Hill’s Science Diet Cat Food Review

Known for being a premium pet food company that comes highly recommended by veterinarians, Hill’s start goes far back. In 1948 Dr. Mark Morris, a veterinarian known for formulating some of the world’s first clinical veterinary diets, was contracted by Burton Hill of the Hill Packing Company in Topeka, Kansas. Originally, Dr. Morris licensed Hill to produce his pet food formulas. So they worked together to manufacture food for dogs with kidney disease under the name Canine k/d. 

And the rest is history. Dr. Morris and the Hill Packing Company developed into Hill’s Pet Nutrition and they continued to grow and evolve, developing and adding formulas that were made for many life stages and special needs in pets. 

In 1976, Hill’s Pet Nutrition was bought by Colgate-Palmolive Company and now Hill’s pet food products are available in 86 countries around the world. Veterinarians everywhere recommend and feed their own pets Hill’s products more than any other brand of pet food. 

Hill’s Pet Nutrition has four central brands of cat food, including Hill’s Science Diet, Prescription Diet, Vet Essentials and Bioactive Recipe. But in this cat food review, we’re specifically looking at the #1 US Veterinary Recommended brand—Hill’s Science Diet. 

Their Science Diet brand provides biology-based nutrition to anticipate your pet’s needs as they grow from a kitten to adult cat. It’s made for healthy cats of every age and size, yet there are also options for cats with special needs, like weight management, healthy digestion and more. 

Hill’s Science Diet brand hits a strong note with their natural, great tasting ingredients, precise nutrition and evidence-based antioxidants. 

Now that you know more about Hill’s, it’s time to dive deeper into their Science Diet products. To help you better decide on whether this cat food is the right fit for your feline, we’ve reviewed their highest rated dry and wet cat food below. 

If your cat suffers from a sensitive stomach on a regular basis, then this recipe is gentle on the stomach for easy digestion and stool production. Made with wholesome ingredients like rice and eggs, it’s fully balanced to meet your cat’s health needs. It promotes optimal digestive health while nourishing the skin and promoting a lustrous coat. 

Prebiotic fibers are necessary to fuel beneficial gut bacteria and support a cat’s microbiome. That’s why this is formulated with the right nutrients for good digestibility and absorption. Plus, there’s added Vitamin E and Omega-6 fatty acids for skin nourishment. And every ingredient meets strict requirements for nutritional content that meets industry standards. 

Hill’s dry pet foods have quality protein as the first ingredient and provide clinically proven antioxidant benefits. They’re also made with natural ingredients (plus vitamins, minerals & amino acids) and never contain artificial colors, flavors, preservatives or chicken by-product meal.

Hill’s Science Diet Adult Sensitive Stomach & Skin Chicken & Rice Dry Cat Food contains 524 calories per cup. 

Check out the complete list of best dry cat food >

Urinary tract infections are the most common health condition in cats. And this wet canned food can help combat that as it provides excellent balanced nutrition to help cats avoid hairball formation and urinary tract problems.

It’s a delicious, functional, protein-rich entree that contains quality chicken and poultry meat to give your cat the energy they need. Then it’s fortified with optimal levels of magnesium to support their whole urinary system for a healthy mineral balance.

Because it also contains natural fiber, it’s more likely to help reduce the occurrence of hairballs and keep your cat comfortable and relaxed. Plus it includes key nutrients like Vitamin E, Omega fatty acids, and taurine to boost heart and vision health. Your cat will be savoring and smiling after they eat this!

Hill’s Science Diet Adult Urinary Hairball Control Savory Chicken Entree cat food contains 84 calories per 2.9 oz can. 

Check out the complete list of best wet cat food >

Even though your cat is getting older, they still deserve the same love and attention. And this is especially true with their diet. This dry kibble supports healthy aging with an ingredient blend tailored to keep older cats agile, more alert and interactive.

Every bite is packed with essential taurine for heart and eye health, then balanced minerals to support their kidney and bladder. Natural fibers and easily digestible ingredients make it even more pleasant. This premium cat food is also made with Vitamin E, omega fatty acids and essential antioxidants to keep their immune system in good shape.

What’s not to love about this mature, multivitamin cat food made with natural ingredients!

Hill’s Science Diet Adult 11+ Chicken Recipe Dry Cat Food contains 510 calories per cup.

Check out the complete list of best cat food for older cats >

When it comes to feeding your kitten, you can’t just choose any food. You’ll want to buy food formulated for the developmental needs of kittens and that’s where this dry cat food recipe comes in. It’s specifically tailor made to give your kitten the best head start in life so that they can grow to their full potential.

This is a nourishing recipe that features high quality, savory chicken as the first ingredient, which is important for building lean muscles. But it’s also a complete and balanced diet that is made with wholesome, natural ingredients with your kitten’s health and safety in mind. That’s why it includes fish oil to promote healthy brain and eye development, in addition to an antioxidant and vitamin blend for a healthy immune system.

Made in the US, this product is exactly the quality nutrition your kitten needs for a healthy and happy first year.

Hill’s Science Diet Kitten Chicken Recipe Dry Cat Food contains 568 calories per cup. 

Check out the complete list of best kitten food >

Hill’s Science Diet has been recalled a number of times. Here is a brief breakdown of their past recalls: 

2019 

This was a huge worldwide recall that Hill’s Pet Nutrition issued for canned dog food due to dangerously high levels of Vitamin D. Hill’s blamed their supplier and promised to strengthen their quality check protocol thereafter. 

2015 

This was a market withdrawal (different from a recall) of several varieties of Science Diet dog food, most likely due to a labeling mistake. 

2014 

62 bags of Hill’s Science Diet Adult dry dog food was recalled in California, Hawaii and Nevada due to potential salmonella contamination. 

2007 

This year, Hill’s Science Diet was one of more than 100 pet food brands included in a widespread recall after the FDA and other food safety officials discovered melamine contamination. 

We have analyzed 102 of Blue Buffalo cat food products on Chewy. We took into account ingredient quality, guaranteed analysis, price, product variety, customer experience, and recall history. All of these factors combined produced an overall brand score, ratings for their wet and dry food lines (maybe), as well as individual product ratings.