As a pet parent, you have to be assured of the quality of food you provide to your cats. Without a doubt, one thing that can be said is that a cat’s nutritional requirements are nowhere close to humans’.
So, while the grains are ideal for us, they might not be as necessary for cats. Regardless, your duty as a pet parent is to select a nutritional solution that fits your cat’s healthy lifestyle.
So, should you choose a grain-free diet for your cat?
Let us get into more details about grain-free cat food! But before that have look at our recommendation of best grain free cat food:
| Image | Brand | Price | Prime | Buy |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 Top | Hill's Science Diet | PrimeEligible | Buy Now | |
 Top | Blue Buffalo | PrimeEligible | Buy Now | |
 Top | Orijen | PrimeEligible | Buy Now |
Our experts recently update the lists of best cat food for indoor cats, best low carb cat food, and moist cat food along with recall history, these are the foods that you can trust for your fluffy kids.
Grain-Free Cat Food: What is it?
For most cat food manufacturers, grain-free essentially symbolizes that the kibble doesn’t contain any traditional grains such as corn or wheat. However, some grain-free cat food might pack in other carbohydrates such as sweet potatoes or peas.
So, if your pet food is labeled as grain-free, it doesn’t necessarily mean it is carbohydrate-free.
A truly cereal-free dietary supplement would contain zero carbohydrates.
However, it might have a small amount of carbohydrate that is present naturally in the protein source. Apart from that, a good cat dietary supplement won’t have any junk or sugar-based ingredients.
Why Do Cats Need Grain-Free Cat Food?
One prime reason for going cereal-free for your cat’s diet is that cats are primarily protein reliant. Like their ancestors, cats majorly need protein to thrive and aren’t necessarily dependant on carbohydrates for survival.
But consuming a high amount of carbohydrates can be harmful to your feline’s health. So, it must be avoided as much as possible for your pet.
Locating the right cereal-free cat kibble with all the necessary nutrients can be a tricky task. Not all grain-free dietary products for cats are good for your pet’s health.
Some manufacturers choose to remove naturally occurring carbohydrates from the cat kibble, which could be detrimental to the feline’s health. However, this can be reversed with the help of some supplements.
When offering cereal-free kibble to your cat, it is important to ensure that your pet receives all the necessary nutrients and a high level of protein, minerals, & vitamins.
Doing this is crucial for the cat’s health, with no need for carbohydrate replacements.
A major benefit of choosing cereal-free kibble for your cat is developing a healthy digestive system and positively impacting the skin. In addition, cats with sensitive skin can benefit immensely from a diet that doesn’t include grains. Apart from this, if your cat is intolerant to gluten, a grain-free diet could help with the same.
Food items that contain grains like rice, corn, wheat, or barley are associated with different types of allergic reactions in cats. It could lead to hair loss, skin diseases, dullness of the fur, and digestive issues.
In addition, given the starchy and dry nature of the carbohydrates in grains, digesting them becomes very difficult for the feline population.
This happens because the cats do not produce amylase, a salivary enzyme necessary for breaking down the kibble that contains a high amount of starch.
Cereal-free cat kibble is produced naturally without including grains for the binding process for the pellets.
Unless they are loaded with other carbohydrates, these cereal-free dietary options offer a close alternative to the natural feline diet.
With grain-free cat kibble, you help your cat accomplish the following:
- Lustrous and shiny looking coat
- Reduction of flaky or itchy skin
- Easier digestion with zero inflammation
When carbohydrates bind the cat food, it can also bar the cat from absorbing essential nutrition called taurine. However, protein-based, cereal-free cat food helps the cat easily absorb the taurine and ensures better health.
In addition, a diet that is low in starch content also promotes healthy bacteria in the pet’s digestive system to create vitamin B. This vitamin is important for the feline’s immune, nervous, and digestive systems.
Which Grains Aren’t Beneficial for Cats?
Unless your fur friend is allergic to gluten, they might not need to be restricted to a diet that is free of cereal crops. However, if your cat is allergic to gluten, you need to ascertain if the cat kibble contains any form of carbohydrates or not.
Manufacturers providing cereal-free dietary options for cats often tend to replace them with other carbohydrates to bind the kibble together. These ingredients include options such as:
- Sweet Potatoes
- Potatoes
- Peas
- Lentils
- Tapioca
These carbohydrates are worse than that of the carbohydrates attained from cereal crops. But, at the least, grains do contain a good amount of fiber that is ideal for a cat’s digestion and better bowel movement.
Ingredients such as corn, barley, oats, wheat, or rice might not be necessarily bad for your cat. However, an ingredient causes the least number of issues with your feline’s health and digestive system. It is none other than corn.
This ingredient is mostly used for cat kibble as a binding agent or filler to help keep the pellet together and is generally considered safe for the pet.
Top 3 Grain Free Cat Foods
1. The Best Dry Grain Free Cat Food
Hill’s Science is a connoisseur when it comes to high-quality feline dietary choices. The dry food formula supports a sensitive cat’s digestive system with prebiotic fiber that reduces any possibility of inflammation.
The combination of yellow pea and salmon recipe helps with better cat growth while allowing the beneficial gut bacteria to thrive. In simple words, Hill’s Science cereal-free recipe ensures a balanced stomach microbiome. It is also best to use with a cat food dispenser.
Created with completely natural ingredients, this dry food is easy to digest and loaded with natural fiber to improve stool consistency making it less sticky. Moreover, the food helps promote a healthy fur and skin condition with Omega-6 and vitamin E content.
Pros:
- Made with necessary vitamins and antioxidants for healthy immunity
- It doesn’t contain any by-product meal from the protein source
- Small kibble size for easy chewing and swallowing action
- Promotes better urinary health
- Great taste for picky eaters
Cons:
- It might not be great for your pet’s weight management
- Pricing is a bit on the higher side
2. Best Grain Free Wet Cat Food
For cats that don’t bode well with a dry diet, the Blue Buffalo Adult cat food could be ideal. This variety pack consists of chicken, duck, and salmon, providing your pet with various protein supplements to help them thrive with nourishment.
The high-quality protein helps keep your cats active throughout the day while limiting the carbohydrate intake at all costs. The wet diet variety pack is designed for picky eaters. The smooth texture ensures that your fur friend cleans up its plate every time you serve it in the bowl.
Crafted with the finest quality ingredients, this wet food doesn’t contain any by-product meals. Moreover, it also doesn’t contain any form of corn, wheat, soy, artificial flavors, or preservatives.
As a result, the best grain free cat food the canned cat diet provides abundant moisture for pets that hate consuming water.
Pros:
- Naturally-sourced protein promotes better muscle development
- Packs in essential vitamins, iron, protein, and natural flavor
- It contains digestible carbohydrates from fresh, whole potatoes
- Provides essential taurine for pets while supporting heart and eye health
- Promotes a healthy coat and skin while reducing inflammation
Cons:
- It tends to go bad very fast once opened
- It contains a lot of bone shards; it might be a choking hazard
3. Best Grain Free Dry Cat Food
Another great and healthy option for cats that do not bode well with cereal crops is the Orijen Premium Dry Pet diet. Created from the best quality raw and fresh animal ingredients, this dietary supplement contains organically sourced protein.
The pet food consists of farm-sourced turkey and chicken along with wild-caught fish & cage-free eggs. This dry kibble contains about 90 percent high-quality animal ingredients that help nourish the pet’s biological and natural needs.
The dry pet food is created from fresh ingredients, including animal meat, cartilage, organs, and bones. In addition, Orijen Premium contains a combination of fish variants that include Flounder, Whole Mackerel, and Whole Herring.
Pros:
- It contains turkey giblets that include liver, gizzards, and heart
- Packs in easy-to-digest ingredients with prebiotics
- Omega-3 fatty acids ensure a healthy skin & shiny coat
- Ensures better heart health
- Locally sourced ingredients that ensure quality
Cons:
- The latest formula changes don’t bode well with some pets
- It might make the cat a bit gaseous
Please also have a look at the best hard cat foods, foods for pancreatitis, and dental problems which are good enough as superior kibble for your cats.
Conclusion
With all this information in mind, you can ensure that your cat leads a healthy and happy life for years to come. Before you pick a grain-free meal for your pet, make sure you get them tested with the help of your veterinarian to ensure whether the diet change is necessary.
Keep a note of any change in their daily habit after you start serving the new diet. If you do notice any changes, make sure you reach out to your veterinarian immediately.
Hopefully, our resource help you to find the best grain-free cat food that will keep your cat healthy and active