12 Best Cat Food Products During Lockdown

Posted in: Cat Food - Last Updated: May 24, 2022 - Author: Rebekah Carter
Posted in Cat Food 
Last Updated: April 2, 2020  
Author:  Rebekah Carter

Knowing the best cat foods to buy your furry friend is difficult enough at the best of times. Now we’re in the middle of a global pandemic, which means shelves are bare, stock levels are plummeting, and there’s less choice than ever. So, what do you do when it comes to your choice of coronavirus cat food during this epidemic? Grab the first bag of kibble off the shelf and hope for the best?

Absolutely not.

Your kitty deserves better than that. That’s why we’ve put together this list of the 12 best foods, a selection of best kitten food, treats, and other dietary essentials for your bundle of fluff.


How to Choose the Best Cat Foods in Times of Crisis

We’re all dealing with an unusual situation right now. The shelves are bare in almost every supermarket, meaning that it’s practically impossible to get your hands on your favorite cat care products. 

While we are all used to being offerered a lot more variety in normal times, it can be challenging to know which products will give you the nutrition your cat deserves right now.

After all, even in crazy situations like this coronavirus pandemic, we still want to make sure our kitties are getting the kind of high-quality food that they need.

So, how do you make the right choice?


Start by Assessing Your Cat’s Basic Nutritional Needs

Let’s start simple; all cats need a few basic things from their food.

These essential ingredients include:

  • Protein: Often from fish, poultry or meat
  • Taurine: A crucial amino acid that’s great for eyesight
  • Calcium: For bones, joints, and healthy teeth
  • Phosphorous: Crucial for building healthy bones with calcium
  • Iron: Essential for fighting off illness
  • Magnesium: Great for all kinds of bodily processes, including creating energy
  • Sodium: For maintaining normal blood pressure
  • Zinc: Essential for making proteins in the body

The more of those ingredients you find within your cat food and nutrition products, the better off your kitty will be.

Remember, cats don’t necessarily need carbohydrates to be healthy. If you see a lot of corn, wheat, and rice in your food of choice, this could mean that it has more filler than nutrition.


Consider the Nutritional Demands of Your Cat

What kind of meats and flavors does Snowball love? Does Felix prefer chunks in gravy, or is he more of a jelly-based cat?

Since there are plenty of options online, you can tailor your purchases to your feline’s distinct preferences. This includes making sure that you have:

  • A kitten milk replacer (check above for our choice) for weak and fragile kittens
  • Foods with extra vitamins and minerals for senior cats
  • Treats to keep your kitties happy outside of their regular food
  • Food choices that offer the right combination of quality, and budget-friendliness

Choosing flavors and meats that your cats love will mean that it’s easier to convince them to try a new food if you can’t get the brands that they’re used to.

Just remember that switching a cat to any new food can disrupt their digestion for a little while.

If your cat has a few runny poops or a little bit of sickness when adapting to a new food, the meal might not be the problem. The issue could just be that they’re not used to what they’re eating.


Do You Need Wet and Dry Foods?

One point to remember when making your choice is that nutritionists and vets often recommend giving your cats a mixture of dry and wet foods.

There are a bunch of great reasons to give your kitty the best of both worlds, such as:

  • While dry food is great for leaving out all day as a grazing option, wet food contains water, which helps to encourage hydration. Cats don’t drink out of a bowl as often as dogs.
  • A combination of wet and dry food makes it easier to ensure that your cat gets the right nutrients. If your wet food doesn’t contain enough taurine for instance, you can supplement with a kibble that has bucket loads of the right amino acids.
  • Just like people, your cats can get bored when eating the same foods every day. In lockdown situations when you can’t just pop out and grab something new, it’s important to keep them interested in the food you have to offer.
  • Like humans, cats can develop allergies over time when regularly exposed to certain foods. Switching between different flavors of food, as well as offering both wet and dry meals will help to ward off complicated allergies.
  • Giving your cat options helps to prevent food addictions that build-up due to a lack of options. If your cat gets nothing but the same food type its entire life, it’s more likely to refuse any other brand. In emergencies where you can’t always get your brand of choice, that’s a real problem.


Here’s How to Make the Right Choice

My advice is simple.

First, you don’t need to rush out and start panic buying. Doing that only increases the risk that you’ll end up with tons of food that your cat won’t eat, or that goes out of date before you get around to using it.

Focus on buying a few options based on what you know your kitty likes. You’ll be able to find products to buy online, so there’s no need to go crazy.

Secondly, make sure you keep the unique needs of your cat in mind. Get a good combo of wet and dry foods, and make sure they contain the essential nutrients, flavors, and digestive enzymes that your fluff ball needs.

Lastly, remember that although the price needs to be affordable, you do often get what you pay for with cat foods. If your cheaper brand of food contains more filler than nutrition, your cat might need to eat twice as much just to get the dietary essentials he or she needs.

That means that you end up paying double to keep up with your cat.

What’s more, because your kitty is consuming more empty calories, risks of obesity and other health problems go up too.

Check the label for things like:

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  • Named protein sources (i.e. turkey or chicken other than “meat”)
  • Protein sources at the top (The ingredient listed first is often the main ingredient of the food)
  • Compliance with the AAFCO’s “complete and balanced” requirements
  • Absence of any “by-products,” chemical preservatives, or cornmeal fillers


You Can Still Get the Best Cat Food in a Crisis

Trust me, I know how worrying those empty shelves at the supermarket can be – but now isn’t the time to panic.

Just because things look dire in your local shop doesn’t mean you can’t get the nutrition your furry friend needs. You just need to look a little further afield – on the web.

The options we’ve outlined above should have given you plenty of high-quality and nutrient-rich foods to choose from, including a few treats and extras too.

We’re particularly fond of the Iams Proactive option since it’s high in minerals, easy to get in bulk quantities, and affordable too!

Compared to some of the other products we considered, the Iams dry cat food is easy to digest and isn’t facing as many issues with stock levels. 

Now you can relax, enjoy a meal with your cat, and wait for this madness to blow over!

The Top Cat Foods Available Right Now

You are what you eat. That’s as true for your cat as it is for you.

Even during these crazy times, it’s essential to ensure that your kitty is getting the right nutrition for their unique needs. Here are our top choices to get you started.


1. Iams Proactive Health (Best Overall)

Iams Proactive Health is one of the best dry cat food products out there. It is comprehensive and designed to contain everything your kitty needs for healthy muscles and silky smooth fur.

The number one ingredient in this food is chicken, and there are high doses of protein to help your cat stay healthy too.

Iams promises absolutely zero fillers in their Proactive Health product, so you don’t have to worry about grains and other unnecessary nonsense that doesn’t deliver any real nutrition.

What’s more, you can buy this product in multiple sizes, ranging up to 22lbs. That’s ideal if you’re worried that you’re not going to be getting out of the house for a while.

The beet pulp and prebiotics in the Iams blend are fantastic for maintaining digestive health, while calcium and potassium support a healthy heart. Plus, crunchy kibble can help to keep problems like plaque at bay too! Just remember to give your kitty plenty of water with this product as it won’t replace wet food.

Additionally, note that the large size of these chunky biscuits could make them difficult to chew and digest for some cats with teeth problem or digestion issues.

IAMS PROACTIVE HEALTH Adult Healthy Dry Cat Food with Chicken Cat Kibble, 22 lb. Bag

Pros:

  • Excellent range of nutrients, including potassium and calcium
  • Beet pulp and prebiotics support digestive health
  • Available in a variety of sizes
  • No grain or fillers
  • Useful for managing tooth plaque

Cons:

  • Not ideal for cats that don’t drink a lot of water
  •  Doesn’t mix well with wet foods
  • Can be difficult to digest for cats with sensitive stomachs


2. Purina Indoor Advantage Adult (Best Indoor)

The best cat food for indoor cats is very different to the kind of food you need for an outdoor kitty. Since indoor cats don’t get a lot of outside exercises, they need to be more cautious about their weight. Or rather, you do, as their pet parent.

The Purina Indoor Advantage dry food features real turkey as a primary ingredient, as well as some delicious extras like carrots for healthy eyesight. Omega 6 will give your kitty a fantastic and glamourous coat, while the blend of natural substances within the Purina pack also helps to reduce hairballs and weight issues.

Like the Iams option above, this product is available in a range of sizes, up to 22lb bag. However, due to increased demand, Purina has had a harder time delivering products in some sizes to its customers.

Additionally, the biscuits in this product are very hard, which means that kitties with sensitive stomachs might not be able to handle them.

Purina ONE Natural, Low Fat, Weight Control, Indoor Dry Cat Food, +Plus Indoor Advantage - 3.5 lb. Bag

Pros:

  • Omega 6 for healthy coat and skin
  • Various sizes available
  • Turkey as the main ingredient
  • Natural vitamins and nutrients added
  • Good for maintaining a healthy weight and reducing hairballs

Cons:

  • Kitties with sensitive stomachs may struggle to digest
  • Not ideal for younger cats due to the density of the food
  •  Limited supplies available


3. Hill’s Science Diet Best Dry Cat Food (Best Senior)

Even in a pandemic, your cat might need specialist food to keep them fit and healthy. That’s often the case with senior kitties, who demand things like extra taurine to keep their heart healthy as they grow older.

This was certainly a contender for the best dry cat food 2019. If you want to keep your four-legged friend running circles around you for longer, then Hill’s Science could be the best option for you.

This unique mix is ideal for adults aged 11 and older, and it comes with everything from extra taurine to minerals for kidney and bladder health. Vitamin E, omega 3, and omega 6 fatty acids support healthy coats and skin.

A good thing about this kibble is that it mixes well with wet food so that you can combine both for a more complete meal. Hill’s Science even has a specialist wet food for older cats. What’s more, Hill’s Science comes from the USA, for those who prefer to shop locally.

On the downside, Hill’s Science is one of the brands being hit by the pandemic right now, which means stocks are a little lower. You can only buy this product in up to 15.5lb packages, and the pricing is pretty steep.

Hill's Science Diet Dry Cat Food, Adult 11+ for Senior Cats, Chicken Recipe, 15.5 lb. Bag

Pros:

  • Recommended by vets for senior cats
  • Omega 3, omega 6 and vitamin E
  • Taurine and minerals for heart, bladder and kidney health
  • Made in the USA
  • Easy to digest for older cats

Cons:

  • Limited sizes available
  • Pricing is very high


4. Iams Proactive Health Kitten Dry Food

Did you know that kittens need more calories than their adult cat counterparts? That’s because your little bundle of fur runs around a lot more when he or she is young.

Fortunately, Iams Proactive Health kitten food ensures that your kitty gets all the nutrition they need to grow up big and strong.

The core ingredient of this kibble is real chicken, so you know that you’re getting quality. Plus, there are plenty of nutrients added in just for a kitten, such as vitamin E – similar to the kind your cat would get from its mother’s milk.

Omega 3 helps with brain development and taurine assists with both heart health and vision development too. The best thing about this kibble for kittens is it's small, so your cat can more easily pick it up and eat it.

Just note that these bags are once again only available in up to 16lb, which won’t last as long as some other brands. Additionally, increased demand is hitting Iams hard.

You should also make sure that your kitten gets plenty of liquid alongside these biscuits, as they don’t mix well into wet food. It would have been nice to see some calcium and protein in the ingredients too!

IAMS PROACTIVE HEALTH Healthy Kitten Dry Cat Food with Chicken Cat Kibble, 3.5 lb. Bag

Pros:

  • Small design perfect for kittens
  • Vitamin E and Omega 3 included
  • Available in a range of sizes
  • Could be used for both kittens and cats

Cons:

  • Limited supplies and size choices
  • Doesn’t mix well into wet food
  • Essential nutrients like calcium seem to be missing


5. Royal Canin Feline Health Nutrition Kitten (Best Wet Kitten Food)

Kibble is excellent when you’re stocking up on food that you need to last for a while. However, many cats need a combination of both wet and dry food for a fully comprehensive diet.

You can rest assured that there’s no grain and filler in Royal Canin Feline Health Nutrition.

Thin slices of meat are mixed with gravy, and the full meal is soft enough for your kitten to chew it and digest it easily.

The food comes with a great ratio of fats, protein, and carbohydrates – ideal for the needs of an active and playful kitten. There’s also a bunch of antioxidants built-in to support the developing immune system of your cat.

You can buy Royal Canin online in a pack of 6, 12, or 24, but that’s it. Although you can probably buy a few crates of 24 at once, you may find that this food doesn’t last you very long in quarantine conditions.

What’s more, you’re paying quite a lot more for this premium product than you would for other standard cat foods.

Another downside? The mixture might be great for kitties, but it smells terrible to us humans.

Royal Canin Feline Health Nutrition Kitten Thin Slices in Gravy Canned Cat Food, 3 oz can (24-count)

Pros:

  •  Great selection of ingredients, perfect for kittens
  • Thin and easily digestible slices
  • Blend of antioxidants to support kitten growth
  • A fantastic blend of proteins, carbohydrates, and fats
  • Available in bulk

Cons:

  • Smells terrible
  • Quite expensive for what you get


6. Taste of the Wild (Best Cheap/ Grain Free)

If you need a combination of something that’s both affordable and high in quality, then this could be the kibble for you.

Taste of the Wild is grain-free, and it comes packed with a fantastic amino acid profile, ideal for strong muscles.

The ingredients include plenty of protein and vitamins, as well as antioxidants and omega 3 and 6 for a luxurious coat and healthy skin.

The nutrient-rich blend is also highly digestible because it comes with probiotics built-in. This means it could be a good choice if you have a cat with a sensitive stomach.

This is a more affordable option than some of the other products on the market, but it can be challenging to get hold of at times.

Additionally, you might find that the consistency of the kibble in size, smell, and taste seems to change with every bag that you buy.

Taste Of The Wild Rocky Mountain Grain-Free Dry Cat Food With Roasted Venison & Smoke-Flavored Salmon 14lb

Pros:

  • Good profile of amino acids
  • Proteins and vitamins included
  • Omega 3 and 6 for healthy skin and fur
  • Highly digestible

Cons:

  • Not the biggest bags available
  • Consistency isn’t great
  • Difficult to get hold of


7. Instinct Original Grain (Best Premium Wet Food)

If you’re looking for luxury for your furry friend, Instinct could be the best wet cat food for you. This is another wet cat food option, designed for adult cats.

It features USA raised beef, with a 95% meat contents. Additionally, there’s no grain, potato, wheat, soy, or anything else int here.

Fully-natural, this is probably one of the most nutritionally complex cat foods that I’ve seen – so it’s great if you want your cat to eat better than you during quarantine.

Additionally, there are options to buy a range of different pack sizes.

Unfortunately, Instinct is another brand that’s suffering a serious shortage right now, which means that you might not be able to get all the cans that you want.

The good news is that there are different flavors to mix and match between if you run out of your cat’s favorite. A

dditionally, quality control seems to be a bit lapse, with some products containing less meat than others.

Instinct Original Grain Free Real Beef Recipe Natural Wet Canned Cat Food by Nature's Variety, 3 oz. Cans (Case of 24)

Pros:

  • Excellent premium mix of ingredients
  • 95% beef and 5% vegetables
  • No artificial preservatives or grain
  • Totally natural

Cons:

  • Poor quality control
  • Difficult to get in bulk


8. Purina Pro Plan Sensitive Stomach (Best Cat Food for Sensitive Stomachs)

Different kitties have different needs. Some of the cats out there need something a lot easier to digest than the standard kibble. Fortunately, that’s where Purina Pro Plan can help.

This Sensitive Stomach dry cat food comes in a selection of sizes, and it contains lots of great healthy nutrients and vitamins for your cats.

For instance, the kibble includes a dose of Omega-6 fatty acids for healthy skin and fur, as well as natural prebiotic fibers for improving digestive health.

The main ingredient of each flavor of this cat food is real meat, so your cat will get plenty of natural nutrition.

Purina seems to be suffering a little with stock shortages, but you can still get your hands on some of the biggest 22lb bags.

Unfortunately, this kibble is quite large, so it might be difficult to chew for some older cats, or cats with problem teeth.

Purina Pro Plan Sensitive Skin and Stomach Cat Food, Lamb and Rice Formula - 22 lb. Bag

Pros:

  • Plenty of great minerals and vitamins
  • Real meat as the number 1 ingredient
  • Lots of sizes to choose from
  • Good for cats with digestion issues

Cons:

  • Not ideal for cats with problem teeth
  • Can cause runny stool in cats that drink a lot of water


9. Kitten Milk Replacer (Best for Weak Kittens)

Kittens are still born during a lockdown. Unfortunately, some of these little mites need some extra help to grow during the early stages of their life. For that, you’re going to need a kitten milk replacer, like this one from PetAg!

Designed to give your little kitty some extra support in the form of additional calories, fat, carbohydrates and protein, this powder mimics a cat’s milk.

It offers all the necessary vitamins and minerals that your kitten needs to grow, and it’s easy to digest too!

Available in a range of sizes up to 24 ounces – this should keep you going for a while, even in quarantine situations.

Unfortunately, it can cause irregular stools in some kittens, and the product is quite lumpy, so it’s hard to get a lump-free bottle without straining.

Pet-Ag KMR Kitten Milk Replacer Powder - 12 oz - Powdered Kitten Formula with Prebiotics, Probiotics & Vitamins for Kittens Newborn to Six Weeks Old - Easy to Digest

Pros:

  • Great for weak kittens
  • Packed full of essential vitamins and minerals
  • Easy to digest
  • Easy to mix formula
  • Range of size

Cons:

  • Can cause irregular stools
  • Very lumpy powder


10. Sheba Perfect Portions Cuts (Easiest to Use)

When you’ve got kids to look after at home and countless other jobs to deal with, you don’t want a cat food that takes a lot of prep work.

Fortunately, with Sheba Perfect Portions, you get a dose of food that’s just right for your kitty. Sheba is certainly amongst one of the best cat food brands at the moment.

The perfect portions foods are pre-divided by size, so you know that you’re giving your cat precisely what you need. What’s more, you can get these wet foods in a range of different flavors, ideal for switching things up from time to time.

The biggest kit available right now is 36, but these twin-pack trays are only possible to get in some flavors, thanks to quarantine conditions reducing supply.

On the plus side, the food comes with absolutely no grain, and plenty of essential vitamins and minerals for growth.

SHEBA PERFECT PORTIONS Cuts in Gravy Adult Wet Cat Food Trays (24 Count, 48 Servings), Gourmet Salmon, Sustainable Tuna, And Delicate Whitefish & Tuna Entrée, Easy Peel Twin-Pack

Pros:

  • Excellent portions
  • Easy-to-use trays
  • Lots of flavors available
  • Perfectly calculated calorie content
  • Excellent freshness

Cons:

  • Limited supply
  • Full lid can be difficult to peel (ends up splashing cat food on your clothes)


11. Temptations (Best Crunchy Treats)

Otherwise known as Dreamies in some parts of the world, Temptations aren’t the best cat food if you’re looking for a full nutritional profile.

However, just as we humans need the occasional treat to keep us happy during times of stress, our cats need something special at times too.

Temptations are downright irresistible to cats. My moggies have torn plastic boxes apart just to get hold of one.

Plus, the treats are only 2 calories apiece, so you don’t have to feel guilty about spoiling your kitties.

These boxes should be cat-proof, but I’d recommend keeping them somewhere your furry friends can’t reach them – just in case.

TEMPTATIONS Classic Crunchy and Soft Cat Treats Tasty Chicken Flavor, 30 oz. Tub

Pros:

  • Fantastic cat treats
  • Low-calorie option to keep cats happy
  • Lots of flavors to choose from
  • Great value

Cons:

  • Boxes aren’t cat-proof in my experience
  • Not a food replacement
  • You might have to wait to get your cat’s favorite flavor


12. Delectables Lickable Wet cat Treats (Best Wet Treats)

Finally, if you’re looking for something special to spoil your cats, then Delectable are a great alternative to Temptations. I’d recommend these treats for kitties that often eat more kibble than wet food.

These sauce-type food supplements support hydration, while giving your moggy a flavor they adore.

Keep in mind that you definitely won’t get a full meal out of these little tubes.

There’s not a lot of product to speak of - perhaps enough to fill a tablespoon, and that’s it.

It can also be pretty tough to open the tube; I’ve had the odd Delectable-covered shirt from time to time.

Still, if you’re cautious, you can rest assured that these treats will keep your kitties happy – even during weeks of lock-down.

Hartz Delectables Bisque Lickable Wet Cat Treats with Tuna & chicken, Senior Cats 10+ years, 1.4 Ounce (Pack of 12) - Packaging May Vary

Pros:

  • Great for hydration
  • Perfect treat-sized tubes
  • Great for mixing with other foods
  • Packed with Vitamins E and B to support good health

Cons:

  • Messy to open
  • Not a full food replacement

Our Advice for Your Cat Food Choice During the Coronavirus Lockdown

That’s a lot of information on how to choose a great coronavirus cat food for your cat.
We’ve covered a lot of options for wet or dry cat food (or a combination of both) that will keep your kitty in fine fettle regardless of how much our normal lives are disrupted.

Clearly, a lot of these choices and our advice will apply when you’re choosing healthy and nutritious cat food for your kitties in less worrying times.

We’re all trying to look after our fur babies as well as we can all the time and stretch our budget so that we can buy them the best cat food all the time.

But when you and your kitty are in cat quarantine you’ll likely need to make your money go that bit further and you’ll be even more aware of protecting the health and welfare of your cat.

Our core advice is to look for cat food during the pandemic online when the local stores may be in short supply.

We highly recommend the fabulous folks at Chewy.com who do so much for pet lovers, provide a great service and are always very competitive on price and delivery.

Amazon is always a great choice at any time and they are doing a good job of keeping things moving in these times of lockdown.

As we said above, our quick best pick is Iams Proactive, because of its high nutritional value, the fact it’s affordable, plus it’s also easy for your cat to digest.

Take your pick from our review of all the others. Stay safe and look after yourself and your cat.

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About the author

Rebekah Carter is a dedicated animal lover. Her Savannah cat, Roscoe, has a lot of attitude, while her Maine Coon, Dukino, is full of love. When not writing, she’s looking after her cats and researching ways to help them live their best possible life. Her passion for animals and natural skill for writing led her to pursue pet blogging.

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