What's actually in Natural Balance?
We analyzed Natural Balance L.I.D. Limited Ingredient Diets Green Pea & Duck, their most popular cat formula. The first ingredients are chicken, chicken meal, brown rice, fish oil, and mixed tocopherols.
Named meat proteins lead the formula — chicken provides whole-meat protein, chicken meal adds concentrated protein. Brown rice is an easily digestible grain that's less allergenic than corn or wheat. Fish oil provides omega-3 fatty acids. Natural preservation throughout. Shop on Amazon →
The good stuff
The limited ingredient philosophy is Natural Balance's core strength. Fewer ingredients means fewer potential allergens and triggers for cats with food sensitivities. If your cat has chronic digestive issues, skin problems, or suspected food allergies, a limited-ingredient formula is typically the first recommendation from veterinary dermatologists.
Fish oil provides EPA and DHA omega-3s — directly bioavailable marine-sourced fatty acids that support skin, coat, and cognitive health. Chelated mineral forms (if included in the specific formula) offer better absorption than standard mineral salts, meaning your cat gets more nutritional value from each serving.
Natural preservatives with mixed tocopherols and no artificial colors, flavors, or chemical preservatives. The formula avoids corn, wheat, soy, and the most common allergen triggers. For cats with sensitivities, what's NOT in the food matters as much as what is.
The not-so-good stuff
The "limited ingredient" approach is a double-edged sword. Fewer ingredients also means fewer nutritional extras — no probiotics, no superfoods, no prebiotics, no glucosamine. Brands like Wellness (B/80) and Merrick (B/78) deliver more comprehensive nutrition at the same price point. If your cat doesn't have sensitivities, you're trading nutritional breadth for simplicity you may not need.
Brown rice is a reasonable grain choice, but cats are obligate carnivores with no biological requirement for grains. The rice content means a portion of the formula is carbohydrate-based rather than protein-based.
Protein diversity is limited by design — the whole point of L.I.D. is using fewer protein sources to reduce allergen exposure. This is a feature for sensitive cats but a limitation for healthy cats who would benefit from multiple animal protein sources for broader amino acid coverage.
Some Natural Balance formulas may include chicken by-product meal, which is lower quality than the whole chicken and chicken meal in the analyzed formula. Check the specific product's ingredient list, as quality varies across their lineup.
How it compares
Natural Balance's B/76 ties it with Taste of the Wild and Blue Buffalo in the mid-B tier. It scores 2 points below the B/78 cluster of Nutro, Instinct, and Merrick. The gap comes from Natural Balance's intentionally simpler formula — fewer bonus ingredients means a slightly lower score, even though the simplicity is the point for cats with sensitivities.
For cats with food allergies, Natural Balance is arguably the best option in our database despite not having the highest score. A complex, nutrient-dense formula doesn't matter if your cat can't tolerate half the ingredients. The limited approach solves a specific problem that higher-scoring brands don't address.
Against the vet-recommended brands often prescribed for sensitivities, Natural Balance significantly outperforms Royal Canin (D/45) and Hill's Science Diet (C/60) while costing less. That's a gap worth understanding the next time your vet recommends a prescription diet.
Read the full breakdown in our head-to-head comparison: Whole Earth Farms vs Natural Balance.
The bottom line
Natural Balance L.I.D. earns a B grade (76/100) from KibbleIQ. Named proteins, limited allergens, fish oil omega-3s, and natural preservation make it a clean, focused formula. The intentionally simple ingredient list means fewer nutritional extras than competing brands at the same score. For healthy cats, there are more nutritionally complete options. For cats with food sensitivities, Natural Balance's minimalist approach is exactly what the vet ordered — and it does it better than the prescription diets that cost twice as much. Shop on Amazon →