Reviewed & Fact-Checked By
Dr. Paola Cuevas
Veterinarian, MVZ
Reviewed & Fact-Checked By
Dr. Paola Cuevas
Veterinarian, MVZ
The information is current and up-to-date in accordance with the latest veterinarian research.
Despite all the cat food advertisements you may see talking about how your cat needs to eat meat and avoid carbs, the truth of whether low-carb foods are best for all cats is much more complicated. Veterinarians know for sure that cats with diabetes do best on a low-carb, high-protein diet.1 Cats who are overweight may also benefit from lower-carb food. When it comes to the average, healthy feline, however, there’s much less evidence regarding the benefits or harm of carbohydrates.
If you think your cat would be healthier on low-carb food, be sure to check with your veterinarian first. Once you’re ready, come back to this article and check out our reviews of the best low-carb cat foods we could find in stores today. Hopefully, this information will give you an idea of what’s available as you shop for the perfect low-carb diet for your precious kitty.
A Quick Comparison of Our Favorites in 2023
Image Product Details
Best Overall
Smalls Fresh Cow Cat Food
Only 3.2% total carbs
Fresh, human-grade, and protein-packed
Made with premium beef
Click to Save 40% Use code: Petkeen2023
Best Value
Fancy Feast Savory
Widely available
Cost-effective
Available in other varieties
Check Price
Instinct Ultimate Protein
High-quality ingredients (no grains or fillers)
Also works for cats with food allergies or IBD
Check Price
Purina Pro Plan Grain-Free
Most cats like the taste
No artificial colors or flavors
Check Price
Tiki Cat Hawaiian Grill
Good for overweight cats
Uses high-quality ingredients
Check Price
The 11 Best Low-Carb Cat Foods
1. Smalls Fresh Cow Cat Food – Best Overall
Save 40% on Smalls - Click Here & Use Code Petkeen2023
Protein: 16.5%
Fat: 12%
Carbs: 3.2%
Top Ingredients: Beef, Beef Liver, Green Beans, Water, Spinach
Your feline best friend deserves the very best cat food available, and if you want to upgrade to high-quality cat food, check out Smalls Human-Grade Fresh Cow Cat Food. Smalls offers fresh, protein-packed food made with premium beef and a variety of nutritious vitamins. When you sign up for a Smalls subscription, you’ll receive regular shipments of this low-carb cat food right to your door!
We love the care that Smalls takes in preparing nutritious meals for your furry friends. Lean ground beef makes up 73% of this food, and there are also nutrients like phosphorus, calcium, and taurine to help your cat stay healthy. Best of all, the metabolizable energy in this food is only 1% from carbs — which is impressive!
You do have to sign up for a subscription, and food this nutritious doesn’t come cheap. Still, Smalls Cow Cat Food is our top pick for the best low-carb cat food available this year. Give it a try and see what your cat thinks!
Pros
Less than 1% of metabolizable energy is from carbs
Only 3.2% total carbs
Fresh, human-grade, and protein-packed
Made with premium beef
Plenty of vitamins to keep your cat healthy
Cons
Requires a subscription
Pricey
Our choice of best low-carb cat food for the money is the Fancy Feast Salmon canned food. Most canned cat food is low in carbs, meaning you don’t necessarily need to pay a fortune to keep your cat’s carb intake at a minimum. Fancy Feast is widely available at most grocery and retail stores, making it a convenient choice as well as a cost-effective one.
Less than 1% of metabolizable energy is from carbs
Only 3.2% total carbs
Fresh, human-grade, and protein-packed
Made with premium beef
Plenty of vitamins to keep your cat healthy
- Less than 1% of metabolizable energy is from carbs
- Only 3.2% total carbs
- Fresh, human-grade, and protein-packed
- Made with premium beef
- Plenty of vitamins to keep your cat healthy
Requires a subscription
Pricey
- Requires a subscription
- Pricey
Protein: 11%
Fat: 4%
Carbs: 0.6%
Top Ingredients: Salmon, liver, meat by-products
Check Price on Chewy
Many of the fish-based canned foods tend to be lower in carbs which is why we picked this salmon diet among the countless Fancy Feast varieties. However, not all cats enjoy or can tolerate fish diets so monitor your cat closely for any upset stomach if you pick this food. Cat owners who prefer feeding all-natural or higher quality foods may dislike that this one contains meat by-products.
Pros
Widely available
Cost-effective
Available in other varieties
Cons
Some cats don’t tolerate fish-based diets
If top-quality, all-natural ingredients are important to you and have a bigger budget, try the Instinct Ultimate Protein Grain-free Venison diet. Not only is this food low carb, it’s made with a novel protein source—venison—making it a good choice for cats who are also dealing with food allergies or inflammatory bowel disease (IBD).
Widely available
Cost-effective
Available in other varieties
- Widely available
- Cost-effective
- Available in other varieties
Some cats don’t tolerate fish-based diets
- Some cats don’t tolerate fish-based diets
Protein: 11%
Fat: 7%
Carbs: 1%
Top Ingredients: Venison, pork liver, pork broth
Instinct is one of the more expensive cat foods on the market because it’s made of whole meat sources with no grains or filler ingredients. Besides the cost, owners also find that some cats don’t care for the taste of this food. The cans also contain quite a bit of liquid often leading to a mess when they’re opened.
Pros
High-quality ingredients (no grains or fillers)
Also works for cats with food allergies or IBD
Cons
Expensive
Messy
Suitable for kittens or adult cats in need of a high protein, low-carb diet, Purina Pro Plan Grain-free Chicken is a tasty, well-tolerated canned food for most cats. Because it is kitten food, it comes only in small, 3-ounce cans which can be inconvenient and expensive if you’re trying to feed a full-size cat. This food is well-reviewed and recommended by the majority of owners who’ve tried it. Pro Plan is usually only available in pet stores or online, making it a little harder to find than the lower-level Purina diets.
High-quality ingredients (no grains or fillers)
Also works for cats with food allergies or IBD
- High-quality ingredients (no grains or fillers)
- Also works for cats with food allergies or IBD
Expensive
Messy
- Expensive
- Messy
Protein: 12%
Fat: 6%
Carbs: 5%
Top Ingredients: Chicken, liver, water sufficient for processing
This food contains no artificial colors or flavors but does contain by-products, which are considered safe and nutritious for cats, but some owners still prefer not to feed them.
Pros
Most cats like the taste
No artificial colors or flavors
Cons
Only available in small cans
This gourmet cat food brand uses real, wild-caught Ahi tuna as its main protein source. Tiki Cat is one of the highest protein, lowest fat diets we reviewed, making it a good choice for cats who are trying to limit carbs as a weight-loss strategy. Mercury can be a concern with tuna-based foods and this company makes an effort to ensure they use fish with the lowest mercury content possible.
Most cats like the taste
No artificial colors or flavors
- Most cats like the taste
- No artificial colors or flavors
Only available in small cans
- Only available in small cans
Protein: 16%
Fat: 2%
Carbs: 1%
Top Ingredients: Tuna, tuna broth, sunflower seed oil
Cats who don’t like fish diets won’t care for this one as it has a particularly strong smell and taste. This food is also fairly expensive and contains quite a bit of liquid versus actual chunks of tuna.
Pros
Good for overweight cats
Uses high-quality ingredients
Cons
Strong smell and taste some cats dislike
Another good low-carb cat food is a unique low-carb diet option, the Avoderm Grain-free Salmon Consomme is made with wild-caught salmon and packed in a flavorful broth, giving your cat added hydration as they eat. This food also contains avocados and avocado oil as a source of fatty acids, unusual among the other diets on our list. Avoderm is not as common or well-known as some other cat food brands and is a bit expensive. Cat owners appreciate the human-grade quality of this food and its ingredients. Cats who dislike flaky textured foods are generally not a fan of this one, even if they usually enjoy salmon foods.
Good for overweight cats
Uses high-quality ingredients
- Good for overweight cats
- Uses high-quality ingredients
Strong smell and taste some cats dislike
- Strong smell and taste some cats dislike
Protein: 13%
Fat: 2%
Carbs: 0%
Top Ingredients: Salmon, salmon broth, tricalcium phosphate
Pros
High quality, human-grade ingredients
Unique source of fatty acids, avocado
Cons
Expensive
Some cats dislike the texture
Packed with real chicken and sumptuous gravy, this low-carb diet is full of antioxidants, fatty acids, and other healthy nutrients. Merrick Purrfect Bistro also contains elements to help kitty more easily digest their low-carb meal. This food is ideal for picky eaters, with its pate texture and extra moisture. Merrick is a higher-priced option compared to some of the others on the list, probably because they use higher quality, USDA-certified chicken.
High quality, human-grade ingredients
Unique source of fatty acids, avocado
- High quality, human-grade ingredients
- Unique source of fatty acids, avocado
Expensive
Some cats dislike the texture
- Expensive
- Some cats dislike the texture
Protein: 10%
Fat: 5%
Carbs: 0.6%
Top Ingredients: Deboned chicken, chicken broth, chicken liver
Long-time buyers of this food report they may have undergone a recent formula change that their cats no longer like and seems to have changed the color of the food.
Pros
Made with high-quality chicken
Contains antioxidants and digestive aids
Good source of extra moisture
Cons
Expensive
Some cats dislike recent taste changes
This prescription veterinary diet from Purina. Purina DM is specially formulated for diabetic cats who are most in need of a low-carb, high protein diet. Because diabetic cats often suffer from urinary problems as well, this diet helps decrease the risk of your cat developing bladder stones.
Made with high-quality chicken
Contains antioxidants and digestive aids
Good source of extra moisture
- Made with high-quality chicken
- Contains antioxidants and digestive aids
- Good source of extra moisture
Expensive
Some cats dislike recent taste changes
- Expensive
- Some cats dislike recent taste changes
Protein: 12%
Fat: 5%
Carbs: 0.4%
Top Ingredients: Meat by-products, water, chicken
This product is only available with a prescription and is somewhat expensive. Most owners report that their cats enjoy this food. Because it is a pate diet, cats who don’t enjoy that texture may reject the Purina DM.
Pros
Specifically formulated to be low carb
Low fat
Decreases risk of bladder stones
Cons
Only available with a prescription
Another solid, low-carb offering from Purina, the Purina One Grain-free Turkey Pate is a reasonably priced diet that’s usually fairly easy to find in most stores. Made with real turkey, this poultry-based food is usually well-tolerated by most cats. Owners report that while picky cats may initially reject this food, they appreciate the simple, healthy ingredients that make up this diet.
Specifically formulated to be low carb
Low fat
Decreases risk of bladder stones
- Specifically formulated to be low carb
- Low fat
- Decreases risk of bladder stones
Only available with a prescription
- Only available with a prescription
Protein: 11%
Fat: 5%
Carbs: 3%
Top Ingredients: Turkey, liver, turkey broth
This food is a little higher in fat and lower in protein than some of the others we reviewed for this list. Owners who want their cats to lose weight may need to look for a lower fat option.
Pros
Cost-effective
Simple, healthy ingredients
Cons
Higher fat content
Some cats dislike the taste at first
Made with premium ingredients, Wellness Core is also free of artificial colors, preservatives, and carrageenan. The food also contains additional real food ingredients like flaxseed, cranberries, and dried kelp. These help ensure Wellness Core is not only low carb but high in antioxidants and healthy fatty acids. All that quality comes at a price, as this is definitely not a low-cost canned diet. Wellness Core is generally only available from pet stores or online retailers, making availability more of an issue for this food. Plus, given the price, this could be an expensive bust if you find your cat prefers a different low-carb diet.
Cost-effective
Simple, healthy ingredients
- Cost-effective
- Simple, healthy ingredients
Higher fat content
Some cats dislike the taste at first
- Higher fat content
- Some cats dislike the taste at first
Protein: 11%
Fat: 4%
Carbs: 2.8 %
Top Ingredients: Chicken, chicken liver, chicken broth
Pros
Made with high-quality ingredients
No artificial colors, flavors, or carrageenan
Cons
Expensive
Picky cats may not like it
When it comes to feeding lower-carb diets, canned foods are always going to be a better option than dry food. It’s simply impossible to manufacture dry food without a fair amount of carbohydrates. However, some cats absolutely won’t eat canned food no matter how much their owners wish they would. For those cats, especially diabetic ones, the dry food version of Purina DM is a good choice. This food contains very high protein for dry food and one of the lowest carbohydrate counts out there.
Made with high-quality ingredients
No artificial colors, flavors, or carrageenan
- Made with high-quality ingredients
- No artificial colors, flavors, or carrageenan
Expensive
Picky cats may not like it
- Expensive
- Picky cats may not like it
Protein: 58%
Fat: 17%
Carbs: 13%
Top Ingredients: Poultry by-product meal, soy protein isolate, corn gluten meal
Like the wet version, this diet is formulated by researchers specifically to help control insulin levels in diabetic cats. It’s also expensive and requires a prescription. Despite this, this diet is highly recommended by users, suggesting it’s worth the extra cost for peace of mind.
Pros
One of the lowest-carb dry diets
Ideal for diabetic cats
Most cats like the taste
Cons
Expensive
Prescription required
Still has more carbs than canned food
One of the lowest-carb dry diets
Ideal for diabetic cats
Most cats like the taste
- One of the lowest-carb dry diets
- Ideal for diabetic cats
- Most cats like the taste
Expensive
Prescription required
Still has more carbs than canned food
- Expensive
- Prescription required
- Still has more carbs than canned food
Buyer’s Guide: How to Choose the Best Low-Carb Cat Food
Now that we’ve filled your head with useful information about the best low-carb cat foods, here are some other important tips to keep in mind before you make your final decision.
Does Your Cat Have a Medical Condition?
If your cat needs to eat low carb because they have diabetes or another medical concern, you’ll want to take extra care comparing and contrasting the diets available. You’ll also want to lean heavily on your veterinarian for advice before making your choice.
Another complication here is that diabetic cats in particular need to maintain a very consistent diet, no matter what they end up eating. If you already know your cat prefers a particular flavor of food, for example, try to pick a low-carb diet in the same flavor. The last thing you need is to be cycling through multiple diets trying to find one your cat will eat.
How Old Is Your Cat?
In general, cats should eat food designed for their particular life stage. We only reviewed one kitten food for this article but there are plenty of other options out there as well. As you decide which low-carb food is best for your cat, try to pick one that’s appropriate for how old they are.
Does Your Cat Like Wet or Dry Food?
As we mentioned previously, canned food is nearly always going to be much lower in carbs than even the best dry food. If your cat refuses canned food, that’s obviously going to impact your search for a low-carb diet. Learn how to calculate and compare the number of carbs in dry food to find the best option possible.
In many cases, grain-free dry foods will have the lowest carbs. However, keep in mind that grain-free doesn’t automatically equal low carb. Some grain-free diets contain potatoes or peas, which can up the carbohydrate count of the food. Check labels carefully before you buy.
Conclusion
As the overall best low-carb cat food, Smalls Fresh Cow Cat Food is made with premium beef, includes plenty of healthy vitamins and minerals, and offers a very low-carb recipe, making it a perfect choice for all life stages. Our best value pick, Fancy Feast Salmon, offers great taste and minimal carbs for a reasonable price. As you consider our reviews of the best low-carb cat foods, remember that choosing a cat food is about more than just dietary fads and fancy advertising. The most expensive food isn’t always the healthiest or best. Do your research and talk to your veterinarian to help you make the best choice.
See also:
- 6 Best High-Calorie Cat Foods for Weight Gain
- 8 Best Smalls Cat Food Alternatives
Featured Image Credit: New Africa, Shutterstock
