Chicory Root

Inulin is a prebiotic, which means it is food for the beneficial bacteria in the gut. It may shift the gut bacteria a little, but studies in cats have not shown clear effects on stool or odor.

Chicory root is the dried root of the chicory plant, used in cat food as a source of inulin, a fermentable fiber. AAFCO lists dried chicory root among the ingredients that often supply dietary fiber in pet food, and Tufts veterinary nutritionists note that inulin is often derived from chicory root. For a cat with a digestive or other medical condition, ask your veterinarian about fiber in the diet.

Source: aafco.org

Chicory root is added as a prebiotic. It is one of the richest natural sources of inulin, a fiber that cats cannot digest but gut bacteria can ferment. Tufts veterinary nutritionists explain that fermentable, soluble fibers are often called prebiotic because they feed gut bacteria. The amount in dry food is small, and it usually sits near the end of the ingredient list.

Source: sites.tufts.edu

Chicory root is the whole dried root, while inulin is the fiber extracted from it. Most commercial inulin comes from chicory. A label that lists dried chicory root contains inulin along with the rest of the root material. A label that lists inulin uses the purified fiber. Pettings scores both 4 out of 5 as prebiotic fibers.

A prebiotic is a fiber that the cat cannot digest but that feeds bacteria in the large intestine. In cat food, the usual prebiotics are inulin, often from chicory root, and FOS. Prebiotics differ from probiotics, which are live bacteria added to a food. A 2025 systematic review of probiotic and prebiotic trials in cats found the evidence too limited to judge how well they work.

Source: pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Pettings gives chicory root 4 out of 5 and lists it as a prebiotic fiber. It appears on 60 of the 149 dry cat foods we list, usually as Dried Chicory Root. Foods with it average 66 out of 100 on our Ingredients score, compared with 51 for the 89 foods without it, though that average reflects the whole food. Each food's page shows how it scores overall.