Dry cat food is mostly about what it says on the back of the bag
Dry food is the dry cat food you pour straight into the bowl: kibble with a low water content that can be left out without spoiling and keeps well in a sealed bag. That makes it the practical everyday choice for most cat families. But the most important decision when choosing dry food for your cat doesn't lie in the format. It lies in the contents.
The cat is an obligate carnivore. It is physiologically designed to get its energy and building blocks from animal protein, not from plants and grains. That's why the first thing you should look for on the back of the bag is how much meat the food actually contains, and whether the meat is listed at the top of the ingredient list. A food whose first ingredients are grains or plant protein added to artificially boost the protein percentage doesn't meet the cat's needs the same way a food built around real meat does.
With us you'll find dry cat food in our cat food range, where the kibble is made with a high meat content and without unnecessary fillers. The rest of this page helps you choose the right one based on your cat's age, weight and any special needs.
The Little Lion for the kitten, The Jaguar for the adult and The Panther for the neutered cat
The simplest route to the right dry food goes through the cat's life stage, because the needs change significantly from the kitten growing up to it lying on the sofa as an adult indoor cat.
A kitten builds body every single day and needs more energy and protein per gram than an adult cat. For that period you'll find the little lion, which is formulated for growth. If you've just become a kitten owner, it's also worth reading along in the best start to life for your kitten before you decide.
The adult cat with normal activity and appetite typically suits the jaguar best, which is a complete food for everyday use. If the cat is spayed or neutered, its energy needs drop while its appetite often does the opposite, and the risk of gaining weight increases. That's why the panther is formulated with that in mind, so the neutered cat can feel full without getting too many calories. You'll also find our full range of meals for neutered cats if that's what you're looking for.
Try a small bag before you buy the big one
Cats are known for having opinions about their food, and a food change can stall at the bowl if the cat simply won't have the new kibble. That's why it makes sense to test before you commit to a large bag.
In our sample meals for cats you can try the food in a small size first and see whether the cat accepts it and whether its stomach handles it well. If you want to switch from another brand, do it gradually over the course of a week by mixing in more and more of the new with the old. That gives the cat's digestion time to get used to it, and it also makes the transition less dramatic for a picky palate.
How much dry food should a cat have per day?
The exact amount depends on the cat's weight, age and activity level, and because dry food is concentrated with a low water content, a daily ration takes up less space than many people think. A handful of kibble holds more calories than it looks.
The most reliable guideline is the feeding guide on the bag itself, because it's calculated based on that particular food's energy content and therefore doesn't carry across brands. Use it as a starting point, weigh out the daily ration with a kitchen scale for the first few days, and adjust according to the cat's weight development over time, not according to whether the bowl is empty. A neutered indoor cat that moves around a little should have less than the feeding guide's average often suggests. If you want to go deeper, we've gathered advice in optimal portion size for cats: avoid common mistakes and in how much should a cat eat.
Dry food or wet food for the cat
Dry food and wet food each solve their own task, and for many cats the answer isn't either-or. The strength of dry food is the practicality: it keeps well, can be left out, is easy to portion and takes up less space per calorie. The strength of wet food is the water. The cat descends from desert animals and has a weak sense of thirst, so it gets a large part of its fluid intake through its food. If the cat lives exclusively on dry food, it's extra important that fresh water is always available, preferably in several places.
A combination gives you both benefits: dry food as a filling everyday base and wet food for hydration and variety. If you want to supplement, you'll find our cat pâté, and you can read more about what a good cat food should contain in what should cat food contain.
How long should a cat have kitten food?
Kitten food is more densely packed with energy and protein than adult food, precisely because the kitten is growing. As a rule of thumb, the cat is considered an adult around one year of age, and that's typically when you can switch from kitten food to an adult food. Large breeds and breeds that grow slowly can benefit from kitten food a little longer, while a cat that is fully grown early can switch a little sooner.
The switch is more about the cat's development than about a fixed calendar date, so look at the cat rather than only at the age. If you're unsure when yours is done growing, you can learn more in when is a cat fully grown? how to tell, and the transition itself is described in how long should a kitten have kitten food
High meat content and no unnecessary fillers
When you compare dry cat food, the quality of the ingredients is what sets the foods apart, far more than the colour, shape or name of the kibble. Look for a high content of animal protein with the meat placed at the top of the ingredient list, and be wary of food that leans heavily on grains and plant protein to make the numbers look nice.
Our dry cat food is formulated with meat as the focal point and without unnecessary fillers that don't benefit the cat. The specific composition, meat percentage and full ingredient list are shown on each individual product, so you can read the declaration through before you choose. If you want the background on why animal content weighs so heavily for cats in particular, you can read food for cats - the secret behind the perfect meal.
How to store the dry food so it keeps
One of the real advantages of dry food over wet food is the shelf life, but it only holds up if the bag is stored correctly. The kibble loses flavour and quality if it's exposed to air, moisture and heat over a longer period, and a cat with a sense for freshness can tell the difference between a freshly opened and a forgotten bag.
Seal the bag properly after each use, or store the food in an airtight container in a cool, dry place away from direct sunlight. Buy a bag size that matches how quickly your cat eats through it, rather than automatically going for the largest one. For multi-cat homes or cats with a large appetite, our dry food is also available in larger bags, while the smaller bag is often best for a single cat, so the food gets used while it's still fresh.
