Sometimes it can be overwhelming to choose the best cat food for your pet – wet food or dry food, vet-approved, grain-free, hypoallergenic, now we’ve even got cat food subscription boxes! As pet owners, we just want what’s best for our pets and what will keep their tummies happy – even for the picky-eaters - whether you have a cat, kitten or senior feline.
Related: The best wet cat food for even the pickiest of pets
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. Despite recent trends, you should never feed your cat a vegan or vegetarian diet, as meat has essential nutrients for their diet, also known as ‘obligate carnivores'.
With UK cat food, the British Veterinary Association advises any commercially manufactured pet food in the UK – meaning that they meet the Pet Food Manufacturing Association (PFMA) guidelines and will be labelled as ‘complete’. So, if you’re buying commercial pet food, you won’t have to supplement your feline’s diet with anything else.
Fur-tunately for you, buying the best UK cat food doesn’t have to seem so intimidating. We’ve put together a list with the best cat food and brands by breaking them down into categories, tailored to your cat to have them meowing for more.
Need a quick read? Here’s our shortlist of the best UK cat food:
Keep reading for our full reviews.
Purina ONE Adult Cat Food Mini Fillets in Gravy
Perfect Fit Dry Adult 1+ Advanced Nutrition Dry Cat Food
Go-Cat Crunchy & Tender Kitten Dry Cat Food Chicken
Natures Menu Country Hunter Superfood Selection for Cats
AVA Veterinary Approved Optimum Health 1-7 Years Wet Adult Cat Food
James Wellbeloved Adult Cat Grain Free
Lily's Kitchen Chicken Casserole Complete Adult Dry Cat Food
Best wet cat food
Description
This Purina ONE cat food takes the top for the best wet cat food with no added artificial colourants, preservatives, or flavourings and a variety of flavours for your feline. With high-quality meat for protein, this cat food is a staple and easy to snap up from local supermarkets or online.
Best dry cat food
www.sainsburys.co.uk
Description
Developed by vets right here in the UK, the Perfect Fit dry cat food is made with your cat's health in mind. Encouraging a well-balanced diet, this food supports adult cats with their coat, digestion, healthy urinary tracts, and optimum weight & body condition.
Best cat food for kittens
Description
With rave reviews, this Go Cat dry cat food is perfect for kittens, formulated for healthy growth and with a variety of textures with some softer kibbles. You have a choice between chicken and vegetables, beef and vegetables or salmon, tuna and vegetables to satisfy all kittens.
Best cat food for senior cats
fetch.co.uk
Description
Hill's Science's Mature Adult Cat Food helps to support those older cats with their heart health, kidneys, and bladder. As our cats get older, we want them to get as many nutrients as possible, and this cat food for senior cats gives the best balance of taste and nutrition.
Best hypoallergenic cat food
Description
Purina's PRO PLAN is the best hypoallergenic cat food on the market right now. Made specifically with anti-allergy cat food in mind, this helps to diagnose and manage food allergies in cats of all ages. Make sure to check with your vet before ordering this cat food in for your feline.
Best cat food for picky cats
Description
Superfood for cats? That's right! By Natures Menu, this cat food is made with 96% real meat and is free from grains, sugars, cereals, and fillers. Your picky cat won't be able to say no to delicious flavours, including chicken, duck, turkey, goose, rabbit and pheasant, picked by vets and filled with produce from British suppliers
Best vet-approved cat food:
www.petsathome.com
Description
AVA is a cat food brand known for being veterinary approved, providing quality food to support your cat. This cat food is also hypo-allergenic and free of wheat, gluten, soya pork and dairy, perfect for any sensitive stomachs.
Best grain-free cat food
Description
James Wellbeloved takes up the best grain-free cat food, making it large and clear on its packaging. We've picked out its dry cat food, but the brand also offers wet cat food pouches, both complete with natural ingredients, grain-free and hypo-allergenic.
Best luxury cat food
Description
Lily's Kitchen launched in 2009, and its dry food packs a punch with over 65% fresh chicken, higher than the usual supermarket brands. The brand also makes wet food, and both are tailored to kittens, adults, and seniors. Splash out for your cat with this high-quality cat food.
Fancy something different?
10.
Purrboxes
purrboxes.com
Description
If you fancy treating your cat each month, subscribe to Purrboxes £9.95 monthly box which includes four or more products with treats and their fix of catnip for the month. With subscription boxes becoming the trend, check out all the best cat subscription boxes to treat your kitty.
What 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.
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.
Related: Cat birthday party ideas
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.
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.
Learning more about your cat? Check out:
Caitlin Casey is a Storytelling Executive for WhatsTheBest with a love for everything lifestyle and home.
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