In this article we first look at the nutritional requirements of indoor cats compared to outdoor cats, followed by reviewing the 6 Best Indoor Cat Dry Food Products that we can find in the marketplace.
Wild Cats vs Indoor Cats
Cats in the wild are always on the prowl looking for food, defending their territories, keeping cool/warm and evading threats. They are highly active with elevated metabolism. A sedentary lifestyle is generally the norm for many indoor moggies.
These statements are generalizations, as all cats are different, whether they are indoor or outdoor cats. For example, there will be indoor cats with a high metabolism. After browsing this article, you will know what is best for your cat with regards to nutrition, as only you know your cat!
Nutritional Requirements of Cats
All cats, whether indoor or outdoor, have the same basic nutritional requirements. Cats are carnivores and thrive on a quality meat protein diet that includes a balance of fats, carbohydrates, vitamins and minerals.
A cat’s diet varies depending on her age, size, current health and whether she is a mother with lactating kittens. Therefore, taking these factors into consideration will help with deciding on the best food for her.
Indoor Cat Dietary Consideration
An indoor feline who is less active than her outdoor cousin, may be more prone to gaining weight. A diet with less calories will benefit her. Set feeding times with portion control, rather than always having indoor cat dry food on offer, help reduce calorie intake.
Developing hair balls tends to be more common with indoor cats, so a diet higher in fiber reduces this problem.
Outdoor cats will likely be actively catching small animals, which they will be snacking on. They may not be as hungry as indoor cats at mealtimes. The prey they catch and eat will be high in protein and nutrition.
Indoor cats will be totally reliant on the cat food cat owners present to them, making it important to select a quality balanced indoor cat food formula.
The Difference Between Indoor Cat Dry Food and Regular Cat Food
- Lower protein
- Higher fiber
- Lower calories
- Tends to have less grain fillers
The Downside to Indoor Cat Dry Food
In order to reduce calories, real meat ingredients are switched out for high fiber vegetables such as sweet potatoes, peas and corn. This is perfect for sedentary humans who want to lose a few pounds, but not for the obligate carnivore that a cat is.
Cats with allergies to gluten may react to such a diet. Indoor cat dry food may contain other additives such as cellulose, salt, meat byproducts and flours.
The Upside to Indoor Cat Dry Food
Less fillers are always good. You don’t want to just fill your cat, you want to nourish your cat.
Being prone to hairballs, the high fiber will help push the hair through her system before it can form into a hairball. Reduced calories will keep excess weight off.
Supplementing an Indoor Cats Diet
Outdoor cats are eating small animals, topping up with their nutrition. They eat bones, organs, and all. They will be digesting minerals, vitamins and macro nutrients.
You can make up for possible deficiencies in indoor cat food by supplementing your cat’s diet. A bit of lean meat (fully cooked, or raw) every now and then, will give her a protein boost.
Talk to your veterinarian about vitamin supplements that may be beneficial to your cat.
7 Best Indoor Cat Dry Food Products Reviewed
Our Team at Cat Food Advisor have explored indoor cat dry food products and have identified seven that we believe are the best options for cats.
We have selected a kitten kibble, an organic dry food, a kibble for cats prone to digestive upsets and foods low in grains.
Our reviews point out the pros and cons of each product to help cat owners make a quick decision to what is best for their cat.
Quick View of Best Indoor Cat Dry Foods
| Product | Customer Average Rating | Features | Price AMAZON | Price CHEWY | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | Hills Science Dry Kitten Food | 4.8 Stars | Chicken meat protein Science formulated Recipe for Kittens |  |  |
 | Purina 1 Indoor Adult Cat Dry Food | 4.8 Stars | Real turkey meat protein High fiber Low Calories | | |
 | Castor & Pollux Organix Organic Dry Cat Food | 4.4 Stars | Certified USDA Organic Chicken meat Grain free | | |
 | Diamond Naturals High Protein Premium | 4.7 Stars | Real cage free chicken No wheat, soy of corn No artificials | | |
 | Royal Canin Adult Cat Sensitive Digestion | 4.7 Stars | For sensitive digestion Prebiotics Real chicken | | |
 | Iams Proactive Health Adult Dry Food | 4.8 Stars | Chicken meat No grain No Artificials | | |
Hill’s Science Diet Dry Kitten Food
We have chosen the Hill’s brand for a dry kitten kibble because the company involves animal nutritionists and veterinarians in the formulation of their products. We like that the indoor kitten kibble has a chicken meat protein as it’s main ingredient as opposed to fish ingredients (to much fish for kittens is not a good idea).
The kibble is specifically formulated for growth, has small kibble size for easy eating and is well supplemented offering a balanced diet for kittens.
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- High fiber promoting healthy digestion
- Small kibble size for small mouths
- DHA included from fish oil to support healthy brain and eye development in kittens.
- Balanced minerals for strong bones and teeth
- Chicken meat as the first ingredient
- Made in USA
- Veterinarian recommended
- No meat byproducts
- Rated 4.8 stars by customers
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[su_column size=”1/2″][su_box title=’Cons’ box_color=’#bf000a’ radius=’0′][su_list icon=”icon: ban” icon_color=’#bf000a’]
- High wheat, gluten and brown rice fillers
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Purina ONE Indoor Advantage Adult Cat Food
A product specifically designed for indoor adult cats is the basis behind why we have included this recipe in our reviews. Having real turkey meat protein as its number one ingredient rather than meat byproducts and higher fiber to reduce hairballs, common with indoor cats are features we like.
The product is lower in calories to some other cat foods, better for weight management of indoor cats.
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- Natural flavors
- Range of minerals included for strong bones and teeth
- Included vitamins for immune health
- Small crunchy kibble
- High fiber- minimizes hairballs
- Lower calories- weight management
- Made in USA
- Veterinarian recommended
- Customers rating 4.8 stars
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[su_column size=”1/2″][su_box title=’Cons’ box_color=’#bf000a’ radius=’0′][su_list icon=”icon: ban” icon_color=’#bf000a’]
- Includes chicken by-product meal
- High in grain fillers- rice, corn gluten meal and soybean meal
- Protein content not particularly high
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Castor & Pollux Organix Organic Dry Cat Food
Our Team decided on the Castor & Pollux Organix mix as an inclusion in our best cat dry food reviews, because for some of our viewers, an organic certified product ensures the food they feed their cats does not come with chemicals or pesticide residues.
This product’s first ingredient is organic chicken meat, a big plus in our view. We like that the company offers a 100% refund guarantee if customers are in any way unhappy with the cat food.
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- Certified USDA as organic pet food
- No chemical pesticides or synthetic fertilizers
- Natural preservatives
- No antibiotics or added growth hormones in the meat ingredients
- None GMO
- Organic chicken meat as the first ingredient
- Other ingredients all organic
- Small easy to eat kibble size
- Made in USA
- Grain free
- 100% complete and balanced nutrition
- Vitamins, minerals included
- Customers rating 4.4 stars
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[su_column size=”1/2″][su_box title=’Cons’ box_color=’#bf000a’ radius=’0′][su_list icon=”icon: ban” icon_color=’#bf000a’]
- Some customers say their cats won’t eat it
- High in phosphorous- may not be good for kidney function
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Purina Cat Chow Naturals Grain-Free with Real Chicken
Including a grain free indoor cat dry food in our reviews provides our viewers with a product that does not have an overuse of fillers that do not always agree with the digestive systems of carnivorous cats.
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- Complete 100% balanced nutrition
- Omega 6 Fatty Acids for healthy coat and skin
- 25 essential vitamins and minerals
- Made in USA
- No artificial colors, flavors or preservatives
- Priced well
- Customers claim their cats like eating it
- Customer rating 4.7 stars
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[su_column size=”1/2″][su_box title=’Cons’ box_color=’#bf000a’ radius=’0′][su_list icon=”icon: ban” icon_color=’#bf000a’]
- First Ingredient is chicken by-product meal, rather than real meat
- High amount of cassava root flour and soy flour
- Product not storing well
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Diamond Naturals High Protein Premium Formulas Dry Cat Food
The Diamond Naturals dry cat food interested us to run a review on it because its number one ingredient is real chicken meat from cage free chickens. Our Team likes that it is an all-natural balanced nutrition product free from wheat, corn and soy ingredients.
This product has been specifically formulated for indoor cats, therefor lower in calories and higher in fiber.
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- First ingredient cage free real chicken meat
- No artificial colors, flavors, or preservatives
- No corn or wheat fillers
- Higher Protein
- Proprietary probiotics to support digestion
- Formulated specifically for indoor cats
- Contains beneficial living bacteria
- High fiber for reduction in hairballs
- Antioxidants to help with immune health
- Omega Fatty Acids for healthy skin and coat
- Made in USA following food safety protocols
- Many very positive reviews by customers
- Customer Rating 4.7 stars
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[su_column size=”1/2″][su_box title=’Cons’ box_color=’#bf000a’ radius=’0′][su_list icon=”icon: ban” icon_color=’#bf000a’]
- White rice as the second ingredient
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Royal Canin Adult Cat Sensitive Digestion
Our Team selected the Royal Canin dry cat food as this recipe has been formulated for adult cats with sensitive digestion. It supports optimal digestive health with prebiotics and highly digestible proteins.
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- Formulated for adult cats with sensitive digestion
- Small kibble in 3 shapes for easy eating
- Prebiotics for digestion
- 100% complete and balanced- AAFCO Cat Food Nutrient Profiles
- Reasonable levels of protein
- Chicken as first ingredient, no meat by-products
- Natural flavors and preservatives
- No wheat grain fillers
- 100% refund policy
- Customer rating 4.7 stars
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[su_column size=”1/2″][su_box title=’Cons’ box_color=’#bf000a’ radius=’0′][su_list icon=”icon: ban” icon_color=’#bf000a’]
- Contains rice flour and corn meal
- Oily- high chicken fat
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Iams Proactive Health Adult Dry Cat Food Chicken & Salmon
Our last cat dry food we have selected is Iams Proactive Health. We chose this one because customers have rated it so highly with a 4.8 stars rating. This is not a dry cat food specifically for indoor cats.
Our Team likes that this product has chicken as its number one ingredient, however the recipe also has meat by-products and grains included. This isn’t necessarily a concern, however, with cats with sensitive digestion another product would better suit.
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- Real chicken as the first ingredient
- Natural fibers and prebiotics for healthy digestion
- Omega -6 and omega-3 fatty acids for healthy skin and coat
- Made in USA
- Calcium and potassium for healthy heart
- Protein 32%
- Customer rating at 4.8 stars
- Wheat grain fillers not used
- No artificial preservatives or flavors
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[su_column size=”1/2″][su_box title=’Cons’ box_color=’#bf000a’ radius=’0′][su_list icon=”icon: ban” icon_color=’#bf000a’]
- Chicken by-product meal as second ingredient
- Includes ground corn fillers
- Strong smell
- Packaging not easy to open and use
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Cat Food Reviews
From our selection of indoor cat dry food, you will be able to select a product suitable for your cat and its indoor lifestyle. If interested, take a look at these recent articles:
Article- Is Dry Cat Food Bad for Cats
Article- Important Matters to Know When Introducing Wet Cat Food to Kittens
A Final Word
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