Best cat food for skin allergies

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Have you got a kitty with bad skin allergies? This is no fun for you or your cat, and sometimes it can be tough to figure out exactly what’s triggering these allergies, but their food is often a good place to start. So, in this article we’ll be talking about the best cat food for skin allergies to help your kitty.

What causes food allergies in cats?

Unfortunately, allergies are dependent on the individual and they can develop at any time. So, even if your cat previously was eating a food just fine they could become sensitive to it later!

However, there are some common ingredients which cats tend to have bad reactions to. So, before we get to our food recommendations we’re going to briefly cover this.

Using this information you can judge for yourself whether a food is the best cat food for allergies or if it’s a dud based on its contents. Here’s some key things to look out for in your kitty’s food.

Grains

Grains are often used as cheap filler ingredients in cat foods. They have no real nutritional value, and many cats actually have issues with them. So, if your food contains corn or wheat you should get rid of it. Cats do well on lower carbohydrate diets.

Artificial ingredients

Artificial ingredients like coloring can sometimes cause cats to have poor reactions to their food. It’s best to avoid anything artificial in your cat’s food if possible. There are many all natural cat food brands on the market that allow you to leave these poor practices behind.

Dairy

This is normal presented in the form of digestion issues rather than skin problems, but it’s still a big problem for many cats. If your kitty frequently has bouts of diarrhea or vomiting after eating then you may also want to avoid dairy products in their food like milk and eggs.

Meat proteins

Yes, your cat can actually be allergic to some meats. This one is a little harder to diagnose and the best course of action is to feed them a food which uses only one protein source. That means if your food is chicken flavor then it should only include chicken as protein.

How do you read the ingredients list?

Every pet food has an ingredients list, and the items which are first in the list is what the food is predominately composed of. A food which does not feature a meat protein in the first spot is of low quality and you should not buy it.

You should also avoid foods which have carbohydrates too far up the list. Even if they are generally acceptable items like sweet potatoes or peas. Some of these items are used to inflate the protein values of foods meaning you’re not getting as much meat as you should be.

Best cat food for skin allergies

Now that we’ve covered the basics, here’s our list of the best cat foods for skin allergies! All of the foods in our list feature limited ingredient diets which are fantastic for cats with allergies. They’re free of any artificial ingredients and they focus on providing the best nutrition possible.

It should also be noted that we really recommend feeding your cat a wet food. This is infinitely better for their health and it can prevent serious and deadly problems like urinary crystals from occurring. That means less money spent in vet bills for a little more spent in food each month.

NomNomNow

best cat food
NomNomNow’s extremely limited ingredient cat diets are of the highest quality.

Our first pick for the best cat food for skin allergies goes to NomNomNow. This is the best cat food you could ever hope to get, and they should fit the bill for even the most sensitive kitties.

All of their recipes are made from human grade ingredients and they are cooked fresh every week. These foods are then packaged in perfectly portioned baggies and shipped to your door, making it super easy to keep your cat in perfect health.

Above you can see NomNomNow’s fish recipe. It contains just five main ingredients, making it extremely limited and a great choice for cats with skin allergies. This particular recipe also contains fish oil which is great for healthy skin and coat.

However, if you know that your cat has a problem with fish then they also have a chicken recipe available for you to try. Either one would be excellent for cats with skin issues.

All of NomNomNow’s recipes are low in carbohydrates and they feature healthier ones than other commercial cat food brands. They also are very upfront about the ingredients and they make it easy to see the nutritional information so you can judge for yourself which diet is best for your cat.

You might also be surprised to know that their foods are more affordable than you might think. NomNomNow’s cat plans start at just $14 per week, which is comparable or sometimes even less than a quality canned die.

If you’re interested in giving them a try for your cat then you can use this link to get 50% off on your first order. They sometimes also throw in some free treats and free full size samples of their other food recipes so you can try them and see which is best for your cat!

Wysong Archetype

Wysong’s Archetype is one of the few starch free cat foods on the market.

If you’ve ever been curious about the benefits of feeding your cat a raw diet then the second item on our list might interest you. This food offers all of the convenience of a dry food but with the benefits of a raw diet.

This is actually a freeze dried raw product formulated by Wysong to be the ultimate in feline nutrition. They focus on a “whole prey approach” that offers your cat food just how they would get it in nature with whole meat, organs and bones included.

Their foods are also super limited in ingredients and they’re actually one of the few cat foods that’s starch free! Starch free diets are great for cats who might have allergies to many carbohydrates or for diabetic cats who need to be on extremely low carb diets.

Archetype comes in several flavor profiles including some novel proteins. This makes it easy to find something that your cat will eat, and each one includes only one protein item so if your cat’s are allergic to any proteins you know of you can easily exclude them.

While it’s possible to feed this to your cat right out of the bag in chunks it will likely be more appealing to them if you re-hydrate it with water first. This also gives them the benefit of much needed liquids. Many cats are actually dehydrated and this can cause them many health problems.

If you’d like to try this food for your cat, then you can get the best price by going directly to the manufacturer. They also offer an additional 10% off if you get it using their auto-ship program.

#3 – Halo Cat Food

Looking for a high-quality cat food for cats with allergies that won’t break the bank? Then Halo should be your go to brand. This surprisingly affordable cat food brand doesn’t skimp on quality.

Halo uses only human grade ingredients in their foods and they are free from anything artificial. This makes them a great choice for upgrading your cat’s diet.

Their foods are also highly digestible, so if your cat also has issues with diarrhea or vomiting in addition to their skin allergies then this could be a good choice.

The most attractive thing about Halo though is likely the price. It’s very affordable, and it’s likely that you can pick this food up for about the same price as a decent big box store brand while still enjoying a much higher quality product.

However, there are a few things about Halo which may not make it an ideal solution for your cat and we should go over those as well.

For starters, most of their foods do not stick to a single meat item. That means if you know that your cat is allergic to meat proteins you should probably go with one of our first two picks. Their foods are also not starch free like Wysong’s Archetype but they do have grain-free flavors available.

In short, while Halo is an excellent and affordable food you’ll need to look at each flavor and make sure that your cat can eat it. This means doing a little more research to save some money.

Halo also makes a very good dry food that uses only whole-meat ingredients. They might actually have one of the best dry cat food brands around, and while we believe that wet foods are healthier, if you do need to feed a dry food this is the best choice.

If you’re interested in trying this cat food you can often get the best deal online. Plus, many stores give you big discounts for using auto-ship. Amazon offers up to 20% off if you have Prime.

When choosing the best food for your cat’s skin allergies it’s important to remember that your cat is unique. There’s not a one size fits all solution for allergies.

That means you might need to do a little detective work before you find the right choice. However, with a little experimentation it’s easy to find a food which agrees with them.

How do I switch my cat to their new food?

Swapping to a new food can sometimes cause digestive upset if it happens suddenly. Many times pet parents will blame the food for this, but the real issue is that they did not take the time to properly acclimate their cat to a new diet!

Start off by mixing a small amount of the new food with the old food. Slowly add more until your cat has adjusted to it.

Remember to give them at least 14 days with the new food before calling it quits. This is the amount of time required to properly transition to a new diet.

What if they still have problems after transitioning?

If they still have problems then you’ll unfortunately need to start with something new. Hopefully though you’ll have learned something about what is triggering their allergies and be able to eliminate the problem ingredient.



Michelle Rei
Michelle Rei
Michelle is a pet parent turned amateur pet product researcher. After adopting a fur baby with digestive issues caused by bad pet food, she's poured hundreds of hours into research to find the best of the best to help him and other pets live happier and healthier lives.
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