→ See the live ingredient breakdown for Nulo
What's actually in Nulo?
We analyzed Nulo FreeStyle Adult Trim Salmon & Lentils Recipe. The first five ingredients are deboned salmon, turkey meal, chicken meal, whole peas, and lentils.
Three animal proteins in the first three positions is a strong start — deboned salmon leads, and turkey meal and chicken meal are concentrated sources with the water already removed. Whole peas at #4 and lentils at #5 are the carbohydrate base for this grain-free formula. Shop on Amazon →
The good stuff
The protein foundation is excellent for a cat food. Cats are obligate carnivores, and having named animal protein in the first two positions ensures the formula is built around what cats actually need.
Dried chicory root provides prebiotic inulin that feeds beneficial gut bacteria — a smart inclusion for cats, which are prone to digestive issues. The grain-free formula avoids corn, wheat, and soy. Natural preservation with mixed tocopherols rounds out a clean, well-thought-out ingredient list.
The not-so-good stuff
Whole peas at #4 and lentils at #5 mean a significant portion of the formula is plant-based carbohydrate. Cats have no biological requirement for carbohydrates, and the ideal cat food would minimize all plant content. The FDA's legume-DCM investigation is focused on dogs, but the general principle of minimizing plant content for obligate carnivores applies.
The rich, high-protein formula may cause digestive upset in cats transitioning from grain-heavy budget foods. A gradual 7-10 day transition is recommended.
How it compares
Nulo's B/82 sits in the B tier, 8 points below the A/90 cluster (Acana, Wellness CORE, and Instinct Kitten).
Nulo scores 4 points above Wellness (B/78) and 7 above Blue Buffalo (B/75).
Read the full breakdowns in our head-to-head comparisons: Wellness CORE vs Nulo.
For Nulo's freeze-dried raw cat variant, see our Nulo FreeStyle Freeze-Dried Raw Chicken & Salmon (B/78) review scored under the Fresh Food Rubric v1.0 — the freeze-dried raw format scores lower than this dry kibble because pathogen-control documentation is not public.
The bottom line
Nulo Freestyle earns a B grade (82/100) from KibbleIQ. The three-animal-protein base (salmon, turkey meal, chicken meal) and prebiotic chicory root deliver premium nutrition in a clean, grain-free formula. Pea content is the main concern. Shop on Amazon →
Corrected 2026-10-19: we removed claims we could not support; we corrected factual errors, and grades and score comparisons that did not match our current scores.