11 Best Cat Foods for Bengals in 2024 – Reviews & Top Picks

Bengals are energetic, playful, and most importantly, large felines that need a diet that can match their energetic and active lifestyles. These powerful and muscular cats are certainly not couch potatoes and enjoy spending their days playing, climbing, and stalking around your home. Some Bengal owners even report that these cats love swimming too!

Therefore, you want to give your Bengal a nutritious and tasty diet that can provide them with the nutrients they need to support their active lifestyle. With all the various foods available on the market, this can be a challenge at times, and it can also be confusing to find the right food for your feline friend.

Luckily, you’ve come to the right place! We created this list of 11 of our favorite foods for Bengals, complete with in-depth reviews, to help you choose the best foods for your Bengal cat. Let’s dive in!

A Quick Comparison of Our Winners in 2024

	Image	Product	Details
Best Overall		Smalls Fresh Bird Cat Food	Uses human grade meat Contains plenty of nutrients to keep your Bengal healthy Simple subscription service	Click to Save 40% Use code: PetKeen24
Budget Buy		Purina ONE Tender Selects Blend Real Salmon Dry Cat Food	Inexpensive Salmon is the first-listed ingredient Contains crunchy kibble and tender morsels	Check Price
		Blue Buffalo Wilderness Chicken Recipe Dry Cat Food	Premium protein from deboned chicken High protein content overall Contains healthy carbohydrates	Check Price
		Royal Canin Bengal Adult Dry Cat Food	High protein content Added prebiotics Contains essential omega fatty acids	Check Price
		Purina ONE Healthy Kitten Formula Dry Cat Food	Specially formulated for kittens High protein content primarily from chicken Added DHA	Check Price

The 10 Best Cat Foods for Bengals

1. Smalls Fresh Bird Cat Food – Best Overall

Although they are all obligate carnivores, every cat is different. Some cats are naturally more energetic than others. Some need help with poor gut health, and others might need food that helps to improve skin and coat condition. While some foods claim to meet these requirements, Smalls Fresh Bird Cat Food is tailor-made to meet the exact needs of your cat.

The Bengal is large, sleek, and muscular, and they are also known to have strong cravings for meat. It is a natural hunter. With a Smalls subscription, you complete a questionnaire about your cat, including information on whether it is an indoor or outdoor cat, whether it has any known sensitivities or allergies, and whether it has any existing health conditions, and you receive food that is tailored to your feline’s specific needs.

The food’s primary ingredients differ according to the flavor and your cat’s specific needs, but the bird recipe features skin-on chicken thigh, chicken heart, chicken liver, green beans, peas, and kale as its main ingredients, making it one of the best overall cat foods for Bengals.

As is usual with fresh food, especially those recipes with high-quality ingredients, Smalls is more expensive than most foods and it does need to be stored carefully until fed.

The Purina ONE Tender Selects dry cat food with real salmon is the best cat food for Bengals for the money. With tender salmon as the first-listed ingredient, you can be sure that your feline is getting the essential omega fatty acids that they need for healthy skin and a luxurious coat. The veterinarian-recommended formula contains crunchy kibble to aid in dental health and tender morsels that are ideal for Bengals of almost any age, with 100% balanced nutrition complete with essential minerals, vitamins, and taurine. The food also contains chicken, and combined with the salmon, these make for two great sources of lean protein for a protein content of 34% overall.

This food, unfortunately, contains corn, soy, and wheat, despite the manufacturer claiming that the food is free from fillers, which is disappointing.

If you’re looking for a great premium food option for your Bengal, this high-protein dry food from Blue Buffalo is an ideal choice. The food is packed with deboned chicken as the first-listed ingredient, along with fish meal and flaxseed for natural sources of omega-3 and -6 fatty acids to provide your Bengal with healthy skin and a luxurious coat. It also contains healthy carbohydrates like sweet potato and peas to help keep your Bengal energized on their endless adventures, as well as LifeSource Bits, a precise blend of antioxidants, vitamins, and minerals to help with immune support. On top of that, the food is free from by-product meals, grains, and artificial flavors or preservatives.

This food is packed with great ingredients, although it is expensive. Also, some customers report that it caused vomiting in their cats.

The Royal Canin Bengal dry cat food is specially developed for Bengal cats, with an optimal ratio of protein (38%) to fat (16%). The specialized breed-specific formula has highly digestible protein in the form of chicken, with added prebiotics for immune support and essential omega-3 and -6 fatty acids, making it one of the best cat foods for healthy skin and coats. The food also has a specialized kibble design with a Y-shape that is designed for your Bengal’s strong and powerful jaws and will aid in reducing tartar buildup too. With added beneficial minerals and vitamins like B12, B6, E, taurine, and calcium, this specialized Bengal cat food is a great choice for your feline.

The only issue that we have with this food is the inclusion of chicken by-product meals and grains like wheat and rice, which are not necessary in the diet of cats.

If you are lucky enough to have brought home a new Bengal kitten, the Purina ONE Healthy Kitten dry food is a great choice for the new addition to your family. This food is formulated specially for growing and developing kittens and is packed with all the nutrients that they need for healthy development, including a high protein level of 40%. The first-listed ingredient is real chicken, and the food includes DHA, an essential nutrient found in mother’s milk, healthy vegetables, like carrots and peas for added energy, antioxidant vitamins E and A for immune support, and added minerals, like calcium for healthy bone development. Lastly, the food is completely free from artificial flavors and preservatives.

Our main issue with this food is the inclusion of grains, like corn and soy, and chicken by-product meals, all of which are unnecessary filler ingredients.

The Fancy Feast Grilled Seafood Feast Variety Pack is packed with several varieties of ocean fish and is thus the best cat food for cats with dry skin, coat issues, or other skin issues because it’s packed with natural sources of essential omega fatty acids. The delicious seafood varieties are soaked in irresistible tasty gravy, with three different flavors and a delicate texture to please even the fussiest Bengals. The food is also packed with essential vitamins and minerals to deliver 100% balanced nutrition and is a great way to add essential moisture to your Bengal’s diet.

There are several concerning ingredients in this food, though, including meat by-products, wheat, corn, soy, and artificial flavors and coloring, which is disappointing. Also, the pungent fish odor may be too much for some cats (and their owners!).

The Purina ONE True Instinct contains real chicken as the first listed ingredient, with a 35% protein content overall in a completely grain-free recipe. The food contains crunchy kibble to aid in dental health and soft, tender, meaty morsels for textural variety that your Bengal will love. The kibble has added calcium (1% minimum) to support teeth and bone health and vitamins E, A, and B12, taurine, four sources of antioxidants, and essential omega-6 fatty acids for balanced nutrition for your feline. The food is also completely free from artificial flavors, colors, and preservatives.

This food is comparatively expensive, and while the food is grain-free, it still has a high carbohydrate content of around 26%, which is much higher than cats need.

The Limited Ingredient Chicken Formula dry cat food from Natural Balance is a high-protein, balanced cat food that is great for cats and owners who want to keep things simple. The food is formulated with chicken as the sole source of animal protein, with a 37% protein content overall, and only two sources of carbohydrates. The food is packed with essential nutrients, like calcium, taurine, omega fatty acids 3 and 6, vitamins E, A, and B12, and a healthy dose of 4% fiber for digestive health. This limited-ingredient kibble is packed with all the ingredients that your cat needs but is free from grains, fillers, and artificial colors, and preservatives.

This food is expensive, however. Also, the high fiber content has been reported to cause diarrhea in some cats, and the kibble breaks apart easily, leaving a great deal of powder left in the bag.

The Pro Plan Prime Poultry and Beef Variety Pack from Purina is an ideal choice of canned food for adult Bengals. The pack contains three different recipes, all of which contain real meat as the first listed ingredient and have a taste and texture that your cat will love. All three recipes are grain-free with key vitamins and minerals that will give your cat the balanced nutrition that they deserve, along with a healthy immune system and digestion. The foods all contain fish oil for a natural source of omega fatty acids, chicory root to aid digestion, and a 7% fat content overall.

This food has a pâté texture, which some cats do not enjoy. Also, all three varieties contain artificial flavoring, which is disappointing.

The Cat Chow dry food from Purina is formulated with real, farm-raised chicken and healthy carbohydrates to give your active Bengal the energy that they need. The food is also packed with essential omega fatty acids to help promote healthy skin and a shiny coat and is 100% complete nutrition for kittens and adults. It’s packed with 25 vital vitamins and minerals for overall health and vitality, including calcium, taurine, vitamins A and E, and a 3% fiber content to aid in healthy digestion. Also, this food is inexpensive and ideal for Bengal owners on a budget.

Unfortunately, this food does contain grains like corn, wheat, rice, and soy and chicken by-product meal as the first ingredient. Some owners also reported nausea and vomiting after switching their cats to this food.

The Original Choice dry cat food from Meow Mix is specially formulated to give adult cats the nutrition that they need as they age and provides all the essential minerals and vitamins that your Bengal requires, including vitamins E and A, calcium, taurine, and a 4% fiber content. The added salmon and ocean fish meal are a great sources of omega fatty acids for a healthy coat, with protein sources coming from chicken, turkey, salmon, and ocean fish. It’s a recipe proudly made in the U.S.A.

Unfortunately, this food contains a few less-than-ideal ingredients, including animal by-product meals, grains, and artificial colors. Also, a fairly large percentage of the protein comes from corn and soybeans and animal by-products, which are not the best for obligate carnivores.

Buyer’s Guide: Choosing the Best Cat Foods for Bengals

Proper nutrition is vital to the health and wellbeing of your cat, and with the variety of food currently available, it can be overwhelming to find the right food for your Bengal. Since cats are obligate carnivores, an animal-based protein is an essential ingredient in any cat food, but there are several other vital aspects to consider too. Let’s take a look at what to look for when choosing the right food for your Bengal cat.

Protein

Cats are obligate carnivores, so they need a high-quality source of animal protein in their diet, preferably as the first listed ingredient on the food that you choose. The overall protein content is a good metric to consider, but an animal protein should be the top-listed ingredient to make sure that this is what makes up the majority of protein in the food, as opposed to a plant-based protein source.

Ideally, the overall protein content should be at least 30% of the total nutritional value of the food, although around 40% is best, especially for growing Bengal cats. The protein source should also be named, meaning it should be listed as chicken or turkey, for example, rather than just meat or meat by-products.

Carbohydrates

While it’s true that cats do need carbohydrates in their diet, they only need a small amount. The inclusion of grains like corn, wheat, and soy in cat food is usually for use as fillers, to bulk the food up; they are not necessary for your cat’s health and may even be detrimental in large quantities. Of course, it’s difficult to make dry cat food without any fillers at all, but some are better than others, and it’s a good idea to steer clear of grains and opt for potatoes instead.

Taurine

Taurine is essential to the cardiovascular health of your cat, as well as their vision health and digestion, and in the wild, they would typically get taurine from animal sources. This is in large part why cats need meat in their diet. Plant proteins do not contain this essential nutrient — it can only be found in animal protein — and your Bengal needs to consume it on a daily basis.

Omega Fatty Acids

Omega fatty acids are healthy fats that are essential to the health of your cat’s skin and coat. These fats typically come from fish but can be found in certain seeds too, including flax seeds and hemp seeds. Omega-3 and -6 fatty acids should be listed in the ingredients because they help keep your cat’s skin and coat moisturized naturally.

Artificial Ingredients

You’ll want to avoid any artificial ingredients in your Bengal’s food whenever possible. Some cat foods may contain artificial flavors, colors, and preservatives, and while one may be fine occasionally, foods that contain all three are best avoided.

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Final Thoughts

All these foods are among our favorites for Bengals, and any one is a great choice for your feline. That said, if you’re looking for a premium fresh food option, the Smalls Fresh Bird Cat Food is specially developed to cater to the obligate carnivore diet and is thus our top choice overall. This nutritious food is packed with protein and vitamins to keep your Bengal healthy and happy.

The Purina ONE Tender Selects dry cat food is the best cat food for Bengals for the money. With salmon as the first-listed ingredient, crunchy kibble, tender morsels, and a 100% balanced nutrition complete with essential minerals, vitamins, and taurine, this is a great choice if you’re on a budget.

Another alternative for your Bengal is the Wilderness Chicken Recipe dry food from Blue Buffalo. The food contains real chicken as the first-listed ingredient, healthy carbohydrates like sweet potato and peas, and “LifeSource” bits and is free from by-product meals, grains, and artificial flavors or preservatives.

We know how overwhelming it can be at times to choose the right food for your beloved pet. Hopefully, our in-depth reviews have narrowed your options and helped you find the best food for your beloved Bengal cat.

Featured Image Credit: AJR_photo, Shutterstock