"Indoor" Dry Cat Food - Yes or No?

[Wellspotted]

Is “indoor” formula dry cat food really all that much better for indoor-only kitties than regular dry cat food?

I realize we could start a whole discussion on dry cat food here–is any of it any good at all?–but I really don’t want to go there here.

The indoor variety of the brand I feed has less fat and protein than the “regular” variety, and my cats are seniors (one teenager, one going on nine).

But not every store in my neighborhood carries the indoor variety, and my kitties really prefer the other variety anyway.

So, what to do? Shop exclusively at the store that carries the indoor variety and buy it exclusively?

Or just not obsess about it and feed them what they like and sits well on their tummies? (The indoor agrees with them too, they just don’t like it as much, which actually might be a good thing since I don’t want fat cats.)

I supplement their dry food with people meat, fish, and chicken, which they love best of all but of course do not have 24-hour access to as they do to their dry food.

[Alagirl]

I looked at the indoor kind of the one brand my cats eat. The ingredients did not make it sound better suited. You are probably better off offering cat grass.

I personally stick with what the cats eat - unless they are fat or too skinny or sick - I just got the stink eye and one finger salute when I bought a (big) bag of a totally different brand of food. They have not croaked yet, although they are acting like it, but they don’t really seem to like it.

But one of mine is rather picky…she will not eat canned, regardless, not even chicken meant for people (which is rather nasty, really)

I am sticking with the regular kind (and the indoor canned variety seems to have rice in it, plus something green, could be parsley…the cats like it, but I am not making it their staple)

But mine do go out, except for one. They supplement with squirrel and lizard.

[VaqueroToro]

“Indoor” is sometimes synonymous with a lower caloric load. Some kitties are fuzzy slugs and if indoor-only, don’t get the same activity levels of an outdoor or in/outdoor cat would, hence a calorie reduction will keep them slim if they’re complete and utter hogs when it comes to food. Some cats won’t eat to gluttonous levels, so it’s not a big deal for them.

It really depends on the brand and what they do to the formula to reduce the fat and protein mix – some are truly lower calorie from either a reduction or elimination of some of the ingredients (like the extra chicken fat and the whitefish/herring gone from the regular version of Wellness CORE vs the indoor version). Other manufacturers cheap out on the fat/protein and instead increase the corn meal/grain/other junky fillers and it ends up being even more calories cup-to-cup from the regular stuff due to the carbohydrate load.

Pick the food your kitties like and thrive on!

[ThoroughbredFancy]

Since my cats generally abhor wet food, even when it seems like it would be delicious they eat Before Grain dry food. Either the Salmon or Tuna flavored bag as they go crazy over both. I would look into Before Grain if you want a good quality (and grain free) dry food. Halo Spot’s Stew (available in chicken, salmon and maybe others) has an indoor cat formula. They’re also a good quality food. Sometimes if you shop online, such as amazon, you’ll find better deals on pet food.

It always comes down to what they’ll eat and thrive on, but my indoor cats seem to do best on the Before Grain, and I like the ingredients better than most dry foods.

[Inese]

[QUOTE=Wellspotted;7003831]
Is “indoor” formula dry cat food really all that much better for indoor-only kitties than regular dry cat food?
QUOTE]

My 3 cats get Purina Indoor dry food free choice. Two are Siamese mixes, and one is a domestic shorthair (formerly a stray). All have shiny coats, strong nails, sparkly eyes, and playful energy. One is chubby, the other two keep their weight at a normal level.

Never had any issues in my 30 or so years of having indoor only cats.

Canned cat food is a ‘treat’ fed only once in a great while - and boy, does the kitty poop smell really really bad after that LOL!

[Lucassb]

If you are going to feed dry food (and I do, as I have one cat that simply doesn’t “do” canned…) then I strongly recommend getting one of the grain free formulas. I get the zero carb “Young Again,” brand because I learned the hard way about regular dry food and feline diabetes… but there are others out there as well.

[jkc313]

Lucas Best answer. Indoor foods typically are lower in fat and protein which cats need but higher in carbs which cats do NOT need and end up making the cat fat

[AbbieS]

My cats are on very low portions of indoor food twice a day, and have maintained healthy weight. The idea is indoor cats are less active (read lazy), and therefore use less energy, so the indoor food compliments this with less fatty substances and things that would build up as fat. I would rather feed my cats richer, more natural foods, but one has a sensitive stomach and the other bolts his food, both actions lead to vomiting depending on the situation, and I don’t want to clean that up more than needed.

My friend heard from the pet store food guy that some dry foods don’t leave cats feeling full, because of non natural and by-products, so they eat continuously in free choice situations until they’re obese or sick or both. Also, correct me if I’m wrong but, I heard fish and poultry are fine, but that ham and beef aren’t good for cats, so be careful with meaty people foods.

[Shiaway]

Well which is better garbage or more garbage? But if you won’t feed anything but dry food then I would find the highest protein, lowest carb food on the market. This isn’t necessarily a grain free food. You have to actually look at the %protein and % carbs (which you have to estimated by adding up all the %s of ingredients on the back and subtracting from 100). Natural Balance, for example, has a grain free line that is loaded with carbs.

And seniors don’t need lower protein. They need higher quality protein–protein not from peas and by-products and crap. The last thing you want to do with a cat is feed it lower protein unless it has pancreatitis or something.

And to all people who say they’ve had cats X amount of years on some crappy dry food without a problem: I could introduce you to just as many people who’ve had sick and dead cats from crappy dry food. So that line of reasoning is no better than someone who smokes all their life and lives to 90 years old. Doesn’t mean smoking is healthy.