How to choose dry cat foods
Look for "complete and balanced"
Every food here carries an AAFCO nutritional adequacy statement. Check that it matches your pet's life stage (growth, adult maintenance or all life stages) and, for puppies, whether it covers large breeds. WSAVA also prefers foods proven by feeding trials over those balanced on paper only.
Ask who makes it
The World Small Animal Veterinary Association says the most useful quality signals aren't on the bag: a qualified nutritionist on staff, the company making its own food, real quality control, and published research. That's our 25-point nutrition standards score.
Check the recall record
A single minor recall isn't a deal-breaker, but repeated serious ones (wrong vitamin levels, pathogens) say something about a company's checks. Every recall we count links to its FDA or company notice.
Compare by calories, not by bag
Foods range from about 300 to over 500 kcal per cup, so price per bag is misleading. We compare dry food by cost per 1,000 kcal. Use our cat food calculator to turn calories into cups.
Switch slowly
Move to a new food over about 7 days, mixing in a little more each day, to avoid an upset stomach.
Questions
What is the best dry cat food in 2026?
Of the 15 best-selling dry cat foods we graded, Friskies Seafood Sensations scores highest at 94/100 (grade A). Runners-up: Purina Cat Chow (91), Purina ONE (89).
What is the cheapest dry cat food we graded?
Friskies Seafood Sensations, at $0.55 per 1,000 kcal. It grades A (94/100).
Which dry cat foods have had recalls recently?
None of the brands we graded had a recall of this kind of product in the last five years. Each product page lists the recalls with links to the notices.
Which dry cat foods meet WSAVA guidelines?
WSAVA doesn't certify brands, but it lists questions to ask a pet food maker. Based on answers given to the Pet Nutrition Alliance, the makers of Fancy Feast, Friskies, Hill's Science Diet, Iams, Kit & Kaboodle, Purina Cat Chow, Purina ONE, Purina Pro Plan, Royal Canin meet all of them. The makers of Wellness Complete Health didn't answer.
Brands in this list: 9Lives, Blue Buffalo, Fancy Feast, Friskies, Hill's Science Diet, Iams, Instinct, Kit & Kaboodle, Meow Mix, Purina Cat Chow, Purina ONE, Purina Pro Plan, Rachael Ray Nutrish, Royal Canin, Wellness Complete Health.