Best cat food for sedentary indoor cats

A sedentary indoor Tonkinese putting on weight is a really common problem — small flat, no hunting, minimal movement, and most commercial dry foods are calorie-dense enough to tip the balance quickly. Cats are obligate carnivores with specific nutritional needs many foods don't fully meet, and wet food is generally far better than dry for hydration, which matters enormously for long-term kidney health. To point you in the right direction: does your Tonkinese have any health issues or known sensitivities, and what are you currently feeding — dry, wet, or a mix?

That's very typical — dry food is calorie-dense and easy to overfeed, and cats don't compensate by drinking more water the way dogs do, so kidney stress builds quietly over time. Switching to wet food addresses both the weight issue and hydration in one move. How many times a day are you feeding her, and are you free-feeding or giving set meals?

It's one of the most common mistakes with indoor cats — free-feeding dry food means they graze all day with no natural off-switch, and the calories add up fast. Structured meals with wet food give you direct control over intake, and cats tend to feel more satisfied after a proper protein-rich meal than after grazing on kibble. For a 2-year-old indoor cat who needs to lose a little weight without feeling deprived, I'd recommend Royal Canin Indoor 27 dry food isn't the answer here — switch her to Royal Canin Instinctive in Gravy wet pouches, two measured meals a day. It's formulated specifically for adult cats, high in animal protein, moderate in calories, and the gravy format keeps her well hydrated. Start with two 85g pouches a day and adjust based on how her weight tracks over 4–6 weeks.

Some are fussy, but most adapt within a week or two if you transition gradually — mix a small amount of wet food in with her dry for the first few days, then shift the ratio over about ten days until she's fully on wet. Tonkinese are generally curious, social cats and tend to be less rigid than something like a Persian. The bigger hurdle is yours — sticking to set mealtimes instead of topping up the bowl. Take the dry food away completely once you've transitioned. That's the single most important change.

Not at this stage. Royal Canin Instinctive wet pouches are nutritionally complete, so no supplements needed. If her weight doesn't shift after six to eight weeks on structured wet meals, go back to the vet — occasionally there's a thyroid or metabolic factor worth ruling out, but for most young indoor cats simply switching from free-fed dry to portioned wet food does the job. Keep it simple first.