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Best dry cat food for indoor cats,recommendations
I researched the best dry cat food as I just adopted a new kitten that’s going to be strictly indoors. i have been experiencing my little guy not eating enough and seeming low energy. i went through reviews from trusted sources like Business Insider and Cats.com and after comparing many options these two kept coming up as the top choices:
Royal Canin Indoor Adult Dry Cat Food
https://www.amazon.com/Royal-Canin-Indoor-Adult-dry-cat-food/dp/B00068K5UQ?th=1
Tiki Cat Born Carnivore Baby Kitten Health Dry Cat Food
https://www.amazon.com/Carnivore-High-Protein-Grain-Free-Kittens-Weeks/dp/B08963M7YR?th=1
however, i am having trouble deciding which one would be better for me and i would love to get your expert advice and hoping maybe some cat owners or veterinarians on this forum can also share their advice.
i usually free-feed dry kibble but monitor portions closely. Which one is recommended for me? Any suggestions or advice would be appreciated.
Thanks in advance
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2 Replies
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Hi Habib, of the two diets you listed, only the Tiki Cat diet would be considered nutritionally appropriate, as it is specifically formulated for kittens. The Royal Canin diet is formulated only for adult cats. Kittens and adult cats do have separately recognized nutritonal needs, and diets that carry the AAFCO statement on them, will say they are approved for one or the other of those life stages. There are also all life stages diets which have their own benefits and detractors.
Now, that’s not to say that the Royal Canin wouldn’t be an appropriate choice in the future. Close to a year of age, if a cat is on a kitten specific formulation, they would need to be transitioned to an adult life stage diet.
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It is an option, but I caution a majority of cat owners away from home-made food as it requires a significant amount of time and dedication to do correctly. A significant number of homemade diet recipes for cats, even those made by GP vets like myself, are lacking in proper nutrient balance, highlighting the need for a veterinary nutritionist’s involvement. Cats have very specific nutrient needs different from dogs and especially people, both of which of essentially omnivores, which cats are not. Here is a study that evaluated over 100 recipes for nutritional adequacy: https://avmajournals.avma.org/view/journals/javma/254/10/javma.254.10.1172.xml
As a doctor, I only trust diets formulated by board certified veterinary nutritionists for cats, though unfortunately, their availability is not consistent throughout the country.
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