Is it better to give your cat a variety of brands and flavors of food or the same food all the time?

Argentina

I know my question is a little confusing, but I was wondering will my cat like it if I feed him the same brand of food all the time or different brands? Also, should I feed him the same flavor, or is better to switch it up? Oh, and a lot of people say that "wet" cat food is not good for them and you should only give them that kind of food once in a while. How is it bad? I feed my cat about 3 packets or cans of wet food and nothing has ever happened to him.



Alma

Cats are very picky eaters. You should feed them the same thing consistently. It IS true that changing brands can cause your cat to have diarrhea and vomit - any change should be gradual and consistent. You should mainly feed your cat dry food - it is better for their teeth (breaks up plaque and tartar). You can feed wet food if your cat has bad teeth, but it also has more water which is good for hydration. But the main diet should be dry food, and wet food a few times a week. If you want to switch, just try different flavors. There is no harm in that. But dont switch brands frequently, as I stated earlier. Also, make sure you are giving him higer quality food. The price is the best indicator of the quality. Iams, Eukanuba, Science Diet, and even Purina is okay. The fillers and ash content in the lower quality cheap brands (Whiskas, Dads, or anything that is cheap and contains by products) can cause your cat serious health problems down the road. Also, whoever earlier stated that cats need ash in their food is very misinformed. The ash content in cat food can cause cats (and especially males) to become blocked. Then you have to take them to the hospital and have them undergo an expensive surgery that is not guaranteed to permanently take care of the problem. They must be catheterized and basically flushed, but the problem can return if you keep feeding them bad food.



Brigid

Give them a variety cos my cat gets bored and ignores her food if she gets the same thing too often.



Abdul

Im confused too! guess i thought that the kitty needed a change so bought him really good quality stuff but he doesnt seem to like it lol....you cant win with cats! but arent they sweet!



Cinderella

I heard if you change food abruptly they can get diarrhea and have trouble until they adjust, so I mix the new food with the old and gradually change when I decide to change foods. Also, I mostly feed them dry food with occasional canned food as a treat.



Kecia

I know that if I switch brands of cat food a couple of my kitties will have stomach problems. They do get treats of wet food once a month or so...but generally I feed dry indoor formula cat food. It has a variety of flavors (or so the bag states) and they supplement with fresh kills every now and again. (fenced in yard, but birds, squirrels, rats/mice, and snakes still get in)LOL, seeing as that we are talking about something that licks its own butt...I dont think taste is a big issue with cats.



Dawna

I use lots of different brands and "flavors" of cat foods for my cats. They also have a home-prepared diet of turkey and chicken which I alternate with them every night. Many vets are now coming to the conclusion that a diet of only dry food can be very damaging to a cats kidneys over time. I feel it is better to give cats a variety of protein sources in their food - thats why chicken and turkey. In canned food my cats like lamb so I include that. I recently got some raw ground rabbit and my cats like that too.



Dierdre

I agree with 1st ans. I give a variety, cats are fussy and get tired easily of the same foods. Kinda like ppl!



Dalene

I feed the same dry all the time, (royal canin) for kittens, this food is also formulated to be breed specific, but when it comes to the wet food I do the same thing 2-3 pouches a day, my cats are healthy active and beautiful, I give them different flavors of wet all the time, cats actually need wet food in their diet, cats require a substance called ash, dry food has some but no way near enough, when a cat is feed strictly dry food all his life, when he gets into his golden years, you will notice that most cats will develop urinary track infections or bladder and kidney problems, you are doing the right thing with your cat dont let anyone tell you this is wrong, my brother in law is a vet and he advises all of his kitty patients to eat both wet and dry, as long as your not having any diarrhea and the poopies are good, then thumbs up to you!!



Janay

I feed a variety of brands (about 10) and flavours of wet food to my cats. They pretty much get a different brand at each meal time. I think its good to vary brands because they are all slightly different in terms of nutritional composition. Although all complete foods will meet minimum nutritional requirements, they vary in fat content, protein content etc. so I feel that by feeding a variety my cats have a better chance of a balanced diet. I like to vary the flavours because I worry that if they have one meat protein all the time (eg chicken) they are more likely to develop an allergy to that. With dry foods, its less advisable to switch around but it can be done as long as the change over is done gradually. A change in dry food is more likely to cause an upset stomach than a change in wet food. I think wet food is by far the best for a cat. It contains water (an essential nutrient) and a lower carbohydrate content than dry foods. It is much more similar to what a cat would eat in the wild. The following articles provide an interesting read re feeding your cat. http://www. catinfo. org/http://www. littlebigcat. com/index. php? ac…http://maxshouse. com/feline_nutrition. ht…http://www. felinefuture. com/nutrition/



Dewayne

Depends on the cat. If they are eating what you give them, dont necessarily need to change it. My cat has a picky stomach, so I can only feed her one kind of food.



June

Dont try too many different brands as your cat may not like some, i feed my cat go-cat but get different flavours and on her birthday and christmas i usually buy her an expensive brand as a treat. I feed my cat wet food all the time and shes 90 in cat years so i dont think its that bad for them, unless you feed it to them all the time. Its like us only eating steak constantly, it not good, as wet cat food does not have as many vitamins as dry food. Hope this is of some help to you!



Ahmed

Wet food usually has a lot of preservatives. I usually stick with a high quality brand.



Brittani

Cats do not like their food changed. They dont like surprises and may turn up their nose from another food as a result. They should not be given a change in diet unless the change is made gradually. A little treat once in a while of something high in protein is appreciated but keep their main diet the same.



Jackie

Wet food is actually better than dry, so you are doing the right thing. Many people dont have the facts and they assume that wet food rots the teeth or is the equivalent of a feline dessert. Thats not the case - its actually the other way around! My new vet, along with others I trust, have said that its better to offer a variety of foods. By variety they mean a variety of protein sources (meat). So it would probably be pointless to buy three different brands of cat food that all use chicken. But you could offer your cat something like 3 different meats - say chicken, turkey and venison - or some other combo. Its better to feed a single protein source than one that combines 2 or more meats in a single can. (Dont ask me why, but thats what Ive heard).Now, it isnt strictly necessary either. If your cat would prefer to eat one type of food, thats ok. The thing is, if there comes a time when you need to change the food, youll have a harder time. If you do begin to offer other foods, introduce them slowly. Offer just a nibble or perhaps mix a little in with the new food. Then gradually increase it if its accepted and doesnt cause digestive upsets. Once your cat is used to a food, you can begin rotating them however you prefer. Venison one day, chicken the next, or venison for one week and chicken the next. Whatever works for you and your cat!



Tamara

Lots of cats are sensitive to foods and become picky eaters if it changes constantly. I always recommend 1 type of food for that reason. The reason they reccomend dry is because it helps clean their teeth, wet food tends to cling to the teeth causing early decay and build up of tartar which is important since they live so long and bad teeth have to be removed and you have to put them under anesthesia to clean/remove teeth which gets riskier the older they get. hope this helped.



Arlinda

My personal opinion is that it is better to give different brands and flavours. so that the cat will be used to eating a variety of things. Otherwise if just given one flavour/brand, all the time if for any reason it was not available, your cat would probably refuse to eat what was available.



Tessie

I feed mine wet food its not bad it is good for them



Alda

I bet the cats get tired of the same food but if you change there food alot they will get diarhea, so give them treats so they will be happy



Erica

You should feed him the same brand of dry food because changes in diet can stress your cat out or make them not want to eat anymore. With wet food, it is okay so change flavors but keep the same brand. So if you are using Proplan you can feed your cat chunky beef, then sliced chicken, and so on. But in reality, things depend on the specific cat. The cat that I am fostering now only eats one kind of wet food, but my own cats will eat anything and everything.