If you have a cat (or more) at home then you need to be very careful in what you feed them. After all, cats are outdoor animals and this means that their bodies and diets have specifically adapted to that. But over the last decades more and more cat owners are keeping their cats exclusively indoor. And this means that your cat gets completely different lifestyle than it would’ve had if it would be living outdoor. So he needs extra care and nutrition to stay a healthy and happy cat. That’s why today we’ll be discussing the best indoor cat food.

So if you have a cat who barely goes outside (whether that’s because you live in an apartment, it’s too cold outside or maybe it’s simply too dangerous for him out there), you need to have the right type of food for your cat. Food that is especially designed for indoor cats. After all, they have different needs than cats that often go outside.

Want to know what the best indoor cat food is? And why your cat needs it? Then please continue reading!

Best indoor cat food

The best indoor cat food is different from general cat food. For instance, it generally should have fewer calories and should contain all the necessary nutrients and minerals your cat needs to be healthy. After all, your cat is not jumping around outside and catching birds and mice to take care of his own food.

So the best indoor cat food should have the following:

Less calories – as cats are less active, you wouldn’t want them to get fat.
All the vital nutrients and minerals – your cat is not eating any real natural meat, so you need to make sure his cat food contains everything he needs.
Easy to make portions – since your cat will generally keep grazing all day long, it’s important that you can easily control his portions. Because your cat won’t and you don’t want him to gain excess weight.

So now that you know a couple of things you should look out for when buying cat food for your indoor cats. Let’s quickly discuss why exactly they need different food than cats who are roaming all day outside. Continue reading to find out…

Why do indoor cats need different food? 5 reasons

#1 They are less active

As we discussed before, cats that live inside are simply less active than cats that are living outside. This is because cats like to play around In their environment and inside there is simply less space and activities for him to do. So unless you get a good cat tower, your cat will simply spend less energy than his outdoor friends.

And the last thing you want is for your cat to get fat. After all, just like for humans, extra fat can clog the body and you don’t want your cat to feel unhealthy or to get a bad disease because he’s overweight.

#2 They don’t hunt

The second reasons why they need extra food is because indoor cats generally don’t hunt. The main thing that indoor cats need extra is highly nutritious food. The reason for this is simple. Cats who hunt, also eat what they find (mostly). And this means that they are getting many vita nutrients and minerals through the birds and mice that they eat.

So an outdoor cat can more easily get by on a lesser quality cat food. Because he’s getting important nutrients from other places. However, your indoor cat does not have this luxury. He needs the best indoor cat food you can get simply to make up for lost nutrients that he’s not getting.

hunting cat — Cats who hunt outside need more calories than cats who stay inside.

#3 It’s warmer

Another reason why there’s a difference is because indoor cats have a more warm life. If a cat is living outside, he needs to burn more calories just to keep himself warm at night, or in winter. So logically he will need more calories to stay warm.

Your cat that’s chilling inside all winter does not have to worry about staying warm. The temperature is virtually always constant and if he gets cold, he’ll just go to the heater or cosily chill with you to get warmer.

This means that indoor cats also burn less calories than if they were to be out on the streets more.

#4 Cats are natural grazers

You might have noticed that your cat prefers to eat all day long. Instead of having a couple of larger meals, he prefers to go and eat every hour of couple of hours. This is because cats are natural grazers.

Now, the main implication is that you need to be able to easily control his eating portions. Otherwise he will simply eat all day (and night) long and this will make him fat. Luckily cats can easily adapt and if you get a good indoor cat food that you can measure portions with, you can keep him trim, healthy and strong.

#5 They need minerals and vitamins

The best indoor cat food makes sure that your cat gets all the nutrients, minerals and vitamins that he needs. This will ensure that he stays healthy and strong. And that he will live a long happy cat life together with you!