Nulo Freestyle Chicken & Cod Cat & Kitten Food Review

Nulo Freestyle Chicken & Cod Cat & Kitten recipe offers a dry formula crafted to provide your cat with essential proteins while minimizing excess carbohydrates. This grain-free formula boasts an impressive 83% animal-based proteins, ensuring a flavor profile that appeals to most cats. Nulo delivers a robust protein source without the burden of excessive calories, promoting your cat’s overall health and vitality.

Features of Nulo Chicken & Cod Cat & Kitten

• Grain-free: Free from grains, white potatoes, or tapioca, ensuring a diet aligned with your cat’s natural preferences.
• Lower in carbs and with low glycemic ingredients: Formulated with a focus on reducing carbohydrate content and incorporating ingredients with a low glycemic index.
• Animal source of protein represents 83% of the total formula: The proteins come from animal sources, fulfilling your cat’s carnivorous instincts.
• Small, disk-shaped kibble: Designed for easy chewing, the small, disk-shaped kibble is tailored to suit your cat’s comfort and preferences.
• Irresistible texture and taste: Crafted to tantalize feline taste buds, the kibble boasts a texture and flavor profile that cats adore.
• Patented BC30 probiotic support: Enhanced with patented BC30 probiotic to promote optimal gastrointestinal health in cats.
• Omega 3 & 6 fatty acids: Rich in essential fatty acids, Omega 3 & 6, which contribute to skin health and a lustrous coat.
• Energy-providing recipe: Provides cats with the energy they need to stay active, featuring superior carbohydrate options like lentils and peas.
• Vitamins and minerals: Enriched with essential vitamins A, C & E, and minerals to support overall body functions and well-being.
• Taurine: Contains taurine to support eye and heart health in cats.
• Satisfaction Guarantee: Backed by a satisfaction guarantee, ensuring peace of mind. If your cat doesn’t take to Nulo, return the unused portions, packaging, and receipt for a full refund.

Ingredients of Nulo Chicken & Cod Cat & Kitten

Deboned Chicken, Chicken Meal, Turkey Meal, Deboned Cod, Whole Peas, Lentils, Chicken Fat (preserved with Mixed Tocopherols & Citric Acid), Natural Flavor, Pea Fiber, Ground Flax-seed, Dried Chicory Root, Dried Kelp, Dried Sweet Potato, Dried Cranberries, Calcium Carbonate, DL-Methionine, Taurine, Zinc Proteinate, Choline Chloride, Vitamin E Supplement, L-Ascorbyl-2-Polyphosphate (source of Vitamin C), Iron Proteinate, Niacin Supplement, Copper Proteinate, Thiamine Mononitrate, Calcium Pantothenate, Vitamin A Supplement, Manganese Proteinate, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride, Sodium Selenite, Riboflavin Supplement, Dried Bacillus coagulans Fermentation Product, Yucca Schidigera Extract, Vitamin B12 Supplement, Calcium Iodate, Folic Acid, Rosemary Extract.

Calorie Content
(ME calculated) 3,868 kcal/kg, 486 kcal/cup

Guaranteed Analysis Nulo Chicken & Cod Cat & Kitten

Crude Protein (Min): 40.0% – Crude Fat (Min): 20.0% – Crude Fiber (Max): 4.0% – Moisture (Max): 10.0% – Calcium (Min): 1.10% – Phosphorus (Min) 0.9% – Vitamin A (Min): 2,250 IU/kg – Vitamin E (Min): 300 IU/kg – Taurine (Min): 0.2% – Omega 6 Fatty Acids* (Min): 3.40% – Omega 3 Fatty Acids* (Min): 0.55% – Asboric Acid (Vitamin C)* (Min): 65 mg/kg – Bacillus coagulans (Min): 80,000,000 CFU/lb

Contains a source of viable naturally occurring microorganisms.

Analysis of the first 5 Ingredients of Nulo Chicken & Cod Cat & Kitten

Deboned Chicken: 3 stars. Deboned could be understood as higher quality,  but deboned meat is filled with water. This raw meat has been weighed before being cooked which means water adds weight to the proportion of the formula.
Chicken Meal: 5 stars. Meal means the meat has been cooked to a high temperature and pulverized, adding high amounts of protein to the formula. Chicken is an excellent source of proteins for cats.
Turkey Meal: 4 stars. Meal indicates turkey meat has been cooked and pulverized which means it’s a concentrated source of proteins.
Deboned Cod: 4 stars. This is a good protein alternative to add further down the list of ingredients.
Whole Peas: 5 stars. This is an excellent source of complex carbohydrates, vegetable protein, and fiber.

My Cat Sophie’s First Reaction

Advantages and Drawbacks of Nulo Chicken & Cod

Outlining the main benefits and potential drawbacks of Nulo Chicken & Cod cat food, providing essential information to aid in decision-making

PROS

• Low glycemic formula without grains, white potatoes, potato starch, or tapioca.
• Adult cats and kittens can be fed this formula
• With 83% animal-based proteins (no vegetable proteins)
• Peas and lentils included in the formula are the most suitable complex carbs for cats
• Only one fish source of protein in the formula
• With Omega 3 & 6
• Vitamins and minerals to maintain a healthy cat’s body functions
• Phosphorus is lower than 1% (min)
• Moderate content carbs on Peas and lentils in the formula

CONS

• Cod has moderate levels of mercury (further down on the list though)
• No fish oil. Suitable fatty acids come only from chicken fat.
• Small kibble size may not suit all adult cats
• High protein content could be hard for sensitive cats.

Nutritional Conclusions on Nulo Chicken & Cod

• Nulo Chicken & Cod cat food offers a well-rounded nutritional profile, with several features designed to support overall feline health.
• As a grain-free formula without white potatoes, potato starch, or tapioca, it is formulated to be easier on digestion for many cats and to help minimize common dietary triggers. The inclusion of GanedenBC30® probiotics is intended to support digestive and immune health, while its lower carbohydrate content and low-glycemic ingredients may help with weight management and stable blood sugar levels, particularly in indoor cats.
• Nulo’s focus on high-quality protein sources, mainly poultry and fish, supports lean muscle maintenance. In addition, the balance of Omega-3 and Omega-6 fatty acids contributes to skin and coat health when the formula is well tolerated.

Long-Term Update (2026)

When I first recommended this recipe, it stood out as one of the cleanest dry foods I could find — high in animal protein, grain-free, and generally well accepted by many cats. Over time, however, after feeding it to Sophie long-term and hearing from other cat owners, I started noticing a few patterns worth mentioning.

Sophie liked the food and transitioned to it easily at first. After a few weeks, though, I noticed occasional mild stomach upset and slightly lower energy than usual. I also realized that the kibble size is extremely small, which made chewing awkward for her at times.

I also came across discussions from some owners mentioning mild urinary sensitivity in certain cats while feeding this formula. While many cats do perfectly fine on it, richer formulas with multiple legumes and high protein levels may not be equally well tolerated by every cat, especially those with more sensitive digestive systems.

None of this necessarily makes the food “bad,” but it did make me reconsider how universally gentle this formula really is over the long term.

Bottom Line

Nulo Freestyle Chicken & Cod still has a strong ingredient list and may work well for younger or highly active cats with solid digestion. However, based on my long-term experience with Sophie, it no longer fully matches my current criteria, which now prioritize gentler digestion, better long-term tolerance, and more balanced formulas overall.

Get Nulo on Chewy with fast shipping and 35% off your first Autoship by visiting this link .

For more high-in-protein brands, check my list of cat food reviews.