Hill’s Science Diet cat food has been recommended by veterinarians for many years now. I was one of the people who used to believe that it’s among the best options out there, especially if you’re in the market for quality food for your feline buddy.
But does Science Diet Cat Food really live up to its claims? To find out more about whether you should consider opting for this pet food brand, check out the Science Diet cat food reviews below.
| Recommendation | Notable Ingredients | Form |
|---|---|---|
| Science Diet Urinary Cat Food | Chicken, pork liver, vitamins, amino acids | Canned |
| Science Diet ID Cat Food | Chicken, egg, pork fat, prebiotics, natural fibers | Dry |
| Science Diet Senior Cat Food | Chicken/tuna, amino acids, vitamins, minerals | Wet (pouches) |
Science Diet Cat Food Reviews
Contents
Before I move on to the actual reviews, I would like to note that I do not advise feeding food by this brand to your cat all the time. Sure, Hill’s have a wide range of products designed to make your cat feel better and become healthier, especially if he/she should be on a diet.
For a limited amount of time only, you can consider feeding your feline friend Science Diet wet cat food or kibble. Otherwise, I wouldn’t recommend it in the long run due to some questionable ingredients.
1. Science Diet Urinary Cat Food (Science Diet CD Cat Food)
Since canned cat food is the highest recommended one, especially for cats that have experienced urinary issues in the past, we’re going to start with this variety. It’s specifically made for improving the clinical signs of most urinary pathologies from stones to urinary tract infections.
The food contains low levels of minerals (calcium, magnesium, and phosphorus), which would all promote the development of calculi.
There are some pretty neat Science Diet cat food ingredients in this product, such as chicken fat, pork liver, and fish oil, but there are some concerning ones, too, such as corn starch or soybean meal.
I would personally recommend this variety for cats that have had mild urinary problems and should be fed a specialized diet for a limited amount of time. Once the health condition improves, you can switch your cat to a low-mineral, low-carb, zero-carb diet instead.
2. Science Diet KD Cat Food Review
Kidney disease can be a common health problem, especially in geriatric cats. It’s most often characterized by symptoms such as vomiting and digestive upset, lethargy, and loss of appetite. This diet is specifically formulated to improve all of these clinical signs.
It’s made to be very palatable so that it appeals even to cats that are less interested in food right now. Moreover, it contains a healthy dose of amino acids, which are known to improve the muscle tissue in most cats that have lost weight due to chronic illnesses.
The main ingredients in the diet are chicken and pork liver, which is good, but as you can expect, there are some that should have been left out — such as rice and rice starch. However, I will admit that the ingredient list of this variety is better than many others by Hill’s Science Diet.
3. Science Diet Indoor Cat Food Review
Being uniquely formulated for indoor cats, this diet provides your feline companion with the nutrition that he or she needs. The main ingredient in the cat food is chicken, which is a pro, but there are some ingredients that cats don’t really need, such as corn gluten meal, cellulose, or whole wheat.
The recipe also contains chicken liver flavor for better taste. The good thing about this diet is that it doesn’t contain any weird preservatives or additives, but it’s a little too high in its carb content, which is why I’d recommend it for young cats only.
Some cats love it while others don’t, but this can happen with pretty much any diet you might want to give to your feline buddies.
4. Science Diet ID Cat Food
Cats that have chronic digestive upset can benefit from this diet, especially for a limited amount of time until their health problem resolves. The diet is enriched with natural fibers and prebiotics so that the cat’s stools regain their normal characteristics.
The main ingredients in this variety are chicken, pork fat, chicken meal, and egg, but there are some that it could have done without, such as corn gluten meal or whole-grain corn.
The diet does contain a variety of amino acids and vitamins, though (vitamin A, Biotin, Riboflavin, Vitamin B12, Folic Acid, and vitamin D3), which can all be helpful for cats recovering from a digestive disease.
Plus, based on the info that we have found about it, it seems that it helps with both diarrhea and with constipation.
5. Science Diet Cat Food Sensitive Stomach
Similarly to the ID variety that we have showcased earlier, this diet can also help with digestive distress and ensure that your cat’s stools recover their normal shape, smell, and consistency. The cat food contains prebiotic fiber which effectively assists the animal in growing its own microbiota in the gut.
It’s available in several varieties, and the best thing is that there is both a dry and a wet alternative. You can pick between the ‘chicken and rice’ recipe or choose the better (in my opinion) grain-free ‘salmon and yellow pea’ recipe.
That was the good, and now we’re moving on to the bad. Even though it is grain-free, the salmon variety still contains potato starch, which is not something that cats would naturally eat in the wild. So while it can improve a cat’s sensitive stomach, in my opinion, this diet shouldn’t be fed for more than 2-3 weeks until you can get something better.
6. Science Diet Light Cat Food
If your cat is a little overweight or has become obese as he or she aged, you should know that excess body weight can cause a variety of health problems. The Light Cat Food recipe by Science Diet will ensure that your cat still gets the nutrients that are necessary for good health, but it won’t risk making your cat gain even more weight.
A good thing about this option is that it contains vitamin E and omega 6 fatty acids, which are essential for a variety of tissues and organs, from your cat’s heart to your cat’s brain. It’s also marketed as being manufactured using natural ingredients.
Like with other varieties from the same brand, this one should not contain any wheat or whole grain or corn meal, but it does. It’s still a decent option for a limited amount of time, until the cat loses weight, and you can feed him/her a grain-free diet.
7. Science Diet Senior Cat Food Review
There is a dry option for this cat food, too, but I decided to recommend the wet one because geriatric cats are less likely to drink a lot of water (unless they have diabetes) and they are more exposed to urinary tract health problems.
The recipe is enriched with vitamins, amino acids, and minerals, which is a good thing for senior cats since they are less likely to get a lot of nutrition from other sources.
There are two choices available – chicken dinner and tuna dinner – and I advise you to pick the first for fear of heavy metal contamination, which would be extremely dangerous, especially for older cats.
Some cats might not like the taste while others will go crazy about it, but this is a matter of personal preferences, as you probably know by now.
8. Science Diet Adult Cat Food
This one is the pretty standard option that you’d pick for a healthy adult cat that’s under the age of 7. It’s made with mostly natural ingredients and manufactured in the United States, which should give you a bit of reassurance as to whether it’s safe or not.
The food is enriched with vitamin E and omega 6 fatty acids, which, as I have previously noted, have a number of benefits, including keeping your kitty’s heart and brain health in check.
The main ingredients in the recipe are chicken and pork fat, but it could have done without the whole grain wheat and corn gluten meal. It does have a decent number of vitamins and amino acids, though.
Recalls
Hill’s Science Diet cat and dog food has been recalled in the past. For example, in 2019, some varieties were recalled due to high amounts of vitamin D, which can lead to abnormal calcium levels in an animal’s blood flow.
Several dog varieties were recalled in 2015, 2014, and 2007, with the latter being a result of suspicion of melamine contamination.
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(1 votes, average: 5.00 out of 5)
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