The 12 Best Weight Loss Foods For Cats In 2025, With Advice From Vets

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The best weight loss cat foods are packed with nutritious ingredients to support a healthy weight.

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Your cat can lose weight safely with a specially formulated food. The best weight loss foods for cats are typically low in calories and fat and contain more nutrients per serving compared to other formulas. Many cat foods for weight loss also contain extra fiber, which helps cats feel full even when they're eating less.

For this guide, we consulted with veterinarians to determine what to look for in foods for overweight cats. Two of our top picks are Hill's Science Diet Perfect Weight Roasted Vegetable and Chicken Medley wet food and Royal Canin Weight Care Adult Dry Cat Food. These foods contain ingredients that burn fat and promote a sense of fullness. All of the picks that follow meet or exceed the Association of American Feed Control Officials (AAFCO) standards and align with the Global Nutrition Guidelines published by the World Small Animal Veterinary Association (WSAVA). These standards and guidelines are recommended by all of the veterinarians we've interviewed.

It's important to understand that cats can gain excess weight for several reasons, including age, limited mobility, consuming too many calories, or a lack of mental and physical exercise. And while spaying or neutering your cat is essential for their health, it can lead to weight gain over time. If your cat is overweight, your vet can calculate their daily calorie needs and may recommend a weight management food. Properly portioning your cat's food can also help them maintain a healthy weight, but simply cutting down the amount you feed them can be dangerous. A smaller serving may not provide all the nutrients your cat needs, says Dr. Mark Freeman, a veterinarian and assistant professor of community practice at Virginia-Maryland College of Veterinary Medicine.

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Highlights for the best weight loss foods for cats

Best overall wet: Hill's Science Diet Perfect Weight Roasted Vegetable and Chicken Medley - See at Chewy

Best overall dry: Royal Canin Weight Care Adult Dry Cat Food - See at Chewy

Best budget wet: Purina One Ideal Weight White Meat Chicken Recipe - See at Chewy

Best budget dry: Purina One +Plus High Protein Chicken - See at Chewy

Best for seniors: Iams ProActive Health Healthy Senior Chicken Recipe - See at Chewy

Best wet overall

These wet foods from Hill's, Purina, and Royal Canin contain beneficial ingredients you'll find in the best weight loss food for cats.

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Wet food contains a lot of water: 75% to 78% moisture compared to 10% to 12% water in dry food. This is significant because cats prefer to get most of their hydration from their food rather than drinking water, says Dr. Deb Zoran, a small animal internist, nutritionist, and professor at Texas A&M University. What's more, the water in canned food helps fill cats up, even when they consume fewer calories. 

Because wet and dry cat foods have different amounts of water, you'll need to convert the wet food values to a dry matter basis to compare the nutritional content. This means you remove all the moisture from the wet food and then calculate the nutritional values based on the remaining solids. We contact the manufacturers of all our picks for the best cat foods to get their nutritional profiles on a dry matter basis. If you'd like to compare recipes for dry foods with wet foods not listed in this guide, you can use these directions from the Cummings Veterinary Medical Center at Tufts University, call the food manufacturer, or ask your vet for help.

Our picks for the best and healthiest wet cat foods for weight loss have added fiber from ingredients like powdered cellulose. More fiber can help your cat stay full for longer, so it may help keep them from meowing for more food between meals. The recommendations below also contain L-carnitine, an amino acid that helps the body burn fat for energy and may help with weight loss.

Best dry overall

Royal Canin and Farmina make excellent dry weight loss foods for cats.

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Your veterinarian might recommend dry food that contains salt for weight control. Salt may seem like a strange ingredient, but Freeman says pet food brands add salt to encourage your cat to drink more water. "It's another mechanism to help pets feel full and reduce food consumption," he says. 

Calorie control also plays a major role in weight loss. Even so, cat treats are still important for bonding with your cat and rewarding them, says Dr. Julie Churchill, a veterinary nutritionist and professor of nutrition at the University of Minnesota College of Veterinary Medicine. She suggests using a portion of your cat's kibble as a treat. This way, you can give them a few small pieces of a complete and balanced food without disrupting their diet.

Our picks for the best and healthiest dry cat food for weight loss contain soluble and insoluble fiber sources like beet pulp, oats, psyllium seed husk, and inulin, which can come from chicory root or Jerusalem artichoke. Soluble fibers absorb water and form a gel in the stomach, slowing digestion while helping cats feel full. Insoluble fibers add bulk to your cat's stool and help keep their digestive system healthy. Our picks also contain fish oil, a source of omega-3 fatty acids, which can help improve joint health and relieve inflammation. This may help ease joint pain caused by stress on the joints from excess weight.

Best budget wet

Purina and Blue Buffalo make the best budget-friendly wet cat foods for weight loss.

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Along with added moisture, many wet cat foods contain carbohydrate sources that can help your cat lose weight or maintain a healthy weight. For instance, Tufts University says complex carbohydrates such as brown rice and whole corn are more fiber-rich than other carbohydrates. They can help your cat feel full for longer. Our experts recommend whole, complex carbohydrates over processed carbohydrates such as flour and meals. This is because cats use more energy to break whole carbs down, says Dr. Korinn Saker, a retired veterinary nutritionist who was associate professor of clinical nutrition at the North Carolina State University College of Veterinary Medicine. 

Our budget picks for the best budget-friendly cat foods for weight loss include fiber to help your cat feel full and L-carnitine to help them burn fat. If wet food still feels too pricey (it tends to be more expensive per serving than dry food), you can ask your vet for help creating a meal plan that mixes wet and dry food. Zoran says she offers her cats wet food to keep them hydrated, but also incorporates a small amount of dry food in feeder puzzles. This helps slow her cats' eating by making them work for their food, which can help them feel more satisfied and promote weight loss. You can learn more about the differences between canned food and kibble in our wet vs. dry cat food explainer.

Best budget dry

For healthy weight loss dry cat food, we like these recipes from Purina and Merrick.

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Budget dry food is a good option for cat owners looking for an affordable way to help their cat lose weight. Both budget and premium weight loss cat foods may contain cost-effective protein sources like meat byproducts and byproduct meals. These are secondary ingredients from the human food industry, but they meet the nutritional requirements for pets set by the AAFCO. Our experts agree that byproducts and meals make good protein sources for cats. 

Cats are obligate carnivores, meaning they need animal-based proteins for essential amino acids like taurine. Budget dry cat foods can meet your cat's dietary needs as long as proteins in the form of whole meat, meat meal, or byproducts come first on the ingredient list.

Our budget picks for the best weight loss foods for cats are low in calories and fat, like our other recommendations in this guide. They contain proteins such as deboned chicken and turkey meal. Our pick from Purina also contains L-lysine, an amino acid that supports the immune system and may boost a cat's resistance to certain viruses.

Best for seniors

Iams, Royal Canin, and Blackwood make specially formulated food that can help senior cats lose weight.

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Senior cats are more likely to develop health problems, especially if they are overweight. Churchill says maintaining a healthy weight can add years to a pet's life, improve their quality of life, and delay many chronic diseases that occur with aging.

When choosing among the best senior cat foods, it's important to work with your veterinarian to determine your pet's specific needs. Some cats may require a diet with lower levels of phosphorus, sodium, or protein, while others may benefit from a high-protein diet. Many senior cat foods, such as the ones below, also contain ingredients like fish oil, glucosamine, and chondroitin that can help improve mobility and reduce inflammation. Our senior picks also contain cranberries and blueberries. These ingredients provide antioxidants, which can help keep a cat's liver, kidneys, and brain healthy.

What to look for in cat foods for weight loss

When shopping for the best weight loss foods for cats, you'll want to consider the following criteria: 

AAFCO nutritional adequacy statement for adult maintenance or all life stages: The AAFCO is a nonprofit organization that provides nutritional guidelines for pet food. An AAFCO statement indicates that a food meets the nutritional needs of cats based on their life stage. You can confirm a cat food is nutritionally complete and balanced for "adult maintenance" or "all life stages" if it has an AAFCO nutritional adequacy statement on the label. 

Keep in mind that cat food will only meet your cat's nutritional needs when served in the right portions. Giving your cat a smaller portion could lead to a nutritional deficiency, while overfeeding them may lead to weight gain, especially if they don't get much activity. 

Growing kittens need more calories and nutrients than adult cats so we recommend the best kitten foods for young felines. Therefore, weight management foods don't make a good choice for kittens, even if the food is labeled for "all life stages." If you have any concerns about your kitten's weight, consult a vet before you change their diet or feed them smaller portions. As your cat nears their first birthday, your vet can evaluate their weight and how many calories they should consume daily. 

Guaranteed analysis and nutrient profiles: The guaranteed analysis on a pet food label shows the percentages of important nutrients, including protein, fat, fiber, and other essential vitamins and minerals. Food for adult cats, including seniors, must have a minimum of 26% protein and 9% fat. Our experts say it's important to carefully examine the guaranteed analysis of protein, fat, and fiber percentages to ensure the recipe meets your cat's needs. The best weight loss foods for cats generally contain low to moderate fat and high fiber. 

Ingredients list: The ingredients on a pet food label appear in order of weight. As obligate carnivores, cats must eat diets made up of animal-based proteins. So, animal proteins in the form of whole meat, meat meal, or animal byproducts should appear first on the ingredients list of any cat food. To add fiber to your cat's diet and keep them feeling full between meals, opt for recipes with whole complex carbohydrates such as whole corn, whole brown rice, oats, and inulin. Sources of inulin you may notice on cat food labels include chicory root and, less commonly, Jerusalem artichoke.

Expert formulations: Expert formulation is even more important when it comes to weight loss diets since the best weight loss foods for cats are developed to provide more nutrients per serving, with fewer calories. We only recommend food from brands that employ a full-time board-certified veterinary nutritionist or a PhD-level animal nutritionist. This helps ensure your cat's food meets nutritional recommendations and includes the right ingredients for cats. It also aligns with the WSAVA guidelines and our experts' guidance.

Manufacturing standards: We expect commercial cat food brands to be transparent about their quality control measures. This means providing information about the types of tests they conduct, how often they test, and the results of those tests. If this information doesn't appear on a pet food company's website, brand representatives should provide the information upon request.

Calorie content: The calorie content of cat food is listed in kilocalories (kcals). Weight management foods generally have fewer calories per serving but are nutrient-dense to meet nutritional needs. However, the calorie needs of adult cats can vary depending on their age, ideal weight, and overall health. Our experts emphasize the importance of switching to a weight management diet instead of just giving your cat less food. Your vet can recommend the best weight loss cat foods and the right portion size for your cat. When a pet is only a little overweight — 10% to 15% — a successful approach to weight loss may involve switching to a lower-calorie food and adjusting treats and snacks, combined with increased exercise, Churchill says. Pets more than 15% heavier than their ideal weight are considered obese and may benefit from a prescription weight loss diet.

Vets can use a scale and the body condition scoring (BCS) system to assess your cat's weight and body fat. Your vet will consider your cat's lifestyle, ideal weight, and overall health to recommend the ideal number of daily calories your cat should eat. You can ask your vet to teach you how to use the BCS system to check your cat's body fat at home between wellness visits. Churchill says that frequent monitoring of your cat's weight is important since it allows veterinarians to fine-tune caloric intake and ensure that weight loss stays safe and healthy. She adds that cats should lose weight gradually, at a rate of 1% to 2% of their body weight per week.

How we selected the best weight loss foods for cats

To pick the best weight loss foods for cats, we consulted four veterinarians, including three specializing in animal nutrition. Our experts didn't recommend specific foods, but they helped us determine what makes an effective weight loss food and how to ensure your cat loses weight in a safe and healthy way.

Dr. Deb Zoran is a board-certified small animal internist, nutritionist, and professor of small animal clinical sciences at the School of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, Texas A&M University. 

Dr. Korinn Saker is a board-certified veterinarian, a distinguished member of the American College of Veterinary Nutrition, and a professor of clinical nutrition at the College of Veterinary Medicine, North Carolina State University. 

Dr. Julie Churchill is a board-certified veterinary nutritionist and a professor of nutrition at the University of Minnesota College of Veterinary Medicine. 

Dr. Mark Freeman is a board-certified veterinarian and assistant professor of community practice at Virginia-Maryland College of Veterinary Medicine. 

We also consulted guidelines and recommendations from the AAFCO, the WSAVA Global Nutrition Guidelines, and other publications and organizations linked in this guide.

Weight loss cat food FAQs

What is the best food for cats to lose weight?

The best weight loss foods for cats are formulated for and labeled as "weight management," "weight loss," or "healthy weight" cat food. Weight management cat foods typically have less calories and fat and more nutrients per serving than regular cat food. However, there is no single best food for all overweight cats. The ideal food for your cat will depend on their individual needs, age, ideal weight, and overall health. That's why it's important to consult your vet before making changes to your cat's diet. They can help you choose the right food and develop a safe and effective weight loss plan for your cat.

Is wet or dry cat food better for weight loss?

While both wet and dry weight loss cat foods can help your cat lose weight, wet cat food is generally better for weight loss than dry food. Wet cat food contains fewer calories per bite, more moisture to promote a feeling of fullness, and often includes complex carbohydrates, such as brown rice and whole grain corn, which take longer to digest.

According to Dr. Liza Cahn, a veterinarian and consultant for Embrace Pet Insurance, dry food is usually more calorie-dense, which makes it easier for cats to overeat, especially if free-fed. The carbs in kibble often come from processed flours and meals, which don't tend to keep cats feeling full for long. However, a lower-calorie, high-fiber dry cat food can still support weight loss if carefully portioned. Regardless of diet type, your cat also needs regular exercise through play and enrichment to lose weight.

What is the best way for an indoor cat to lose weight?

The best way for a cat to lose weight is by combining a balanced diet with portion control and exercise. A weight management diet plays an important role in weight loss, but food is just one of the pillars of an effective weight loss plan for cats. Freeman stresses the importance of portion control. He and his team provide pet parents with a carefully calibrated measuring cup for dispensing food. Churchill recommends using a kitchen scale to measure portions accurately. Keep in mind that treats also count toward your cat's daily calories. Because treats are typically empty calories, which means they're not complete and balanced, Churchill recommends giving your cat a small portion of their meal as a reward instead. Exercise is also essential, especially for indoor cats, since it burns calories and helps keep cats from getting bored. Churchill recommends offering food from a feeder puzzle, and all of our experts agree that cat trees and perches are important additions to your home.

How much should I feed a cat that needs to lose weight?

Your veterinarian can help you calculate the right amount of calories your cat should eat based on their age, health, and body condition. As a starting point, pet parents can also use the Pet Nutrition Alliance Calorie Calculator to estimate daily calories based on their cat's current and ideal weight. Churchill says that for obese cats (15% to 20% overweight), simply feeding less of a regular diet can cause nutritional deficiencies, so your vet may instead recommend a therapeutic weight loss diet.

How long should it take a cat to lose weight?

Cats should lose weight slowly, about 1% to 2% of their body weight per week, Churchill says. This gradual weight loss helps prevent health issues such as muscle loss and hepatic lipidosis, a potentially fatal liver disease. Hepatic lipidosis, also called fatty liver disease, can occur when a cat's food intake decreases so rapidly that they are in a state of anorexia. The body responds by sending fat stores to the liver. However, the liver can't process such large amounts of fat, so it builds up in the liver cells, which causes irreversible damage. While roughly 90% of cases are linked to underlying conditions such as kidney disease, cancer, or diabetes, rapid calorie restriction for weight loss can also cause fatty liver disease, according to the Association for Pet Obesity Prevention. Being obese also puts cats at greater risk of developing fatty liver disease.

Do slow feeders help cats lose weight?

Yes, slow feeders can help cats lose weight. Slow feeders and puzzles allow cats to mimic natural hunting and foraging behaviors, keeping them mentally stimulated and reducing boredom, which can lead to extra eating or begging. Some slow feeders and puzzles, such as the Catit Senses Food Tree, encourage movement by requiring a cat to sit up, reach, or circle the feeder to get food. Others, such as food-dispensing balls, require cats to push the toy to release kibble. Even when using slow feeders and puzzles, it's crucial to properly measure and portion out meals.