In a hurry? Here is our top pick:
Taste of the Wild
This grain-free formula with peas and sweet potatoes provides your cat with just enough energy.
Your cat will be very active and isn’t that what we all want for our furry friends.
This formula is supplemented with veggies and fruits and that is important for today’s healthy cat.
Summary
- High quality
- Great ingredients
- Healthy
It is really important to feed your cat with the best dry cat food and because of that, you need to choose wisely.
So, If you thought that there is not much to this topic, you were very wrong. Are you still doubting? You‘ll see it!
The market gives us two forms of cat foods, the dry and the wet variant. Both are equally essential. If you are asking why? You‘ll need to stick with us in this article to find out.
In this article, we will be discussing the current best dry cat foods. Also, we will try to provide you with some of the best tips when it comes to choosing food for your beloved cats.
All products featured on Cat Travel Guide are independently selected by our editors. However, when you buy something through our links, we may earn a small affiliate commission.
Quick summary
| Taste of the Wild |
| Check on Amazon |
 | Purina ONE Indoor Advantage |
| Check on Amazon |
 | Wilderness by Blue Buffalo |
| Check on Amazon |
 | Hill’s Science Diet |
| Check on Amazon |
 | Meow Mix |
| Check on Amazon |
 | Purina Beyond |
| Check on Amazon |
 | IAMS Proactive Health |
| Check on Amazon |
 | 9Lives |
| Check on Amazon |
 | Nutro Max Cat |
| Check on Amazon |
 | Rachael Ray Nutrish |
| Check on Amazon |
 | Natural Balance |
| Check on Amazon |
Before You Buy: 3 things to consider before buying dry cat food
1. Life stage
Cat foods come in three different formula types. There are kitten, adult, and senior formulas.
Each formula is precisely adjusted and made for a certain life stage of the cat.
Why is that? It is because a cat has different nutritional needs throughout her life.
For example, a kitten will need more calcium, fat, and proteins for healthy bone growth.
When it comes to the adult and senior formulas, they are less about calories and more about strengthening general health.
This step shouldn‘t be hard to achieve since all the cat food packages have the intended life stage labeled on the product.
2. Ingredients & Quality
This is very important since it all begins and ends with ingredients. You need to dedicate some serious time to analyze good and bad ingredients and how to recognize them.
Mainly, you should look for the word ‘meat’. Meat is essential to cats since they are carnivores. Meat provides cats with much-needed proteins.
Dry cat foods tend to have more chemical ingredients than wet foods.
None of the ingredients should sound alarming. Also, we must remind you about allergens. You should keep an eye for these if your cat is prone to allergies.
Try to avoid products that have the following listed in the ‘ingredients’ section: chemical preservatives such as BHT, BHA, ethoxyquin, and propyl gallate. Another thing to avoid is grain.
This is because cats are made by nature to eat protein from meat sources and not grains.
Foods that contain high grain content may lead to your cat developing allergies or becoming obese.
The key point in deciding what is best for your cat is knowing your cat perfectly.
You need to know all about your cat’s characteristics, health, organism, and general behavior.
3. Research
Doing thorough research is the best thing you can do to make sure you’ll choose the right dry food for your cat.
Reading reviews and comments of other people who have tried a certain product is the main key.
This way you will find out other people’s experiences and how their cats reacted to different dry foods. Also, you will certainly learn something you didn’t know.
Reading about your cats breed will also come in handy since different breeds require different things when it comes to eating.
You can find everything you need on the Internet or you can just stick to the old-fashioned way, which is consulting your vet.
One thing you should know about the Internet is to never believe it 100%.
This refers to those advertisements for different products. Don’t fall for every amazing word you read, because it can just be an advertising trick.
We recommend talking to your vet since veterinarians are specially educated about these things.
Have in mind that this is a must if your cat is prone to allergies or it has a sensitive stomach.
A vet can recommend some specific brand or point you towards a specific food your cat needs.
Also, vets can run tests and analysis to determine what type of food is best for your cat.
The 11 Best Dry Foods For Cats
1. Taste of the Wild
Have you ever thought about how you can never tame your cat truly? Or maybe you wondered if your cat longs for the quality food it would find in the Wild by itself?
Well, wonder no more! Here is a product that can make that dream come true! The name of this product says it all.
With this particular food, your cat will be feeding as it would in the wilderness, like a true carnivore. Or at least it would feel like it.
This is a rocky mountain feline recipe with roasted venison and smoked salmon taste. It sure sounds like a taste sensation!
This grain-free formula with peas and sweet potatoes provides your cat with just enough energy.
Your cat will be very active and that’s what we all want for our furry friends. This formula is supplemented with fruits and veggies and that’s important for today’s cats.
Fruits and veggies provide antioxidants who support a healthy immune system.
Taste of the Wild is made with no corn, wheat, filler, or grain. It is artificial flavors, colors, and preservatives free!
With this dry food, your cat will never have to wonder about the Wilderness.
This product is being sold in two package sizes, those being 15lbs (around 7kg) and 5lbs (less than 2.5kg).
Pros
- High quality
- Great ingredients
- Healthy
Cons
- Pricey
2. Purina ONE Indoor Advantage
Purina One is a dry cat food made mainly for indoor cats.
The nutritional needs of your cat is a top priority of this food. Since your cat naturally craves protein, manufacturers of Purina One made such a formula, you will be thrilled!
In each cup of this dry food is 42g of pure protein. This is vital in keeping your cat’s muscles healthy.
This food has added vitamins, minerals, and essential nutrients and is featured with real turkey meat.
Purina One is made with 0% fillers. Also, a big thumbs up for this particular dry food product because it includes natural fiber blend which helps prevent hairballs issues.
The crunchy kibble is awesome for your felines teeth because it helps reduce plaque build-up.
Plaque is the main culprit for caries. When it comes to good looks, this product has something for that too.
Omega-6 fatty acids will support your cat’s radiant appearance and will nurture its skin, making it healthy.
Seems like this dry food product has it all covered!
Purina ONE is being sold in 4 different sizes. You can choose from smaller to bigger packages. They come in 3.5lbs (1.5kg) , 7lbs (3kg), 16lbs (a bit over 7kg) and 22lbs (10kg) packages.
Pros
- Reasonable price
- Many package sizes
- Fine formula
Cons
- Not every cat will eat it
3. Wilderness by Blue Buffalo
Blue Wilderness is a grain-free product that is rich in proteins and contains more of the delicious meat than your average dry food product.
Blue Wilderness features real vegetables and fruits.
This particular product that is linked here is made with delicious, deboned chicken that is rich in proteins. This is a product of the Blue Buffalo company which is based in the US.
They use only natural sources of fiber to help provide optimal nutrient absorption and digestive health.
Their products include Omega 3 and 6 fatty acids who contribute to healthy skin, shiny and fuzzy coat.
Also, there are vitamins, minerals and antioxidants included in this healthy formula. Blue Buffalo states that they don’t use poultry-by meals, artificial preservatives, corn, wheat, soy or grain.
This is a 12lbs (5.5kg) product.
This is what the company says about their products :
“All BLUE dry recipes are a unique two-part food consisting of the finest natural ingredients enhanced with a precise blend of vitamins, minerals, and antioxidant-rich kibble we call LifeSource Bits.
To help prevent degradation and preserve potency, these nutrients are processed at a lower temperature than the rest of the ingredients.
Because all cats are different, Blue Wilderness offers a formula to meet the needs of every cat.
From weight control to formulas made for cats of all life stages, you’ll discover a recipe made to fit the unique needs of your feline friend. ”
If this doesn’t sound promising, we don’t know what does!
Pros
- Fine ingredients
- Shiny coat
- Rich in protein
Cons
- Not all the cats will love it
4. Hill’s Science Diet
This is another indoor cat food product. This dry food provides precisely balanced nutrition made for cats with an indoor lifestyle.
Hill’s Science is premium pet food, real meat being their number one ingredient.
Why meat? Yes, because of the protein! Your cat needs that muscle maintenance since it is mostly inside the house.
This dry cat food contains an antioxidant blend that supports the immune system. This is scientifically proven.
Like all Hill’s dry cat foods, this one also does not include artificial colors, flavors, or preservatives.
This company is so sure of their formula that they offer a 100% money return if you are not satisfied with their food for any reason.
In this case, you just need to contact Amazon, send back your unused portion and you will get a full refund or food replacement.
You will find feeding instructions labeled on the package. But if you have any further questions or any kind of doubt, we recommend you contact a qualified person or a vet.
What is interesting about this company is that they donate food to shelters across the country, providing food for those who need it.
What is even more amazing is that you contribute to that by buying their food. Spread the love!
Hill’s Science comes in two package sizes, 7lbs (3kg) and 15lbs (over 6.5 kg).
Pros
- High quality
- Refunds money if not satisfied
- Has all the good ingredients
Cons
- Not all cats need diet version
5. Meow Mix
Now, this is a catchy name! One of your cats will certainly remember!
Meow Mix is a dry cat food that comes in many tastes. You can choose between chicken, turkey, salmon and ocean fish.
This wonderful mix provides your cat with essential vitamins and minerals.
Another thing that this food also has is a big amount of protein, which means your cat muscles are being taken care of.
This is a 100% complete and balanced nutrition for your cat.
One serving will leave your cat satisfied and it won’t be able to wait until tomorrow for another round. Instructions on dosing Meow Mix is labeled on the package box.
This product is sold in 6.3lbs (almost 3kg) and 16lbs (7.25kg) packages.
Pros
- Many tastes
- Big amount of protein
- Affordable
Cons
- Not that nutritive as they say
6. Purina Beyond
Purina Beyond is a grain-free product with the amazing taste of ocean whitefish and egg. This dry food for adult cats is something else.
The recipe sounds very tasty and we believe your cat would love to try something like this.
Real ocean whitefish is used for making this delicious cat food.
That sounds like a high-quality product! Each ingredient found in this recipe is purposefully chosen for your cat’s healthy diet.
The main goal of this food is natural nutrition. Crunchy kibble will deepen the cat’s dining experience, leaving it very content.
You can find Purina Beyond in 4 sizes: 3 lbs (1.30kg), 5lbs (2.25kg), 11lbs (5kg) and 22lbs (10kg).
Pros
- Grain-free
- Innovative taste
- Different package sizes
Cons
- Not recommended for toothless cats
7. IAMS Proactive Health
This product is another one made for indoor cats.
IAMS Proactive Health is specially designed not only to help your indoor cat maintain a healthy weight but also to helps her reduce hairball problems before they start.
How amazing is that! You can find it with three tastes and those are chicken, turkey, and garden greens.
Again, meat is the main product since your cat mostly needs proteins from the meat.
This product can be used if your cat is on a special diet due to being overweight.
This dry cat food has a strong fiber blend and it features probiotics for easier digestion and beet pulp which prevents the creation of the hairballs.
IAMS Proactive Health is an amazing two-in-one product since it helps these two major cat issues.
If your cat is facing any of those problems and even more if it’s facing both of them, then this food is made just for you and your furry friend.
You can order this product in two sizes: 7lbs (3kg) and 22lbs (10kg).
Pros
- Helps with losing weight
- Helps reduce hairballs
- Contains probiotics
Cons
- Not too different than IAMS Original formula
8. 9Lives
This product has a convenient name. 9Lives is a chicken and salmon flavored dry cat food.
It is specially designed to make your cat digest food easier and to accelerate its metabolism.
9Lives offers you a great array of different dry foods for your cat according to its needs.
You can choose between Daily Essentials, Protein Plus, Indoor Complete, Lean and Tasty, and Plus Care.
The name of each package tells you what the food is mainly focused on. This way you can combine different products depending on what your cat needs that day, week, or month.
9Lives comes in a great number of package sizes.
Pros
- An array of products and packages
- Accelerates metabolism
- Affordable
Cons
- Not all the ingredients are good ones
9. Nutro Max Cat
Another indoor cat food. Nutro Max tastes like real chicken! The Nutro Max formula includes all the vitamins and minerals your cat needs for better health and overall wellness.
This dry food provides rich sources of omega 3 and omega 6 fatty acids, which are vital for the healthy skin and shiny coat of your cat.
Other ingredients that Nutro Max includes and which are great for the immune system are vitamin E, vitamin C, antioxidants, taurine, tomato pomace, cranberries, and blueberries.
Taurine is essential for your cat’s vision and heart function and it’s exclusively found in animal-based proteins.
Nutro Max is fat-free food that never contains chicken heads, feet or intestines. These can be found in foods that contain chicken by-product meals.
Tomato pomace is an excellent fiber source that helps any swallowed hair pass gently through the digestive tract and out of the cat’s organism, without accumulating in it and making health problems.
This product has no artificial chemicals like BHA, BHT or ethoxyquin. Also, Nutro Max does not contain artificial colors, flavors or sweeteners.
Nutro Max is another company that offers you a 100% money return if you are not satisfied with their cat food. They are that much confident about their dry cat food formula!
The package of this food is amazingly made and you can find all you need or want to know by just reading what is written.
You have feeding guidelines, guaranteed analysis, and a huge list of all the ingredients this food has.
Pros
- Full information about the product on the package
- Natural ingredients
- No artificial chemicals
Cons
- Pricey
10. Rachael Ray Nutrish
Rachael Ray Nutrish Real Chicken & Brown Rice Recipe is made with natural ingredients, like farm-raised chicken.
Chicken is the number one product when it comes to Rachael’s cat food.
Chicken meat is combined with wholesome brown rice, vegetables, essential vitamins, minerals, and taurine and you won’t find ground corn, wheat or soy anywhere.
Rachael’s cat food is different because she makes recipes for all these meals. You can bet it is delicious!
Pros
- Contains essential vitamins
- Doesn’t contain soy and wheat
- Natural ingredients
Cons
- Even though it says it doesn’t contain corn, when reading ingredients you can see that it does include corn gluten meal
11. Natural Balance
Natural Balance dry cat food is made with a limited number of premium protein and carbohydrate sources.
This grain-free formula is designed to support healthy digestion and to keep your cats fur and skin healthy.
The number one meat product in this food is high-quality duck meat. It contains no artificial colors, flavors or preservatives.
This dry food is great for the complete and balanced nutrition of adult cats. It’s sold in three different package sizes.
Pros
- Grain-free
- Quality duck meat
- No artificial flavor or colors
Cons
- Not all cats like duck meat
Dry vs. wet cat food
Dry food for cats is high in carbohydrates and it usually comes in small nugget shapes.
Consuming only dry foods can make your cat have some medical issues, which you certainly don’t want.
Obviously, dry food has much less water than wet food and this can lead to some health issues. Absence of water in dry food may leave your cat dehydrated and, even worse, your cat can develop urinary crystals or CRF (chronic renal failure).
Although, if your cat drinks huge amounts of water daily, none of these problems should occur. This is why you need to know your cat perfectly.
If your cat is a bit shy about drinking water, you should most certainly use mainly wet foods, since that way it will be having enough daily intake of fluids.
Dry foods usually mean less nutrition, since they lack proteins.
Another thing you should know about dry food for cats is that your cat can gain more weight than it should.
This is because, as we mentioned above, dry foods mainly consist of carbohydrates that lead to obesity if not properly dosed.
This usually happens if your cat doesn’t have an eating schedule and has access to food at any moment given.
Does all this mean dry food is bad for your cat? Not! It all comes down to combining and mixing.
You will decide whether dry or wet food is better for your cat since you know your cats needs the best.
If your cat is likely to develop any of the previously mentioned health conditions, then you should not let your cat consume only dry foods.
Although we recommend talking to your vet about choosing the proper diet for your cat, that is if it needs one.
If your cat needs a diet, you should not decide on your own, but you should consult your vet about what is best for your cat’s current condition.
How to feed your cat properly
In this part of the article, we will help you learn how to properly feed your cat in a few steps.
- You will need two bowls of average size: One should be for the food, and the other for the water. They come in many shapes, sizes, and styles, so you can customize it just for your cat. Our recommendation? Make it unique!
- Proper Dosing: This one is tricky. The right amount of food per meal will always be labeled on the food package. Labeled dosage refers to an average cat of normal health and it has a lot to do with your cats weight and health.
Different diets require different food dosage. If you are unsure of this step, please contact your veterinarian for help. - Kittens should eat twice a day: Their food should be high on proteins, calcium, phosphorous, fat, and calories. This is because these certain components encourage healthy bone growth. Adult and senior cats should eat once or twice a day.
- Fill your cat’s water bowl with fresh water: Water always comes in pair with food and it is essential to our beloved pets as it is to us, humans.
- You should never over-feed your cat: Combining two meals per day with two treats a day is more than enough. Do not spoil your furry friend, because spoiling can lead to health issues.
Your cat is always hungry? This might happen for two reasons. The first one is a medical condition called hyperthyroidism.
Hyperthyroidism means your cat has an overactive thyroid gland which makes them feel hunger non-stop.
Let us simplify this for you. Your cat is feeling hungry because its body lacks energy despite eating.
If your cat is hungry all the time you must contact your vet and see what is the main problem and how to control this disease if that is the case.
Once hyperthyroidism is controlled, your cat’s appetite will return to normal.
The second reason behind your cat being hungry more than usual is unhealthy food. Or in better words, inappropriate food.
Your cat has a natural feeling of how much daily nutrients it needs and when it doesn’t get the needed amount in one feeding. It will ask for more until it reaches the daily dose.
Quality food will satisfy your cat in one feeding, but food with lower quality will take more than one feeding. This is the best indicator of food quality.
Pay attention to how much your cat eats and discover whether your cat is fed good enough or you need to change the food.
How we chose these dry cat foods
Choosing best dry foods for your cat took some serious time of thorough research.
We analysed reviews of many cat owners and made this article based on many positive and negative comments.
The foods that we listed here are all 100% FDA approved.
However, you should take into consideration that we are not veterinarians and we do not get to choose what is best for your cat since we don’t know your cat’s condition.
This list is made for an average cat, who is not experiencing any health issues. If your cat is having medical issues, you should visit and talk to a qualified person.
Does your cat consume dry food? Do you have any dry food recommendations? What is your overall experience with dry foods?
Feel free to leave us a comment and any tips/recommendations! Your suggestions are always welcome!
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