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.
Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is an intestinal disorder that affects many people in the United States, and it also affects our pets. If you have a cat suffering from IBD, the proper food can significantly improve its health. If you want to purchase the right food for your pet but aren’t sure what to get, you’ve come to the right place. We are about to review several different brands of specialty cat food for IBD so you can see the differences between them. We’ll tell you about the pros and cons we experienced while reviewing them and tell you how it worked for our cats. We’ve even included a short buyer’s guide so you will know what to look for if you continue to shop.
Keep reading while we look at protein, fiber, omega fats, and more to help you make an informed purchase.
A Quick Glance At Our Favorites (2023)
Image Product Details
Best Overall
Smalls Human-Grade Fresh Cat Food Subscription
Fresh turkey is the main ingredient
Added vegetables for essential nutrients
No artificial ingredients
Click to Save 40% Use code: PetKeen2023
Best Value
Blue Buffalo Wilderness Dry Cat Food
Omega fats
Real fruits and vegetables
The de-boned salmon first ingredient
Check Price
Hill’s Prescription Skin/Food Dry Cat Food
Contains venison
Omega fatty acids
Pea protein first ingredient
Check Price
Best for Kittens
Stella & Chewy’s Rabbit Freeze-Dried Raw Cat Food
Low calorie
Minimal processing
Rabbit first ingredient
Check Price
Ziwi Peak Venison Canned Cat Food
Free-range meat
Grain-free recipe
Venison first ingredient
Check Price
The 8 Best Cat Foods for Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD)
1. Smalls Human-Grade Fresh Cat Food Subscription – Best Overall
Save 40% on Smalls - Click Here & Use Code Petkeen2023
Protein: 41%
Type: Dry
If your cat has been diagnosed with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), you know that the right diet is critical for them. Your cat’s food should help reduce inflammation, heal the stomach lining, and regenerate the gut flora.
Since cats with IBD have a much harder time digesting food and absorbing essential nutrients, you need to find food that is easy to digest. It’s even thought that diet alone can help some cats with IBD. Smalls Cat Food is an excellent food for IBD, specifically the Fresh Other Ground Bird recipe. Most food allergies and sensitivities are triggered by beef, chicken, and dairy, so it’s important to have food that doesn’t have these ingredients.
The formula of this recipe contains fresh, whole turkey as the main ingredient, followed by chicken liver, which adds to the high protein level of this food. It also has fresh vegetables such as kale, green beans, and peas, which will give your cat extra nutrients. It’s also moisture-rich.
Smalls sends the food to your door frozen to retain the freshness, and since it is subscription based, it will show up when you need it. The food is human-grade, so combine the high-quality proteins with the increased moisture and you end up with a highly digestible food for your cat. This makes it the overall best food for IBD.
However, there are a couple of issues. First, it’s quite expensive. Second, if your cat has an allergy to chicken, there is only one recipe that doesn’t contain chicken: beef. Both of these ingredients are foods that cats might be allergic to.
Pros
Fresh turkey is the main ingredient
Added vegetables for essential nutrients
Human-grade ingredients
Subscription service sends it to your door
No artificial ingredients
Cons
All recipes but one (beef recipe) contain chicken
Blue Buffalo Wilderness Salmon Recipe Grain-Free Dry Cat Food is our pick as the best food for cats with IBD for the money. It contains de-boned salmon as its first ingredient, which helps provide the 40% protein your cat will receive in each portion. This brand also provides omega fats which help reduce swelling and promote a shiny coat. Real fruits and vegetables provide plenty of important vitamins and minerals that can help boost the immune system.
Fresh turkey is the main ingredient
Added vegetables for essential nutrients
Human-grade ingredients
Subscription service sends it to your door
No artificial ingredients
- Fresh turkey is the main ingredient
- Added vegetables for essential nutrients
- Human-grade ingredients
- Subscription service sends it to your door
- No artificial ingredients
All recipes but one (beef recipe) contain chicken
- All recipes but one (beef recipe) contain chicken
Protein: 40%
Type: Dry
Check Price on Chewy
While reviewing Blue Buffalo Wilderness, the only problem we had was that some of our cats didn’t like it. We also noticed that the kibble was quite small and better suited to kittens.
Pros
The de-boned salmon first ingredient
Omega fats
Real fruits and vegetables
Cons
Some cats don’t like it
Small kibble
Hill’s Prescription Diet d/d Skin/Food Sensitivities Venison & Green Pea Formula Dry Cat Food is another great premium choice food for cats with IBD. It features pea protein as the first ingredient, so it’s the perfect choice for cats that might be allergic to chicken or turkey. The venison ingredient helps provide the taurine your cat requires, and there are helpful omega fats in the ingredients.
The de-boned salmon first ingredient
Omega fats
Real fruits and vegetables
- The de-boned salmon first ingredient
- Omega fats
- Real fruits and vegetables
Some cats don’t like it
Small kibble
- Some cats don’t like it
- Small kibble
Protein: 27%
Type: Dry
The downside to Hill’s Prescription Diet is that it doesn’t have as much protein as the brands we’ve looked at so far, and the fat content is higher. It’s also expensive compared to other brands on this list.
Pros
Pea protein first ingredient
Contains venison
Omega fatty acids
Cons
Lower in protein
Expensive
Stella & Chewy’s Absolutely Rabbit Dinner Morsels Freeze-Dried Raw Cat Food is our pick as the best for kittens with IBD. It features raw ground rabbit meat and bone as the first ingredient, which provides your pet with 44% protein per serving. It’s a low-calorie food at only 131 calories per serving that receives minimal processing for the most natural complete meal possible. Stella and Chewy source all of their ingredients ethically, and most of our cats liked it.
Pea protein first ingredient
Contains venison
Omega fatty acids
- Pea protein first ingredient
- Contains venison
- Omega fatty acids
Lower in protein
Expensive
- Lower in protein
- Expensive
Protein: 44%
Type: Dry
Stella & Chewy’s downside is that you need to soak the food in water before serving it. We also noticed a bad odor coming from it that didn’t bother the cats but was unpleasant in the kitchen.
Pros
Rabbit first ingredient
Low calorie
Minimal processing
Ethically sourced ingredients
Cons
Requires soaking in water
Bad odor
Ziwi Peak Venison Recipe Canned Cat Food is our pick as the best canned cat food for IBD. It features free-range venison as its first ingredient, and meat, organs, and mussels make up 96% of the ingredients. This grain-free recipe provides your pet with a complete and balanced meal that includes the essential nutrient taurine.
Rabbit first ingredient
Low calorie
Minimal processing
Ethically sourced ingredients
- Rabbit first ingredient
- Low calorie
- Minimal processing
- Ethically sourced ingredients
Requires soaking in water
Bad odor
- Requires soaking in water
- Bad odor
Protein: 10%
Type: Wet
The downside to Ziwi Peak Venison is that some cats don’t like it, and it has a bad smell that can lead to bath breath in your cat.
Pros
Venison first ingredient
Grain-free recipe
Free-range meat
Cons
Some cats don’t like it
Bad smell
Purina Pro Plan Veterinary Diets EN Gastroenteric Formula Dry Cat Food is another great cat food for cats with IBD. It uses a special formula that allows it to be digested completely by your cat, and it provides your cat with 50% protein per serving for plenty of energy and the building blocks for strong muscle. Their patented formula also helps defend against struvite ad oxalate crystals. We found that most of our cats like this food, and it seemed to help the ones with IBD.
Venison first ingredient
Grain-free recipe
Free-range meat
- Venison first ingredient
- Grain-free recipe
- Free-range meat
Some cats don’t like it
Bad smell
- Some cats don’t like it
- Bad smell
Protein: 50%
Type: Dry
The downside to the Purina Pro Plan brand is that it is quite expensive and is a little high in calories, so you will need to watch the portion size once your pet starts to feel better.
Pros
Special formula for total digestibility
Helps defend against struvite and oxalate crystals
Most cats liked it
Cons
Expensive
High in calories
Based on soy protein and poultry by-products meals
Hound & Gatos 98% Turkey & Liver Formula Grain-Free Canned Cat Food features turkey as its first ingredient, and as the name suggests, 98% of the ingredients are meat proteins that simulate your cat’s natural diet. There are no chemicals or artificial preservatives, and there are no grains.
Special formula for total digestibility
Helps defend against struvite and oxalate crystals
Most cats liked it
- Special formula for total digestibility
- Helps defend against struvite and oxalate crystals
- Most cats liked it
Expensive
High in calories
Based on soy protein and poultry by-products meals
- Expensive
- High in calories
- Based on soy protein and poultry by-products meals
The downside to Hound & Gatos is that it can be challenging to get your cat to eat it. In fact, our cats seemed to like this brand the least of all the brands on this list.
Pros
Turkey first ingredient
98% meat ingredients
No chemicals or artificial colors
Cons
Some cats don’t like it
- Go! SENSITIVITIES Limited Ingredient Duck Dry Cat Food
Check Latest Price
Protein: 31%
Type: Dry
Go! SENSITIVITIES Limited Ingredient Duck Grain-Free Dry Cat Food features de-boned duck as its first ingredient to help provide your pet with 31% protein per meal. Flaxseed adds important omega fats to your pet’s diet, which will promote a healthy and shiny coat. Each serving provides your pet with a complete meal that doesn’t contain any chemical preservatives.
Turkey first ingredient
98% meat ingredients
No chemicals or artificial colors
- Turkey first ingredient
- 98% meat ingredients
- No chemicals or artificial colors
Some cats don’t like it
- Some cats don’t like it
Check Latest Price
Protein: 31%
Type: Dry
The downside to Go! SENSITIVITIES is that some cats won’t eat it, and there are chicken ingredients, so if you are using this brand to avoid allergies, you may need to choose another brand.
Pros
De-boned duck first ingredient
Omega fat
Complete meal
Cons
Some cats won’t eat it
Chicken ingredients
De-boned duck first ingredient
Omega fat
Complete meal
- De-boned duck first ingredient
- Omega fat
- Complete meal
Some cats won’t eat it
Chicken ingredients
- Some cats won’t eat it
- Chicken ingredients
Buyer’s Guide: Choosing the Best Cat Food for Cats with Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD)
What Is IBD In Cats?
Inflammatory bowel disease is a gastrointestinal disorder that can have a range of causes, but many experts believe food sensitivities to certain proteins, food additives, artificial colors and preservatives, milk, eggs, and wheat can trigger it. It can cause diarrhea, weight loss, fatigue, gas, abdominal pain, and much more.
Giving your pet the highest quality nutrition is a top priority, so why not give them a food and water dish to match? We think the Hepper Nom Nom Bowl is too good not to share.
Made from food-safe stainless steel, you can ensure that your pet is consuming the best nutrition out of the finest bowls on the market. Click here to get yours.
At Pet Keen, we’ve admired Hepper for many years and decided to take a controlling ownership interest so that we could benefit from the outstanding designs of this cool cat company!
What Kind of Food Should I Choose?
Unfortunately, since there are many possible causes and triggers of IBD, you might need to try several different brands before you find one that doesn’t trigger your cat’s allergies. We recommend choosing a limited ingredient brand, so it’s easy to keep track of the ingredients you are switching out, making it possible to identify the exact component causing the problem.
If you’re over your house smelling like you’ve got a pet, it’s time to check out the Hepper Advanced Bio-Enzyme Pet Stain & Odor Eliminator Spray! It removes even the most stubborn smells and stains and comes with a 100% satisfaction guarantee. Click here to find out more about this amazing product.At Pet Keen, we’ve admired Hepper for many years, and decided to take a controlling ownership interest so that we could benefit from the outstanding products of this cool cat company!
Wet Food vs. Dry Food
Wet food’s moisture content better resembles the diet of a carnivore animal, however, without having the bones and hard parts, it is not as effective to scrape the cat’s teeth. Wet food can stick to your pet’s teeth, leading to dental problems. We recommend a mixture of dry food and wet food because the crunchy kibble helps to scrape away plaque and tartar from your pet’s teeth, slowing the progression of dental disease.
While your cat is sick, we recommend feeding whichever food they like that doesn’t trigger their IBD.
- Want to know how various cat foods stack up against one another? Read the Best Cat Foods (Updated)
Conclusion
When choosing food for IBD, we highly recommend our pick for the best overall. Smalls Human-Grade Fresh Cat Food features a special formula geared to the needs of your cat that digests easily without bothering your pet’s stomach. It can also help prevent the formation of stones in the kidney and bladder. Our pick for the best value is another great choice. Blue Buffalo Wilderness Salmon Recipe Grain-Free Dry Cat Food features de-boned salmon as its first ingredient and real fruits and vegetables.
We hope you have enjoyed reading over these reviews and found a few brands that you would like to try. If we have helped your pet feel better, please share this guide to the best food for cats on Facebook and Twitter.
Featured Image Credit: Sharaf Maksumov, Shutterstock
