What is the best cat food for indoor cats
The 7 Best Cat Foods for Indoor Cats
If your cat recently switched from an outdoorsy lifestyle to one indoors, then you are likely wondering about the best cat foods for indoor cats.
Thankfully, many cat food brands offer an enticing variety of cat food formulas designed for your cats unique activity levels, age, breed, and health conditions. In this guide, we will explore some of the best food options that we have found on the market for cats who live most of their lives indoors.
At a Glance: The Best Cat Foods for Indoor Cats
Overall Best
9.9
Picked by 31 people today!
- Rich in protein from chicken and liver
- Good source of hydrating moisture
- Adjustable meal plans good for indoor cats
Budget Pick
9.8
Picked by 31 people today!
- Animal proteins are at the top of the ingredient list
- High in protein and moisture, very low in carbs
- Reasonably priced
Premium Pick
9.7
Picked by 31 people today!
- Made with 100% human-grade ingredients
- Packed with high-quality animal protein
- Rich in moisture to support hydration
Best Dry
9.6
Picked by 31 people today!
- Chicken meal is the top ingredient
- Highly digestible for most cats
- No history of product recalls in the company's history
Best for Hairballs
9.5
Picked by 18 people today!
- Simple, highly-digestible recipe
- Limited ingredient list
- Contains egg
Best for Kittens
9.4
Picked by 25 people today!
- One of the most protein-packed kitten foods on the market
- Ultra-soft pt texture is easy for kittens to eat
- Calorie-dense recipe to fuel growth and development
Best for Seniors
9.3
Picked by 31 people today!
- Low in phosphorus, which may help to prevent and ease the symptoms of kidney disease
- Rich in highly-digestible animal protein
- Low carbohydrate content may reduce your cats chances of developing diabetes
Cat foods for indoor cats are of a special variety of food that promises to nutritionally target your cats specific needs. But do cats who live inside really need different food than those who live outdoors?
What Are the Dietary Needs of Indoor Cats?
Think about humans who spend most of their time outdoors versus those who are usually inside. Individuals who spend a lot of time outdoors typically get more exercise than the average desk jockey. Like human outdoor enthusiasts, outdoor cats tend to spend more time exercising by climbing trees, hunting, and exploring.
Decreased activity means decreased calorie needs. Your indoor cat may be inactive or tirelessly energetic, but in general, cats who live indoors dont get as much exercise as those who live outside. This, in combination with an inappropriate diet, puts them at riskof becoming overweight or obese.
Because indoor cats have more free time to spend grooming themselves, they tend to suffer more from hairballscompared to cats who live outside.
Hairball issues are directly linked to poor digestive health something that can be improved through a biologically-appropriate diet. Some of the best foods for indoor cats incorporate additional fiber to help hairballs pass through smoothly.
Why Trust Cats.com
We buy cat food products at full retail price, and the entire testing process was funded by Cats.com without direct input or influence from the companies involved.
Top 7 Best Cat Foods For Indoor Cats
Now that weve established a criteria of what makes the list of the best cat foods for indoor cats, heres a quick list of some of the best foods for your indoor cat.
Choosing a Great Food for Your Indoor Cat
Your indoor cat may not catch mice, but it is a dedicated carnivore nevertheless.
According to much evidence, cats dietary needs havent changed much since they first wandered into human settlements and started killing and eating rodents around 9,500 years ago.Their propensity for eliminating grain-eating mice earned cats their place in human society back then so why are so many people now feeding them mouse food?
The ideal diet for your cat is a balanced raw diet made from raw muscle meat, organs, and bones. If you dont want to feed your cat this type of diet, there are plenty of good alternatives out there, and fortunately, identifying them is simple.
Look for ingredient lists that start with meat. Any food that uses corn or rice as the first ingredient is better off in the trash than your cats food bowl.
Also Read: The 7 Best Raw Cat Food
Avoid By-Products and Fillers
The inclusion of byproducts puts you at risk of feeding your cat low-value meat from low-quality animal parts, unidentified animals that could trigger allergic reactions, and low-quality cuts of meat that arent easily digestible or highly nutritious.
Always look for high-quality meat ingredients like turkey, lamb, beef, and chicken liver. Avoid labels including vague ingredients like poultry, meat byproducts, and rendered meals.
Ingredients like corn, soy, and wheat are fillers that dont offer any nutritional value for your cat. Theyre cheap binders and should always be avoided.
Look for Food That Wont Contribute to Weight Gain
This is the number one thing that cat food manufacturers are targeting when they make cat foods for indoor cats: accommodating the reduced calorie needs of a less active cat.
What they so often get wrong is cutting higher calorie protein and replacing it with lower calorie-containing fillers, so as to appear to contain a lower total amount of calories.
Good cat foods for indoor cats keep them satisfied for extended periods of time. While they often have lower calorie counts, carb-rich foods wont keep your cat full and can lead to blood sugar spikes and fat accumulation.
Instead of picking the first low-calorie food for indoor cats, the best approach is to seek out a high-quality protein (even if it seems to be higher in calorie content compared to other fillers), nutritionally-dense food, and serve it in controlled portions.
Is Dry or Wet Food Better?
Whether your cat lives indoors, outdoors, or somewhere in between, the answer is generally the same: choose wet food.
Cats have naturally low thirst drives and dont typically drink enough water to compensate for the lack of moisture in dry food. Those who consume dry diets often become chronically dehydrated, leading to urinary tract disease and renal failure.
Only wet or raw food, with its approximate 70% water content, can deliver the moisture that your cat needs to stay healthy.
High-moisture foods are also more satiating and help your indoor cat to stay slim and feel less hungry.
With that being said, cats are highly individualistic. Some cats have no problem drinking enough water, and some prefer dry cat food. In these situations, keep a close eye on your cats water intake to make sure they are staying hydrated. You can also incorporate some wet food into their diet on occasion, assuming your cat is open to it.
Also Read: How Long Can A Cat Go Without Drinking Water?
Frequently Asked Questions
Is indoor cat food really better for indoor cats?
Indoor cat food is designed for less active indoor cats and contains fewer calories. This means that your cat is less likely to become overweight or obese, which leads to a number of health problems.
Is dry food or wet food better for indoor cats?
Wet food is generally better for indoor cats. The moisture in the wet food helps keep cats hydrated, which in turn lowers the likelihood of them developing urinary tract disease and renal failure. Some cats may prefer dry food or do not need that extra hydration because they do drink enough, although cats, in general, have a low thirst drive. It can be challenging to track their water intake, and wet food helps to eliminate that guesswork.
Is it OK to give cats wet food everyday?
Yes! Wet cat food with quality ingredients is an excellent thing to feed your cat each day. It also has the benefit of keeping your cat hydrated and feeling satisfied after eating.
The best cat food for indoor cats in 2024
What to look for in indoor cat food
When shopping for the best cat food for indoor cats, you'll want to consider the following criteria:
AAFCO nutritional adequacy statement for growth, adult maintenance, or all life stages:You can confirm a cat food is nutritionally complete and balanced meaning it contains all the nutrients required and in the correct ratios if you find an AAFCO statement on the label. The AAFCO is a nonprofit organization that recommends nutritional guidelines for pet food. An AAFCO statement indicates that a food meets cats' needs based on their life stage. Food with an AAFCO statement for growth or all life stages is complete and balanced for kittens, while food with a statement for maintenance or all life stages is complete and balanced for adult cats. The AAFCO hasn't established specific recommendations for senior cat diets. Foods for senior cats must meet the minimum nutritional recommendations for adult or all life stages foods.
Guaranteed analysis and nutrient profiles: The guaranteed analysis on a pet food label shows the percentages of important nutrients, including protein, fat, fiber, and other essential vitamins and minerals. Food for kittens must meet the AAFCO's recommended minimum of 30% protein and 9% fat, and food for adult cats, including seniors, must have a minimum of 26% protein and 9% fat.
Cats are obligate carnivores. This means they require animal-based protein in their diet whether they live indoors or outdoors. Our experts say it's important to check the guaranteed analysis of protein, fat, and fiber percentages to make sure the recipe meets your cat's needs. Healthy cats can thrive on high-protein diets, but cats with certain health conditions, like kidney disease, may require low-protein diets. Indoor cats, in particular, may benefit from foods with low to moderate fat and high fiber.
Ingredient list: The ingredients on a pet food label appear in order of weight. The best cat food for indoor cats will list animal proteins in the form of whole meat, meat meal, or animal byproducts first on the ingredient list. To add fiber to your cat's diet and lower their risk of gaining excess weight, opt for recipes with whole complex carbohydrates like whole corn, whole brown rice, and sweet potatoes. Whole complex carbohydrates help keep your cat feeling full for longer since they're more slowly digested than processed and simple carbohydrates. They also contain more fiber, which can help with digestion and passing hairballs.
The best way to make sure a cat food contains quality ingredients like whole carbohydrates is to read the ingredient list carefully and contact the manufacturer with questions. Your vet can also recommend specific cat foods that contain whole carbohydrates and meet your cat's individual needs.
Expert formulations: When it comes to commercial cat foods, nutritional quality is always our first concern. That's why our recommendations for the best cat food for indoor cats line up with WSAVA guidelines and our experts' guidance. Simply put, we only recommend food from brands that employ a full-time board-certified veterinary nutritionist or a PhD-level animal nutritionist. These standards help ensure your cat's food meets nutritional recommendations and includes the right ingredients.
Manufacturing standards: Some pet food companies own their own manufacturing plants, while others manufacture their food at shared facilities or contract with co-packing companies to package, label, and ship their pet food. Manufacturers who own their plants have more control over the ingredients and food your cat consumes. Whether they own their facilities or not, pet food brands should be transparent about how they implement quality control measures. This means providing information about the types of tests they conduct, the frequency of testing, and the results of those tests.
Calorie content: The calorie content of cat food is listed in kilocalories (kcal). Indoor adult and senior cats may have lower calorie needs than outdoor cats since they're generally less active. However, the calorie needs of indoor adult cats can vary depending on their age, weight, and overall health. For instance, kittens grow rapidly during their first year, so they should eat multiple high-calorie meals per day. Your vet can recommend the ideal number of daily calories for your adult or senior cat. They'll consider your cat's lifestyle, ideal weight, and overall health and use the body condition scoring (BCS) system to assess your cat's body fat on a scale of 1 to 9. You can ask your vet to teach you how to use this visual tool to check your cat's BCS at home between wellness visits. That said, always ask your vet before adjusting your cat's daily portion sizes.
