Cats are strict carnivores by nature, and their bodies cannot digest a carbohydrate-rich diet. And pet parents must feed them a nutritionally balanced diet matching their weight, age, lifestyle, and current health condition. Look for food with animal protein as the prime ingredient and has fatty acids, essential amino acids, and minerals. If you are unsure of what food to choose, you can consider the following vet-recommended food for your cats:

Human-Grade Fresh, Wet Cat Food by Smalls
Smalls is an ultra-high protein USDA-certified cat food subscription service that uses humanely harvested and human-grade ingredients. Trained chefs prepare the food avoiding cheaper fillers like carbs and grains that add volume and reduce cost. The food does not contain any preservatives. You can choose from chicken, a combination of chicken and turkey, beef, or fish for fresh food. Freeze-dried raw cat food is available in turkey, duck, and chicken flavors. While fresh meals can go to the freezer, freeze-dried raw food can be in the pantry. One package may last five meals, and you must read the instructions to store the leftover package properly to avoid contamination. The approximate cost of Smalls cat food is $2.50 to $3.50 daily.

Pro Plan® Focus Adult Weight Management Cat food by Purina®
Purina Pro Plan Focus Adult Weight Management Cat food is available without a prescription and is a less expensive alternative for weight loss diets. Instead of feeding your cat one or two large meals, you can feed this product multiple times a day, keeping them satisfied. It has about 79 calories per can, and you can portion it as per your cat’s weight and calorie requirements. If your cat is used to various meat flavors, it may find this unpalatable. With a high protein content of 54%, it is one of the cheapest and most effective dry weight loss diets available for cats.

Prescription Diet by Hill’s
Hill’s Prescription diet is a wet food created by a team of experts for cats recovering from a specific illness, accident, or surgery. This food contains easily digestible proteins that enable faster healing of wounds, preserve the lean body mass of your cat, and aid in building their immune system. It contains additional calories and potassium. The consistency is also right for feeding with a bowl, teaspoon, syringe, or tube. Hill’s Prescription diet consists of specific organ meets rather than by-products; hence, it helps restore your cat’s health faster.

Pro Plan® Critical Nutrition by Purina®
If your cat has lost a lot of weight due to a recent illness, or if you have adopted or rescued an ill-fed cat, you can choose Purina Pro Plan Focus Critical Nutrition. It is a high-calorie food that can supply your cat’s daily calorie requirement. You can check with your vet about your cat’s ideal weight and continue feeding this diet until they reach its ideal weight. Its consistency is smooth and ideal for syringe feeding if your cat is very sick and has malnutrition. In addition, the taste is also high in palatability, and cats eat them well, aiding the weight gain process.

Kitten Thin Slices in Gravy Canned Cat Food by Royal Canin
Royal Canin Thin Slices in Gravy is best suited till your kittens reach one year of age as it has 55% protein, added minerals, and taurine, all of which are essential for a kitten’s healthy growth. It has antioxidants, fats, and carbs that keep the kittens energetic and playful. The pr is thinly sliced and helps them transition to solid foods as they grow up.

Here are three brands that provide some of the best options for cat food:

IAMS™
IAMS conducts extensive research and combines it with 70 years of experience developing cat and dog food to create some popular wet and dry cat food. Their cat food is tailor-made and includes high-quality protein like fish and chicken, Omega-3 Fatty acids, Vitamin E, and natural prebiotics. The wet and dry food options are available in different flavors. The brand has a range of food that protects cats from diseases, helps them recover from illness or injury, and some food that is best suited for overweight cats with diabetes or urinary infection.

GREENIES™
If you want to save the chore of ordering stocking cat food every month, you can opt for a Greenies subscription, wherein you become eligible for easy recurring shipments. Their cat food products include dental chews, cat treats, and pill pockets. Greenies have not had any recall on their cat food products, which stand testimony to their quality in sourcing ingredients and manufacturing.

Royal Canin
Royal Canin is one of the most trusted pet food brands as their team of veterinary nutritionists creates breed, age, and size-specific recipes for cats with special nutritional needs. You can choose either from wet or dry food and choose a flavor your cat likes. You can subscribe to Royal Canin and ensure you do not run out of food at any time. They offer free shipping and discounts on every product you buy. Royal Canin’s special needs products cater to hair and skin care, hairball care, mom and kitten, indoor cats sterilized cats, and cats that need to control their appetite.