To keep your cat **happy and healthy**, you gotta pick food that's full of **nutrients** and doesn’t cost a fortune.
There are a lot of things you need to keep in mind to find out the right feline chow, did you know?
If you have been one of those cat parents who just went to the mall and got his cat whatever looked fancy or what other cat parents were taking, it is time to buckle up and learn this and that on which foods are the best dry cat foods for the outdoor cats.
Continue reading to know more about this.
Purina ONE Tender Selects Adult Dry Cat Food for Urinary Tract Health
4.8/5
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Blue Buffalo Wilderness High Protein Grain Free, Natural Adult Dry Cat Food
4.5/5
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Royal Canin Feline Health Nutrition Adult Fit Dry Cat Food
5/5
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Best seller on Amazon for High Taurine Cat Food
Top 6 Best Dry Cat Food Review for Outdoor Cats
1. Purina ONE Tender Selects Blend Adult Dry Cat Food 🥇
Your cat can have good urinary tract health if you treat him with his dry food. It provides a low magnesium content and reduces the pH level of its urine. There is also omega-6 fatty acid present in this pack.
Since Purina is a well-known brand, you don't have to worry about the quality of the ingredients that are present in it.
There is real poultry in this particular cat food. Also, the manufacturers at Purina maintain a “0% filler food formula” meaning that all its ingredients are useful and have a purpose. No ingredient has been added just like that or for the sake of making the quantity denser.
You should also keep in mind that their formula shouldn't be used to cure diseases or as prescription food.
2. Royal Canin Feline Health Nutrition Adult Fit 32 Dry Cat Food
If your cat loves to play the entire day outside and is healthy, or at least what you want him to be, you can decide on this pick.
The Royal Canin pack is for the most active outdoor cats. It has the perfect protein-to-fat ratio that helps your cat maintain its body weight and playtime.
There are powerful antioxidants here that boost the immune system of your cats too. You don't have to worry about free radicals harming its health.
The bad side to it is that it contains corn, which is known to behave as an allergen for many cats. This is the only thing customers are disappointed at.
Otherwise, it is a great product. If your cat is not allergic to corn, you should definitely go for this option. This is best for cats aged 1 year or older.
3. Blue Buffalo Blue Wilderness Adult Salmon Recipe Dry Cat Food
Amino acids, omegas, and LifeSource Bits, an exclusive blend of antioxidants, minerals, and vitamins from protein-rich, deboned salmons, sweet potatoes, blueberries, cranberries, and carrots are the essential ingredients of this pack.
It is a grain-free, gluten-free, chicken-free, by-product-free option for your domestic felines. This diet has been inspired by the lynx, a close family of the felines.
For a shiny coat and healthier skin, there are also omega 3 and 6 in this nutritious pack of Blue Buffalo.
The bad side is its star ingredient, the salmon. Cats aren't exactly very friendly of it.
If your cat hasn't had salmon before, you might have a little trouble trying to ease it into the flavor and taste.
However, the fact that it is loaded with so many good things, including Taurine and turmeric, ascertain that it is many cat parent's favorite choices and when it becomes used to the taste and flavor, even cats leave their food bowls empty after consuming this potion of activities, play and hunting.
4. Purina Beyond Grain Free, Natural, Adult Dry Cat Food
This pack is made with chicken as the star ingredient. There is no wheat, soy or corn, or any sort of grain present in the making of it, even as by-products.
The white chicken flesh used in this is sourced from Canada and the US!
Besides the chicken, there are eggs, peas, and chicken meal in it.
The bad side is that it caused vomiting tendency in some cats.
However, if you want to provide the pet with natural nutrition, a pack with a list of known and recognizable ingredients should be your first choice.
The added Taurine will help in improving the muscle mass and eyesight of your adult cat. There are also no artificial colors or preservatives in it.
5. Purina Friskies Surfin' & Turfin' Favorites Adult Dry Cat Food
This bag contains a mixture of chicken, beef, salmon, seafood, ocean whitefish, and liver provides a complete balance of nutrition for your feline.
Essential fatty acids, healthy protein, zinc, Vitamin A, Taurine, and antioxidants take care of your cat's eye to the gut the health of your favorite pet.
The best part about this particular cat food is the aroma that comes with it.
Customers and cats rant about the smell of this pack as soon as the cats are served, and of course, this remains one of the vital reasons the cats leave the bowls empty, no matter how large.
The best part, this recipe is good for the younger days of your kitten as well as is just as good for your older cats or adult cats. A very versatile option indeed!
6. Wellness Complete Health Natural Dry Cat Food Salmon
Deboned salmon, delicious cranberries, rosemary, flaxseeds provide all the necessary vitamins and minerals for the fitness and vitality of your cats.
It is made with premium and natural ingredients with nothing artificial in it.
There is absolutely no meal meat, corn, the by-product of whole meat, soy or artificial preservatives, color, or flavor here.
This is, what you can call, an all-natural solution for your cat's hunger.
The unique thing about Wellness Complete is it contains the highest level of crude protein among every other cat food we have listed here.
Also, the combination of Chondroitin and Glucosamine provides cats the ultimate nourishment.
Be careful of feeding it to a cat with kidney disease which might prove fatal due to its high protein content.
After all, it is a great choice because it has omega-3, omega-6, and other antioxidants too.
Why should you look for the best dry food for your cat?
Besides being cheap, easy to store, and hard to have perished, what are some of the reasons a cat parent should look for dry foods for its cats?
There are many.
Some of the most prominent reasons for you to serve dry cat food to your pet will be clear when you read afterward, how it exceeds benefits from wet cat foods.
As you are convinced to serve dry cat food, you might as well look for the best ones from the options we have just presented above.
Difference between dry cat food and wet cat food:
One of the major problems with wet cat food is its moisture content.
While this is good for cats who aren't up for liquids to intake water, it is very low in nutrition.
There are 80% water and only 20% of the food value in those wet-canned cat foods. From this side, dry food is above as it has more nutrition than water in it.
Dry cat food is more economical.
You will have to worry about something wet getting rotten if kept out for too long.
As long as you are within the expiry date, you will not have to worry about dry cat food when it is left out overnight.
Dry cat food promotes healthier teeth and jaw muscle development in cats as they are chewing it before swallowing, unlike wet cat foods.
Dry cat food is more travel-friendly than wet cat food.
What ingredients should you look for in your cat's food?
In the hunt for the best dry cat food for outdoor cats, you should look for the following ingredients in your cat food:
- High moisture: This is needed to tackle the low thirst drive of cats. Their tongues may be paper-dry from thirst but they hardly realize it. So, their food needs to have more water in it. As much as 15% moisture content in dry food is considered alright.
- High Animal-based Protein: For the proper development of the body and for the growing tissues and organs, feeding your cat high-protein foods is a must. The protein of what type and in what amount should be present in dry cat food is discussed in detail in the next section.
- Low Carbohydrate: Cat bodies function better in more proteinous food and hence require less carb that will only participate in making it obese.
Buying guide for the Best Dry Cat Food for Outdoor Cats
If you want to buy your feline-friendly food, check out our buying guide on the best dry cat food for outdoor cats:
1. You should always focus on quality than the price. However, for food priced way too high, even if it is of good quality, try to find substitutes.
2. A growing cat requires a different range of food values than an adult or old cat.
There are labels on some food packages they are meant for the adult ones or kittens. You should buy accordingly.
3. If your cat is not much active and you don't want it to get obese, look for foods that have fewer calories in them.
4.The first five ingredients of your cat's food package will have listed what goes in on this.
If you find that there is carbohydrate among the top five, this may not be the right option. Carbs are good for your pet dog, there is no denying there.
For your kitty, the first five should have some sort of animal meat or animal protein in it.
Cats thrive for proteins!
It is not necessary that all the five ingredients will have to be an animal-based protein or traced from animal-based protein only.
There can be plant-based protein too.
For example, vegetables, whole grains, or even fruits are allowed.
What I mean to say is there has to be at least 3 out of 5 ingredients sourced from or directly present as animal protein.
5.Again, when coming to meats; you can have whole meats or meals.
If your cat is having difficulty digesting whole meat, you should go for meals. In that case, things get harder.
The meals again are a combination of different ingredients in themselves so if your cat is allergic to any one of those ingredients, you will be in trouble.
Scientifically, meals are rich in content than whole meats so do see if your cat feeds right on this. If possible, inquire about the processing of the meals.
6.Kittens will have to be fed with a higher amount of protein for their activeness.
Adult cats will need just what is necessary.
Older cats will need more protein again to cope with the signs of aging.
In all cases, the protein content must be greater than 30%. However, if your cat is suffering from diseases, such as kidney diseases, you will need to rethink the amount of protein it should consume.
7.Check the ingredients list for artificial substances that might be presently masked as something else.
It will take a toll on the overall health of your feline if you misidentify what is in its foods.
Go for packages that explicitly say that they do not contain any artificial ingredients. Do check nonetheless.
8.Big names, well-established brands also can make mistakes.
Check the safety record of any pet manufacturer that you are buying from.
Don't go for a celebrity-endorsed product if you don't know 1/3rd of the ingredients listed on it.
Even if you are buying from a not-so-renowned brand, and they are serving everything right at a competitive price, and above all, your cat loves it; you are on the right track.
9.Remember that there is no ideal cat food. It always depends on your cat and its eating and lifestyle habits.
Conclusion
If you have read our insightful article on the best dry cat food for outdoor cats, it is needless to say how important and healthy it can be for your kittens and cats.
The next time you go to Walmart, keep all the details in mind!
Once you have decided on the best cat food for outdoor cats, don't forget to check out our
A Guide to the Best Cat Food for Hairballs and Vomiting
Best Diet Cat Food for Overweight Cats
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