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Author TB Thompson DVM has been a licensed, practicing veterinarian since 2000.
I ask the same questions of every cat owner: How is his appetite? Has he had any vomiting? You would not believe the number of people that say, “Well, he vomits but it’s just hairballs .” Or “He’s just a very picky eater, but then he’s always had a sensitive stomach.”
The scary thing?
Neither of these situations is normal for cats! These symptoms could be a sign of underlying problems like pancreatitis or inflammatory bowel disease. And your cat’s sensitive stomach might be much more serious than it sounds.
Choosing the right food for pancreatitis or sensitive cat food is more important than you might think.
Currently, veterinarians believe the best cat food for pancreatitis and sensitive digestion is one that’s moderate in fat and is highly digestible. It also needs to taste good because if your cat won’t eat it, it doesn’t matter how perfect the nutrient profile is. Beware of recommendations for cat foods that are super high in fat as that creates extra work for your cat’s struggling pancreas.
For cats with moderate to severe pancreatitis, I (and many of my colleagues) recommend hydrolyzed protein diets like Purina Pro Plan Veterinary Diets HA or Hill’s Prescription Diet z/d cat foods for cats with significant clinical signs like decreased appetite, abdominal pain, weight loss, hepatic lipidosis, vomiting and diarrhea.
If your cat has a milder case of pancreatic inflammation or just has sensitive digestion, you may not need to spend the extra money on a prescription diet. In this article, I’ll show you cat foods in every price range that might work well for your cat. There are even canned food products that have a low-carbohydrate level. Since every cat’s situation is unique, please consult your veterinarian before you decide on which food to buy.
Values listed in this article are based on metabolizable energy (ME) calculations. Veterinary nutritionists advise that ME gives a more accurate estimate of the protein, fat and carbohydrate content of food than guaranteed analysis values. ME calculations account for the water content in a product and use modified Atwater factors to estimate the percentage of calories from each nutrient class. This method is more similar to the way human food labels present nutritional information.
For mild cases of cat pancreatitis and sensitive tummies, try a moderate-fat, highly digestible food. I used 40% metabolizable energy (ME) from fat as the cutoff for this group.
Here are a few dry diets that are decent choices for mild pancreatitis or as cat food for sensitive stomachs. They are all widely available and are in different price ranges. (All links are Amazon.com affiliate links.)
Veterinary nutritionists recommend a moderate-fat diet of 20-40% fat calculated on a metabolizable energy basis. Unfortunately, this information is not available on pet food labels.
I’ve done some calculations here to estimate the metabolizable fat in some popular dry and moist cat foods. Some are available by prescription only and others are non-prescription foods.
I would like to point out that most, if not all of the foods recommended by pet bloggers for cats with pancreatitis are way too high in fat!
Dr. Lisa A. Pierson has wet cat food lists at catinfo.org showing properly calculated protein, fat and carbohydrate content for hundreds of foods. She doesn’t deal with dry food, so ask your vet. I think it’s easiest to use a prescription intestinal diet for cats with pancreatitis.
All numbers in this list are only estimates. Please consult your veterinarian for more specific advice especially if your cat has a severe case of pancreatitis.
Note: All links to food below are affiliate links to Amazon.com.
This list is made up of the good old veterinary standby foods we reach for when we have a patient with pancreatitis, IBD, or a sensitive stomach. They’re not popular with the people who are strictly “holistic,” but these foods save lives so don’t disregard them!
Some of these foods are higher in fat than the 20-30% veterinary nutritionists recommend as a starting point for cats with severe pancreatitis. Your veterinarian will help you choose the right food for your cat depending on how severe his condition is.
