8 Best Chicken Free Cat Foods in 2023

In this article, you’ll learn how chicken can appear in foods that don’t have the word “chicken” on the label, how to avoid hidden chicken, and which of the best dry and wet cat foods are chicken-free.

In addition to being chicken-free, our picks are nutritionally sound choices with low plant content, low carbohydrates, and no artificial ingredients. Many are limited-ingredient foods made with allergic cats in mind.

It can be hard to narrow down all the choices out there when we are concerned about keeping our pets healthy and happy. If you want some help picking a food that is healthy for your cat while avoiding chicken, check out the list below.

Here are a few tips to help you find the best cat food without chicken.

Avoid vaguely-named ingredients.

If you want to know what’s going into your cat’s body, eliminating animal by-products is a good first step. Avoid foods labeled with “chicken by-products”, “chicken by-product meal”, “poultry by-products”, or “poultry by-product meal”.

“Liver” is another ingredient to avoid. The liver in the recipe could be sourced from any animal, including chicken.

Two exceptions to this rule are “animal digests” and “natural flavor”. These vaguely-named additives may include chicken tissues, but they’re produced by hydrolysis, a process that breaks down proteins. Hydrolysis is the same process that’s used to make hypoallergenic veterinary diets.

Traces of chicken can show up in any cat food—even when chicken isn’t on the label.

A 2013 study found that about 40% of tested dog and cat foods contained different meats than those listed on the label. Some contained meat that wasn’t on the ingredient list. A few didn’t contain meats that were listed. Three of the fifty-two foods contained both unlisted species and omitted meats present on the label. The most common unlabeled ingredient? Chicken.

This study demonstrates that you can’t believe everything you read on a cat food label. Buying from an ultra-reputable cat food manufacturer known for stringent quality control will help you avoid these kinds of mislabeling issues, but doesn’t guarantee that your cat will never consume something not mentioned on the ingredient list.

It’s impossible to control everything that goes into your cat’s body, but it’s not all bleak.

Finding cat food without chicken is a challenge, but after you narrow your search to trustworthy brands that use named proteins and offer a variety of limited-ingredient foods, your job becomes much easier. All of the foods on the following list are made without chicken. Instead, they feature alternative proteins from rabbit, turkey, duck, venison, and other animals.

In addition to being chicken-free, they’re nutritionally sound choices with low plant content, low carbohydrates, and no artificial ingredients. Many are limited-ingredient foods made with allergic cats in mind.

Top 3 Best Dry Cat Foods Without Chicken

Instinct by Nature’s Variety Limited Ingredient Diet Grain-Free Recipe with Real Rabbit Dry Cat Food Review

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

First 5 Ingredients: Rabbit Meal, Peas, Tapioca, Canola Oil (preserved with Mixed Tocopherols and Citric Acid), Rabbit

This limited-ingredient food from Nature’s Variety was made for cats with allergies and food sensitivities. It’s a single-species product that features rabbit meal, fresh rabbit meat, and freeze-dried rabbit as the only protein sources, followed by peas as the lone vegetable ingredient.

In addition to being chicken-free, the food doesn’t contain other common allergens like beef, fish, dairy, and eggs.

Compared to other dry foods, it’s a low-carbohydrate product with about 24% carbohydrates on a dry matter basis. – Buy It

Pros

• Limited-ingredient diet made for cats with allergies and food sensitivities
• Made primarily from nourishing rabbit meat
• Single-species protein source

Cons

• Contains plant ingredients not necessary for carnivorous cats

Wild Calling Western Plains Stampede Rabbit & Sweet Potato Review

Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars

First 5 Ingredients: Rabbit Meal, Rabbit, Sweet Potato, Lentils, Turkey Fat (Preserved with Mixed Tocopherols and Citric Acid)

Most Wild Calling foods are made with single animal proteins and intended for a rotational feeding plan.

This recipe features rabbit as its sole animal protein source, with rabbit meal and rabbit as the first two ingredients. It includes several plant ingredients, including sweet potatoes, lentil, tapioca, and dried peas. All of these plant ingredients contribute to the food’s 40% carbohydrate content, which is high compared to a cat’s natural eating habits, but typical among dry foods.

If you’d prefer to give your cat a low-carbohydrate canned food, you might consider Wild Calling’s line of wet foods, which include a range of single-source and novel proteins. – Buy It

Pros

• Made with a single protein source
• Uses rabbit, a novel protein perfect for elimination diets
• Ideal for cats with food sensitivities and allergies

Cons

• High carbohydrate content at approximately 40%
• Expensive

Ziwi Peak Air-Dried Venison Cat Food Review

Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

First 5 Ingredients: Venison, Venison Tripe, Venison Heart, Venison Lung, Venison Liver

Like all Ziwi Peak foods, this air-dried cat food features a single protein source. In this recipe, that protein source is venison, a novel protein for many cats and therefore appropriate for elimination diets.

In addition to muscle meat, the recipe includes venison tripe, heart, lung, liver, kidney, and bone. It contains New Zealand green-lipped mussel as a natural source of glucosamine and chondroitin. These nourishing animal ingredients constitute 96% of the total recipe.

The food is virtually free from plant ingredients and extremely low in carbohydrates. Unlike most dry foods, this jerky-style air-dried product is species-appropriate and a good choice for most cats, including those on strict low-carbohydrate diets. – Buy It

Pros

• Features venison, a novel protein
• Single-source protein
• Limited ingredient food ideal for cats with allergies
• Exceptionally low in carbohydrates

Cons

• Expensive
• Not all cats will like the air-dried texture

Top 5 Best Wet Cat Foods Without Chicken

Smalls for Smalls Fresh Beef Minced

Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

First 5 Ingredients: Ground Beef 90% Lean, Beef Liver, Green Beans, Peas, Beef Heart

When you sign up for Smalls for Smalls, you will create a profile for your cat or cats, so that their food can be specially formulated to suit their needs. Smalls for Smalls makes fresh, human-grade cat food with a high protein content, providing your cat with the nutrition he or she needs to live a healthy lifestyle. They also have high water content, which will help keep your cat hydrated.

Because cats are primarily carnivores, most of their nutrition should come from meat, and in Smalls for Smalls recipes, they do just that. Beef is obviously the most abundant ingredient in this recipe. If you want to provide your cat with a wholesome meal with ingredients you can trust, Smalls for Smalls is a great choice.

Get back to nature with this human grade, high-protein, high-moisture fresh recipe, formulated to be the healthiest food your cat can eat. Feeding your cat Smalls for Smalls means more energy, a softer coat, and a less fragrant litter box.

NomNomNow Flavorful Fish Feast Cat Food Review

Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

First 5 Ingredients: Tilapia, Salmon, Beef Fat, Yuca, Carrot

NomNomNow foods contain human grade, restaurant-quality ingredients and are made in human food processing facilities in California and Tennessee. Everyone who works in the NomNomNow kitchens possesses state-issued food safety certificates and is educated in food safety and quality control for human food consumption.

NomNomNow is a personalized cat food meal delivery service. When you order your first batch of NomNomNow cat food, you’ll create a profile with information about your cat’s health, weight, and weight goals.

The NomNomNow staff prepares small batches of fresh food and portions it out according to your cat’s calorie needs, then ships a supply based on a delivery schedule that you can customize.

NomNomNow’s Flavorful Fish Feast is made with tilapia and salmon and packed with omega 3 fatty acids to keep your cat’s coat healthy and shiny.

The price of NomNomNow varies based on how many cats you have and your delivery schedule of choice, but it’s more expensive than the average cat food.

Pros

• Truly human grade cat food
• Primarily made from fresh meat
• Low in carbohydrates
• Free of artificial colors, flavors, and preservatives

Cons

• Only available in the 48 contiguous United States
• Available only with a subscription

Wellness CORE 95% Turkey Grain-Free Canned Cat Food Review

Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

First 5 Ingredients: Turkey, Water Sufficient For Processing, Cassia Gum, Xanthan Gum, Ground Flaxseed

This cat food from Wellness CORE’s 95% line is, as the name suggests, 95% turkey meat. This makes it a great choice for cats who like poultry flavors but can’t eat chicken.The food doesn’t contain any other common allergens like fish, dairy, eggs, or beef.

The remaining 5% of the food is dedicated to binders and ground flaxseed as a fiber source, along with essential vitamins, minerals, and amino acids.

Wellness CORE 95% turkey pate has an estimated carbohydrate content of 2.5%, making it one of the lowest-carbohydrate foods on the market. – Buy It

Pros

• Single protein source
• Free from common allergens
• Low carbohydrate content
• 95% turkey meat

Cons

• Contains multiple gums as binders

Hound & Gatos Gamebird Formula Grain-Free Cat Food Review

Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

First 5 Ingredients: Turkey, Duck, Duck Broth, Turkey Liver, Guinea Fowl

Some cats love the taste of poultry, but just can’t stomach chicken. Those cats might consider Hound & Gatos Gamebird canned food. This recipe includes multiple poultry ingredients, including turkey, duck, guinea fowl, and quail.

The food is simply made with salmon oil as a fat source, agar-agar as a thickener, and a range of added vitamins, minerals, and amino acids.

It’s not a limited-ingredient diet, so it’s not a great choice for cats with suspected, but still unidentified, food allergies.

If you like the simplicity and low carbohydrate content of Hound & Gatos food but need a limited-ingredient product, consider Hound & Gatos lamb & lamb liver, turkey & turkey liver, duck, rabbit, beef, or pork. All have simple ingredient lists with a single protein source and, of course, absolutely no chicken. – Buy It

Pros

• Great for cats who like poultry flavors but can’t eat chicken
• Simple, meat-rich ingredient list
• Very low in carbohydrates

Cons

• Not a limited-ingredient food
• Expensive

Instinct by Nature’s Variety Original Grain-Free Real Lamb Recipe Natural Wet Canned Cat Food Review

Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars

First 5 Ingredients: Lamb, Lamb Broth, Turkey, Turkey Liver, Ground Flaxseed

This food is 95% lamb and turkey liver with a small amount of eggs as a third animal protein source.

Like many other Nature’s Variety Instinct foods, the recipe is meat-heavy but also contains plant ingredients including ground flaxseed and traces of artichokes, cranberries, pumpkin, tomato, blueberries, and more.

Nevertheless, it’s an exceptionally low-carbohydrate food packed with species-appropriate animal protein.

Pros

• Made primarily from lamb and turkey
• Rich in animal protein
• Low in carbohydrates

Cons

• Contains egg, a common allergen