline nutrient prime from Royal Canin contains powdered cellulose and omega-3 fatty acids from salmon. Tufts University explains that cellulose is an insoluble fibre that whitethorn assistance relieve constipation by expanding stool measurement and bowel question frequency. Our prime from Merrick is made with constricted ingredients, which tin assistance trim digestive upset successful cats by limiting the fig of ingredients successful the food, says Dr. Korinn Saker, a retired veterinary nutritionist and erstwhile subordinate prof of objective nutrition astatine the North Carolina State University College of Veterinary Medicine. 

To comparison the nutritional values of bedewed and adust feline foods, you'll request to person bedewed nutrient values to a adust substance basis. This involves removing the moisture contented from the bedewed nutrient and calculating the nutritional values based connected the remaining solids. For the foods successful this guide, we contacted the nutrient manufacturers to get the adust substance values. If you privation to comparison different recipes, you tin travel these directions from the Cummings Veterinary Medical Center astatine Tufts University, interaction the nutrient shaper directly, oregon inquire your vet for help.

Best dry

Wet nutrient isn't ever convenient oregon affordable, and immoderate cats simply don't similar it. Fortunately, adust nutrient tin beryllium a bully alternate for astir cats. Kibble has a agelong support beingness and, erstwhile opened, it stays caller longer than canned foods. You tin bargain larger quantities of the look that works champion for your cat, which is often much affordable, particularly if it's 1 of the best budget-friendly feline foods.

However, support successful caput that adust foods typically incorporate much carbohydrates than bedewed foods. Because of this, Richardson says immoderate cats with delicate stomachs whitethorn person a harder clip digesting kibble. You'll privation to look for formulas with analyzable carbohydrates, similar full wheat, corn, oregon achromatic potatoes. These carbohydrates supply nutrients, including fiber, antioxidants, and indispensable fatty acids, according to Tufts University.

Our picks for the best and healthiest adust feline food for delicate stomachs incorporate easy digestible carnal proteins and steadfast extras similar dried beet pulp and oats. Beet pulp contains insoluble and soluble fibre sources, and it's highly fermentable by cats, says Ellen Dierenfeld, a comparative carnal nutritionist and laminitis of Zootrition. Fermentable means it feeds the bully bacteria successful the microbiome, which tin enactment amended digestion. Oats, different cardinal ingredient, are a root of soluble fibre that tin dilatory digestion and whitethorn assistance relieve diarrhea. 

Best for kittens

Kittens with diarrhea tin payment from a high-protein, low-carbohydrate diet, says Dr. Debra Zoran, a veterinary nutritionist and prof astatine Texas A&M University. This is due to the fact that foods affluent successful macromolecule and abdominous supply vigor and enactment the steadfast improvement of a kitten's gastrointestinal tract, she says. While favored nutrient labels don't ever database the percent of carbohydrates, you tin look for foods that database full meats, nutrient meals, and byproducts among the archetypal ingredients — earlier carbohydrate sources.

The AAFCO recommendations say that kitten nutrient (labeled for maturation oregon each beingness stages) indispensable incorporate astatine slightest 30% macromolecule and 9% abdominous to conscionable their maturation and vigor needs. However, Zoran says the best kitten foods for delicate stomachs should incorporate astatine slightest 40% macromolecule connected a adust substance basis. Just support successful caput that kittens could person an upset tummy for respective reasons, including intestinal parasites. Before transitioning your kitten to a caller diet, it's champion to consult your veterinarian to regularisation retired different causes.

Our recommendations for the champion delicate tummy feline nutrient for kittens see 4 antithetic nutrient sources among the archetypal 5 ingredients and transcend 40% macromolecule connected a adust substance basis. They besides incorporate beneficial ingredients similar food oil, which contains docosahexaenoic acerb (DHA), an omega-3 fatty acerb that's indispensable for cognitive maturation and development. These foods person undergone feeding trials to guarantee they are palatable and digestible and supply capable nutrition. Royal Canin's Gastrointestinal Kitten nutrient requires a medicine from your vet.

Best for seniors

Older pets whitethorn beryllium much apt to person wellness problems, but getting sick isn't a mean portion of aging. That's wherefore it's important to ticker your elder feline intimately for immoderate signs of gastrointestinal issues. For instance, cats who aren't getting the nutrients they request owed to diarrhea oregon vomiting whitethorn suffer value oregon person dull coats. 

Cats are bully astatine hiding erstwhile they're ill, Diehl says. But signs similar chronic vomiting, escaped stool, oregon precise pungent poop tin each constituent to wellness issues. Your vet tin assistance constrictive down the origin and urge dietary changes that whitethorn help. It's indispensable to get guidance from your vet, since managing a delicate tummy done fare depends connected galore factors, including different underlying wellness conditions, Diehl says. 

Because cats are obligate carnivores, the best nutrient for elder cats with delicate stomachs whitethorn beryllium precocious successful protein. However, not each elder cats tin devour high-protein diets. For instance, high-protein diets tin beryllium harmful to elder cats with wellness conditions similar chronic kidney disease. Our low-protein elder prime from Hill's includes food oil, which tin assistance improve tegument and associated wellness and easiness gastrointestinal inflammation. Our high-protein elder picks from Purina and Wellness incorporate inulin (commonly derived from chicory root), which is simply a soluble and insoluble fibre source. While insoluble fibers assistance support bowel movements regular, soluble fibers sorb h2o and signifier a gel successful the stomach. This tin assistance cats support a steadfast value by slowing their digestion and keeping them afloat betwixt feedings.

What to look for successful a delicate tummy feline food

When buying for the champion delicate tummy feline food, you'll privation to see the pursuing criteria: 

AAFCO nutritional adequacy connection for growth, big maintenance, oregon each beingness stages: The astir basal measurement of nutritionally implicit kitten and feline nutrient is an AAFCO connection connected the label. The AAFCO is simply a nonprofit enactment that recommends nutritional standards for favored food. Recommendations are based connected beingness stages, truthful nutrient with an AAFCO connection for maturation oregon each beingness stages is implicit and balanced for kittens, portion nutrient with an AAFCO connection for attraction oregon each beingness stages is implicit and balanced for big cats. The AAFCO hasn't established circumstantial recommendations for elder feline diets. Foods for elder cats indispensable conscionable the minimum AAFCO nutritional recommendations for big oregon each beingness stages foods. 

Guaranteed investigation and nutrient profiles: The guaranteed investigation connected a favored nutrient statement shows the percentages of important nutrients, including protein, fat, fiber, and different indispensable vitamins and minerals. Food for kittens indispensable conscionable the AAFCO's recommended minimum of 30% macromolecule and 9% fat, and nutrient for big cats, including seniors, indispensable person a minimum of 26% macromolecule and 9% fat. 

Our experts accidental it's important to cautiously analyse the guaranteed investigation for feline foods. As obligate carnivores, cats tin digest high-protein diets much easy than foods with debased carnal macromolecule and precocious carbohydrates. For immoderate cats, the champion delicate tummy feline nutrient whitethorn beryllium precocious successful protein, but high-protein diets tin beryllium harmful to immoderate elder cats with definite wellness conditions. This is 1 crushed wherefore it's indispensable to inquire your vet earlier transitioning diets.

Ingredients list: The ingredients connected a favored nutrient statement look successful bid of weight. Dierenfeld says that musculus nutrient proteins supply the champion root of essential amino acids for obligate carnivores similar cats. In different words, carnal proteins successful the signifier of full meat, nutrient meal, oregon carnal byproducts should travel archetypal connected the ingredients list. When choosing a food, you tin besides look for ingredients that beforehand steadfast digestion and easiness inflammation, similar probiotics, prebiotics, and omega-3 fatty acids successful the signifier of food oil. 

Cats are obligate carnivores, truthful animal-based proteins should ever beryllium listed arsenic the archetypal constituent successful feline food. The champion formulas for delicate stomachs whitethorn beryllium higher successful macromolecule than different feline foods. Our recommendations see prime macromolecule sources successful the signifier of full meat, nutrient meals, and nutrient byproducts. Saker says that meals and byproducts are concentrated forms of macromolecule that are conscionable arsenic nutritious and digestible — if not much truthful — than full macromolecule sources.

Expert formulations: Our picks for delicate tummy feline nutrient conscionable prime power standards recommended by WSAVA. This means the brands employment a full-time board-certified veterinary nutritionist oregon a PhD-level carnal nutritionist. These standards assistance guarantee your cat's nutrient meets nutritional recommendations and includes the close ingredients.

Manufacturing standards: Zoran says favored foods tin alteration somewhat from batch to batch, which tin trigger digestive upset successful cats with delicate stomachs. When choosing delicate tummy nutrient for your cat, it's omniscient to see the prime power measures and facilities used. Brands that ain their manufacturing plants person greater power implicit the ingredients successful their recipes and, therefore, the nutrient your feline consumes. Pet nutrient brands should besides beryllium transparent astir however they instrumentality prime power measures. In short, they shouldn't conscionable accidental they behaviour prime control.

Calorie content: The calorie contented of feline nutrient is listed successful kilocalories (kcals). Your cat's calorie needs volition beryllium connected their age, enactment level, and wide health. For example, kittens turn rapidly successful their archetypal twelvemonth and should devour multiple high-calorie meals per day. Your vet tin urge the perfect fig of regular calories for adults and elder cats based connected the cat's manner and perfect weight. Vets tin besides thatch you however to cheque your cat's body information people (BCS) betwixt wellness visits. The BCS is simply a ocular instrumentality that helps you measure your cat's assemblage abdominous connected a standard of 1 to 9. This accusation tin assistance you recognize if they request to suffer oregon summation weight. That said, it's ever champion to speech to your vet earlier adjusting your cat's regular information sizes.

How we selected the champion delicate tummy feline food

To constrictive down our picks for the champion delicate tummy feline food, we spoke with 3 veterinary nutritionists, 2 tiny carnal veterinarians, and 1 board-certified veterinary internist. We besides consulted guidelines and recommendations from the AAFCO, the WSAVA Global Nutrition Guidelines, and different publications and organizations linked successful this guide.

You tin larn much astir our experts below.

Dr. Deb Zoran is simply a board-certified tiny carnal internist, nutritionist, and tiny carnal objective sciences prof astatine the School of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, Texas A&M University. 

Dr. Korinn Saker is simply a board-certified veterinarian, a distinguished subordinate of the American College of Veterinary Nutrition, and a prof of objective nutrition astatine the College of Veterinary Medicine, North Carolina State University. 

Ellen Dierenfeld is simply a comparative carnal nutritionist with an MS and PhD successful Animal Nutrition from Cornell University. She is the laminitis of Zootrition, a bundle designed to grounds and measure the diets of animals. She has implicit 30 years of acquisition successful zoo, wildlife, and companion carnal nutrition.

Dr. Kelly Fishman is simply a small-animal veterinarian and laminitis of Strut Animal Mobility Specialists. She received her BS astatine UC Berkeley, conducted veterinary and neuroscience probe astatine UCSF, and earned her DVM astatine Ross University. She is trained successful carnal acupuncture, carnal rehabilitation, and specialty companion carnal diets. She besides advises connected supplement use.

Dr. Jamie Richardson is simply a wide signifier veterinarian and caput of veterinary medicine astatine Small Door Vet. After completing her undergraduate studies, Richardson moved to the UK to prosecute a veterinary grade from London's Royal Veterinary College. Following veterinary unpaid and signifier positions crossed South Africa, Hong Kong, and Bermuda, Richardson joined the Small Door Vet team. 

Dr. Kelly Diehl is elder manager of subject and communications astatine Morris Animal Foundation and a board-certified veterinary internist with a subspecialty successful gastroenterology. She is besides a Diplomate of the American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine (ACVIM). Diehl received her DVM from the University of Tennessee and started her signifier vocation successful an exigency session successful New Jersey earlier joining the Morris Animal Foundation. 

Sensitive tummy feline nutrient FAQs

What is the champion delicate tummy feline food?

The champion feline nutrient for a delicate tummy depends connected the idiosyncratic feline and the origin of the upset stomach. Many delicate tummy foods see easy-to-digest carnal proteins specified arsenic byproducts and meals, constricted carbohydrates, and steadfast extras similar food lipid and fermentable fibers similar beet pulp. Limited constituent diets whitethorn besides little the chances of a nutrient reaction. However, over-the-counter diets whitethorn not beryllium the champion solution for each feline with a delicate stomach. If your cat's upset tummy is caused by nutrient allergies, your vet whitethorn urge switching them to a medicine hydrolyzed diet. Hydrolyzed diets incorporate proteins that person been breached down into tiny pieces, which are little apt to trigger an allergic reaction.

What feline nutrient is easiest connected the stomach? 

Cats are obligate carnivores, truthful animal-based proteins are the easiest foods for them to digest. This includes whole-meat macromolecule similar deboned chicken, nutrient meals, and nutrient byproducts. Cats tin devour recipes containing much than 1 benignant of carnal protein, but they don't necessitate a caller look each day. In fact, changing recipes regular tin impact your cat's appetite and upset their gut microbiome, Dierenfeld says. 

What makes delicate tummy feline nutrient different?

The champion feline nutrient for a delicate tummy typically contains mean to debased levels of abdominous and macromolecule from sources cats tin easy digest and absorb. These foods whitethorn besides incorporate supplements that alteration gut inflammation and amended digestion. Examples of these supplements see omega-3 fatty acids from food lipid and probiotics. However, the circumstantial ingredients and nutritional profiles of delicate tummy feline foods tin alteration betwixt brands. If you person concerns astir your cat's digestive wellness oregon nutritional needs, your vet tin connection much guidance connected the champion fare and attraction for your cat's idiosyncratic needs.

Is bedewed oregon adust nutrient amended for a feline with an upset stomach?

Dry feline foods mostly incorporate much carbohydrates and little moisture than bedewed foods. Richardson says this tin marque adust nutrient hard for immoderate cats with delicate stomachs to digest. Wet foods, connected the different hand, person much macromolecule and little carbohydrates, which tin marque them a amended prime for cats with delicate stomachs. When choosing betwixt bedewed and adust food, Saker says it's besides important to see your cat's preferences and the availability of peculiar diets. Some hydrolyzed diets, which your vet whitethorn urge for terrible nutrient allergies, lone travel successful kibble form.