As humans, we can’t imagine eating the same food over and over again, so when it comes to our cats, is variety really the spice of life, or will our furry friends fare better on the same diet for their whole lives? The honest answer is that it depends on the individual cat. There are numerous benefits to providing cats with a varied diet, but there are several drawbacks you’ll want to consider as well.
Let’s get into the details of feeding your cat different brands of food, how to safely do so, and more.
Should You Feed Your Cat Different Brands of Foods?
While we all like straightforward answers to things, the answer to this question is it depends. Some cats benefit from a diet of different food brands, while others benefit more from the consistency of a single brand of cat food.
The reason it’s so complicated is that there are both benefits and drawbacks to providing them with a varied diet, and what’s best for one cat might not be best for another.
The good news is that if you pay attention to your cat and how they’re responding to their diet, you can make an informed decision and find what’s best for your feline friend.
Factors to Consider When Considering Feeding Your Cat Different Brands of Foods
If you’re thinking about feeding your cat different brands of food, or if you’re already doing so, there are several factors you’ll want to consider.
Their Digestive Tract
Some cats simply have sensitive stomachs, and if that’s your cat, it’s probably best to stick with a single food source. This allows their body to adjust to that food and significantly reduces the risk of a digestive flare-up.
Food Quality
If you think you can get low-quality food and mix it with a higher-quality one to lower the overall cost, think again. Every part of your cat’s diet needs to be high-quality, but that doesn’t mean they all need to be the same price.
A higher price tag doesn’t always equate to better-quality food. Ensure each brand you offer your cat is nutritionally complete. That way, no matter what mixture your cat eats on a daily basis, you’re meeting all their nutritional needs.
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Allergies
If your cat suffers from food allergies, this is something you’ll need to consider when deciding whether to mix up their food. There’s nothing wrong with it as long as each individual component doesn’t contain ingredients they’re allergic to. The more meats you add though, the more tricky it can be to find a suitable food should they ever need to go onto a novel protein diet.
How Often You Mix Things Up
While changing a cat’s food is perfectly safe when done slowly, we don’t recommend doing so for every meal. This can be a little tough on your cat’s digestive tract, making it harder to ensure they get everything they need at each meal.
Benefits of Feeding Your Cat Different Brands of Food
While we don’t recommend mixing in different brands of food with every meal, there can be some benefits to changing up their diet from time to time. Some people advocate rotation feeding and routinely rotate cat food brands and proteins at varying intervals. It’s up to you if these benefits are worth it and if you think they’ll truly benefit your cat, but it is still a good idea to discuss this with a vet before doing so.
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A More Well-Rounded Diet
While high-quality cat foods should be nutritionally complete, each food might have a little more of one ingredient and nutrient and a little less of another. By mixing up their food, they may be overall getting a better rounded diet nutritionally.
Preventing Pickiness
Feeding your cat different diets can make it easier to change foods in the future, for example, if they need a special diet for health reasons or their normal food is unavailable. Offering new foods as choices, alongside previously accepted foods has been demonstrated to help prevent future pickiness. Some cats are otherwise very reluctant to try new foods, especially if they have only ever eaten one type of food.
Flavor Variety
Do you want to eat the same meal for every meal every day? While it’s not that severe for your cat, they may still like to taste different flavors from time to time and this can add enrichment to their lives.
Less Expensive
Feeding your cat different brands of food doesn’t always save you money, but if you’re thinking of giving them more wet food or another more expensive option, mixing it in instead of switching them completely can save you money.
Steps for Switching Your Cat’s Food
You should know that switching your cat’s food brand or even incorporating a mix of two foods into your cat’s diet has the potential to cause issues, such as an upset stomach. However, if you and your vet decide that this is safe, then you need to do so gradually.
If you want to mix two brands together, ensure you add very tiny amounts of the new food at a time until they become used to the mixture. However, if you’re changing to a new brand completely, you’ll want to follow the following steps.
- Day 1 to 2: Offer 75% old food and 25% new food.
- Day 3 to 4: Offer 50% old food and 50% dry food.
- Day 5 to 6: Offer 75% new food and 25% old food.
- Day 7: Offer the new food exclusively.
This timeline should help your cat adjust to any changes in their new food, but if you notice them acting differently or experiencing any negative signs, it’s probably best to halt or slow this change and consult your vet.
Final Thoughts
In the end, it’s up to you if you want to mix up your cat’s diet, but regardless it’s very important that they continue to eat. As long as you pay attention to them and how they react, you can make an informed decision about what’s best for them. Of course, if you’re still unsure, you can always reach out to their vet for a recommendation, or just play it safe by sticking to a single brand of high-quality cat food that your cat enjoys.
Featured Image Credit: Cat Box, Shutterstock
