Best Dry Cat Food For Indoor Cats

The Best Grain-Free Cat Food

Have a cat with food allergies or a sensitive stomach? Then a grain-free formula might be the perfect fit! We landed on Purina Beyond’s Grain-Free formula as the best grain-free option for cats. Here’s why:

• A Taste Cats Love. The taste is loved by cats. You can be sure that this recipe contains no harmful chemicals and has a lot of nutrition. This formula is delicious and your cat will enjoy it.

Review sample: “My 7-month old kitten has food allergies. We’ve narrowed it down to wheat, corn, or soy. I have a total of five cats and trying to find a food they would all eat seemed impossible…My kitten ate it, she liked it, and she didn’t break out or vomit. They all started to sniff it. They all loved it, Hallelujah!

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#11 Best For Growing Kittens: Instinct Original Kitten Grain-Free Recipe With Real Chicken Freeze-Dried Raw Coated Dry Cat Food

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• Brand Name: Instinct
• United States
• Typical Cost Per Day: About $1.00/day

Instinct pet food is committed to incorporating raw foods into all their products. In addition to freeze-dried raw meals and raw frozen foods, they offer raw-boosted kibble like this kitten recipe. The Instinct Original kitten recipes costs approximately $0.36 an ounce. This adds up to around $1 per day.

This recipe is unique because the kibbles have been coated with chicken liver and freeze-dried chicken. This coating not only adds protein to the kitten’s diet but also enhances its flavor.

Top Recipe: Instinct Original Kitten Grain-Free Recipe with Real Chicken Freeze-Dried Raw Coated Dry Cat Food

It is specifically designed to provide the nutrition necessary for growing kittens. The formula is 81% made from animal ingredients, nutritious oils, and the rest 19% are vegetables, fruits and other ingredients.

Fresh chicken is the first ingredient in this recipe, followed by turkey meal and menhaden fish meal. Later on this list, you’ll find additional proteins made from chicken, egg, fish and lamb. Chicken fat is the primary source of added fat which is a nutritious and species-appropriate choice.

While this recipe is certainly rich in animal protein, it does contain several plant-based ingredients. Nevertheless, it has a lower carbohydrate count than average cat food.

One thing to keep in mind with this recipe is that, as a dry food, it doesn’t help support your cat’s hydration. You can give your kitten dry food if you don’t want to feed it. Or, add another moisturizing food.

Rachael Ray Nutrish Indoor Complete Dry Cat Food

Rachael Ray Complete Dry Cat Food has many beneficial ingredients that will make your cat’s indoor life easier. This small amount of kibble is easy to feed your cat while still providing plenty flavor and crunch. It contains U.S.A farm-raised chicken, along with a mix of vitamins and minerals that will provide your cat all their nutrition needs.

As a natural fiber source, lentils are included to make your cat feel fuller longer and less likely to eat more. Blueberries and Cranberries are also included in this kibble, which is rich in antioxidants and vitamins. It also contains dandelion greens, which contain p. The only thing that we don’t like about this kibble is that it does contain a small amount of coloring and dried peas, which can trigger allergies in some cats.

Wet Indoor Cat Food

Blue Buffalo Healthy Gourmet Natural Adult Pate Wet Cat Food

The natural choice for cats who prefer wet cat food and need the complete nutrition of an indoor cat food.

Key Features:

• Contains protein-rich salmon
• Includes healthy vegetables and antioxidant-rich fruits
• There are no byproducts
• There are no artificial colors, flavors or preservatives

Cost: $25

Halo Grain Free Indoor Wet Cat Food

Wet cat food that is not made with grains provides your cat the necessary nutrients and protein, as well as extra water for his thirst.

Key Features:

• Grain-free
• Made with real, whole chicken and no by-products
• It contains omega fatty acid to support healthy skin and coat
• No artificial colors, flavors, or preservatives

Cost: $20

Hill’s Science Diet Wet Cat Food

This wet cat food is high in protein and responsibly sourced. You’ll be able to feed your cat this cat food.

The Key Features

• High-quality protein
• Provides exact nutrition for healthy skin, hair, and stool
• Veterinarian recommended
• Irresistible flavors your cat will love

Cost: $30

IAMS Perfect Portions Grain-Free Wet Cat Food Pate

Take the guesswork out of how much to feed your cat with these perfectly portioned meals from IAMS. Two perfectly proportioned portions of wet cat food pate are included in each pack.

The Key Features

• Grain-free
• Perfectly portioned so no measuring is needed
• Formulated for indoor cats
• To support healthy digestion and immune system, you need to eat a balanced diet.

Cost: $22

Purina Friskies Indoor Adult Wet Cat Food Variety Pack

This tasty variety pack of indoor cat food will keep your cat busy.

The Key Features

• Specially designed to satisfy the nutritional requirements of indoor cats
• Real seafood or poultry used in this recipe
• Moist and tender
• Available in 3 delicious flavours

Cost: $12

Elsey’S Cleanprotein(tm) Grain-Free Dry Cat Food

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• United States
• Life Stage: Adult
• Typical Cost Per Day: $0.80/day

Unlike most grain-free foods, Dr. Elsey’s kibble doesn’t contain any legumes, potatoes, or other plant-sourced ingredients. Instead, it relies on gelatin as its sole binding agent. This allows Dr. Elsey’s cleanprotein(tm) cat food to keep its carbohydrate content under 10%. This is almost unheard-of in dry food.

Never has Dr. Elsey’s cat food been recalled.

Top Recipe: Dr. Elsey’s Clean Protein Chicken Formula Dry Cat Food

This recipe features chicken as the main ingredient. Instead of using starchy ingredients like corn, legumes, or potatoes, the manufacturer relies on gelatin as a binder. Translation? This food is one of the lowest-carbohydrate kibbles you can buy.

With chicken, egg, and pork protein isolate its first ingredients, this food is high in protein and easy to digest.

Do I feed my indoor cat dry or wet food?

That’s up to you and the preferences of your cat! Some cats love wet food, and it can be more palatable for fussy cats. It also adds moisture to your cat’s diet, helping them stay hydrated and healthy. Wet food is more expensive and takes up more room to store. It’s also best not to leave it out all day, as it can spoil.

Dry kibble can be stored easily and is economical. A majority of cats are happy with a diet containing mainly dry foods. Cats don’t have a high thirst drive, so if they’re fed only dry food, they can be prone to becoming dehydrated. You might need to monitor your cat’s water intake or consider buying a cat water fountain to encourage them to drink more.

One compromise that many cat owners settle on is to feed a combination of both wet and dry food. You can leave dry kibble out for your cat to graze on throughout the day and feed them a small portion of wet food once or twice a day. This is a good option, but make sure to control the food you give your cat.

You’ll need to adapt any feed regime to suit your cat and their individual needs. For example, if your cat is slightly overweight and tends to eat all their food in one go, then leaving out a large portion of dry kibble when you’re at work probably isn’t a good idea! You could invest in an automatic feeder to dispense a small amount of kibble at predetermined intervals throughout the day.

How To Change Your Cat’S Food To The Best Dry Cat Food For Indoor Cats

Once you’ve decided on a new brand of food for your indoor cat, make sure to buy it before your old brand completely runs out. It’s best to introduce a new food over about a week, to give your cat’s digestive system a chance to adjust.

We recommend mixing the two foods, starting with 25% of the new food and 75% of the old food and gradually increasing the amount of new food and decreasing the amount of old food. Keep an eye on your cat’s overall behavior, as well as their litter box habits. You can make the switch if your cat seems to like it.

Want to see more cat food reviews? Check out our review page here!

Hill’S Science Diet Indoor Kitten Dry Cat Food — Best for Kittens

Hill’s Science Diet Indoor Kitten Dry Cat Food is our pick as the best kitten food for indoor kittens. This food has chicken as the first ingredient. It provides 33.5% protein for your cat to grow into a healthy, strong pet. Real fruits and vegetables like broccoli, apples, carrots, and cranberries add powerful antioxidants to your cat’s diet that will help boost the immune system and prevent them from catching a disease.

We liked serving our kittens Hill’s Science Diet, but it is quite expensive, and at nearly 550 calories per serving, it can quickly add weight to your pet which is good when they are a kitten, but you’ll want to switch to something else when they become fully grown.

#3 Best Ethically-Sourced: Open Farm Wild-Caught Salmon Dry Cat Food

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• Open Farm
• Made In: United States
• Guaranteed Protein: 37% min
• Age Range: All Life Stages
• Typical Cost Per Day: $0.68/day

Open Farm’s recipe features animal-derived protein. It includes salmon, whitefish meal and herring meal. Like other grain-free dry foods, it also contains legumes and other plant ingredients, and it’s not a particularly low-carbohydrate dry food, but it’s a carnivore-friendly choice compared to the competition.

But what separates this food from other dry products is its ingredient sourcing. Open Farm’s sourcing policy emphasizes humanely-raised poultry, meat, and fish. Fish-based recipes, like the one featured here, are made from sustainably-harvested wild-caught fish.

Overall, if you’re looking for a high-protein, meat-based dry cat food that’s more eco-friendly than the competition, this food from Open Farm could be a good choice.

Iams Proactive Health – Editor’S Choice

• Chicken is first listed ingredient
• Has fat burning L-carnitine
• Unique natural fiber blend for hairball control
• Essential fatty acids and fish oil

Once sold exclusively through veterinarians and special pet food stores, Iams premium pet food is now available anywhere you find cat food, and for its well-deserved premium-quality reputation, their products are surprisingly affordable. Iams Proactive health dry cat food is the best choice. Specially made to help manage the weight and hairball issues that indoor cats often experience, both adult cats and their owners love this tasty nutritious chicken and turkey kibble.

Nutrition & Ingredients

What Are Buyers Saying?

Iams ProActive dry cat food has received close to 1100 5 star ratings from about 1,330 Chewy ratings. One dad of six cats credits this dry cat food for ridding them of constant hairball issues – including his Maine Coon, and another mom of 2 cats is elated that she no longer comes home to a mess of throw-up and hairballs on the carpet. As for weight control, Johnnie Boy, a 5-yr-old long-haired Ragdoll, had his weight loss verified by his vet and his gorgeous coat has never looked better.

Let’s get to the bottom

Its effective formula helps to control hairballs and other weight problems in indoor cat adults. This is why thousands of satisfied cat owners choose Iams ProActive Health dry food for indoor cats. The crunchy chicken and turkey flavors are a favorite with cats. Cat owners also love their cat’s healthy and happy adult cats.

Learn more about Iams ProActive Health dry food for indoor cats

#6: Ziwi Peak Dry Cat Food – Best Air-Dried

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• The Adult Life Stage
• Typical Cost Per Day: $2-$3/day

This cat food looks more like chunks of jerky than bits of kibble. The food is made in a different way. This food, unlike most extruded kibble, is air dried. A twin-stage dehydration technique destroys pathogenic bacteria. It doesn’t, however, destroy nutrients.

This makes Ziwi Peak dry cat food one of the most species-appropriate and nutrient-dense dry products you can put in your cat’s bowl. Ziwi Peak’s recipes contain 96% fresh meat, organs and bones.

The foods feature high-quality ingredients raised or grown on what the company describes as ethical New Zealand farms.

While most other foods rely on synthetic vitamins and minerals to replace nutrients lost in cooking, this food harnesses the nutritional power of the heart, tripe, liver, lung, kidney, and bone. The recipe includes mackerel and lamb as well as a range of lamb organs.

With virtually no plant content, this recipe is extremely low in carbohydrates. The food’s carbohydrate content stands around 4%. That’s less than most canned foods.

While the food is more expensive than most others on the market, it’s very nutrient-dense, so you can feed your cat less at every meal.

Dry Indoor Cat Food

Blue Buffalo Indoor Hairball & Weight Control Natural Adult Dry Cat Food

If your cat has trouble with hairballs or needs to slim down a bit, this Blue Buffalo blend is the perfect choice.

Key Features:

• Real meat is always the first ingredient
• A blend of fiber sources helps control hairballs
• A balanced diet of calories and protein will help your cat maintain and attain a healthy weight.
• Supports immune health and strong muscle growth

Cost: $22

Blue Buffalo Indoor Health Natural Adult Dry Cat Food

Blue Buffalo indoor cat food offers natural nutrition that is rich in vitamins, nutrients, and antioxidants.

The Key Features

• Real meat is always the first ingredient
• High-quality protein and healthy whole grains, fruits and vegetables.
• Omega fatty acid protects your cat’s healthy skin and shiny coat
• Unique blend of vitamins and antioxidants enhances immunity system health
• It contains no preservatives or by-products.

Cost: $34

Hill’s Science Diet Dry Cat Food

Hill’s Science cat foods are specially formulated for indoor cats.

Key Features:

• Natural fibers promote healthy digestion
• Uses quality proteins
• Natural ingredients used
• Veterinarian recommended
• Supports healthy coat, skin, and stool

Cost: $35

Indoor Health with Meow Mix Dry Cat Food

Specially formulated to help maintain your indoor cat’s healthy weight, Meow Mix’s cat food provides complete and balanced nutrition for indoor cats.

Key Features:

• Specially formulated to help your indoor cat maintain a healthy weight
• Made with wholesome ingredients
• Complete and balanced nutrition
• Essential vitamins and minerals
• It has an irresistible flavor

Cost: $11

Purina Cat Chow Indoor Dry Cat Food

This specially formulated indoor cat food provides complete nutrition and helps cats with hairball and weight control problems.

The Key Features

• Complete and balanced nutrition for indoor cats
• Contains all 25 essential vitamins and minerals
• Fiber to aid in hairball control
• Allows you to eat the correct amount of calories for a healthy weight

Cost: $28

Rachael Ray Nutrish Indoor Complete Natural Dry Cat Food

With a superfood blend designed especially for indoor cats, Rachael Ray’s cat food offers balanced nutrition to meet your cat’s needs.

Key Features:

• Real chicken is the first ingredient
• Ingredients support healthy weight, metabolism, digestion, and immunity
• Natural fibers, prebiotics and antioxidants included
• A portion of sales help animals in need

Cost: $20

Royal Canin Feline Health Nutrition Indoor Adult Dry Cat Food

Key Features:

• Formulated for healthy indoor cats from 1-7 years old
• High-digestible protein to improve nutrient absorption
• Optimal blend of fibers reduces hairball problems
• Promotes oral health

Cost: $16

The Best Dry Foods for Older Cats

Dogs are often thought of as meat-eaters. However, cats actually require more protein than their companions, according to Dr. VanDuzer. Cats’ protein needs change as they age. “As cats age, their kidney and liver can benefit from a lower protein,” says Dr. VanDuzer. Purina Proplan Prime Plus is what she feeds to her senior cat and it’s one of the most recommended dry cat food for seniors. “It comes in both a chicken and salmon flavor and combines prebiotic fiber and multiple vitamins that support muscles, and the immune and digestive systems.” Cats of all ages deserve a loving home and your heart will melt when you see these before and after cat adoption photos.

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At A Glance: Top 11 Best Healthy Dry Cat Foods To Buy

Below is a comparison table that highlights the key features of each product. Further details about each product will be provided later in this article.

• Low in carbohydrates
• This is one of the best dry foods available on the market.
• Produced from high-quality human-quality ingredients and a human-grade cooking environment
• Primarily made from nourishing animal ingredients
• Features responsibly-harvested fish
• As good sources for omega-3 fatty acid, it contains salmon oil and herring oil
• Features animal protein sources as its main ingredients
• Raw meat nutrition in an easier, shelf-stable format
• Carbohydrates low
• Ideal for cat owners who want to transition to a more moist diet
• Primarily composed of clearly-named protein sources
• This is one of the best foods that you can purchase.
• Made from high-quality ingredients
• Virtually zero carbohydrate content
• Bioavailability of 95% to 95% is the goal for every meal.
• Carbohydrates are relatively low
• Contains delicious, nutrient-rich liver
• You shouldn’t depend on low-value protein from plants
• Relatively low carbohydrate content
• The solid gold foods are loved by cats.
• Primarily made with nourishing protein sources
• Contains multiple species-appropriate sources of omega-3 fatty acids
• Low in carbohydrates compared to other dry cat foods
• It contains rabbit as the only source of animal protein
• Low Carbohydrate Content compared to other dry foods
• Free of artificial colors, flavors, and other common potentially-harmful additives
• Carbohydrates relatively low

Why You Should Trust Us?

We’ve tested over 147 brands of cat food in the past year. This includes the most popular brands. Our team has listened to market experts, read reviews and tried the food out firsthand.

We also performed our own qualitative analysis on the brands mentioned here. Additionally, samples were submitted for analysis to an ISO 17025-certified food testing and analysis laboratory.

The products were purchased at retail prices. All About Cats funded the testing without any influence or input from companies.

Analytical testing at a food Chemistry Lab gives us exact micronutrient and macronutrient contents for each recipe. These tests can also be used to determine if the cat is eating yeast, mold or heavy metals.

To access the lab reports for each food reviewed here, click the “view lab report” link in the product review.

Based on that research, we’re bringing you an updated list of the best cat food brands and products in the industry. These foods are distinguished by their outstanding ingredients, nutritional merits and safety records.

We chose Dr. Elsey’s cleanprotein(tm kibble because it is a surprising choice. It has a low starch and lacks legumes. Additionally, the kibble contains plenty of species-appropriate proteins.

What To Look For In Dry Cat Food

Low quality dry cat food can contain artificial preservatives, fillers and other harmful substances that should not be part of the cat’s normal diet. These usually manifest themselves in the forms of grains and wheat based ingredients. These are the top nutritional factors to ensure your cat gets the most nutrition from a kibble-based food.

How We Tested It?

We looked at diets and searched for foods that met or exceeded those standards.

To help me determine how cat food tastes, I spoke to many owners of cats at my clinic. While some cats can be very picky eaters, all these diets were favorited by cats from my clinic.

Buyer’s Guide: How to Find the Best Cat Food for Indoor Cats

If you’re wondering what indoor cat food is going to suit your cat the best, we’re here to help! This guide will help you determine what to look for in choosing cat food. A cat that is fed regular cat food can gain weight, and even become obese.

Our Top-10 Dry Food For Cats Reviews

These foods have been broken down into various categories by in-depth research. This will help you to choose the best food for your cat’s needs.

Pay attention to the Ingredient Label

All cat food will have different ingredients. However, it is important to pay close attention to the list and order. The first ingredient should contain a high-quality source of protein. Machell says that the list of ingredients should always be presented according to their order, from most abundant to least.

Meow Mix Tender Centers Dry Cat Food

Key benefits:

• Kimba is soft and crunchy.
• This recipe is made with white meat and salmon flavors.
• Includes nutrients essential for health.
• Complete and balanced dry diet.

Pros

Cons

• It’s soft inside, crunchy out.
• Cheaper option.

• Protein of lower quality

• Lower quality protein.

What are these 5 indoor cat food options?

Our team happily took on the legwork, so you don’t have to. What criteria did we use to weed out brands in order to make a manageable list of quality cat foods? These were the factors we considered.

• Convenience: Can you store your cat’s food easily?

To get to the top 5 options for best cat food for indoor cats, we asked ourselves ‘why’? Why should a cat parent choose this brand over other brands? What is it that makes a brand special? At the end of this process, we came up with the 5 best cat foods available for indoor cats.

Mycotoxins thrive in humid, warm environments and can be found in many dry food products. If you do choose to add moisture directly to your cat’s dry food, make sure that your cat eats all of it within a few hours.

Artificial colors and flavors can cause inflammation in your cat, which could lead to deterioration of their health. Instead, we looked for natural dry cat foods that rely on animal-sourced flavors and safe preservatives.

Your Cat Has Dental Problems

Painful teething season for puppies and kittens can be very painful. Dry food is difficult for these pets to eat. Senior cats may have difficulty eating dry food. During these life stages, soaking food to soften it becomes necessary.