Protein: 38.0% (min) | Fat: 9.0% (min) | Fiber: 5.4% (max) | Moisture: 12.0% (max)
Purina’s Cat Chow Naturals Indoor formula is a perfectly balanced dry cat food that’s ideal for indoor cats. It’s also suitable for outdoor cats with proper portion management. The real meat formula works to maintain a healthy weight and tackles common complaints like hairballs and poor digestion with plenty of fiber.
Given Purina’s excellent brand reputation, you may be surprised to find that this Cat Chow Naturals range offers some of the best value for money around. It’s incredibly affordable given the quality of ingredients and should be considered as a viable option for outdoor cats who could do with shedding a pound or two.
Nutritional Information
The minimum crude fiber content of 5.4% makes it a fantastic formula for keeping the digestion of indoor cats flowing healthily. As always with dry cat foods you’ll want to make sure your cat gets plenty of water throughout the day. However, the 12% moisture content of this indoor cat food isn’t half bad considering.
The protein content is high, at 38.0%, and the primary source of protein is a chicken by-product meal. The fat content of 9.0% is also worth noting, which is nicely in line with the average 10% that would make up a wild cat’s diet.
Caloric Density
This formula only contains around 358kcal/cup, which is impressively low for a budget dry cat food. The low caloric density will leave your cat feeling fuller even though they’ve consumed fewer calories.
A lower calorie count indoor cat food is often a great option to feed older cats, as their digestion and activity levels tend to slow down with age.
We love this food and think it’s perfect for indoor cats who typically burn fewer calories than cats that adventure outdoors.
Feeding Information
Purina recommends that you feed a 5-9lbs cat around 1/2 to 3/4 of a cup daily, and a 10-14lbs cat 3/4 to 11/4 cups.
These are guidelines, and the actual amount depends entirely on your cat’s current weight and condition. For outdoor cats or very active cats, you could bump up the portion size by about 20%. Consult your veterinarian if you need any advice regarding feeding portions.
Remember to transition to new foods gradually. You can mix the old food with the new slowly over a week or so to achieve this.
Things To Watch Out For
There aren’t many negatives about this food, but in the interest of completeness, let’s look at a few points that slightly less than ideal.
It contains grains that aren’t a natural part of a cat’s diet and therefore offer little in the way of nutrition by themselves. They’re often used to help form the kibble.
By-product meats are typically cheaper to source but don’t come with the same quality guarantee you get from raw meats. They aren’t far worse by any means else Purina wouldn’t use them, but they’re slightly less than ideal. The inclusion of by-product meals here is likely why this food is so affordable compared to super-premium food ranges. It’s worth knowing.
Our Verdict
Purina’s Cat Chow Natural indoor formula is an incredibly well-balanced budget cat food. The value for money offered here is extraordinary, and it’s nutritionally complete. If your cat likes it, you could end up saving a significant amount of money compared to more expensive formulas.
Ingredient List
Ingredients correct at the time of writing. Please check the retailer’s product page or the packaging before purchasing; ingredients lists are subject to frequent change.
Chicken By-Product Meal, Corn Gluten Meal, Soy Flour, Brewers Rice, Animal Fat Preserved with Mixed-Tocopherols, Corn Meal, Chicken, Turkey, Powdered Cellulose, Natural Flavor, Soybean Hulls, Phosphoric Acid, Calcium Carbonate, Salt, Dried Spinach, Choline Chloride, Taurine, Vitamin E Supplement, DL-Methionine, Zinc Sulfate, Ferrous Sulfate, Manganese Sulfate, Potassium Chloride, Niacin, Vitamin A Supplement, Calcium Pantothenate, Thiamine Mononitrate, Copper Sulfate, Riboflavin Supplement, Vitamin B-12 Supplement, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride, Folic Acid, Vitamin D-3 Supplement, Calcium Iodate, Biotin, Menadione Sodium Bisulfite Complex (Source of Vitamin K Activity), Sodium Selenite. C-4505.
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