A Cat’s Guide To Grain-Free Diets

 When it comes to choosing the right diet for our feline friends, we’re looking for food full of nutrition that’ll help our furry companions live long and happy lives. But with plenty of cat food options to choose from, it can be difficult to decide which one is best for our individual cat. Grain-free recipes seem to be a popular choice for many cat parents, but is it the right diet for your cat? We’ll help you decide. 

What is a Grain-Free Recipe Diet?

A grain-free recipe diet is one that doesn’t use any ingredients that are defined as grains. Grains are cultivated cereals and include wheat, maize, oats and barley. They are a primary energy food and a source of complex carbohydrates. 

 How to Know When to Feed a Grain-Free Recipe Diet?

If your cat has been diagnosed with a food allergy, sensitivity, IBD or other inflammatory conditions, a grain-free recipe diet may help.  
 
For healthy cats, however, there is no need to avoid grains. Cats can digest grains just fine. 

Cats are obligate carnivores (meaning they must eat meat or fish to live healthily). They don’t eat grains such as rice or wheat as part of their natural diet. However, this doesn’t mean that our four-legged friends should only exclusively eat meat. Although wild cats don’t eat grain, studies show that domestic cats can digest more than 95% of starches.  

What Would A Cat’s Natural Diet Be? 

A cat’s natural diet is meat and offal which is a reflection of their natural prey. Domestic cats have evolved from hunters who would eat large amounts of proteins as well as some fat and carbohydrates.  
 

What Kind of Grain-Free Recipes Should I Choose For My Cat?

If you have decided that you would like to feed your cat grain free recipe diet, look for nutritionally complete, grain-free recipes, made with natural ingredients. Many conventional dry cat foods usually contain a high proportion of carbohydrate because the manufacturing process requires the starch to help the kibble stick together; it acts like a glue. Grain-free dry foods are often produced in a more natural way, so no grains are needed for binding at all.

The information in this article is intended as a guide to help pets and pet parents on their journey together. It is provided for educational and informational purposes only and is not meant as a substitute for professional advice from a vet, behaviourist, trainer or other professional. We encourage all pet parents to consult with their vet and/or behaviourist to ensure their pet’s specific needs are met.

Updated on 17/02/2026