Hill's cat food (Hills): review, composition, is it worth buying

Feed composition

After castration and sterilization, the animal requires less protein, which was previously spent on the production of sex hormones. Therefore, the pet’s previous diet has to be changed, reducing the intake of these substances from food. Excess fat in daily food also has a harmful effect on the body and leads to rapid weight gain. In addition, after sterilization, pets often acquire an increased appetite and can eat often and a lot.

Hill's specialized food for young sterilized cats (from 6 months to 6 years) has a balanced composition, the selection of which took into account all the needs of the body with changed physiology. It contains a reduced proportion of proteins and fats, and some animal products are replaced with plant products. This provides the desired amino acid composition, but reduces the risk of deposition of excess purine bases and fat in the form of uric acid salts and subcutaneous fat. If feeding standards are observed, the pet is reliably insured against urolithiasis and obesity.

The food contains:

• chicken meat flour;
• fish meal (tuna);
• corn and soy protein;
• chicken and fish fats, vegetable oil;
• beet pulp (fiber);
• natural preservatives.

Nutritional formulas for sterilized animals include all the vitamins and minerals they need, are enriched with cellulose and include a special weight control formula

Hills for neutered cats is available in 3 varieties:

• dry granular;
• meat pieces (wet);
• mousse.

Depending on the preferences of the pets, the owner can choose concentrates with chicken or fish (tuna or trout) flavor.

Hill's Cat Food Range

Hill's offers food for the daily nutrition of pets, and also takes care of chronically ill animals that constantly require a certain diet.

Hill's dry cat food lines

In Hills Science plan series food, the flavor base is: poultry meal (turkey, chicken), tuna. Some species include rabbit and lamb. Cereals: easily digestible rice, corn, wheat in whole or ground form. Fats: vegetable, animal, fish. Natural preservatives. Other ingredients: dried beet pulp extract, flax seed.

Read the article on how to accustom a kitten to dry food.

Useful substances included:

• vitamins of groups A, B, C, E;
• minerals (calcium, selenium, potassium, iodine, sodium, manganese);
• amino acids (lecithin, DL-methionine, taurine, L-lysine, aminopropionic acid tryptophan);
• antioxidants.

The table shows the range of Hill's Science Plan dry food intended for cats of different ages.

We recommend reading the article about food for sterilized cats and neutered cats.

Hill's Ideal balance No grain dry food is considered complete nutrition that maintains body balance. The line is distinguished from Science Plan by its more natural composition. The flavor base is chicken and tuna. Cereals - brown rice. A rich list of dried vegetables: potatoes (root vegetables and starch), peas (regular, yellow), beets, carrots, spinach, tomato and grape pomace, citrus pulp. Fats: fish, animal, flax seed, soybean oil. Natural preservatives. Rich in nutrients (minerals, vitamins, antioxidants, amino acids).

No grain is available in two flavors, with the addition of potatoes, for healthy cats and male cats from 1 to 7 years:

• chicken (408 kcal/100 g);

• tuna (407 kcal/100 g).

The composition of Ideal Balance is similar to another food, Hill's Nature's best. In addition to the general ingredients, it includes barley, oatmeal, oat-based fiber, and added rosemary extract. Colored with iron oxide. For adult cats from 1 year to 7 years it is presented in two types, with the addition of rice and vegetables:

• tuna (403 kcal/100 g);

• chicken (406 kcal/100 g).

They also produce an option for kittens with chicken:

You should carefully consider these products. Feed can cause stool problems in animals.

Hill's wet cat food lines

In addition to dry food, the Science plan cat line offers wet food. They can be a complete meal or an addition to a dish in the form of a treat.

The basis is: poultry (chicken, turkey), pork, offal - pork liver, fish (salmon, trout). Cereals and cereals: wheat, corn, tapioca, rice in the form of starch or flour. Vegetables: peas, carrots, tomato, broccoli. Fats: fish, vegetable, animal. Some products contain iodized salt, dry yeast, and sugar. Vitamins, minerals, amino acids. Natural coloring: caramel. The most common flavors are chicken, salmon, but also turkey, beef, and trout.

Packed in pouches and jars.

The Ideal balance series is also available in a wet version. It contains: poultry (chicken, turkey), fish (trout, salmon), pork, potatoes, tapioca starch, cellulose, oats, pea, animal protein, dried peas, carrots, sunflower oil, sugar. Vitamins, microelements, amino acids. Natural caramel is used as a dye. There are 4 types in total, all with the addition of vegetables:

• salmon (87);

• trout (86);

• turkey (86);

• chicken (85).

Suitable for daily feeding of adult healthy animals.

Hill's medicinal cat food

They are introduced into the pet’s diet to comply with a certain diet during the period of its recovery as prescribed by the doctor. The Prescription diet treatment line includes foods used for:

• treatment of endocrine pathologies (problems with the thyroid gland, dry only) (y/d);
• conditions requiring surgical intervention, elimination of weight deficiency, restoration of the body, only wet, for cats and dogs (a/d);
• maintaining gastrointestinal health and against excess weight (w/d);
• treatment of joints (orthopedic problems), dry only (j/d);
• maintaining oral health, dry only (t/d);
• combating allergic reactions (stomach, intestines, skin) (z/d);
• elimination of urological problems (c/d and s/d);
• kidney treatment (k/d);
• liver treatment, dry only (l/d);
• improved digestion (i/d);
• maintaining health in diabetes mellitus (liver and excess weight) (m/d);
• weight control (Metabolic).

From the author. In all dry foods of the Hill's medicinal line, corn gluten meal and corn are in 1-3 place; obviously, these components should not be the first in the composition of high-quality food, so we do not recommend buying them.

Dry

Please note that these foods have a special composition. Many essential vitamins, minerals and other components are missing. They are given only during treatment. They are not suitable for regular feeding.

Wet

In the composition of wet food, corn starch or corn is also in 2-3 place, sometimes there is wheat flour. If cereals are among the first 5 components, this is a bad indicator of the quality of the food and we do not recommend buying it.

Advantages and disadvantages

Compared to other types of food, Hills has the best price-quality ratio. These are affordable products, the quality of which allows felinologists to classify them as premium or super-premium. The food contains only high-quality ingredients: natural meat, vegetables and cereals.

The advantages include the following:

• availability of information about the composition and purpose;
• indication of the recommended dosage for animals of different weights;
• the opportunity to purchase the desired mixture both in pet stores and online companies;
• wide age range (the diet can not be changed until the pet is older).

But many cat owners sometimes note the disadvantages of Hills. Most often these are complaints about a change and increase in the smell of excrement, and indigestion of the pet. This occurs due to individual intolerance to food components.

Another sign that the food is not suitable can be allergic skin reactions.

For pets with sensitive digestion, you can choose other mixtures from this manufacturer. Hill's Science Plan Adult Sensitive Stomach line contains rice and egg, which help the predator's body more fully absorb plant components.

Despite the fact that Hill's, like other premium mixtures, is hypoallergenic and completely natural, the animal's immune system may react inappropriately. This is expressed by skin rashes when introducing new food into the diet. In this case, veterinarians may recommend special medicinal granules from Nature's Best.

Cats often prefer wet mixtures, but owner reviews note that Hills dry food is of higher quality. When introducing a new diet, you should carefully monitor your pet’s condition, and 7-10 days after the change, you need to take tests and check the quality of assimilation of the new food.

Hills Science Plan Cat Food Review

Science Plan cat food is produced in the Netherlands and the Czech Republic by Hill's Pet Nutrition, Inc.. Official website - (in Russian), https://www.hillspet.co.uk/ (in English).
This food belongs to the premium class. The Science Plan brand also produces dry and wet dog food. The company also produces Ideal Balance, Natures Best, and Prescription Diet foods.

Science Plan food composition

Let's get acquainted with the composition of Science Plan food using the example of the Feline Adult Indoor Cat Chicken option (for adult cats leading a domestic lifestyle). You can see it in the image below, we recommend clicking on it to enlarge it for easier reading:

Top left is a photo of the composition from the packaging. Below is a screenshot of the lineup from the English version of the official website, and even lower and to the right is a screenshot from the Russian version of the official website.

The first ingredient, poultry meal, is a source of protein. It is clarified that “chicken min. 40%,” but it’s not clear - 40% of this ingredient or of the total content? Above the composition it is written “total content of poultry meat min. 53%). But if the food contained 53% “poultry meat”, then this would be indicated in the composition itself. Otherwise, this is nothing more than advertising text.

In many versions, the packaging says “poultry meal”, but in the original description of the composition in English there is no word “meat”, it is simply written “poultry meal”, “chicken and turkey meal”, etc. That is, meat appeared thanks to the miracles of translation into Russian.

Meat meal is made only from meat, while poultry meal can include any part of the bird (since it is not specified what exactly it includes).

Another interesting thing is that on the official Russian website, the English website and on the packaging, the information on the composition is slightly different. For example, the percentage of chicken, data from guaranteed analysis.

Corn is a source of carbohydrates and many amino acids, useful in small quantities. However, when it is one of the main ingredients, it can be considered a cheap food filler. Rice is a good source of carbohydrates.

Corn gluten meal is a source of plant proteins. Cellulose is a thickener. Protein hydrolyzate is a source of protein (it is not clear whether it is plant or animal). Animal fat is a source of saturated fatty acids, and vegetable oil is a source of unsaturated fatty acids.

Potassium chloride, calcium sulfate, salt - all these are different salts. Needed as a flavoring additive, as well as a source of potassium and calcium.

Advantages and disadvantages

Among the advantages of Science Plan food:

• very wide range, there are dry and wet food;
• natural antioxidants and preservatives are used (tocopherols and citric acid);
• good content of vitamins, minerals and other useful substances;
• Widespread, available in almost every pet store.

Among the disadvantages:

• It is not “chicken meal” that is used, but “chicken meal”. The latter probably includes offal, and the word "meat" in the composition appears as a result of the miracles of translation;
• it is not known how much vegetable protein and how much animal protein (and it is impossible to approximately estimate since the % of all protein sources is not indicated);
• relatively high price (there are analogues with a more understandable and high-quality composition and the same cost).

Price and where to buy

Hill's formulas come in different packaging, so the price depends on the type of cat food. Wet canned food in the form of pieces in a small package (85 g) can be bought for 62-65 rubles. when ordering in online stores, but in retail outlets the cost may be slightly higher depending on the region. A jar of mousse (85 g) will cost 76 rubles.

Hills dry products (food in the form of small oval granules) come in packaging from 300 g to 8 kg. The minimum price for a 300 g package is about 230-250 rubles; packages weighing 1.5 kg (911 rubles), 3.5 kg (1,945 rubles) and 8 kg (3,945 rubles) are available. In pet stores, goods are 10-15% more expensive.

Cat food Science Plan - reviews

Hills food has been present on the Russian market for many years and is actively advertised. Over the years, many cat owners have bought them, so there are more than enough reviews on the Internet. Below we have collected some of the newest ones.

Reviews from veterinarians

Despite the fact that many buyers write about purchasing this food on the recommendation of a veterinarian, there are no direct reviews from the vet. We were unable to find doctors. If you are a veterinarian, take the time to express your opinion about Hills Science Plan food in the comments below, we will definitely add them to the review.

Customer Reviews

Zhanna writes:

It’s not easy to live with a capricious cat; just when you thought that you pleased him with food, an allergy begins. Or vice versa, there are no side effects, but he eats very reluctantly. We tried several dry foods, but Hills Science Plan was the only one that worked. Acceptable in quality and price, did not cause allergies or other problems. The cat is now 4 years old and has been eating this food for over a year.

It is most profitable to buy a large 10 kg bag; it lasts for about half a year. It is profitable to take smaller amounts only if you buy shares. The food is quite good. I give my cat a full bowl in the morning and add more throughout the day. He eats as much as he wants, but is not obese. Maybe this is because the food is specially for sterilized animals, it is lower in calories.

I would like to note that, to me, the smell of the food is very unpleasant, but apparently the cat has completely different aromatic tastes. The main thing is that he likes it, because he can eat it) I recommend Hills dry food.

Anya writes:

Our cat is not picky, he ate every food that was offered to him, including the famous Hill's. We bought a 2 kg package from the PetShop online store for RUB 1,071 (Kitten Healthy Development Chicken, since our cat is still growing). This package lasted for a month and a half; they were fed strictly according to the recommendations given by the manufacturer.

The food is not ideal; it contains corn, which is difficult for the digestive system to digest. Premium is certainly not holistic, but still it is much better than various poisons such as Friskis and Whiskas. Poultry comes first in the composition, not grains.

The packaging is equipped with a zip fastener, the food does not dry out. The granules are made in the shape of a triangle, fragrant, not large, and leave oily stains on the hands. The food is suitable for kittens from 4-5 months, I think for smaller ones the granules will be a bit large.

After a month and a half of feeding, no problems were found. The cat ate well, digestion was normal, and his weight was appropriate for his age. The baby is active and playful. In general, Hill's food suited him. I think this is a good food for a relatively low price.

When a kitten appeared in the house, I began to find out what I could feed it, first of all I was interested in ready-made food. I read that Hills food belongs to the super premium category. I was buying it based on this information. The kitten ate it very appetizingly, and the small croquettes were just right for little ones like him. But I was alarmed by the unpleasant smell of the food, so I started looking for more information about ready-made food.

Thus, I learned that I need to look at the composition of the food, and the Hills composition turned out to be not super premium. Compared to many foods, the composition is poor; it contains corn, which is a serious allergen for cats. It also turns out that it is not poultry flour that is used, but simply poultry flour - the composition says Chicken and turkey meal in English! That is, the word meat is not there.

Overall, although the kitten eats well, I do not recommend Hill food. For the same price there are really better foods that do not contain corn and contain fish, apples, blueberries, etc.

Reviews from veterinarians

Vasily Petrovich, Leningrad region

I recommend only these diets. When sterilizing young animals, the rich composition allows the animals to develop correctly; the presence of the necessary minerals contributes to the formation of a strong skeleton and teeth, but practically eliminates the development of urolithiasis.

The only drawback is the high content of plant components. This is not very good for an obligate predator, so some owners complain about digestive upset in their pets.

Margarita Nikolaevna, Moscow

The animal protein content in Hill's mixtures for sterilized cats is about 35%. This is enough for complete nutrition. Thanks to the reduced amount of protein, both the risk of urolithiasis and the risk of salt deposits in the joints are reduced. Many owners continue to feed their animals dry kibble until they reach 6 years of age even after this period. But sterilized cats over 7 years of age are better off switched to special mixtures with an even lower protein content.

Veronica Petrovna, Krasnoyarsk

After sterilization, cats gain weight 3 times faster than before. Reducing the diet is not the best solution, as the pet will begin to starve and experience discomfort. Hill's dry and wet mixtures for castrated and sterilized animals allow owners to feed their cat well, but not make it obese.

The composition of the feed completely satisfies the body’s daily nutritional needs. The high fiber content promotes satiety, but may affect your cat's stool.

All information posted on the site is provided in accordance with the User Agreement and is not a direct instruction to action. We strongly recommend that before using any product, you must obtain a face-to-face consultation at an accredited veterinary clinic.

General characteristics of the feed

Hill's company produces food for regular and therapeutic use. She divides them according to the pet's age, weight, activity and other characteristics. The range includes dry and wet products.

Manufacturer

The company's head office is located in the USA; food is also produced in Holland (Netherlands). Hill's Pet Nutrition company appeared in Russia in 1995. The representative office is located at: Moscow, st. Krylatskaya, 17/1, Krylatsky Hills business park. For all citizens of the Russian Federation there is a free hotline 8 (800) 200-11-11, where you will be advised on any issue of interest. Official website https://www.hillspet.ru.

Feed class

The company compares food with the super premium class, but some experts prefer to classify Hills as premium.

Read the article about premium food for kittens.

Advantages and disadvantages of Hill's food

Pros of Hill's food:

• availability;
• acceptable price;
• rich assortment;
• carefully selected composition.

The negative points include:

• low fiber content in feed;
• a large number of plant components, including vegetable protein, which can affect weight gain and the health of the pet;
• lack of composition percentage on the packaging.