Dr. Pol Cat Food Review 2024

Dr. Jan Pol is a well-known figure in the veterinary world. For nearly 13 years, he's been the star of The Incredible Dr. Pol, the #1 show on Nat Geo Wild. He also has his own podcast and is a best-selling author.

After 40+ years in veterinary medicine, Dr. Pol launched his first line of animal feed for dogs, cats, rabbits, horses, and even chickens. Each Dr. Pol cat food variety caters to a feline's specific needs, from hairball control to sensitive stomachs and food allergies.

Wag! highly rates Dr. Pol cat foods, as they include high-quality cuts of meat as the top ingredient and no fillers like wheat, corn, or soy. Plus, each recipe is nutritionally balanced and suitable for cats of all breeds and ages. Dr. Pol loses out on top marks for using meat meals and grains in some of its recipes.

So, is Dr. Pol cat food good for your cat? Keep reading for your comprehensive review of Dr. Pol cat food, covering everything from product ranges to benefits to recalls.

Dr. Pol produces three dry and three canned cat food recipes. You'll find a range of treats available in case you fancy spoiling your feline friend.

All Dr. Pol cat food recipes are "complete and balanced," meeting the Association of American Feed Control Officials (AAFCO) nutrient profile guidelines for all life stages. Dr. Pol cat treats are for supplemental feeding only.

Dr. Pol dry cat food

Dr. Pol dry cat foods all list a quality cut of meat as the top ingredient. That said, both Incredi-Pol varieties include a meat meal as the second ingredient.

While high in protein, meat meals are more heavily processed than cuts of meat and organs. Most premium cat foods don't include meat meals in their recipes, but they're better quality than animal by-products.

The third ingredient in both Incredi-Pol recipes is brown rice. While brown rice is a good source of fiber, it's not essential to a cat's diet. Many consider it filler, especially if it's within a cat food’s top three ingredients.

Dr. Pol High Protein Grain-Free Recipe contains no meat meals but does list peas in the top three ingredients. Peas are the second ingredient above salmon.

While high in protein, peas aren't a good protein source for cats — cats should get almost all of their protein from meat. That said, peas are a better alternative to grains, as they're rich in vitamin A, vitamin C, and zinc.

Dr. Pol's dry cat food contains an average of 35.5% protein as dry matter, which is around the average for dry cat food. Dr. Pol High Protein Grain-Free Recipe only contains 37.7% dry protein matter, which isn't particularly high for high-protein cat food.

Dr. Pol dry cat food flavors:

• High Protein Grain-Free Chicken Recipe for Cats and Growing Kittens
• Incredi-Pol Favorites Chicken & Brown Rice Indoor
• Incredi-Pol Favorites Chicken & Brown Rice Weight And Hairball Support

Dr. Pol wet cat food

Dr Pol wet cat foods include only quality cuts of meat — no meat meals here! All recipes are grain-free, too, with chicken, chicken broth, and chicken liver as the top three ingredients.

Dr. Pol Limited Ingredient Chicken wet food includes only four main ingredients besides thickeners and supplements, making it an excellent choice for cats with sensitivities and allergies.

Dr. Pol Incredi-Pol wet food recipes list tomato paste among the top five ingredients. Tomato paste is safe for cats to eat and used as a fiber source and flavor enhancer.

Incredi-Pol Favorites Chicken Weight and Hairball Support lists sweet potato as the fourth ingredient, which is high in fiber, helping prevent hairballs.

Dr. Pol wet cat foods contain an average of 40.9% protein as dry matter, which is above average for wet cat food.

Dr. Pol wet cat food flavors:

• Incredi-Pol Favorites Chicken Indoor Complete
• Incredi-Pol Favorites Chicken Weight and Hairball Support
• Limited Ingredient Chicken

Dr. Pol cat treats

Dr. Pol serves up three freeze-dried raw cat treats and one standard crunchy treat that'll have your fur-baby purring.

Aside from natural preservatives, Dr. Pol Freeze Dried Raw Munchies contain only quality cuts of meat. They're low in fat, high in protein, and a decent option for cats with food sensitivities.

Incredi-Pol Favorites Crunchy & Creamy Chicken Flavored Cat Treats consist of a crunchy shell with a creamy center — ideal for fussy felines.

However, these treats are lower quality than their freeze-dried counterparts, with chicken meal as the top ingredient. Each Incredi-Pol treat is just 1.8 calories, making them a good choice for felines on a diet.

Dr. Pol cat treat flavors:

• Freeze Dried Raw Salmon Munchies Cat Treats
• Freeze Dried Raw Chicken Munchies Cat Treats
• Freeze Dried Raw Rabbit Munchies Cat Treats
• Incredi-Pol Favorites Crunchy & Creamy Chicken Flavored Cat Treats

Why do we highly rate Dr. Pol cat food? Keep scrolling for some benefits of feeding your feline Dr. Pol cat food.

Quality meat as the top ingredient

Dr. Pol's "complete and balanced" cat foods all list a quality cut of meat as the top ingredient.

Quality meat cuts ensure your cat gets the best nutrients possible and are easier on your cat's digestive system than meat meals and animal by-products. Each wet cat food only lists quality cuts of meat as an ingredient, indicating that they're premium products.

Affordable

Dr. Pol cat food is affordable, considering the quality of its ingredients. At the time of writing, an 8-lb bag of High Protein Limited Ingredient Chicken Recipe Cat & Kitten Food costs $30.98 on Chewy, which works out to $3.88 per lb. This recipe is Dr. Pol's highest-quality dry cat food.

By comparison, a 7-lb bag of Merrick Purrfect Bistro Grain-Free Real Chicken + Sweet Potato Dry Cat Food costs $29.98 onChewy, which works out to $4.29 per lb. Both are of similar quality and Wag! ranks Merrick Purrfect Bistro among the best dry cat foods. 

Suitable for all life stages

All Dr. Pol cat foods are suitable for all life stages, meaning they have the correct levels of taurine, DHA omega-3 fatty acids, probiotics, and protein for developing kittens, pregnant kitties, and older felines.

Another benefit of cat foods for all life stages is that you won't need to switch up your cat's diet as they age, which is ideal if your cat loves their current kibble or canned food.

No wheat, corn, or soy

Dr. Pol cat foods are free from many fillers and low-quality ingredients found in run-of-the-mill cat food. Wheat, corn, and soy offer little to no nutritional value to cats and are difficult for cats to digest.

According to some studies, wheat and corn allergies are relatively common among cats. Plus, Dr. Pol uses no GMOs, artificial colors, or synthetic preservatives in its cat foods.

Here are a few things to consider before you purchase Dr. Pol cat food for your purring pal.

Lack of protein variety

Dr. Pol offers a limited cat food range, with no other flavor varieties than chicken. So, if you have a picky kitty that doesn't like chicken or your cat has a chicken allergy, you'll want to give Dr. Pol a miss. 

Lower quality ingredients

Some of the ingredients are filler ingredients, which means Dr. Pol cat food isn't the best quality on the market.

Meal meals, which are highly processed, are listed among the top three ingredients in two dry food recipes. Brown rice is another ingredient in these recipes that lacks nutritional value besides fiber.

Overall, Dr. Pol's highest-quality recipes are its High Protein Grain-Free dry food and its wet foods as they're free from meat meals and grains. 

"This cat food is a hit! My picky cat goes wild for its meaty goodness. I love seeing him get excited for feeding time now. Definitely a must-try for any cat parent looking to treat their furry friend to something special!"

"My two 2 year old cats loved it. One is usually picky, but had no objections to this food."

"Four out of four cats said no thank you. They ate less and less at each meal time until all four went on a full hunger strike."

Read more reviews on Chewy.

Despite its namesake's storied history, Dr. Pol cat food is relatively new to the market, having first launched in 2019. It's the brainchild of Dr. Jan Pol, a Dutch-American licensed veterinarian who graduated from the Netherlands’ Utrecht University in 1970. 

After graduating, Dr. Pol and his wife moved to Harbor Beach, Michigan. They then moved to Weidman, Michigan, where he founded Pol Veterinary Service, which provides veterinary services to rural communities.

Dr. Pol went on to star in The Incredible Dr. Pol for 13 years, the most popular show on Nat Geo Wild, from 2011 to 2024.

Now in his 80s, Dr. Pol is still in the limelight — in 2019, he began starring in his Dutch veterinary reality show In de Voetsporen van Dr. Pol.

In December of that same year, Dr. Pol teamed up with South Dakota-based Consumers Supply Animal Nutrition to produce his own pet food and animal feed line. All Dr. Pol pet foods are manufactured in the United States. In the fall of 2024, Dr. Pol will launch its pet food products in Europe.

There have been no recalls of Dr. Pol cat food as of August 2024.