The scores
Nulo Freestyle Adult Cat Salmon & Lentils Grain-Free: B/78 — Very Good. Deboned chicken first, chicken meal at two, peas at three, sweet potatoes at four, salmon oil at five. Two animal proteins in the top two slots and an early-position omega-3 source (per Bauer 2008, JAVMA, marine EPA/DHA supports feline skin, coat, and inflammatory regulation) put Nulo near the top of the KibbleIQ cat food rubric. The recipe is AAFCO-substantiated for adult maintenance via formulation per the AAFCO 2024 Cat Food Nutrient Profiles.
Instinct Original Grain-Free Recipe with Real Chicken: C/65 — Good. Chicken first, chicken meal at two, peas at three, chicken fat at four, tapioca at five. Reinforced with herring meal and menhaden fish meal in the top ten plus a freeze-dried raw coating — the brand’s signature differentiator. Per the AAFCO 2024 Cat Food Nutrient Profiles, the recipe is AAFCO-substantiated for adult maintenance via formulation.
How the ingredients compare
The top five ingredients:
Nulo Cat: Deboned Chicken, Chicken Meal, Peas, Sweet Potatoes, Salmon Oil
Instinct Cat: Chicken, Chicken Meal, Peas, Chicken Fat, Tapioca
Both formulas open identically in messaging — whole chicken first, chicken meal second, peas third — and the 13-point gap comes from what fills positions four and five. Nulo puts sweet potatoes at four (a whole-food carbohydrate with beta-carotene, vitamin A precursor, and steady-release energy) and salmon oil at five (early-position marine omega-3 delivery, EPA + DHA in a meaningful position). Instinct puts chicken fat at four (a fat-source positioning that bumps up the calorie density without adding protein contribution) and tapioca at five (a starch concentrate that adds carbohydrate calories without meaningful micronutrient density).
The position-five split is the rubric story. Salmon oil at five for Nulo is the strongest single ingredient placement in any cat formula at the budget-to-mid-premium price tier — it delivers EPA and DHA from a marine source at a position where it contributes meaningfully to every serving. Tapioca at five for Instinct is filler-adjacent — legitimate carbohydrate but not a nutritional asset.
Where Instinct catches up is the deeper list. Herring meal and menhaden fish meal appear in the top ten, delivering marine protein and omega-3s. The freeze-dried raw coating — freeze-dried chicken, freeze-dried chicken liver, freeze-dried chicken heart, pumpkinseeds — coats the kibble as an outer layer, adding high-density single-ingredient protein and organ meats that the rubric rewards. Instinct also brings in cranberries, apples, carrots, dried tomato pomace, and a botanical-mineral blend with chelated minerals plus Bacillus coagulans probiotic. Nulo’s deeper list adds chickpeas, sweet potatoes (already present), salmon meal, brewers dried yeast, taurine, dried chicory root, and supplemental probiotics — clean and dense but without Instinct’s freeze-dried raw outer-coating signature.
Where Nulo pulls ahead
Salmon oil at position five. Early-position marine omega-3 delivery is rare even at premium prices — most cat foods bury fish oil or salmon oil deep in the panel. Per Bauer 2008 (JAVMA), marine-source EPA and DHA supplementation supports feline skin and coat condition and modulates inflammatory pathways; per the AAFP/ISFM 2016 Senior Care Guidelines, omega-3 inclusion is associated with cognitive and joint support in aging cats. Nulo’s position-five salmon oil delivers meaningful EPA and DHA in every serving.
Sweet potato vs tapioca carbohydrate base. Sweet potatoes deliver beta-carotene, vitamin A precursor, fiber, and complex carbohydrates with a steady-release glycemic profile. Tapioca delivers carbohydrate calories with limited micronutrient density. The position-four split between sweet potato (Nulo) and chicken fat (Instinct, with tapioca at five) is the architectural choice that drives most of the 13-point rubric gap.
Cleaner rubric architecture without sacrificing protein density. Nulo carries deboned chicken plus chicken meal in positions one and two and reinforces with salmon meal in the deeper list. The formula achieves premium nutritional density without relying on the freeze-dried-coating add-on. For cats that don’t need or want the freeze-dried raw coating — particularly cats with sensitive digestion that don’t tolerate the raw addition — Nulo’s clean architecture is the safer default. Shop on Amazon →
Where Instinct holds its own
Freeze-dried raw outer coating. Instinct’s signature production approach coats every kibble with freeze-dried chicken, chicken liver, chicken heart, and pumpkinseeds — high-density single-ingredient animal protein and organ meats applied to the kibble surface. The coating dramatically boosts palatability for finicky cats and adds organ-meat micronutrients that standard kibble doesn’t deliver. For owners trying to upgrade a picky cat from a poor-quality formula, Instinct’s coating is the established palatability bridge.
Multi-protein deeper-list profile. Instinct’s deeper list reinforces with herring meal and menhaden fish meal — two named marine protein sources that diversify the amino-acid profile beyond chicken. For cats with poultry sensitivities or owners rotating protein sources for variety, Instinct’s multi-protein architecture is meaningful even if it sits deeper in the list than Nulo’s salmon oil.
Wider retail availability. Instinct is carried at PetSmart, Petco, Chewy, Amazon, and most independent pet stores nationwide. Nulo is available at PetSmart, Chewy, Amazon, and many independents but with thinner big-box presence. For owners who want single-store convenience or shop primarily at one retailer, Instinct’s broader distribution is a real operational advantage. Shop on Amazon →
The bottom line
Nulo wins B/78 to Instinct C/65 under the KibbleIQ Cat Food Rubric — a 13-point gap driven by salmon-oil placement at position five (per Bauer 2008, JAVMA, supplying meaningful EPA/DHA) and a sweet-potato carbohydrate base over Instinct’s tapioca-plus-chicken-fat architecture. Both formulas are AAFCO-substantiated for adult maintenance per the AAFCO 2024 Cat Food Nutrient Profiles. Nulo Freestyle Adult Cat Salmon & Lentils is the clear pick on rubric architecture. Instinct Original Grain-Free at C/65 is 13 points back but offers a behavioral hook the rubric doesn’t capture — the freeze-dried raw coating is a real palatability bridge for finicky cats and adds organ-meat micronutrients absent from standard kibble. Nulo clears the B tier and Instinct the C tier; the choice depends on whether you weight ingredient-list architecture or the freeze-dried-coating upgrade more heavily. For more premium cat picks, see our best cat food for indoor cats guide.