If you’re reading this article you are most likely a pet owner and obviously your pet is a cat. As a pet owner, you want your pet to live a healthy life. A well-balanced diet plays an important role in the proper growth of your pet.
You want to buy the best food for your pet but as you know there are a lot of cat foods available in the market and it is also expensive so, it becomes quite confusing about which cat food to buy so I have tried to list the best cat foods at a cheap price.
In this article, I have included various topics like Types of cat food, the Best cat food brands in India, the best Cat food in India and a complete Buying guide
Types of Cat Foods
1. Dry food –
Dry food generally comes in plastic package bags. Dry food has negligible amounts of moisture (7-8%moisture) most pet owners buy dry cat food also known as kibbles as it is convenient and less expensive . Dry food has less nutritional value but can be stored and used for a longer time.
2. Semi-wet food –
Semi-wet food has 50-60%moisture. It is slightly between dry and wet. It is more expensive than dry food and generally packed in pouches. They are generally sweeter and salty, that is it contains more sugar and salt which might not be suitable for some of your pets and therefore should not be used on a daily basis.
3. Wetfood –
Wet food has 70 to 80 % moisture. Wet food generally comes in cans or pouches. It has high nutritional value and it is easy to digest which makes it suitable for cats that are recovering from illness .
4. Kitten food –
kitten food and an adult dry food is generally the same. The only difference is that it is more nutritious than adult food, that is it has more protein,calcium and various minerals and vitamins to ensure proper growth of the kitten.
5. Raw food –
Raw means uncooked , raw foods for cats include various meats (chicken,fish ),poultry(milk,egg) ,vegetables,etc. It is commercially available in the frozen form. It might be risky to feed raw meat as it might contain harmful germs or bacteria
6. Home cooked food –
Generally, a home diet includes poultry items like milk, egg or cooked meat ,vegetable or raw meat . Home food is generally good but it is quite difficult to provide a well balanced diet at home . According to research most home diets are not well balanced .
7. Renal food –
cats which suffer from kidney failure are kept on this diet. Renal food has less protein,phosphorus and has a high amount of omega-3 fatty acid. As food has less protein and phosphorus it puts less stress on the kidney which makes it an ideal diet for cats suffering from kidney failure. It is less palatable due to low protein
Best Popular Cat Food Brands in India
Whiskas-
Whiskas is a well-known brand that offers a range of wet and dry cat food products.
Their products are made with real meat and fish, and are formulated to provide a balanced and nutritious diet for cats.
Whiskas also offers products for different life stages and tastes, including kitten food, adult cat food, and senior cat food.
Purpet-
Purpet also makes food for cats and kittens and they make dry cat food commonly known as kibbles purpet’s cat food is extremely budget-friendly.
Purepet also offers different variants of cat food to cater to different stages of a cat’s life, as well as to address specific dietary needs and preferences.
Drools-
Drools is another brand that offers a wide range of cat food products, including dry and wet cat food, as well as cat treats.
Drools also offers specialized formulations for cats with specific health conditions, such as hairball control and weight management.
Drools cat food comes at a reasonable price. It also makes food for both cats and kittens. Drools cat food comes in several flavours like salmon, tuna and ocean fish.
Meatup–
Meatup offers a range of dry and wet cat food products, made with high-quality ingredients such as real meat and vegetables, to provide the necessary nutrients and proteins that cats require.
Royal Canin–
Canin is a popular brand that offers a wide range of cat food products for various breeds, ages, and dietary requirements. Their products are made with high-quality ingredients and are formulated to meet the nutritional needs of cats. Royal Canin also offers breed-specific formulas, which are designed to cater to the unique nutritional needs of specific cat breeds.
This Purepet ocean fish food is 1.2 kg but is also available in 3kg and 7 kg packages
The flavour of the pet food is seafood
It has various organic minerals and vitamins
It has various prebiotics and probiotics that improve gut health
It is a complete pet food for your cat.
It is made of the following contentsSardine, Mackerel, Eggs, Corn Gluten Meal, Whole Grain Cereals, Soya Refined Oil, Wheat Flour, Taurine, Vitamins (Vit A, Vit E, Vit B1, Vit B6, Vit B2, Vit B12, Choline, Niacin, Folic Acid), Organic Minerals (Zinc, Iron, Copper, Selenium, Manganese), Prebiotics & Probiotics
Pros ✔️ –
It is cost friendly
It has a seafood flavour to which cats get attracted
It comes with complete guidelines that show how to correctly feed your pets.
It helps to maintain healthy heart functions.
The product ensures that it improves digestion
Its various minerals and vitamins help to maintain the correct ph level of urine.
It is necessary to check the contents displayed behind the packet to ensure it contains quality content like fish, eggs, whole grain, taurine, soya oil, and various vitamins and minerals so that your cat can grow properly.
Make sure that Taurine is present in the ingredients as it helps to improve heart health.
If prebiotics or probiotics is present it is good as it improves gut health and digestion.
Price-
You have to spend some money if you are a pet owner. There are various different types of cat foods available in the market that we have already discussed above.
Generally, dry cat foods are cheap /budget-friendly and convenient, if your budget is tight you can buy dry cat food.
Wet cat foods are more costly than dry cat foods but if your budget allows you to spend some money you should buy wet cat food otherwise dry cat food is also a good option.
Allergic reaction-
Before buying any pet food it is important to know if your cat has any allergies to specific ingredients or responds negatively to specific food or ingredients.
If your cat eats food that contains ingredients to which your cat might be allergic then it can lead to severe things like hair fall, loose motion, etc.
So it is important to know about your pet’s allergies. You can consult your veterinarian to know about your cat and its allergies and can buy food accordingly.
Food type –
We have different types of cat food like dry, semi-wet, wet, etc that we have already covered in this article.
You Should choose a specific type of food that suits your cat. You can buy dry cat food but it is recommended to buy wet food as it has more protein than dry food which makes it more palatable.
Palatability-
As we know that a well-balanced meal is very important but we don’t like to eat food which does not has good taste or flavour, Cats too do not like to eat foods that do not taste great.
Naturally, cats are carnivores(meat-eaters) and they like to eat meats like fish, and chicken, Seafood flavours like ocean fish/ tuna fish are very popular among cats.
These fishes are also really good for your cat as it naturally contains taurine which improves heart health. So you can buy seafood-flavoured cat food. And you should buy cat food that has a decent amount of protein as It Makes food more palatable for cats
FAQ
1. What foods can have a negative impact on cats?
Foods like Chocolate, Onions, Garlic, uncooked food (meat, egg, vegetables)milk and milk by-products.
2. Can we feed a vegetarian diet to cats?
Cats are naturally meat-eaters (carnivores)so it is a must to add meat in to their diet. solely giving a vegetarian diet is less palatable to cats.
3. Can we feed eggs to cats ?
Yes you can as it is a great source of protein but it is better to give cooked eggs as raw eggs can give some digestive problems.
4. Can we feed rice to cats?
Yes, you can feed the white rice occasionally and it is very easy to digest .so you can also give to the cats that have digestive problems
5. Can we give dog food to cats?
Strictly no, you should not give dog food to cats as it can have some serious negative effects on cats’ health.
Final thoughts
So we have mentioned everything in this article which will help you as an owner to buy the right food for your pet cat at a cheap price.
In our list, I have mentioned Whiskas at no.1 as it provides well-balanced meals and contains various important minerals and vitamins like taurine, vitamin D, Vitamin A, etc which improves the overall health of your lovely pet.
But you can go for other brands. Every cat is unique, some like one flavour others don’t so you can try different foods by buying in small quantities.
And if your pet gives interested in a specific food you can buy that food in larger quantities.