The Best Low Carb Cat Food

I thought my cat was prone to weight gain, until I learned her cat food was full of carbohydrates and filler. Then I found Wysong Epigen 90, which I can safely say is the best overall low carb cat food.

Any modern cat can struggle with weight and health issues related to excess carb intake. After all, cats are natural hunters and meat-eaters, with no need for much carbs.

Now my Maine Coon cat is a healthy 15 pounds, but every cat (and owner) has unique needs. Your cat may be diabetic or prone to upset stomachs. That’s why I reviewed low carbohydrate cat foods in many categories.

These are the products we review in this article (not all shown):

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All cat foods included on this list meet the standard AAFCO nutrient profile guidelines for cats. Always consult with your veterinarian before making changes to your cat’s diet.

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Overall Best Low Carb Cat Food

• First 5 Ingredients: Chicken Meal, Organic Chicken, Meat Protein Isolate, Chicken Fat (preserved with Mixed Tocopherols), Gelatin
• Guaranteed Analysis: 63% Crude Protein, 16% Crude Fat, 3% Crude Fiber, 10% Moisture, 0.2% Taurine
• Caloric Content: 445 calories/cup
• Life Stage: All stages

Pet parents who read labels agree. Wysong Epigen 90 is an under-the-radar protein powerhouse packed with over 70% quality protein by dry matter (the highest on this list), making it my pick for the best low carb cat food.

The first 5 ingredients tell the bulk of the story with organic chicken, chicken parts, animal meats, and chicken fat that hark back to a cat’s natural diet. You don’t see digestible carbs of any sort.

(Into organic? Check out the best organic cat foods!)

This concentrated formula is what they call “starch-free,” moving beyond “grain free cat food” and contains no grains, potatoes, rice, or other ingredients companies add while claiming the grain-free label.

(Note: because of the concentrated protein, a transition period is recommended to avoid stomach issues. And even then, some digestive systems may never tolerate the dense nutrition.)

With a reduction in carbs, purchasers commonly ask if anyone else’s cats are eating less and losing weight on this food. This makes sense as Fluffy is eating better, with more satisfying and hunger sating protein.

Now for the part that matters: Parents of diabetic and overweight cats overwhelmingly approve of this dry food, and there are tons of stories where introducing Epigen 90 resulted in lower blood sugar, shinier coats, and tighter, firmer stools.

Wysong Epigen 90 also adds superfoods, antioxidants, vitamins, minerals, probiotics, prebiotics, plant-based nutrition. Much of the trace fiber and plants emulate what is found in stomach contents of eaten prey.

Omega 3 fatty acids from the tasty meat and flaxseed bring it all together to support digestion and a healthy coat.

Downsides include that there is just 1 flavor – chicken.

Rating Breakdown:

What We Liked:

• Super high protein
• Clean, high-quality ingredients
• No fillers, wheat, gluten, starches
• Omega 3 fatty acids
• Wide array of added vitamins, minerals, and other supplements

What We Didn’t Like:

• Just 1 flavor – chicken
• Adjustment period needed if not used to such high protein levels

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Best Low Carb Wet Cat Food

• First 5 Ingredients: Chicken, Chicken Broth, Sunflower Seed Oil, Tricalcium Phosphate, Taurine
• Guaranteed Analysis: 16% Crude Protein, 2.6% Crude Fat, 0% Crude Fiber, 80% Moisture, < 1% Taurine
• Caloric Content: 69 kcal/2.8 oz can
• Life Stage: All stages

Our best low carb wet cat food is Tiki Cat Grain Free Wet Cat food because of its grain free nature, super high 16% protein by dry matter basis, and abundant moisture.

This is an exceedingly high protein wet cat food, and the fact it’s from real chicken meat (and not by-product or meals) has to be noted.

Tiki Cat’s wet food line up is impressive, boasting genuine protein and fats in biologically appropriate ratios. The Puka Puka Luau chicken flavor above is no exception, with visible pieces of chicken and broth that totally seem like human food.

The super clean formula contains very few or no carbs, with no potatoes, wheat, rice, or corn. B-vitamins, E vitamins, taurine, and other vitamins and minerals offer a complete nutritional package.

Each 2.8 can only contains 69 kcal, so this lean food is definitely one of the best low carb high protein cat foods for weight loss.

This product also offers 80% moisture by volume, higher than your average wet canned foods, and is so important for healthy hydration.

But let’s say your cat doesn’t like chicken. Tiki Cat delivers the same nutritional value in its Ahi, Tuna & Mackerel, Salmon, and other flavors. A variety of flavors is wonderful since we all know how picky cats can be!

Rating Breakdown:

What We Liked:

• Super high real protein formula with low to no carbs
• Grain free, potato free, no fillers, anything artificial
• Tons of hydration
• Flavor variety

What We Didn’t Like:

• You pay for the quality

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Runner Up Low Carb Canned Cat Food

• First 5 Ingredients: Lamb, Water Sufficient for Processing, Lamb Lung, Lamb Kidney, Lamb Liver
• Guaranteed Analysis: 9.5% Crude Protein, 6% Crude Fat, 2% Crude Fiber, 78% Moisture
• Caloric Content: 1325 kcal/kg
• Life Stage: All stages

This is a deluxe option for cats who love scents and textures that might bring their imaginations back to the wild! All in an ultra clean, filler-free formula.

This high protein wet cat food recipe use lamb meat and organs for that whole animal nutrition. Quality ingredients like mussels, tripe and organic kelp are great for digestion, joint health and coat condition.

If you’re looking for low carb canned cat food out of weight concerns, you’ll be interested to know that kelp potentially improves metabolism. It’s also great for everything from brain to heart health.

ZIWI Peak is a very ethical food brand that always sources free-range and grass-fed meats, cage-free poultry and wild-caught seafood. Everything on your cat’s dish comes from New Zealand!

Cats with sensitive stomachs rejoice! Lots of buyers mentioned that this low carb wet cat food helped their cats with digestive issues or irritable bowel syndrome.

Rating Breakdown:

What We Liked:

• Manufactured in New Zealand
• Premium feline-specific diet with superfoods
• 92 percent meat, organs and green oysters
• High-quality meat with no filler

What We Didn’t Like:

• Price

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Best With Gravy

• First 5 Ingredients: Chicken (Boneless, Skinless Breast), Chicken Broth, Potato Starch, Sunflower Seed Oil, Calcium Lactate
• Guaranteed Analysis: 10% Crude Protein, 1.4% Crude Fat, 0.5% Crude Fiber, 85% Moisture, 0.05% Taurine
• Caloric Content: 57 kcal/3 oz can (chicken)
• Life Stage: All stages

This is one of the best low carb wet cat foods with a gravy. What other cat food here can boast white meat chicken, and basically nothing else?

Weruva Grain-Free Natural Canned Wet Cat Food is a super clean, gravy topped, high-protein cat food bursting with a meaty essence from real white meat chicken cats cannot resist.

When Weruva says grain-free, they really mean it. No grains, glutens, vegetables, corn, soy, fillers, or by-products in this awesome pick.

In fact, the super clean, low carb ingredient list makes this a great choice for specialty diets like low ash, urinary, sensitive stomachs, or grain allergies,

That nice gravy is broth-based and not carb based, too. The moisture element in this cat food is superb for cats who might not be getting adequate hydration (and not know it).

This recipe also combines essential nutrients like taurine while supporting the immune system with vitamins, minerals, and amino acids.

Overall a low carb, low fat, white meat chicken, in a gravy that’s a no brainer for your sauce-loving kitties.

Rating Breakdown:

What We Liked:

• Super clean recipe, only chicken with broth + essential vitamins/minerals
• No grain, gluten, carrageenan, corn, soy, wheat, or artificial anything
• Low Fat

What We Didn’t Like:

• Price
• Shredded chicken texture not for every cat

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Top Cheap Low Carb Cat Food

• First 5 Ingredients: Turkey, liver, turkey broth, chicken, pork lungs (Turkey recipe)
• Guaranteed Analysis: 11% Crude Protein, 5% Crude Fat, 1.5% Crude Fiber, 78% Moisture, .07% Taurine
• Life Stage: All stages

This cheap cat food does not compromise on quality. Purina ONE is the company’s grain free, high protein offering, and has a tempting pate texture that any wet food-loving cat will love.

Real meat is the bedrock of the recipe here, and Purina mixes in tons of vitamins and minerals to help your cat stay strong and healthy.

The one thing I will say is that Purina does include by-products in this recipe. If you’re focused on finding cat food with no filler, this may not be it.

However, folks say they feed this to their diabetic and senior cats and it does not raise their blood sugar. Not bad for “cheap” low carb canned cat food, right?

A common theme with Purina ONE High Protein is that cats love it. Countless owners talk about how their cats licked their plates clean after refusing other brands of high-protein low-carb cat foods.

Rating Breakdown:

What We Liked:

• Budget-friendly grain-free option
• Real meat as the first ingredient, great “real food” ingredient list
• No corn, wheat, soy, or artificial flavors
• Most cats like the flavor

What We Didn’t Like:

• Flavors not for all cats

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Runner Up Low Carb Dry Cat Food

• First 5 Ingredients: Chicken, Dried Egg Product, Pork Protein Isolate, Gelatin
• Guaranteed Analysis: 59% Crude Protein, 18% Crude Fat, 4% Crude Fiber, 12% Moisture
• Caloric Content: 4030 kcal/kg
• Life Stage: Adult

This formula is one of the best low carb dry cat foods on the market today. It’s extremely high in animal protein, and has a perfect ratio of fat and carbs that match wild prey.

In addition to being free of any grain or gluten, this formula is bursting with omega-3 fatty acids that support everything from brain health to coat luster.

I like recommending Dr. Elsey’s Cleanprotein Formula because as one of the lowest carbohydrate dry cat foods the filling protein allows your cat to stay fuller longer.

As a result, you may be able to combat the constant grazing or begging behaviors that are putting your cat at risk for health issues.

If you’re not home during the day to peel open a can, giving your cat this sustaining low carb dry cat food may help you avoid using crunchy kibble as crutches.

Rating Breakdown:

What We Liked:

• Super clean recipe
• Contains high-value, most-bioavailable protein sources
• High fat
• Grain-free no fillers, no preservatives

What We Didn’t Like:

• You pay for the quality

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Great Low Carb Treat

• First 5 Ingredients: Chicken liver, turkey liver, chicken, turkey, monkfish (Original)
• Guaranteed Analysis: 45% Crude Protein, 35% Crude Fat, 1% Crude Fiber, 2% Moisture
• Caloric Content: 5255 kcal/kg
• Life Stage: All stages

ORIJEN Freeze Dried Cat Treats blends ethically raised meats with wild-caught fish to give your cat a raw protein surge in the form of a treat they love. The variety of flavors is impressive for even picky cats.

The best part? Zero carbs.

You can feel good feeding these because ORIJEN has packed each cat treat with varied meats that mimic a “whole prey” meal in the wild. Find meat, organs, cartilage, and bone in these snacks for your little hunter.

Buyers report needing to lock away the bag, because their cats find and destroy the bag to get to it!

Do be careful, because you can get in trouble if you try to use them as low carb dry cat food, due to the high fat content. But otherwise, these are tasty and satisfying high protein low carb treats.

Rating Breakdown:

What We Liked:

• 0 carbs
• Biologically appropriate treats with “whole prey” protein and fat ratio
• High-protein and high-fat
• Raw and nutrient-dense

What We Didn’t Like:

• May be too rich for some cats

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Benefits of High Protein Low Carb Cat Food

It’s a species-specific thing. Feline bodies simply aren’t as good as human bodies at breaking down carbohydrates. They thrive on a high protein low carb diet.

According to Richard W. Nelson, DVM, DACVIM, professor of internal medicine at the University of California, Davis, School of Veterinary Medicine:

“Cats are, by nature, meat eaters. Because they’ve evolved from the hunt to the food bowl, it’s now their owners’ job to ensure that their diet includes a lot of protein.“

Remember, a feral or cat in the wild will naturally eat a whole mouse or other vermin. The only carbs in that diet are found within the prey’s undigested stomach contents!

Below are more specific reasons to give your cat the high protein low carb diet they deserve!

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Diabetes Treatment

Diabetes is one of the biggest reasons for why cat owners seek out low-carb diets. When a cat is diagnosed with diabetes, dietary treatment (which includes a low carbohydrate cat food) and insulin aim to:

• Restoring normal blood glucose concentrations.
• Stopping or controlling weight loss.
• Stopping or minimizing signs of increased thirst and urination.
• Avoiding inappropriately low blood sugar due to treatment (hypoglycemia).

Luckily, most don’t tend to mind switching to high protein low carb foods for diabetic cats because they have predator instincts that love meat!

Those in the market for the best low carb foods for their diabetic cat should talk to their vet and get a diabetic cat food list and a prescription. Then consider the below.

Hill’s Prescription Diet m/d GlucoSupport Dry Food

Hill’s Veterinarian Diet provide palatable foods that manage health conditions, while being balanced for nutrition.

Formulated by PhD’s and veterinarians, Hill’s Prescription Diet m/d GlucoSupport helps your cat manage blood glucose levels and lose weight in the process.

This low carb dry cat food features therapeutic levels of L-carnitine for fat metabolism, and improves digestion. Wet food formula also available.

Royal Canin Veterinary Diet Glycobalance

The Royal Canin brand focuses on the science of nutrition, with every ingredient in their foods contributing to the overall goal, and having a specific purpose for being there.

This high protein, low starch formula use prebiotics plus soluble and insoluble fibers to minimize blood sugar variations. The gravy and soft slices make it easy for even old cats to enjoy! Available in a dry kibble format too.

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Better Gastrointestinal Health

Reducing carbohydrate intake may also help to reduce gastrointestinal distress in cats.

There’s also evidence that cutting carbs may help to reduce risks for feline lower urinary tract disease (FLUTD), inflammatory bowel disease, chronic kidney disease and more.

Improved General Vitality

Anecdotally, cat owners mention brighter eyes, softer coats, and just more life! That’s no surprise, we know that cats on a low carb diet utilize the food better and have more energy

They don’t need to have an underlying condition to benefit from switching to low-carb or no carb cat food. It simply allows your cat to live their best life. At the end of the day, we should be into anything that may help our cats to live longer.

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Overweight Cats

While social media and the internet love fat cats, thicc cats, and chonky cats, it’s really not cute or healthy. Your cat should be able to leap from their cat tree to the ground or run and pounce on an enticing cat toy.

Inactive indoor cats who can freely graze on kibble all day are prime candidates to be overweight. Doting owners may also be too generous with high calorie treats. Even breeds (like Maine Coons) may be more prone to obesity issues.

But, any cat can have a propensity toward being overweight. Observing a low carb diet eliminates many of the unnecessary grains and fillers in dry kibble and helps hugely with a weight loss plan.

I’m not saying you should feed the lowest carbohydrate dry cat food you can find, but losing a bit of weight can decrease pain and increase mobility based on how fragile and small a cat’s joints are!

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Wet or Dry Low Carb Food?

Looking at nutritional labels tells us wet food is a better choice for low carb diets.

Categorically, dry food utilizes carbs and starches to bind the food together. In wet food, essential moisture is the main binder.

Not only that, moisture from wet food makes for a large part of a cat’s water intake. When cats only have dry food, they are eating excess carbs and can be “backed up” and dehydrated.

However, I do make exceptions for high-quality low carbohydrate dry cat food that buck the trend of being less nourishing. I actually cover a good dry option in my reviews down below if your cat is kibble grazer!

Protip: if your cat is a kibble addict, try to top or soak it in bone broth – an easy way to add moisture along with meaty goodness. Or add it to Tiki Cat to create a meaty zero carb cat food treat!

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How to Choose a Low Carb Cat Food

When buying cat food, be a label reader! Most people don’t even check when purchasing people food, but reading them and even just knowing a bit will benefit you and your cat huge.

Look for the following:

Quality Ingredients

The first 5 or so ingredients should be real food. As in, you don’t need a background in chemistry to understand it. Ask yourself if you would eat it. Does it say simply turkey, chicken, salmon, duck or fish? That’s awesome.

Ingredients like organs and internals like liver, lungs, blood, ground bone are also great and are biologically appropriate. Natural cats eat the whole animal!

Carbs and Fillers

Watch out for ingredients such as by-products or protein meals, which are low quality protein sources to pump up the nutritional information. You’ll find more meals and by-products in budget friendly cat foods vs more premium brands for sure

Carbs you’ll often see in wet and dry cat food are:

• grains and wheat
• rice and corn
• fiber
• potatoes
• produce like blueberries or kale

Skip the food if carbs like the ones above are in the top 5 or so ingredients on the label!

Overall, don’t be seduced by upmarket “fancy” ingredient for humans. We all give our cats human foods to try sometimes, but remember that fruits and vegetables are incredible for human and not necessary for cats.

Guaranteed Analysis

Look for something called the Guaranteed Analysis (GA) on the back of any bag or can you buy. This is the nutrient profile that divulges the basic nutritional composition of what you’re buying.

Crude protein, fat, fiber, and moisture percentages will be listed. Check out the FDA website here for great insights about how to interpret GA labels between different products.

AAFCO Certified

When vetting high protein cat food, look for the recommendation of the Association of American Feed Control Officials (AAFCO) using their cat food nutrient profiles.

The AAFCO label denotes a well-balanced food with least 20 percent protein with 9 percent fat, and that ot also contains omega fatty acids, amino acids like taurine and a robust assortment of vitamins and minerals from natural sources.

Most commercially available cat foods will have this on their label.

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Low Carb Cat Food Recipes

Yes, you can make some low-carb meals for your cat at home. But while I’m an unapologetic cat enthusiast, I am not a cat chef!

First, it’s important to know that a low-carb cat diet is not as simple as just giving your cat meat or fish at every meal.

If you’re veering toward a raw homemade diet, this veterinarian’s office does a good job of covering all of the elements to include. Here is a comprehensive recipe source if you’re serious about trying homemade low carb cat food.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Are carbs bad for cats?

A high-carb diet isn’t ideal for cats because cats simply don’t consume grains and carbs in the wild. While many cats live very happy and healthy lives eating “standard” cat food, you’re not necessarily setting your cat up for optimum health by using cat food containing grains.

What is the best low carb cat food?

I’ve highlighted six picks in my reviews above. While I named Wellness Complete Health Natural Grain Free Wet Canned Cat Food, Pate as my best overall, it’s a good idea to check them all out to see what they offer based on your cat’s specific needs.

Look for high protein content sourced from animal products when shopping for reduced-carb cat food.

Is grain free cat food low in carbs?

Yes, most of the carbs that are in cat food come from things like rice and corn. Grain-free cat foods get most of their nutrients from beef, pork, fish and poultry.