Do indoor and outdoor adult cats need the same protein amount?

Hi and thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! The recommendations on any pet food label for feeding amounts are based on the average need of a pet cat. So there is a chance that if Neo is expending more energy by going outdoors that he may need more of the food to keep up with his calorie needs. However, it is not a problem to feed an indoor formula to an indoor outdoor cat.

Cats need higher amounts of protein because they are obligate carnivores, and they should have 25-30% protein in their diet. As for carbs, the average dry food contains between 35-50% of carbs. Dried egg product is fine. I hope this helps!

By the book, an indoor cat should eat approximately 20 calories per pound to maintain body weight An outdoor cat has increased caloric requirements at 35 calories per pound. Kittens, due to their rapid growth, require many more calories than an adult cat. Published amounts are around 100 calories per pound but can be much more based on diet and activity.

As long as your cat is eating a diet that has undergone feeding trials or is formulated to meet AAFCO standards and is eating an amount of food in the range recommended in the feeding directions on the label for his weight, then he is likely getting enough protein. As long as he does not have any underlying liver and/or kidney problems it does not matter how much protein you feed him. Please know that feeding a diet that is higher in protein than cats need does not result in any health benefits. For a healthy cat, excess protein is unlikely to be harmful, either. The extra protein will just be broken down by the body and eliminated in the urine.

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! I think the Purina Pro Plan diets are very good and also affordable. Both dry and wet diets are equally good in general especially for younger cats. I prefer wet food in older cats when I am concerned about kidney disease just to increase the water content in the diet. Good luck and have a great day!

Any major brand name that has an indoor care cat food line would be good. So this would mean something like Purina indoor cat, pedigree, Hills or Royal Canin. If you want to change the food do so slowly as sudden food changes can cause diarrhea and inappetence in a cat. So gradually mix the new food in with their old food, increasing the amount of new food over about a week time.

The amount of calories is derived from a forumla that takes into account the current health status of your cat along with how active he is. Each food is formulated with a specific amount of calories. You can ask you vet to evaluate if his weight is appropriate right now or if he needs extra or restricted calories.