Every James Wellbeloved cat recipe is built on one animal protein, and every one leaves out beef, pork, soya, eggs, dairy and wheat. That's the whole idea of the brand. The choice here is which protein, turkey, fish or chicken, and then which version of it.
What hypoallergenic means on these bags
Not that the food is allergy-proof. It means each recipe uses a single named animal protein and leaves out the ingredients cats most often react to. If your cat is reacting to something, one protein source makes it far easier to work out what.
That's also why the range splits by protein rather than by flavour. Turkey is the main line. Fish and chicken exist so you've somewhere to go if turkey turns out to be the problem.
Which one suits your cat
Kitten, adult and senior recipes run through the range. Then four adult versions that each do a specific job.
| Recipe | What's different |
|---|---|
| Adult | The standard. Everything else in the range is a variation on it |
| Grain Free | No rice or cereal. Potato and peas carry the recipe instead |
| Hairball | Added fibre, to move swallowed hair through rather than bring it back up |
| Oral Health | Noticeably larger kibble, so the cat has to chew rather than swallow whole |
| Light | Reduced calories, for cats carrying weight |
| Senior | Joint support added to the standard senior recipe |
Most cats need none of these. They earn their keep against a specific problem: hairballs, an older cat stiffening up, a cat that bolts its food whole.
Why the pouches look lower in protein
Compare the analysis on a pouch with a bag of kibble and the pouch looks far weaker. It isn't. Most of a pouch is water, so the two aren't comparable as printed. Judge wet food against other wet food.
The wet range comes in gravy and in jelly, in 12x85g pouches and 24x85g bumper packs. Our wet cat food range is where to compare it against other brands.
When it isn't worth the money
If your cat is well on what they're on, there's no reason to switch. Hypoallergenic food does nothing extra for a cat with no sensitivity, and this costs more per kilo than the supermarket brands. Our dry cat food range has cheaper complete foods that will feed a healthy cat perfectly well.
Where it earns its money is the cat with itchy skin, a runny tummy or ear trouble that keeps coming back. Speak to your vet before starting an exclusion diet. Working out what your cat is reacting to is the point, and that only works if it's done properly.
Where to start
For most cats, the Adult Turkey is the one to get. It's the recipe the rest of the range is built around and the one with the reviews behind it.
It comes in 1.5kg, 4kg and 10kg. Take the 4kg unless you've more than one cat, because the 10kg is cheaper per kilo but a single cat won't finish it before the fat goes off. There's kitten food and senior cat food in the same turkey line, so you can stay on one protein for life.