The best cat food for adults, kittens and seniors

Choosing the best cat food for your pet can be overwhelming. Wet cat food or dry? Vet-approved, grain-free, hypoallergenic? It's a minefield. We just want what’s best for our pets and what will keep their tummies happy, so whether you have a cat, kitten or senior feline, there's an ideal cat food for your household.

According to the RSPCA, the most important thing to keep your cat healthy is to ensure a diet that is well-balanced, and meat-based. You should never feed your cat a vegan or vegetarian diet, as they need meat to be healthy and happy.

Fortunately for you, buying the best cat food doesn’t have to be difficult. We’ve put together a list of the best cat food and brands, breaking them down into categories, tailored to your cat to have them meowing for more.

What type of cat food is best?

The best cat food depends on age, requirements, and a cat’s preferences. Firstly, how old is your cat? This will help to decide whether to buy kitten (up to one year), adult (between one and seven years) or senior (over seven years) cat food. You can buy hypoallergenic, anti-allergy food for cats who have sensitivities and there are even foods approved by vets so that you can feel confident in what you’re buying.

Wet or dry cat food – what should I buy?

Firstly, you may already know which food your cat prefers. Wet food has a lot of moisture content and is often cheap, but will produce bacteria if let out for long – always remember to replace bowls and don’t leave them out for longer than an hour. Dry food is convenient and can help your cat’s teeth by getting rid of plaque, but can be harder to chew for older cats.

Most nutritionists would recommend feeding a mixture of wet and dry food, so your cat gets the best of both worlds.

What are the most popular cat food brands?

Our selection of the best cat food includes the top-rated products for every need, but here are some other brands you can look into that come highly rated by pet owners.

Purina

James Wellbeloved

Go Cat

Royal Canin

Lily's Kitchen

Natures Menu

Hill's Science Plan

AVA

Iams

Whiskas

Sheba

Felix

What cat food is recommended by vets?

There are many different brands of cat food recommended by vets, you just need to have a little search. These brands include Science Diet, Royal Canin, Purina Pro Plan, AVA, and many more. If you’re not sure, you can call up your local vet and see what they recommend.

What type of cat food is best for kittens?

We'd always recommend buying cat food tailored to kittens at first, to ensure they get all the nutrients they need.

Your kitten's food should be soft and easy to digest, so it's recommended to soak it in water or kitten milk. While still being fed by mum, they should be fed little and often.

If you've recently adopted a kitten, check with the breeder or shelter to find out which food has been used, and continue this until your new pet is settled into your home. If you switch your kitten's food after this, you'll need to introduce it gradually, mixing in the old food and phasing it out.

Can kittens eat adult cat food?

Cat food for kittens is designed specifically with growth in mind, with tailored food to support rapid development with special formulas. Most cat owners will feed their kitten food made for kittens until they’re one year old because of the vast differences in protein, fat and nutrients between kitten and cat food.

Is raw cat food safe?

According to Purina, raw cat food prepared at home can be lacking in nutrients for your cat, which is why a complete and balanced cat food is usually best.

In addition to this, raw diets can be dangerous for cats, with bones and contamination all being risk factors. Bacteria that can contaminate raw food can be spread around your house when you clean out cat faeces, or when cats groom themselves and then interact with you.

Using gloves and ensuring you prepare the food on a clean surface can reduce the spread of bacteria, but you can never eliminate the risk entirely.