The 15 best indoor cat foods, with nutrition advice from vets

The best indoor cat foods are specially formulated to meet the nutritional needs of cats who live exclusively inside. These diets can help address common health concerns for indoor cats. They often contain fewer calories and less fat than other adult formulas, which can help with weight management for less active adult cats. Both dry and wet foods for indoor cats also tend to have higher levels of fiber to promote regular bowel movements, reduce hairballs, and support overall digestive health.

To make the recommendations in this guide, we asked veterinarians and an animal nutritionist what makes a good indoor cat food. One of our top wet food picks is Purina One Indoor and Hairball, which contains special fiber to support digestive health and reduce hairballs. We also like Royal Canin Indoor Adult dry food, which includes fish oil to help maintain healthy skin and coat.

Below, we've rounded up several wet and dry foods for adult cats, seniors, and kittens. Every recommendation meets or exceeds the Association of American Feed Control Officials (AAFCO) nutrient profiles for the food's intended life stage and aligns with the Global Nutrition Guidelines from the World Small Animal Veterinary Association (WSAVA).

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Highlights for the best indoor cat foods

Best wet: Purina One Indoor and Hairball Ocean Whitefish and Rice - See at Chewy

Best dry: Royal Canin Indoor Adult - See at Chewy

Best for kittens: Hill's Science Diet Kitten Chicken Recipe Dry Food - See at Chewy

Best for seniors:Iams ProActive Health Healthy Senior Dry Food - See at Chewy

Best wet

Wet food can be highly effective for managing your indoor cat's weight because it typically contains fewer calories and more moisture than dry food. Its added moisture helps keep cats hydrated and feeling full while eating less, says Dr. Jamie Richardson, head of veterinary medicine at Small Door Vet. Some of the best and healthiest wet cat foods, like our pick from Royal Canin, contain L-carnitine, an amino acid that supports weight loss by making it easier to burn fat.

Fiber is another key ingredient for weight management and digestive health. It can help your cat feel full longer and boost their digestion. The best cat foods for indoor cats may contain several different fiber sources. Insoluble fibers, such as purified cellulose and wheat bran, add bulk to stool and promote faster digestion. Soluble fibers, like inulin, attract water to form a gel that helps slow digestion. Other ingredients, including psyllium and oats, contain both types of fiber. Beet pulp is also an excellent source of fermentable fiber for cats, says Ellen Dierenfeld, a comparative animal nutritionist and founder of Zootrition. Both soluble and insoluble fibers provide a feeling of fullness between meals and keep your cat's digestion regular.

To compare the nutritional values of wet and dry cat foods, you need to convert the values of wet food to their dry matter basis. This process involves removing all the moisture content and then calculating the nutritional values based on the remaining solids. For this guide, we obtained dry matter nutritional profiles from the manufacturers. If you'd like to calculate these values for other wet foods, you can follow these directions from the Cummings Veterinary Medical Center at Tufts University, reach out to the food manufacturer directly, or ask your veterinarian for help.

Best dry

Dry food is typically more calorie-dense than wet food, but the best and healthiest dry cat food has some key benefits. It is usually more affordable, has a longer shelf life, and can even support dental health by scraping a cat's teeth clean.

Keep in mind that although you can let dry food sit out safely, you may not want to provide your indoor cat with an all-day buffet. "It's exceptionally hard to regulate a cat's weight and proper amount of food by free choice feeding," says Dr. Deb Zoran, a board-certified small animal internist, nutritionist, and professor of small animal clinical sciences at the School of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences at Texas A&M University. Instead, Richardson recommends timed feedings and puzzle toys as enriching ways to feed indoor cats.

In addition to beneficial fibers like oat groats, our kibble picks for the best indoor cat foods contain fish oil, an excellent source of omega-3 fatty acids. Richardson says omega-3 fatty acids can help improve a cat's skin and coat health, reduce shedding, and potentially reduce the amount of hair ingested during grooming — all of which can help prevent hairballs. You can learn about more formulas in our guide to the best hairball control cat food.

Best budget dry

Budget-friendly, nutritious cat foods often contain meat meals or byproducts rather than whole meats. "Meat byproducts are not evil ingredients," says Dierenfeld. In fact, they're just the opposite. Byproducts and meals are concentrated sources of protein that are healthy for cats. Because they're repurposed from human food manufacturing, they're sustainable ingredients that keep the cost of a pet food down.

Most importantly, our experts say a quality cat food lists animal protein as its first ingredient. This is because cats are obligate carnivores who need to eat meat to get taurine and other essential vitamins and nutrients. Whether that protein comes from a byproduct, meal, or whole meat product generally doesn't matter — it's all nutritious for your cat. The foods we recommend include whole animal proteins, meals, and byproducts. Our picks from Iams and Nutrish contain salmon, a good source of omega-3 fatty acids. Additionally, the Iams formula includes ground whole-grain sorghum, a fiber-rich complex carbohydrate.

Just keep in mind that dry food alone won't meet your cat's hydration needs. It is low in moisture (10% to 12%), while wet food typically contains 75% to 78%. If you're feeding dry food, it's important to ensure your cat gets enough fluids from other sources. You can add water or broth to your cat's dry food or set them up with one of the best cat water fountains.

Best for kittens

Kittens usually don't have the same health concerns as adult indoor cats. For instance, kittens under a year old are so active and use so much energy for growth that gaining excess weight isn't a concern. Weaned kittens also need more calories than adult cats to support this rapid growth. And because kittens are still learning how to be cats, they typically don't spend as much time grooming as adults and tend to have fewer hairballs.

The best kitten foods have an AAFCO statement for growth or all life stages on their labels. These foods have more protein and other nutrients than adult formulas. They also contain essential vitamins and minerals needed for development. For example, Zoran says the omega fatty acid docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) is essential for cognitive growth and development. The most common form of DHA in kitten food is fish oil.

Rather than searching high and low for an "indoor" kitten formula, our experts recommend purchasing kitten food that supports healthy growth. Our picks contain fish oil, animal-based proteins, and quality carbohydrates.

Best for seniors

Safe from the dangers of the outdoors, indoor cats can live long, happy lives with the help of an appropriate diet and mental and physical exercise. It's not unusual for veterinarians to have feline patients in their teens or even their 20s, which has experts reconsidering the age a cat becomes a "senior." You may begin to notice physical changes due to age once your cat reaches age 7, but you can take a few steps to help extend their lifespan — including asking your vet about the benefits of a senior diet.

Richardson says low physical activity levels in indoor cats, particularly seniors, can lead to constipation or digestive issues. Indoor senior cat food may include more fiber to promote regular bowel movements and digestive health. Some of the best foods for senior cats also contain healthy extras like omega-3 fatty acids, glucosamine, and chondroitin to help ease joint pain and keep older cats active. Our pick from Hill's also contains antioxidants from cranberries, which may help lower an aging cat's risk of cognitive dysfunction syndrome, or feline dementia.

Just keep in mind that choosing the best food for your senior cat can depend on several factors, including underlying health conditions. For instance, high-protein diets can harm senior cats with chronic kidney disease, so it's important to talk to your veterinarian before transitioning diets.

What to look for in indoor cat food

When shopping for the best indoor cat foods, 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 indoor cat foods 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 picks 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 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 daily. 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. And before adjusting your cat's daily portion sizes, you should always consult your veterinarian.

How we selected the best indoor cat foods

To make our recommendations, we evaluated foods according to the standards from the AAFCO and the WSAVA Global Nutrition Guidelines. We also spoke with three veterinary nutritionists and one small animal veterinarian to narrow down our picks for the best foods for indoor cats.

Dr. Deb Zoran is a board-certified small animal internist, nutritionist, and professor of small animal clinical sciences at the School of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, Texas A&M University.

Dr. Korinn Saker is a board-certified veterinary nutritionist and retired professor of clinical nutrition at the College of Veterinary Medicine, North Carolina State University.

Ellen Dierenfeld is a comparative animal nutritionist with a master's and doctorate in Animal Nutrition from Cornell University. She is the founder of Zootrition, a software designed to record and evaluate the diets of animals. She has over 30 years of experience in zoo, wildlife, and companion animal nutrition.

Dr. Jamie Richardson is a general practice veterinarian and head of veterinary medicine at Small Door Vet. After completing her undergraduate studies, Richardson moved to the UK to pursue a veterinary degree from London's Royal Veterinary College. Following veterinary volunteer and practice positions across South Africa, Hong Kong, and Bermuda, Richardson joined the Small Door Vet team.

Indoor cat food FAQs

What's the healthiest cat food for indoor cats?

The healthiest cat food for indoor cats depends on a cat's age, lifestyle, and overall health. Richardson says there are some general features to consider when shopping for the best indoor cat foods. These include moderate to low calories and fat to help your cat maintain a healthy weight and increased fiber to promote regular bowel movements and pass hairballs. Other beneficial ingredients include healthy extras like omega-3 fatty acids for skin and fur health and glucosamine and chondroitin for inflammation and joint health.

Does indoor cat food make a difference?

Indoor cat food can make a big difference in your cat's health. Because indoor cats are often less active than outdoor cats, Richardson says they're more likely to gain weight and have digestive problems and urinary conditions. Since they spend so much time grooming, they may also get more hairballs than outdoor cats. The best cat indoor cat foods will likely contain fewer calories and less fat to help prevent weight gain and may include added fiber to help with digestion and hairball control. Many senior indoor cat food formulas also contain healthy extras such as fish oil, glucosamine, and chondroitin to reduce joint pain.

What is the best dry cat food for indoor cats?

The best dry food for indoor cats will have an animal-based protein as the first ingredient. Dierenfeld says animal proteins can be in the form of whole-meat protein such as deboned chicken, meat meals, or meat byproducts. However, the amount of protein, fat, fiber, and calories your cat needs depends on their individual needs. Your veterinarian can offer more guidance on how to choose an appropriate food for your cat.

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