Oats

Oats are one of the better grain options for cats, since they raise blood sugar slowly and are easily tolerated. They are still an unnecessary carbohydrate for a cat.

Oats are a cereal grain used in cat food as a source of starch and fiber, often as oatmeal or ground oats. Tufts veterinary nutritionists say cats can digest and metabolize properly cooked carbohydrates, while adult cats have no specific dietary requirement for carbohydrate. In kibble, oats are cooked along with the other ingredients. For a cat with a medical condition, ask your veterinarian.

Source: sites.tufts.edu

Oats supply starch for energy and soluble fiber, mainly beta-glucan. Pettings notes that oats release their carbohydrate slowly compared with refined starches such as rice flour or tapioca. They also help bind the kibble. As with any grain, oats take up space in a recipe that meat and fat could otherwise fill.

Oats are naturally free of gluten, but they are often grown and processed near wheat and barley, so they can pick up traces. Oats do contain a different protein called avenin, which a small share of people with celiac disease react to. Gluten is not a nutrient cats need, and Pettings notes the cross-contact risk on its oatmeal page.

Beta-glucan is a soluble fiber found mainly in oats and barley. It thickens into a gel in the gut, which slows digestion. Tufts veterinary nutritionists say fiber that pets cannot digest with their own enzymes is used by gut bacteria and can improve stool quality. Most of the research on beta-glucan itself has been done in people rather than cats.

Source: sites.tufts.edu

Oats gets 2 out of 5 from Pettings, which lists it as a grain, potato or other carb source. It shows up on 20 of the 149 dry cat foods we list. Each food's page shows how the whole recipe scores, so one ingredient score is only part of the picture.