Almond Oil

It has not been shown to have any clear advantage for cats over other plant oils.

Almond oil is a plant fat pressed from almond kernels, used in small amounts in dry cat food as a source of energy and linoleic acid. A 1984 study in cats found that dietary linoleic acid prevented most signs of essential fatty acid deficiency, while arachidonic acid, which comes from animal fat, was still required for some functions. If your cat has a medical condition, ask your veterinarian before changing its food.

Source: pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Almond oil is in cat food as a fat source. Fat carries much of the energy in a dry food, and plant oils such as almond oil also supply linoleic acid, an omega-6 fatty acid. Tufts veterinary nutritionists describe linoleic acid as essential for all animals. In a cat food, almond oil normally appears next to an animal fat instead of replacing it.

Source: sites.tufts.edu

No. A 1984 study in cats found they convert almost no linoleic acid into arachidonic acid, and the researchers concluded that cats still need arachidonic acid for reproduction and platelet function. Plant oils, almond oil included, contain no arachidonic acid. That is why recipes using almond oil also list an animal fat or other animal ingredients that supply it.

Source: pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Almond is not among the feline food allergen sources listed by the Merck Veterinary Manual. Its table names beef, fish and chicken as common sources in cats, with wheat, corn, dairy products and lamb as less common ones. A cat can still react to an ingredient that is missing from that list. If you suspect a food allergy, your veterinarian can set up an elimination diet trial.

Source: merckvetmanual.com

Pettings gives almond oil 2 out of 5 and lists it as a vegetable oil. It appears on 1 of the 149 dry cat foods we list. That score rates the ingredient by itself, and each food's page shows how the full recipe scores overall.