Best Dry Cat Food For Older Cats
- May 10, 2020
Aging can have a drastic effect on the lifestyle, eating habits, and health of any pet. In the case of cats, it can lead to a slower metabolism and weight gain. The older or senior cats are less active than the younger ones, and they spend most of their time in the home. This is why it is essential to take care of their nutritional requirements and feed them in the right way. Here are some of the best dry cat food for older cats.
Blue Buffalo Indoor Health Dry Cat Food
Blue Buffalo Indoor Health is made specifically for indoor cats, providing a balance of calories from protein and fat to ensure cats maintain healthy weight, digestion, and a strong immune system. It also comes complete with LifeSource Bits, a mix of vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants.
Key Features:
- Dry cat food specifically formulated for indoor cats
- Chicken & brown rice flavor
- Made without wheat, soy, corn, or poultry by-product meals
- Contains a blend of antioxidants, vitamins, and minerals chosen by veterinarians and nutritionists
- Also available in salmon & brown rice formula
Pros:
- Chicken is the first ingredient
- Formulas available for specific life-stages and unique needs such as sensitive stomach, hairball control, or weight control
- All natural and made without artificial flavors or preservatives
- Contains omega 3 and 6 fatty acids for coat and skin health
Cons:
- Kibble is on the smaller side, which may not work for some cats
Best Dry: Blue Indoor Health Natural Chicken/salmon And Brown Rice Recipe Adult Cat Food
The best dry cat food is Blue Buffalos BLUE Indoor Health dry food, which comes in two different varieties chicken and salmon that are great for adult, indoor cats. Depending on which variety you choose, this food contains large amounts of deboned salmon and chicken, along with whole grains and vegetables.
BLUE Indoor Health doesnt contain chicken or poultry byproduct meals, nor does it contain corn, wheat, soy, or artificial flavors and preservatives. Instead, it consists of chicken meal, barley, flax seed, carrots, and cranberries, all of which support your cats immune system and life stage requirements. Plus, it offers a healthy oxidative balance without giving your cat too many calories.
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What Should I Look For In The Best Dry Food For My Cat
Feline chow typically comes in various types, ingredients, presentations, and flavors, among others. There clearly is no single product that can be considered ideal for any type of cat since every feline is inherently unique. Just as some of us dont like chicken in our diets, so too some cats, although not by choice but rather because of necessity. That said, it is important to make sure youre choosing the best dry food for your cat. But how do you do that? Here are some things you really have to look for every time you start scouring the shelves of pet food at your local pet store.
What Is The Best Dry Food For Cats
The best dry cat food offers high nutritive value, over caloric density. In other words, the dry food shouldnt be filled with any unnecessary ingredients. These unnecessary ingredients include artificial flavors, corn, gluten, meal variations and preservatives.
Nor should it be packed with carbs over proteins and fats. Ideally, the latter two should come from animal protein, since this high-quality protein ensures the nutrition comes from the natural source one which your cat would otherwise find in the wild.
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Types Of Cat Foods For Indoor Cats
The two main types of cat foods are wet and dry. All are commercially available and vary in calories, water, protein content, digestibility, and taste. Weve highlighted the differences between the two options below.
Wet Food
A good source of H2O, wet food generally contains about 75% water. Although its more expensive than dry food, wet food is popular with picky eaters, easier to portion control, and provides the crucial vitamins, minerals, and amino acids healthy cats need.
Wet foods are typically lower in carbohydrates and have more animal-based protein than dry foods that can utilize high-carb ingredients and plant-based proteins. The formulas can also be tailored for specific diets or health issues such as gastrointestinal, weight care, renal support, aging, and urinary health.
Unopened cans can be stored indefinitely but should be refrigerated after opening. Not all wet foods are nutritionally complete so read the label and/or mix with dry food to ensure a balanced and complete diet for your cat.
Another version of wet food is semi-moist food, which typically contains around 60-65% water. Some semi-moist cat foods have artificial color, chemical preservatives, or flavors and can be high in sugar and salt, making them an unsuitable choice for some cats. Read the label to understand how semi-moist food will fit into your cats diet.
Dry Food
A Mix is Preferable
Purina Muse Natural Wet Cat Food Salmon & Shrimp Recipe
Purina Muse Wet Cat Food features 9% protein and 5% fat with the first five ingredients coming directly from meat. Its formulated without grain, corn, wheat, or soy and is a more affordable wet food option given the quality.
Key Features:
- Wet cat food in a salmon and shrimp paté
- Formulated with vitamins, minerals, taurine, and antioxidants
- Made without grains, soy, corn, or wheat
- Available in six different flavors
Pros:
- Cans provide longer shelf life
Cons:
- Only available in packs of 24 cans
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Instinct Ultimate Protein Grain
- Many cats refuse to eat
- Does contain forms of vegetable
Instinct Ultimate Protein Grain-Free Cage-Free Chicken Recipe Freeze-Dried Raw Coated Dry Cat Food was created to closely mirror the benefits of a raw diet in cats. It has a high amount of protein from real meat and contains absolutely no animal meal.
It also includes guaranteed levels of live, natural probiotics, natural omegas, vitamin e and antioxidants that all cats need.
This dry cat food is a protein-rich kibble thats highly digestible and great for skin, coat, and immune systems which is beneficial for cats who live outdoors.
How To Choose The Best Dry Cat Food For You
Many low quality dry cat foods contain fillers, artificial preservatives and other nasty stuff that are not a part of your cats natural diet. These usually manifest themselves in the forms of grains and wheat based ingredients. To ensure youre getting the best nutritional value for your cat when buying a kibble based food, look for the following:
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Royal Canin Feline Health Indoor Wet Cat Food
This Royal Canin wet food is made specifically for adult indoor cats between 1-7 years old. The formula contains chicken liver, pork liver, chicken byproducts, and salmon for its 8.1% protein and 2.2.% fat make-up.
Key Features:
- Wet cat food morsels in gravy
- Complete and balanced formula for indoor cats aged 1-7 years old
- Contains L-Carnitine and taurine
Pros:
- Includes a host of vitamins and minerals including vitamins B1, B2, B12, D3, E, zinc, copper, and more
- Comes with a 100% satisfaction guarantee
- Made in the USA
- Water is listed as first ingredient
Iams Proactive Health Indoor Dry Cat Food
- If you are hunting for the best dry cat food for weight management of indoor cats and hairball control, then give it a try.
- Moreover, this protein-rich food contains chicken as the number 1 ingredient to provide playful energy and support, developing strong muscles.
- Additionally, this formula helps maintain the healthy weight and metabolism of your indoor feline with the help of l-carnitine.
- Furthermore, this food helps to minimize hairballs with the blend of beet pulp and proprietary fiber.
- To nourish your cats healthy heart, it contains all essential nutrients plus optimal omega 6:3 ratio for healthy skin and a soft coat.
- To summarize, it includes 10% less fat content as compared to Iams Healthy Adult original.
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What Is The Best Dry Cat Food For Senior Cats
Older cats are less active and often have more health concerns. As such, you need to be sure that your older cats are able to maintain a healthy weight, and that you can keep your cats teeth healthy. As well as this, youll need to find dry cat food that has a high moisture content. Not only will this keep your cat enticed, itll help to maintain urinary tract health, too.
A freelance writer and word nerd, Wendy is a content writer with a knack for getting into the nitty-gritty of pet ownership. For the past three years, shes been researching and writing a huge range of different topics but always comes back to her beloved pet articles. Lover of all things four-legged and owner of Harley, Pepper and Rush, Wendy is currently completing her MNSW at Edge Hill University.
Best Bang For Your Buck
Dont feel like spending hundreds of dollars a month on cat food? I feel you. These are a few great options that wont have you eating top ramen every day.
*slightly less-than-ideal ingredients are highlighted in red
Natural Balance canned cat food
Get it on Amazon
First 5 ingredients:
Chicken Broth, Chicken, Chicken Liver, Salmon, Duck
Price range:
$30-35 for 24 6-oz cans
Not grain free
Natures Logic canned cat food
Get it on Amazon
First 5 ingredients:
Chicken, Chicken Broth, Chicken Liver, Chicken Heart, Dried Egg Product,
Price range:
$23 for 12 5.5-oz cans
Grain free!
There are other canned food options out there, but from my digging these appear to be your best bet . Know a great brand* that you dont see here? Please leave me a comment and Ill commence my obsessive research.
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Best Automatic Cat Feeder For Multiple Cats
Feeding your cat is one of the tasks you must do every day. However, sometimes you may be busy or away from home but your cat will still need to be fed. What can you do in this situation? The solution is to use an automatic cat food dispenser.
Quick Guide
There are different types of cat feeders in the market. If you are buying one for the first time, there are a number of things you should keep in mind to get the right feeder. The last thing you want is to spend hundreds of dollars buying different feeders, which all end up not being good solutions for your cat.
Purina Beyond Natural Indoor Cat Dry Food
Purina Beyond Indoor Cat Food is a high protein, dry cat food formulated specifically for indoor cats. This kibble is made without artificial flavors or preservatives, and contains wild-caught salmon as the first ingredient.
Key Features:
- Dry cat food formulated for indoor cats
- Salmon, egg, and sweet potato recipe
- Contains increased fiber and probiotics for hairball control
- Ingredients help support healthy indoor weight
- Comes in 3, 5, and 11 pound bags
Pros:
- Wild caught salmon is the first ingredient
- Made without corn, wheat, soy, or poultry by-product meals
- No artificial colors, preservatives, or flavors
- 100% complete and balanced nutrition for adult cats
- Grain free and gluten free
- Available in 5 different seafood and poultry recipes
Cons:
- As the product is fish based, can tend to have a strong smell
- Food may dry out if bag is not properly resealed
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Which Ingredients To Avoid Feeding Your Indoor Cat
Although we focused on things to consider while buying cat food. Now have a look at things to avoid while buying dry food for the indoor feline. Moreover, indoor feline needs healthy fats and some fiber plus high-quality protein.
But it doesnt need many carbohydrates like fruits, veggies, and grains. Well, it doesnt mean that you have to avoid such type of food entirely. Because many wholesome grains, veggies, and fruits contain a lot of beneficial ingredients.
Although your indoor feline is healthy, overweight, or has perfect weight still should stay away from following
Artificial Flavors:
- Although a little bit of added flavor alongside all essential ingredients is not harmful to outdoor cats.
- Whereas for indoor felines, its recommended to avoid any artificial flavor because of fewer activities.
Artificial Preservatives:
- Generally, all foods have some amount of preservatives to increase food life last longer.
- However, its better to avoid some questionable preservatives like BHT, TBHQ, and BHA.
Onion and Garlic:
- Several brands use garlic to add some Flavor in the cat as well as dog food.
- Therefore, the allium species intake can cause anemia in both cats and dogs.
Purina One Urinary Tract Health Dry Cat Food Best Budget Buy
Protein: 31.5% | Fat: 12.5%
Purinas ONE Dry Cat Food is designed to promote good urinary tract health. It manages this by reducing urinary pH levels and providing a low magnesium content.
Suited for adult cats, it contains healthy omega-6 fatty acids that boost the sheen of your cats coat and aids in keeping skin healthy.
Purina is a well known respected brand, and you can be assured that all of the contents are of the highest quality. Real poultry or fish is used which provides the best natural sources of protein. They promise a 0% filler food, meaning that each and every ingredient found in this dry cat food has a purpose.
Its available in a variety of other formulas designed at other health needs, from hairball prevention to sensitive digestion systems. Purinas special health formulas are fantastic, but shouldnt be used as a cure for any illness in the same way a prescription food would be used. Speak to your vet first if you have any health concerns.
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Dry Food: An Affordable But Less
Dry food is extremely calorie-dense. It has no water in it to contribute volume to the food. Because of this, feeding just dry food means your cat will be hungrier if getting an adequate number of calories in the food because of the smaller volume given. Based on this, free choice dry food, even a low-calorie version, will not prevent weight gain.
What Is The Healthiest Cat Food For Indoor Cats
Indoor and outdoor cats may seem similar at first glance, but indoor cats tend to be less active than their outdoor counterparts. To help keep indoor cats at a wholesome weight, its helpful to feed them cat food specifically formulated for their energy needs.
The best cat food brands for indoor cats will depend on a variety of factors. First, youll want to look for cat food that offers complete and balanced nutrition. Make sure to check for which life stage the food is formulated. Kittens, adult cats and senior cats have different energy and nutritional needs.
Next, make sure the food is from a reputable manufacturer. If your cat struggles with weight problems, consider trying a food formulated for weight management or weight loss.
Finally, search for food your cat enjoys. Some cats are picky eaters, and it can take some experimentation to find the best indoor cat food for their tastes.
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What Ingredients Should I Look For
Always look at the fine print of the dry cat food bag you want to buy for your cat.
The first place to start is the ingredients list and nutritional panel.
This is usually on the back or side of the bag.
Otherwise, youll find the information listed on the website you purchase the food from. Chewy is great for this because they outline the information in tabs below the product.
Heres what to look for on the nutrition panel.
Protein
Cats need high protein diets for strength and energy production.
Why is this?
Cats are strict carnivores .
This means they eat animal-based foods as a sole source of nutrition. Without the intervention of man, cats would not be able to survive without meat in the diet.
Cats use protein for energy production.
When given a choice, cats prefer a protein level of 52% on a dry matter basis in their food.
A nutritional label lists the crude nutrient values. Use this calculator to find out how much protein is in your cats food on a dry matter basis.
Good high protein ingredients include:
- Chicken
- Mussels
- Egg
Bottom Line: Look for dry cat food with a high protein content for optimal energy, strength, and approval
Fat
Cats need a moderate-fat diet to provide energy and help with nutrient absorption.
Fat contributes to the taste of foods.
Research finds a sweet spot of 25% fat content is best for approval and cats self-select a diet with ~36% fat when given a choice of foods.
Fat is a high-energy food and helps with weight loss.
Carbohydrates
Moisture
Purina One Urinary Tract Health Formula Dry Food
Purinas ONE Dry Cat Food is designed to promote good urinary tract health. It manages this by reducing urinary pH levels and providing a low magnesium content.
Suited for adult cats, it contains healthy omega-6 fatty acids that boost the sheen of your cats coat and aids in keeping skin healthy.
Purina are a well known respected brand, and you can be assured that all of the contents are of the highest quality. Real poultry or fish is used which provides the best natural sources of protein.
They promise a 0% filler food, meaning that each and every ingredient found in this dry food has a purpose.
Its available in a variety of other formulas designed at other health needs, from hairball prevention to sensitive digestion systems.
Purinas special health formulas are fantastic, but shouldnt be used as a cure for any illness in the same way a prescription food would be used. Speak to your vet first if you have any health concerns.
You can find more by clicking through to view the product details above.
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