Grain Free Dry Food

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I am a returner to Cat Slavery , my previous cat was nearly 15 years ago (and she ate Arthurs and Iams)

I am feeding my two new arrivals on their regular food so as not to have too many changes but I have been reading on here about grain-free dried.

So - couple of questions if you don't mind :

Does grain include rice?
What are the benefits to the cat of grain free?
Do they need less of the grain free compared to cereal based?

Is there still the risk of bladder stones to my male cat ?

I'm feeding them pouches morning/night with some biscuits to pick at in the day. In the Summer though I will need to make sure the wet food isn't left out (flies ) so the dry food is probably more use then. At the moment we feed them before work and about 8pm , but our boy is still very shy so its a case of trying to distract the female so she doesn't quaff both bowls .

And any recommendations ?

Thank You in advance .

Yes grain includes rice. Cats don't need rice. Cats are carnivores so need meat not cheap grain fillers. I don't really measure it out so don't know if they need less. I would imagine food with grains have more carbs and could be more fattening.

I use Encore dry food from Asda - 80% meat
Have also used thrive dry from Amazon- 90% meat
Purizon from zooplus is 70% meat and my cats have also eaten that

I leave dry out and give wet food a couple of times a day

We have gone grain free with our lad. Our dear old girl had IBD and I didn't discover the problems food with grains can cause until she started having health issues. I've discovered a lot of foods do contain rice which yep counts as grains.
Advice seems to be to feed wet and dry but like all food things there are always differing opinions. I prefer to give ours a mix to help with water intake.
We give him Thrive wet and dry (the wet I get from Zooplus and the dry direct from Thrive). This isn't a cheap food compared to some but it seems decent quality and the wet is a complete rather than complementary food. The wet actually looks like what it is too. He has also had Lily's Kitchen wet and dry-this is cheaper but does have a lower meat content. He isn't a fussy eaters so would likely eat anything we gave him!

I use Iams vitality. It's the only food I've found that doesn't make Cheddar sick.

Mine likes Arden grange, it’s got potato in it but only a bit.

You can give half a pouch and put the rest in the fridge, I do that and I cover the dishes with a side plate if needed.

feeding to much of any dry food can increase the risk of stones balance is important.

Feed wet one of twice a day morning and evening.I feed mine wet in morning.Then i leave dry out during the day.I use tins add just enough that they will eat it and pop rest of ti in fridge.

this one is good no grain or rubbish just meat and nutrition

www.zooplus.co.uk/shop/cats/canned_cat_food_pouches/bozita/bozita_canned_cat_food/359330

for dry this one is good its a bulk buy.So i fill a cereal dispenser and gaffa tape the big bag

www.zooplus.co.uk/shop/cats/dry_cat_food/porta_21/porta21_feline_finest/170885

I bought them some Applaws to try, mixing it in a bit with their original biscuits, seems to have been accepted.

Also bought some HiLife pouches (grain free) but I'll wait to introduce them.

Mine loves biscuits but vomits on everything except Purina One sensitive, and as he's 17 in a few days and in excellent health I'm not too bothered now.

HiLife isn't complete IIRC, so should only be a small part of diet.

I use a SureFeed motion controlled feeder for wet food, the seal is excellent, keeps the flies off and keeps wet food fresh for longer.

Not all hi life is complimentary. Maybe you are thinking of applaws wet

Maybe it's changed demented, as I'm pretty sure it used to be.

They have both complete and complimentary food ranges

When I got them they were eating Whiskas pouches and Tesco biscuits , so I bought the same to carry on (too many changes at once would confuse them, I didn't want them refusing to eat too)

The biscuits are given after the wet food breakfast to pick at during the day if they want , then more wet foot at night .

I only bought 6 pouches of High Life so it's a gradual introduction and I'll see what works best for them.
They both drink water quite happily which is a relief.