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At last, we have come to the final installment of our series on cat food. There remain many questions, I admit, but I am only one person, and there are so, so many kinds of cat food. So I have tried to cover the basics to the best of my ability, and I hope you have learned as much as I have. Today we bring this journey to a close with a question that has haunted me for a long time. Is indoor cat food better for indoor cats?
I had always assumed it must be. Why would they make food just for indoor cats (and dogs) if they’re nutritional needs weren’t somehow different? When I became a proper adult and had to buy food for my own kitten, I realized it was actually kind of difficult to find indoor kitten food, and I started to wonder if it might just be a marketing gimmick. But a couple years prior, when I’d bought my hedgehog, I was told I should feed her either hedgehog food or indoor cat food, and indoor cat food only. I was receiving conflicting signals, and I never really got a clear answer. Now the confusion shall end.
The simple answer to the question of whether indoor cats need indoor food is: it depends on the cat. Isn’t that so often the case? The lives of indoor and outdoor cats differ in many ways, but individual cats can be at least as different from each other in either environment, so you have to get to know your cat and possibly ask your veterinarian whether an indoor diet is appropriate, and I’ll explain why momentarily. First, let’s look at what exactly an indoor cat food is.
The formulations vary by company, as is to be expected, but the one thing all indoor diets have in common is a lower calorie content than other cat food. Indoor cats simply do not have the space to roam that outdoor or semi-outdoor cats do, so indoor cats are generally less active and may become overweight. Most indoor diets are also high in fiber. This contributes to the lower calorie count and helps prevent hairballs (1). Indoor cats spend more time grooming than outdoor cats. They may also shed more, being in an environment of consistent light and temperature that confuses their normal shedding cycles (1). Therefore, more hairballs.
Some indoor diets may also claim to improve stool quality and/or smell (1, 2). Hill’s Science Diet lists immune-supporting antioxidants and high levels of the fat-burning amino acid carnitine as features of their indoor diet, in addition to low calories and high fiber (3). It is generally agreed that the basic nutritional requirements of indoor and outdoor cats are no different (1, 4). That being said, some indoor cats certainly do have problems with gaining too much weight or coughing up too many hairballs. These cats may benefit from an indoor diet. Changes in weight and lots of hairballs can both be indicative of medical problems, so be sure to check with your veterinarian that there isn’t something more serious going on.
There are some drawbacks to an indoor diet, of course. In in order to decrease calories and increase fiber, the protein content may have to be sacrificed (4). Make sure to carefully examine the protein content so that you know if your cat will be getting enough. Because of the way pet food labels are written, you may have to do some math. See part one of this series for a cat’s protein requirements. Some cats may also benefit more from a diet that is low calorie only or hairball-preventative only. As in, why restrict calories any more than you have to if your cat just needs help with their hairballs? Moreover, many “light” or “low-calorie” cat foods are essentially the same as an indoor diet (1), so keep that in mind when trying to decide what the best option for an overweight kitty is.
To bring things full circle, some indoor cats are likely to benefit from an indoor diet. My first cats, Milo and Cara, absolutely did. Both were very lazy kitties, and it was a struggle to keep their weight under control for much of their lives. Milo was a shorthair, but he shed like crazy, and Cara had long, luscious hair. Both had hairballs, especially Cara. They were fed indoor food most of their lives to help those problems. While Milo was still a pretty fat cat, it did seem to make a difference. I fed Joon an indoor diet for a while because I thought I had to, but I have since stopped. There is nothing inactive about that cat, and her short, fine hair has never given her a hairball in her life. Each cat is different.
I suppose that’s really what this series comes down to. Each cat is different, and each owner has to make the best decisions they can for their cat or cats. There are some things that are true for all cats. They are obligate carnivores. There are certain key nutrients that have to be included in their diets which omnivorous animals like us don’t need. They need to get enough water from their food to be sufficiently hydrated. But every kitty is an individual, and their needs change throughout their life, too. Just like us. The approach to pet food has been pretty one-size-fits-all for a long time. The baffling variety of options today hopefully reflects a shift toward a more flexible, individual approach. It’s our responsibility as pet parents to make sure we look past the marketing to find the best cat food we can for our furry friends.
Post Script: In case anyone was wondering, I still don’t know why hedgehogs must have indoor cat food. If you would like to enlighten me, I am all ears.
Works Cited
- Loria, K. (2018, January 22). What’s the difference between indoor cat food and regular cat food? Pet Central, Chewy. https://petcentral.chewy.com/whats-the-difference-between-indoor-cat-food-and-regular-cat-food/
- Purina. (n.d.). Feeding your indoor cat. https://www.purina.co.uk/cats/health-and-nutrition/daily-feeding-guide/feeding-your-indoor-cat
- Hill’s Pet. (2019, October 30). Nutritional needs of an indoor cat. https://www.hillspet.com/cat-care/nutrition-feeding/best-cat-food-for-indoor-cats-nutritional-needs
- Nielsen, M. (2020, May 15). Indoor cat food vs regular food: Why and what to choose. Feline Living. https://www.felineliving.net/indoor-cat-food-vs-regular/#
- Country Veterinary Clinic. (n.d.). Best food for indoor cats. Country Veterinary Clinic Blog. https://www.countryvet.net/post/best-food-for-indoor-cats.html
Published August 23rd, 2020
Updated October 15th, 2020
