Maybe it was the thick, plush coat, the chubby cheeks, or his quiet, friendly demeanor that first drew your towards the British Shorthair.
Or maybe it was the appearance of the breed in Alice in Wonderland.
No matter what first attracted you to British Shorthair cats and made you bring one home, be sure you are feeding him right so that he can be your companion for many years to come.
The best cat food for British Shorthair cats is one that is complete and balanced with high protein to maintain his impressive muscle mass.
In this article, we’re going to review the following cat food for British Shorthair:
- Purina Pro Plan Focus Indoor (BEST OVERALL)
- Purina ONE Healthy Metabolism
- Hill’s Science Diet Indoor
- Orijen Fit&Trim
- Royal Canin British Shorthair
Being one of the larger domestic breeds, British Shorthairs also require a food that is low in calories and fat to ward excess weight gain and to better fit the caloric needs of their relaxed lifestyle.
After all, lounging on your lap doesn’t require a lot of energy.
Some other special requirements that your British Shorthair needs addressed through diet is their luxurious hair coat.
Thick, soft, and constantly shedding, this hair coat needs omega fatty acids to stay healthy and shiny and some hairball control wouldn’t hurt to keep his digestive system hair free.
The constant shedding can take a toll on his skin as well and foods without the right amount of omega fatty acids can leave it dry and flaky.
Being big, stocky, stout cats can be hard on joints and bones.
Since most British Shorthairs aren’t inclined to exercise except in short, powerful bursts, extra omega fatty acids can really help relieve inflammation and improve joint health and function.
Maintaining a healthy weight will also help joint health and prevent arthritis.
So what foods have all of this?
Read on to find out the best cat foods for British Shorthair cats.
The 5 Best Cat Food for British Shorthair Reviews
1. Purina Pro Plan Focus Indoor Cat Food for British Shorthair
With high protein at 40%, moderate fat, omega fatty acids and natural fiber, Purina Pro Plan FOCUS Indoor is one of the best cat foods for British Shorthair cats.
It is lower in calories than most adult cat foods yet still contains high protein for muscle maintenance and energy.
With all the proper omega fatty acids, antioxidants and probiotics, Pro Plan Indoor formula will help make your British Shorthair healthy overall.
A major benefit of this food is the high protein and low calories.
This will help keep your British Shorthair trim and muscular without extra poundage.
The protein will provide the energy she needs for those short spurts of activity and the omega fatty acids will help keep her coat shiny and soft and her joints less achy.
It comes in two flavors, turkey and salmon, so you should be able to find a flavor that she will love.
There is also a Shredded Blend version that has bits of real shredded meat in it if she needs a little enticing.
Some kitties just won’t eat this food.
I don’t know if any other flavor options were tried with these cats or not.
Unfortunately, it doesn’t matter how high quality the food is, if the kitty won’t eat it, it can’t do any good.
With turkey and salmon being two very different flavors, chances are most cats will like either one or the other.
Also, the Shredded Blends might be worth a try for the pickier ones.
Purina Pro Plan FOCUS Indoor is a good option of cat food for your British Shorthair.
It provides the high protein and low calories needed to maintain a healthy weight and prevent disease like diabetes and arthritis.
It also has the omega fatty acids to keep that coat soft and pettable and her skin healthy.
2. Purina ONE Healthy Metabolism Cat Food
This food may have well have been made just for British Shorthair cats.
It is high in protein at 42% while being low in fat and calories.
Purina ONE Healthy Metabolism is also high in omega fatty acids and L-carnitine, which helps convert fat to energy.
So you’re really hitting the weight management aspect as well as the joint health and skin and coat health.
If you’re not looking for weight loss with your kitty don’t worry, you can just adjust the food amount as needed for weight maintenance.
Purina ONE Healthy Metabolism is one of the best cat foods for British Shorthair cats because of the excellent quality of the ingredients.
Purina says ‘no fillers’ which means all of the ingredients can be utilized by your kitty with less waste.
That’s a definite plus when it comes time to clean the litter box.
This food should also be great at getting to and then maintaining a healthy weight.
The high amounts omega fatty acids will keep his hair and skin healthy as well as keep his joints in tip-top shape.
Some cats don’t like this food.
With turkey being the only flavor available, poultry hating kitties might be out.
Offering other flavor options would be a good move to ensure that every kitty gets to experience what this food can do for them.
If your British Shorthair has trouble turning down an extra helping or likes to lay around more than most, this may be the food for you.
With the high protein and low calories, it will make getting to and maintaining a healthy weight a breeze.
The other little additions like omega fatty acids and antioxidants will make your kitty a well-rounded, healthy pet.
3. Hill’s Science Diet Indoor Cat Diet British Shorthair
Now this is low calorie, so it might be best for kitties that have a proven weight problem.
It’s not as high in protein as others but it still definitely adequate for muscle maintenance and energy.
British Shorthairs will like the fiber content to help keep their systems clear of hairballs, yet overall the food is highly digestible to save you some on your litter box cleaning.
Hill’s Science Diet Indoor formula is one of the best cat foods for British Shorthair cats because it is specially formulated to maintain a healthy weight.
With low calories and high protein, your kitty will keep off the unwanted fat, not the necessary muscle.
Healthy weights contribute to prevention of diseases like diabetes and arthritis.
The fiber content will help with hairballs, while the digestibility will help you when it comes time to clean the litter box.
Some kitties experienced some digestive upset when switching to Hill’s Science Diet Indoor.
This could have been due to a food sensitivity or they weren’t properly acclimated to it.
If your British Shorthair has a sensitive tummy, you might want to look into a different low calorie, high protein food.
It only comes in chicken flavor, which can be an issue for those that don’t care for chicken.
This is a great food to keep your British Shorthair cat lean and trim without losing muscle mass.
Hill’s Science Diet Indoor also contains all of the necessary antioxidants and omega fatty acids for immune system and skin and coat health.
It only comes in chicken flavor though, which could be an issue for kitties with sensitivities to chicken or those that just don’t like it.
4. Orijen Fit&Trim Cat Diet
Orijen is one of the ‘freshest’ dry kibbles you can find.
This is because 2/3 of the meat is fresh or flash frozen.
It is very high in protein and very low in carbohydrates making it an excellent food for those weight challenged or overweight inclined kitties like the British Shorthair.
It is also very rich in the omega fatty acids and antioxidants your kitty needs for overall health.
The ingredients list on this food is amazing, making it one of the best cat foods for British Shorthair.
The first 10 ingredients look like a human grade menu with whole meats, fish, and eggs.
All that meat supplies the 44% protein that will keep your British Shorthair lean and muscular.
It’s not as high in fiber as some of the indoor cat foods, but it is still adequate and should help somewhat with hairball control.
Some pet owners and kitties alike have had trouble with the smell.
While not necessarily a bad smell, it can be overwhelming.
All that meat packs a punch leaving a strong aroma at feeding time.
That strong not-so-bad smell equates to a strong bad smell when it comes to litter boxes.
So beware if you have multiple cats in your home, this could be a problem.
Orijen Fit & Trim is a great quality food for your British Shorthair.
The high quality protein is plentiful while the carbohydrates are low meaning your kitty should have an easier time of staying lean even without too much exercise.
The abundance of omega fatty acids will help keep joints healthy and skin and coat shiny and soft.
Just be ready for some different smells, both different and possibly bad.
5. Royal Canin British Shorthair Cat Food
Now this food IS made especially for British Shorthair cats.
Royal Canin did their research and found exactly what your British Shorthair needs and expects from a cat food, even right down to the kibble shape.
They made it high in protein, low in calories, high in omega fatty acids to promote healthy weights, skin, coat, and joints.
The kibble is bigger and shaped so that a British Shorthair’s large jaw can easily get a hold of and chew it while supporting dental hygiene.
Obviously the major plus to this food is that it is designed with this breed in mind.
No other cat food brand is going to have this kibble shape that makes it easier for your British Shorthair to grab.
It also includes a little extra taurine, EPA, and DHA for supporting heart muscle in these heavy-weight kitties.
The high protein and low calories keeps your kitty’s weight in check to increase longevity and decrease diseases like diabetes and arthritis.
While this food is formulated especially for British Shorthair cats, it doesn’t contain the highest quality protein that other brands do.
The first ingredient is dehydrated poultry meat, which isn’t very specific.
Other brands list whether the meat is turkey or chicken and if it’s whole, byproduct or meal.
While this diet may be highly digestible, I’m still curious about the specifics.
Royal Canin is known for producing very specialized products like breed specific formulas.
For British Shorthairs they created a diet that is very specific to their needs.
This diet provides the protein and calorie content to maintain a healthy weight, while also providing the essential omega fatty acids to keep their plush coat plush.
It seems Royal Canin thought of everything except to be more specific on the ingredients going into it.
Conclusion:
You may have noticed that most of these food listed are indoor formulations.
That is because most indoor recipes are created with a less active, more prone to weight gain cat in mind.
There is usually some hairball control in there as well since our housecats tend to be heavy groomers.
This doesn’t mean that an outdoor British Shorthair cat wouldn’t still benefit from an indoor cat food.
Even most outdoor British Shorthairs will prefer to lounge in a sunbeam than to race up and down the street just because he can.
Just be sure to keep tabs on your kitty’s weight and adjust as needed.
When it comes to feeding your kitty, the best cat foods for British Shorthair cats combine high quality protein, low calories, lots of good omega fatty acids, and vitamins to keep your pal trim, soft and shiny, and pain free.
Always be sure to have fresh, clean water available.
Hopefully this list helped to give you some insight into the nutritional requirements of your British Shorthair and helped you to find a quality food to keep him healthy and you both happy.
