The Best Diet Cat Food in 2024

Maintaining a healthy weight is not always something cats can do on their own. Especially as they age, cats can often become overweight. This can pose a variety of health risks for cats including diabetes, joint pain, high blood pressures, difficulty breathing, and more.

Keeping your cat active is one way to manage their weight, but it is not always enough. Finding the a good diet food can decrease the caloric intake of your cat and get them to safely lose some fat.

We’ve collected the 6 best cat foods for this purpose available on the market today!

Top 6: Weight Management Cat Food Reviews

#	Preview	Product	Our Rating	Link	Price / Value
1		Hill's Science Dry Weight Control Cat Food	4.5/5	Check Today's Price	9.5/10
2		Blue Buffalo Weight Control Natural Adult Dry Cat Food	4.5/5	Check Today's Price	9.5/10
3		Iams Proactive Health Weight Control Dry Cat Food	4.5/5	Check Today's Price	9.5/10
4		Purina Pro Plan FOCUS Dry Diet Cat Food	4.5/5	Check Today's Price	9.5/10
5		Hill's Science Diet Canned Wet Cat Food	4/5	Check Today's Price	9.5/10
6		Blue Buffalo Wilderness Weight Control Dry Cat Food	4.5/5	Check Today's Price	9.5/10

Hill’s Science Diet Perfect Weight Formula has been shown to help over 70% of pets lose weight within the first 10 weeks of changing foods. This food has a caloric content of 300 kilocalories per cup. It is designed to support weight loss and healthy weight management, while also building lean muscle in your cat.

The formula of this option is also designed to keep your cat’s skin and coat healthy. It also works to ensure your cat has healthy and comfortable bowel movements.

This food includes ingredients that cats love, making it easier for you to change your kitty’s food. The formula contains a delicious blend of chicken and roasted vegetables. Antioxidants have also been added to the formula.

All of the ingredients found in this option are safe and natural to help you feel good about feeding it to your cat. Many cat foods are made outside of the United States, which means they have less regulation and may contain questionable ingredients or practices, but this option is proudly made in the United States. There are no artificial colors, flavors, or preservatives found in this food.

Hill’s Science Diet is a well-known and trusted brand. It is the number one veterinarian recommended brand, so you know they are a reputable company that makes safe and healthy food for your pets.

Takeaways

The Blue Buffalo Weight Control Cat Food is another healthy option you may want to consider for your feline friend. The formula contains a blend of calories and protein that is designed to help cats lose weight. Once your cat arrives at a healthy weight, you can also continue using this food to maintain their ideal weight.

The formula also includes omega 3 and omega 6 fatty acids. These ingredients were added to keep your cat’s coat and skin healthy and shiny.

Blue Buffalo’s proprietary Lifesource Bits are also included in this option. These bits have a special blend of vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants that support a cat’s immune system, oxidative balance, and specific life stage requirements.

Takeaways

Cats love the delicious chicken and turkey flavor of Iams Proactive Health Food. The formula of this option contains 10% less fat that Iams original food to help cats lose weight. However, the formula is still right in protein to support muscle development and make sure cats maintain the energy they need to be active.

The first ingredient in this food is chicken, and there are no fillers you need to worry about feeding your cat. You can feel good that you’re feeding your cat something healthy and delicious that can help them arrive at a healthier weight.

In addition to helping manage a cat’s weight, this option can also help reduce hairballs. It is made using a special blend of fiber and beet pulp that is designed to stop many hairballs from forming.

Takeaways

The Purina Pro Plan FOCUS Cat Food’s formula is designed to help your cat lose fat while still maintaining their lean muscle mass. The food contains 46% protein to make sure cats do not lose muscle as their lose weight. This is important in helping cats stay active and healthy.

This option has 20% less fat than Purina’s Adult Chicken and Rice Food. The formula is designed to help your cat safely reduce and maintain their weight.

To support other areas of your cat’s health beyond their weight, Purina added additional supplements and nutrients to this product. It contains natural prebiotic fiber to support a cat’s digestive health and antioxidants to keep their immune system healthy. Linoleic acid is also found in the food to help keep a cat’s skin and coat healthy.

Takeaways

If your cat prefers wet food, then you should consider Hill’s Science Diet Canned Wet Cat Food. This product has been shown to help many cats lose weight within 10 weeks of switching foods. After your cat has lost weight, you can continue feeding them this option to help them maintain their newfound healthy weight.

The formula contains ingredients designed to support the maintenance and development of lean muscles; cats that are fed this food may be able to increase their energy to help them live a move active lifestyle.

There are two different flavor options to choose from. You can select either Liver and Chicken or Roasted Vegetable and Chicken, depending on your cat’s preferences.

Takeaways

Finally, consider switching to Blue Buffalo Wilderness Weight Control Food. This is a grain-free option that is designed to help cats lose weight and maintain a healthy weight. The formula includes high amount of protein from real chicken that help cats build lean muscle mass.

This product is made using safe and natural ingredients that cats love. There are no by-product meals, wheat, corn, soy, artificial preservatives, or artificial flavors found in this option.

Blue Buffalo has also added their signature Lifesource Bits to this cat food. The Lifesource bits are designed to provide support to a cat’s immune system, oxidative balances, and specific life stage needs. Holistic veterinarians and animal nutritionists worked together to develop a blend of vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants that deliver these benefits to your cat.

Takeaways

Buying Guide

Many times, cats need our help maintaining a healthy weight. We can help them by playing with them more and keeping them more active. Another important thing to do is to switch their food to a formula specifically designed to help cats lose and maintain weight.

Before selecting a new cat food for your kitty, it is important to know what to look for. We have developed a short buying guide to help make it easier for you to select the right food to meet your cat’s specific needs and health requirements.

Caloric Content

Just as humans need to decrease the number of calories they consume if they’re looking to shed weight, the same is true for any other mammal. Diet foods should have fewer calories than regular cat foods on the market. But don’t overdo it right from the start: make sure you use kitten food for your youngest cat friends.

Most options still allow your cat to eat a ‘normal’ serving of food, so they’ll still feel full and satisfied. There are just fewer calories in the food they consume.

Ingredients

Selecting a cat food with quality and safe ingredients is an important step when looking for a new food for your kitty. Organic food is a good first step but diet food goes further. Try to find options that are made using natural ingredients and avoid options made with artificial ingredients. Natural ingredients are safer and healthier for cats and can reduce the changes of them developing other issues due to receiving poor nutrition.

One instinct some people have is to go for a low carb cat food. We think this is because people think of the low-carb diet for humans and assume they should do the same for cats. But it’s better to stick with diet foods instead, as they are specifically made for that goal in mind!

Some diet cat foods you see may contain more fillers and artificial ingredients since they have fewer calories than other options. But this is not the only way to reduce the calories in a food, so don’t think it is your only option to help your cat lose weight.

Nutrients

Quality cat foods contain the essential nutrients your cat needs to lose weight and life a healthy life. Protein- and fiber-rich food with a reduced fat content can aid in getting a healthy weight.

You also want to look for nutrients that promote the overall health of your cat, not just help them lose weight. Added antioxidants can help keep a cat’s immune system healthy. Omega 3 and 6 fatty acids are another important ingredient to help a cat’s skin and coat stay healthy.

If your cat has a problem with hairballs, you can also find food options that are designed to reduce that. These foods contain special nutrients, such as fiber and beet pulp, that can stop many hairballs from forming and becoming a problem for your cat.

Taste

Finally, you’ll want to consider the taste of each food. While you obviously can’t determine that before making a selection, look for ingredients and flavors that you know your cat enjoys. It may take a little while for your cat to accept the taste of a new food, so don’t fret if they don’t seem to enjoy it right away.

How to Transition Your Cat to a New Food.

When switching your cat’s food, it is important slowly mix the new food in with their old food. Making the change too fast, could lead to diarrhea or vomiting. If that happens, your cat might be allergic, too, in which case you might want to have her checked out and consider hypoallergenic food options.

Transitioning from one food to another should ideally take between 7 and 10 days. The first few days, start by giving your cat about 80 percent of their old food and 20 percent new food. Every few days, slowly increase the amount of the new food and decrease the amount of the old food until your cat is only eating their new food.

While transitioning foods, you still want your cat to be consuming the same total amount of food. So, if they are used to eating half-a-cup of food at a time, the total quantity of the two foods added together should always equal half-a-cup. If your cat is diabetic, better stick to the top diabetic food for cats to be safe.

As your cat is transitioning to their new food, be sure to closely monitor them. If they start having diarrhea or vomiting, you may not be giving them enough time to adjust to the new food. Every cat’s system is different, and some are more sensitive than others. If you notice vomiting or diarrhea, make the transition more gradual over a longer period of time.