Your indoor cat is safe from the dangers of traffic, predators, and potentially toxic plants, however, they still face the challenge of keeping their weight in check. An outdoor cat can easily travel over a mile a day to consume calories! So regardless of whether your indoor kitty has great exercise equipment (including a cat tree and cat toys), they undoubtedly have a much slower metabolism than their risk-taking cousins outdoors. Keep them trim and healthy with indoor cat food that is specifically designed for their lifestyle.
Why Special Food for Indoor Cats?
A critical component in cat wellness is maintaining the proper weight. Though an indoor cat and an outdoor cat will have similar basic nutritional needs, their activity levels will likely be quite different — which means they’ll consume calories differently. Cat food made for indoor cats will usually have fewer calories per serving than outdoor cat food. It might also have a higher fiber content to help offset an indoor cat’s tendency to experience more successive hairballs than its outdoor counterparts.
The back of your indoor cat’s food bag will offer a guide to how much you should feed based on your cat’s ideal weight, yet it will typically be a range — which means you’ll want to periodically check your cat’s weight. If they’re a little heavy, scale back your cat’s portions toward the smaller end of the range. If they’re a little underweight, push toward the end of the spectrum.
Your vet is a great asset to help you figure out the best daily calorie intake for your kitty based on current body conditions, breed, and age.
Fortunately, the greater part of the major cat food brands offers a tempting variety of professionally formulated cat foods to keep your indoor cat satisfied and healthy. These include wet foods, dry foods, grain-free foods, and even limited-ingredient diets.
How to Transition Your Indoor Cat to New Food
Making adjustments to the food your indoor cat eats is important for their health and wellness. It’s great to switch them to indoor cat food, however, be cautious about suddenly presenting them with an all-new diet. Cats are suspicious of change — plus, sudden dietary changes can upset your cat’s stomach. The experts recommend shifting them to the new food slowly throughout one to about fourteen days. Start by mixing simply a quarter portion of the new food into your cat’s ongoing diet, then slowly increase the amount of new food in the mix as your kitty adjusts.
Attempt One of These Top-Rated Indoor Cat Foods
According to online reviews — and our own extremely picky indoor kitties — these are probably the best indoor cat foods on the market.
1. Solid Gold Let’s Stay In Indoor Formula Dry Cat Food
This dry food is formulated with fresh salmon as the main ingredient and several supplemental proteins, including salmon meal, turkey meal, and ocean fish meal. A delicious blend of superfood ingredients delivers balanced nutrition while pre-and probiotics support healthy digestion. This recipe also contains added fiber to help with hairball prevention in indoor cats.
2. Crave Grain-Free High-Protein Indoor Adult Dry Cat Food
Packed with protein from chicken and salmon, this dry food is completely free from corn, wheat, soy, and animal result meals. It is a grain-free recipe formulated to support a lean, healthy body type in indoor cats as well as the energy to play. It also has a rich flavor and crunchy surface that cats love.
3. ACANA Indoor Entrée with Free-Run Chicken and Turkey Dry Food
With deboned chicken, chicken meal, and herring meal as the top three ingredients, this dry food contains plenty of species-appropriate protein. This formula contains 65% small prey ingredients, including chicken cartilage and organ meats to guarantee complete and balanced nutrition. It also offers a balanced calorie content to support your indoor cat’s healthy weight and lean body composition. This healthy food is a Petco Pick!
4. Rachael Ray Nutrish Indoor Complete Cat Food
This affordable dry food is designed for indoor cats and is excellent for the less-active adult kitty. Chicken, lentils, and salmon head up the recipe, along with pumpkin, dandelion greens, berries, vitamins, minerals, and amino acids. If you want to give it a shot, they have a 3-pound bag; it’s also available in 6-and 14-pound sizes.
5. Blue Buffalo Basics L.I.D. Fish and Potato Dry Cat Food
This limited-ingredient food for indoor cats is rich in protein from fish, with easy-to-digest carbs from potatoes. It includes LifeSource Bits — the company’s combination of selected antioxidants, minerals, and vitamins necessary for feline health.
6. Halo Holistic Chicken and Chicken Liver Indoor Cat Recipe
If you’re looking for a premium option, this indoor recipe from Halo is a great choice. Packed with animal-based protein from chicken and chicken liver, this formula supports lean muscle maintenance and is highly digestible. It’s made with holistic natural ingredients and is completely free from fillers, animal results, and artificial additives.
7. Nulo Freestyle Duck and Lentils Grain-Free Indoor Dry Cat Food
This premium indoor cat food is a favorite at our house! Evaluate a 2-pound bag of these easy-to-chew tiny bits. This high-protein, low-carb recipe is 82 percent animal-based proteins (including deboned duck, chicken meal, turkey meal, and deboned cod). It also includes lentils, dried chicory root, and dried kelp, along with vitamin C and vitamin E.
Read also: Top 5 dog foods you’ve never heard of