Is there a difference between regular cat food vs indoor cat food?

6 years ago

Hi Chanique,

Thanks for your question.

I’ve never been asked this question. I think it is a really interesting one.

I wanted to give you a quick answer but I decided to research it first. I have the ability to search a massive database of medical articles, resources and communications between veterinarians and veterinary specialists. I could not find a single entry dedicated to this particular question and quite frankly, I’m not surprised.

I would tell you that there is not much difference between regular cat food and indoor cat food. I would naturally think that an indoor cat food should have reduced calories since I would expect that physical activity of an indoor cat would be less than the greater population of cats that may have access to the outside. However, I’m certain you’ll find some brands of regular food that have fewer calories than an indoor cat food.

So, is there a difference between regular cat food vs indoor cat food? I think this is just a marketing strategy and not actually a diet that has been specially formulated. We see this sort of thing often in brand name pet foods. As far as pet food regulations go, the AAFCO rules are quite relaxed. There are many foods out there purport to have an impact on health but they have little to no research to back it up.

If you want to investigate this further, I strongly recommend that you contact the manufacturer and ask them. Inquire about what food trials they have done to evaluate the performance of the food. Also, I recommend you ask them what tests or studies they have performed to identify the needs of a regular cat vs an indoor cat. This would be a key question and then judge the answers for yourself and that way you can make an informed decision.

I hope this helps.