Hills Science Diet Cat Food Review 2024 – Is Science Diet a Good Cat Food?

There’s a lot of stress on a scientific diet these days, and it extends to pets’ diets, too. A scientific diet usually means a diet that’s been proven by science to provide the maximum health and nutrition. This means eating only what science prescribes as healthy and excluding everything that’s been proven to be useless or harmful. Such science-based diets have been popular among humans for quite a while, especially among those who are trying to lose weight and get into shape. Of late, it has become popular among pet guardians, too. While earlier they used to pick generic pet food off the shelves, now they consult the vet and check the ingredients before buying food for their furry friends. As a result, several brands have been jumping on the bandwagon, manufacturing scientific diet foods for cats and dogs.

Hills Pet Nutrition, the popular pet food company, has had its own scientific diet for pets since the 1960s. Called Science Diet, this brand manufactures science-based, natural and highly nutritious food for cats and dogs. Science Diet is meant for all life stages of an adult cat, and is meant to help organ vitality, prevent aging, and keep skin and coat in top condition. The brand claims that Science Diet cat food is made with all the things that they need and none of the things that they don’t need. This makes Science Diet completely nutritious and healthy.

What led to the creation of the Science Diet? It was the brainchild of Morris Frank, a visually challenged person with a guide dog named Buddy, a German shepherd. Buddy was suffering from weak kidneys, so Morris Frank sought the help of Dr. Mark Morris Sr. Dr. Morris suspected that the cause of Buddy’s illness was poor nutrition, so he developed a new pet food in the basement of his house with the help of his wife. When Buddy benefited from the new food, Dr Morris partnered with Burton Hill of the Hill Packing Company that not only canned the food but also handled the production process of the pet food. This partnership later turned into Hill’s Pet Nutrition.

Later, when Dr. Mark Morris Jr. took over the company, he noticed that there was an increasing demand for high-quality pet food for healthy pets (all other foods from the company so far were only for sick pets). This led to creation of Science Diet, the first formula for healthy pets. The Colgate-Palmolive Company acquired Hill’s Pet Nutrition in 1976. Today, the Hill’s products are available in more than 80 countries worldwide.

Types of Cat Food

Science Diet manufactures cat food for all types of healthy cats, which prolong their life and help prevent common health issues. There is a team of vets and nutritionists that develop tasty and nutritious food for cats at all life stages. Whether your cat has a hairball problem, low energy problem, or a cat that is ageing, there are Science Diet formulas for all. All formulas are made with natural, high quality, human grade ingredients, free from artificial colors, flavors, and preservatives, so you can rest assured that your kitty is getting only the best.

The Science Diet formulas include:

Youthful Vitality:

Cats suffer from aging problems, just like humans. When a cat crosses the age of seven, signs of aging start to creep in. The symptoms of aging include intestinal problems, excessive shedding, urinary problems, diabetes, and renal problems. When a cat begins to show signs of aging, she needs a diet specially formulated for older cats. This is what the Hill’s Science Diet Youthful Vitality aims to achieve. Made with high quality chicken, ocean fish, and brown rice, the meal is full of antioxidants, vitamins, and minerals, which keep the kitty full of youthful vigor and keeps ageing at bay for the longest time. It improves brain function, makes fur shiny and soft, and provides more energy.

Adult Optimal Care

A cat above the age of one year is an adult cat, and needs a balanced and nutritious diet for the optimal nourishment. When a cat is malnourished, the signs include low energy, excessive shedding, digestive issues, poor organ health, weak bones and teeth, and low weight. Most of these issues can be solved with a complete and healthy diet. That’s what Hill’s Science Diet Adult Optimal Care cat food offers you. The meal is clinically proven to provide the ideal nutrition to adult cats. The nutrients are meant to improve skin and coat in as little as 30 days, while the antioxidants and natural colors and flavors ensure that your kitty gets the healthiest nutrition in a holistic way.

Adult Hairball Control

Hairballs are an issue with every cat, whether they are short haired or long haired. We all know that cats love to keep themselves clean by meticulously licking themselves several times a day. This leads to the ingestion of fur, and the formation of hairballs. While you cannot stop a cat from licking herself, you can definitely provide her with the right diet that helps eliminate hairballs. The Hill’s Science Diet Adult Hairball Control cat food is meant for those cats with a hairball problem. The nutritious ocean fish ensure complete health and the natural fiber eliminates hairballs from the system.

Adult Perfect Weight

Most cats have a weight problem. They are usually overweight or underweight. Fat cats eat more and play less. Thin cats eat little but run around all day. As we all know, it is quite a task to feed cats something they won’t eat. Most cat parents have a hard time trying to find the right diet that will bring their kitties to the ideal weight. Hill’s Science Diet Adult Perfect Weight helps your cat attain the right weight– overweight cats get leaner and healthier, while underweight cats become well nourished. The nutrients from the chicken and chicken liver provide all the nutrients necessary for a long and healthy life.

These are just some of the Science Diet formulas available for cats. Keep in mind that Science Diet meals are made for healthy cats, so if your pet has a health condition that calls for a special diet, consider the Prescription Diet range from Hill’s Nutrition.

Recall History

Science Diet has had two instances of product recall, once in 2014 and again in 2016. The reason for voluntary recall of two formulas of Science Diet cat food and dog food was an excessive level of iron in the food. At another recall, the formulas were withdrawn because of possible salmonella contamination. Although the company claims to abide by all safety and quality standards, such contamination creates quite a stir among pet parents. All of these recalls caused much noise among cat and dog owners.

Where To Buy

Hill’s Science Diet products are available at select pet stores across the country. Aside from that, they are also available at online stores like Chewy, Amazon, PetSmart, Petco, and Walmart.

What Customers Think?

Pet owners seem to prefer the Science Diet formulas, given the high ratings and positive reviews on Chewy.com. Hill’s Science Diet Adult Sensitive Stomach & Skin Dry Cat Food has over 200 reviews on the site, most of them positive, and scores 4.8 out of 5. Here are some of the nice things customers have to say about the product:

“My cat is extremely picky and recently had a skin rash. Upon taking him to the vet who said he most likely is having a food sensitivity reaction (only thing different in my 11 year old cat’s diet was treats and some fish). This food was recommended by my vet and my cat absolutely loved it and has even gained a little weight (he’s always been very skinny). His rash is gone and he has stopped scratching. Best of all he seems to really enjoy eating now.” – Raeofsun

“My 14 1/2 year old calico AbbyGail had been vomiting more and more, to the point that she was losing weight drastically. I was really concerned that something was very wrong. Before I took her to the vet, I decided to try changing her food to “sensitive stomach”. Of course AbbyGail wasn’t exactly on board with this, but I added more of the new food and less of the old food a little more each day, and now not only is she back to her old self, she almost licks her kibble bowl clean every day! She’s gained here weight back and no more vomiting!” – AbbyGail

Hill’s Science Diet Adult Sensitive Stomach & Skin Dry Cat Food

Rating: 3.5 out of 5

First five ingredients: Brewers Rice, Corn Gluten Meal, Pork Fat, Pork Meal, Dried Egg Product

This meal has been designed for kitties with a sensitive digestion. The product is made with wholesome brewer’s rice, chicken, and eggs, and is easy to digest. The meal also contains omega-6 fatty acids, antioxidant and vitamins that make the skin and coat healthy and shiny, besides boosting the immune system. The recipe is gentle on the intestinal system and is digested easily.