Food sensitivities & allergies

Track down the ingredient behind your cat's itching.

Chicken? Beef? Something you'd never suspect? KibbleLab turns a food trial (often called an elimination diet) into a step-by-step investigation you run at home, and points you to the likely culprit to confirm with your vet.

Start the investigation How we know

The findings

Chicken · confirmed trigger
Egg · watching
Beef · cleared

Every trial you run sharpens the picture. Suspects move from watching, to cleared, to confirmed, until the pattern is obvious.

How it works

A structured trial, not a guess.

Step 1

List the suspects

Add what you already avoid, with a confidence level. We flag the usual triggers and the hidden ones sharing an allergen family.

Step 2

Run the trial

Pick a food and feed it clean for the recommended window, logging a quick daily check-in on symptoms and severity.

Step 3

Read the findings

KibbleLab compares every trial and flags the most likely trigger. Re-feed once to test it, then confirm with your vet.

The hidden-allergen angle

The label hides it. We don't.

A trigger can hide behind a friendlier name. KibbleLab maps more than 2,000 ingredients into their allergen families, so a suspect is caught even when the label dresses it up.

Turkey Liver is Turkey is Poultry.

If poultry is the problem, we catch it even when the label hides it.

The usual suspects

The triggers most often reported in cats.

Beef
Fish
Chicken
Dairy

The food ingredients most commonly reported in cats with food reactions (Mueller & Olivry, 2016). Common does not mean guilty: your cat's trigger is whatever the trial points to.

Don't let your cat stop eating

Cats should not fast. If your cat refuses the trial food, don't wait it out: a cat that stops eating can get sick quickly. Ease the switch slowly, and loop in your vet.

KibbleLab was a lifesaver for Yumi. We finally found food without her allergens and the constant scratching stopped.

A KibbleLab pet parent

Then find foods that don't list the trigger.

Once you have a confirmed trigger, KibbleLab points you to novel-protein and limited-ingredient foods that don't list it on the label, ranked for your cat in particular. A label can't rule out cross-contamination, so confirm anything critical with your vet.

Find cat food that fits

Common questions

Food sensitivities, answered.

What's the difference between a food allergy and a food sensitivity?

An allergy is an immune response; a sensitivity or intolerance is not, but both show up as itching, ear infections, or digestive upset. KibbleLab helps you track down the likely trigger behind either. For a true allergy diagnosis, work with your vet.

Read the full breakdown of allergy vs. sensitivity

How long does an elimination diet take?

The standard trial runs about 8 weeks on a single food, followed by a short re-challenge to confirm the trigger. KibbleLab counts the days, prompts your check-ins, and tells you when to move on.

Can I do this without a vet?

KibbleLab is built on published veterinary nutrition guidance and is a tool to organize your investigation, not a substitute for veterinary care. Bring the findings to your vet, especially if your pet has a health condition or takes medication.

Can KibbleLab guarantee a food is free of an allergen?

No, and neither can a label. KibbleLab flags foods that list a trigger or its allergen family, but shared manufacturing lines can introduce traces a label won't show. Use it to narrow the field, then confirm anything critical with your vet.

KibbleLab is informational, and is not a substitute for veterinary advice. The findings are a hypothesis to confirm with your vet, not a diagnosis. Always work with your veterinarian on health decisions specific to your pet.

KibbleLab is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or certified by WSAVA or AAFCO. We reference these standards; we do not represent them.

Stop guessing. Start the case.

Set up your cat's food trial in a few minutes, and let KibbleLab keep the record straight.

Start the investigation