Cat Dry Food

Depends entirely on which one. Supermarket kibble and a premium brand like Orijen are very different products in the same shape — same form factor, completely different nutrition story.

The real question is "is this dry food good?" — and the answer comes down to a few things on the back of the bag. Is the first ingredient a named animal protein (chicken, lamb, salmon — not "meat meal")? Does the food carry an AAFCO life-stage statement? Is taurine listed in the ingredients? Three yes answers and you're in the right ballpark.

Our guide to dry food and freeze-dried treats covers the practical stuff in more depth — what to actually look for, what to skip, and when dry food alone isn't enough.

For most healthy adult cats sitting between 4–5 kg, you're looking at 50–75 g of dry food per day, split into two meals. A 6 kg+ cat: closer to 75–90 g, depending on how active they are.

The bag's feeding chart is the starting point, not the rule. Your cat's body shape is the real signal — if you can't feel ribs through a thin layer of fat, dial it back. If you can see ribs, dial it up. Watch over a couple of weeks rather than reacting day-to-day; cats don't gain or lose weight overnight.

A note on water: dry food sits at around 8–10% moisture, while wet food is 70–80%. Cats on dry-only diets often don't drink enough on their own. Multiple water bowls around the house, or one wet meal a day, makes a real difference.

Only if the brand replaced the grain with something better — usually more meat, more named animal protein. If they swapped wheat for potato or pea protein, you're paying more for the same shortcut in a different costume.

The Cornell Feline Health Center has detailed guidance on what cats actually need from food — they're obligate carnivores, evolved to extract nutrients from animal tissue, not from plant fillers. Whether the filler is grain or pea is less important than whether there's a filler problem at all.

Cats with confirmed grain sensitivities benefit from grain-free. Healthy cats without sensitivities don't strictly need it. Read the first five ingredients, not the front-of-pack claim.

Yes — and most vets quietly recommend it.

Dry food gives you convenience and free-feeding flexibility. Wet food adds the moisture that cats on dry-only diets often miss — hydration is one of the biggest gaps in modern cat nutrition. The combination covers both bases.

A common pattern: dry food available throughout the day, plus one or two small wet meals. Just count both toward the daily calorie total — easy to accidentally double-feed when you're switching formats. Brands like Ziwi Peak, Feline Natural and Talentail produce both wet and dry so you can pair within the same brand if your cat's particular about flavour.

About 4–6 weeks if you store it properly — sealed in the original bag, kept somewhere cool and dry, ideally inside an airtight container.

Premium high-protein dry foods actually go off faster than cheap kibble. The fats oxidise — that's a feature of using real animal protein, not a flaw — but it does mean smaller bags often make sense even when the per-kilo cost is higher.

If your cat suddenly turns up their nose at food they used to love, check the date and the smell before assuming they've gone fussy. Rancid kibble is a real thing, and cats notice well before we do.

Slowly. Cats are notoriously bad at sudden food changes — plan for 7–10 days, not overnight.

Days 1–3: 75% old food, 25% new. Days 4–6: 50/50. Days 7–9: 25% old, 75% new. Day 10: full switch. Watch for soft stools or food refusal — both signal either the new food doesn't agree with your cat, or the transition was too fast (annoyingly, the symptoms look the same). If you see either, slow down before you blame the food.

If your cat's being especially fussy about the new food, sprinkling a few freeze-dried cat treats on top can help bridge the gap. The smell change usually does the work — cats decide what's worth eating largely by scent.

The "dry food causes kidney disease" line gets repeated a lot, but the actual evidence is messier than the headline.

Current consensus from the WSAVA Global Nutrition Guidelines is that hydration matters more than format. A cat eating dry food but drinking enough water and getting some wet food in the rotation is generally fine. Dry-only diets without enough water — that's where urinary issues start to creep in.

Cats already diagnosed with kidney disease usually do better on wet or prescription food, but that's a clinical decision, not a blanket rule. If your cat has any history of urinary issues, or is over 10 years old, worth a quick chat with your vet about what makes sense for their specific situation.