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What's actually in Dr. Elsey's?
We analyzed Dr. Elsey's cleanprotein Chicken Recipe, a dry kibble. The first five ingredients are chicken, hydrolyzed pork, pork plasma, gelatin, and chicken fat preserved with mixed tocopherols.
The headline number is the guaranteed analysis: 59% crude protein, 17% fat, 4% fiber, and 12% moisture. That 59% figure is among the highest of any food in our entire database. For an animal that is an obligate carnivore, this is exactly the direction you want a formula to lean. Cats are built to run on protein and fat, and they have a higher baseline protein requirement than dogs or people. A food this protein-dense leaves very little room for the starchy fillers that pad out most kibble.
Where that protein comes from is the more interesting story. Chicken leads the list as a whole, named animal protein, which is the gold-standard opener for a cat food. But the next three ingredients reveal the "cleanprotein" strategy: hydrolyzed pork, pork plasma, and gelatin are all concentrated animal-protein fractions rather than whole muscle meats. The brand uses them to push the animal-based share of total protein above 90%, and they explain how a single kibble can hit 59% protein. Chicken fat (preserved naturally with mixed tocopherols) supplies energy and palatability.
Further down, ground flaxseed and salmon oil add omega fatty acids, fructooligosaccharides act as a prebiotic fiber, and taurine appears as a named addition, which matters because taurine is an essential amino acid that cats cannot make in adequate amounts. The formula is rounded out with calcium carbonate, the usual vitamin and mineral package, and rosemary extract as a natural preservative. The food is labeled complete and balanced for all life stages under AAFCO standards. Shop on Amazon →
The good stuff
The protein content is the standout, and it is not just a number on a bag. At 59% crude protein, this is one of the most protein-dense dry foods we have measured. Obligate carnivores derive their energy and amino acids from animal tissue, and a diet this rich in protein more closely mirrors what a cat would eat by nature than a typical grain- or legume-heavy kibble does. The brand's claim that more than 90% of the protein is animal-based is consistent with the ingredient list, where the top four slots are all animal-derived.
It is worth being clear-eyed about what hydrolyzed pork and pork plasma actually are, because they sound clinical. Hydrolyzed protein is animal protein that has been broken down into smaller peptides, which makes it extremely digestible and is the same technology used in many veterinary hypoallergenic diets. Plasma protein is the protein-rich fraction of blood, spray-dried into a highly digestible powder that is common in young-animal and high-performance feeds. Gelatin is collagen-derived protein. None of these are filler. They are real, concentrated, highly bioavailable animal protein. They simply are not whole muscle meat, which is a distinction we will return to in the next section.
The near-zero carbohydrate profile is the other genuine strength. There are no grains, no peas, no potatoes, and no other starchy binders crowding the formula. Cats have no meaningful dietary requirement for carbohydrates, and a very low-carb, high-protein diet is a sensible choice for overweight cats, indoor cats prone to weight gain, and cats that are diabetic or at risk of diabetes, where minimizing dietary carbohydrate can help with glycemic control. Most dry foods rely on starch to hold the kibble together, so finding one this lean on carbohydrate is unusual.
The supporting cast is thoughtful too. Salmon oil delivers marine omega-3s (EPA and DHA) that cats use directly, rather than relying on plant ALA they convert poorly. Added taurine protects against the heart and eye problems linked to taurine deficiency, fructooligosaccharides support gut bacteria, and the food is preserved with mixed tocopherols and rosemary extract rather than artificial preservatives.
The not-so-good stuff
The biggest honest caveat is the flip side of the "cleanprotein" approach. After chicken, the protein backbone is built from processed concentrates: hydrolyzed pork, pork plasma, and gelatin. These are digestible and animal-based, but they are rendered-style fractions, not whole meats. Only one fresh whole meat (chicken, at number one) anchors the formula. The very top cat foods in our database build their protein from several whole or named meats and organs stacked together, which delivers a broader, more natural nutrient profile than concentrated fractions alone. If your priority is whole-food, minimally processed nutrition, this formula's reliance on protein concentrates is a real trade-off to weigh.
Related to that is the limited whole-food variety. Beyond chicken, flaxseed, and salmon oil, there is not much in the way of recognizable whole ingredients, fruits, vegetables, or botanicals. That keeps the carb count down, which is the point, but it means the formula is narrower than the A-tier foods that pair high protein with a wider range of whole-food inputs. It is a focused recipe rather than a broad one.
Finally, the price. Dr. Elsey's cleanprotein sits at the premium end of the dry-food market, and the specialized protein sources are part of why. For a multi-cat household or anyone on a tight budget, the per-pound cost is a legitimate consideration, and you can find solid foods for less, albeit with more carbohydrate and lower protein. The flip side is that you are paying for genuinely high protein density and a clean preservative system, so the value proposition holds up better here than with many premium-priced foods.
How it compares
At a B grade (87/100), Dr. Elsey's clearly outscores Canidae (B/78). Both land in the "good" tier, but Dr. Elsey's wins on the two things that matter most for a cat: dramatically higher protein and a far lower carbohydrate load, since Canidae leans on peas and potatoes that Dr. Elsey's avoids entirely.
Where Dr. Elsey's falls short is against the top of our cat database. Acana (A/90) and Wellness CORE (A/90) both edge it out, and the gap comes down to whole-food variety. Those formulas reach their high protein through multiple whole and named meats and organs rather than concentrated fractions, which earns them the extra points. Dr. Elsey's matches or beats them on raw protein percentage but cannot match the breadth of their ingredient panels.
For perspective on the other end of the scale, Dr. Elsey's is in a completely different class from a mass-market option like Purina Pro Plan (C/58). The roughly 29-point gap reflects everything from protein source quality to carbohydrate content. If you are deciding between this food and a grocery-aisle staple, the difference is stark.
The bottom line
Dr. Elsey's cleanprotein Chicken Recipe earns a B grade (87/100) from KibbleIQ. Its 59% crude protein is among the highest we have ever scored, and with no grains, peas, or potatoes it is one of the strongest low-carb dry options out there for overweight, indoor, or diabetes-prone cats. The honest caveats are that most of that protein comes from highly digestible but processed concentrates rather than several whole meats, the whole-food variety is narrow next to the A-tier leaders, and the price is premium. If you want a focused, protein-dense, very low-carb kibble built around the way an obligate carnivore actually eats, and you are comfortable with the concentrated-protein approach, this is an easy food to recommend. Shop on Amazon →