Well, at least the Hill's Pet hypoallergenic food has hydrolyzed chicken in it. So when it comes to choosing a hypoallergenic prescription diet, there IS a choice.I think if your cat is seriously in need of the diet the lack of meat is least of your concerns. Vets I have used were not quick to put an animal on rx diet. Some went on(mainly the c/d for urinary issues and A/d for the very sick. Also for many conditions there is another food that can be eaten. Like W/d for diabetes you can use any low carb wet-friskies pate works well, for urinary once cat is stable you may be able to introduce a canned food diet. One of my cats had issues with all wets I tried my current cat can eat any non fish friskies pate and does great. I think comparing RX diets that are formulated to treat a very specific condition to regular food is not the same at all.