Should We Vary A Cats Wet Food?

[Purr-fect]

In another thread I asked members to list their cat's favorite wet food.

Thanks to all those who responded.

Today I went to one of our large local pet stores and armed with the 2 pages if flavors and brands you posted, I began to buy new cans of wet food as my boys aren't very excited about the weruva paw lickin chicken we have been giving them.

In that thread someone posted that their vet did NOT recommend their cat be given different varieties of wet food and that it should stay on the same wet food all the time.

As a non cat expert, I have to ask.....why wouldn't it be beneficial to the cat to provide some variety, so long as its high quality. I sure wouldn't want the same food every day for 18 to 20 years.

What do you thjnk.....vary wet food or not?

 

[Willowy]

I'm on the yes side, just because if you don't and your cat's favorite food gets discontinued or has the recipe changed, they'll be very reluctant to try something new. It's unfortunately pretty rare to be able to find the exact same food for a cat's entire lifespan. If your cat has a specific health issue, it may be best to keep them on one food, but for normal healthy cats I would recommend some variety.

 

[IndyJones]

I would vary it because they can develop addiction from only eating one food which can be a problem if they get an allergy or need rx food

 

[lisahe]

Yes, varying food -- brands and various proteins -- is very good. Lots of cats (like ours) get bored with their food if they get the same thing every day. And W Willowy is very right about the possibility of supply issues, whether it's recalls, products being discontinued, temporary production problems, or recipes changing. You don't want to get stuck without anything your cat likes! We've had our two cats for about 3.5 years and several of their foods have been changed in those several years... the cats can be a bit picky so it's a good thing we already had options ready.

 

[ReallySleepy]

As a non cat expert, I have to ask.....why wouldn't it be beneficial to the cat to provide some variety, so long as its high quality. I sure wouldn't want the same food every day for 18 to 20 years.

I am glad to see that you take that vet's advice with a pinch of salt. I would take it with a whole cellar of salt. Some vets apparently hand out haphazard advice, and I think we should dismiss it out of hand unless we hear a good reason not to.

For my own part I have no choice in the matter. My cat gets tired of his wet foods, so I have to rotate brands and flavors. Sticking to one wet food only is simply not an option.

 

[orange&white]

I vote "yes" on offering variety for reasons already well-stated by other members.

 

[thegreystalker]

As I said on another thread, I enthusiastically rotate my cat's menu. It keeps her interested in her food. I may over-do-it a bit, but I keep about 15 different wet flavors/recipes on hand. No objections thus far.

 

[maggiedemi]

I think it's just dry food that you're not supposed to rotate every day. But I rotate flavors and brands of canned wet food all the time. My cats mostly like Purina foods like Friskies, Fancy Feast, Purina One, and Pro Plan, so I rotate those. Then occasionally they will have Sheba, Meow Mix, or Whiskas. They like variety.

 

[thegreystalker]

I rotate the dry stuff, too.

Right now I've got open bags of Under the Sun Turkey kibble and Purina Beyond Chicken & Oat Meal kibble. The other kibble in the cupboard that I'll give her once she finishes one of the open bags is Purina Pro Plan True Nature Chicken & Egg and Only Natural Pet Rabbit Flavor.

 

[Kieka]

Add another vote for rotation. I stick with one dry and if you do rotate dry you want to slowly adjust the ratio of new to old to prevent digestive issues. But with wet food the more you mix it up the better IMHO.

My theory is that if you mix it up you prevent them from locking onto one specific brand and/or flavor. I would also mix up pate, shredded and cubed textures in the future. My current batch are gravy fends and won't eat anything that isn't some sort of natural texture with lots of liquid and they won't eat anything non fish (I know I stick with high quality for that reason). Makes it a bear to find a suitable food they will eat when they refuse most others. If you keep mixing flavors and textures you can avoid being in the position I find myself in.

 

[laura mae]

I absolutely rotate wet food. There is no impact other than cats get a variety of food. Manufacturers have different calories, change formulas and might change supplements. Feeding a variety makes sure the cats get a good diet with all the stuff they need.

 

[bonepicker]

I have always rotated in case of allergies, recalls, boredom etc. I give chicken for breakfast and rotate beef, rabbit or duck for dinner. Soulistic, Whole Earth Farms & Merrick, I know they would eat friskies in a pinch, but since I can afford it I feed grain free. Cats are over 9 now, no health issues

 

[Purr-fect]

Ive already found a couple of other wet food brand and flavors that our boys seem to like; from the list of your favorite wet foods in another thread.
I will rotate them into the diet occasionally. Posters here make good points about recalls and products being discontinued....best to be prepared.

 

[dalpaengi]

The manx cat I'm adopting has dietary/stomach issues (apparently this is common) and now that I've read through this thread I'm wondering if I should try to change up the brands within the sensitive food category just on the off chance that one particular brand discontinues. Slightly ot, but before this I had a ferret and he imprinted so deeply on the one brand of food that when that brand went out of stock it was a nightmare trying to get him to try something new. I ended up having to feed him from a syringe. I guess cats must not generally be like that, haha?

 

[cat dad72]

I rotate my cats diet also, I give them a variety of brands/protiens so far so good

 

[Willowy]

but before this I had a ferret and he imprinted so deeply on the one brand of food that when that brand went out of stock it was a nightmare trying to get him to try something new. I ended up having to feed him from a syringe. I guess cats must not generally be like that, haha?

They can be like that, yes---that's why it's best to introduce a large variety at a young age and keep it up when they're older too. Obligate carnivores are more likely to imprint on one kind of food, and cats are obligate carnivores too.

Same thing works for ferrets. When I had ferrets I prevented the food imprinting by mixing several brands. That way if something happened to one brand or if I had to introduce a different brand, the mixture wouldn't taste/smell that different and the weezels would still eat it.

 

[maryah]

I started my 1-year-old, Rani, on a variety of high quality wet foods a couple of months ago, expecting to find several that she would like and I could rotate. My plan was to feed half wet/half dry (Nature's Variety Ultimate Protein) for flexibility. Unfortunately! She fixated on just one brand and flavor, Merrick's Purrfect Bistro Chicken Pate. I've tried a dozen other brands, she won't have anything to do with them. Even the ones she liked a month or a week ago are unacceptable now. She'll starve herself before she'll eat anything but the Merrick's! I've created a monster! What do I do now? I know it's a good quality and would keep her healthy -- but what if they change the formula or discontinue that flavor? Yikes!

 

[kttn]

Addiction seems to be a real problem in some cats. I normally rotate a lot of brands with mine, but for a few days she only had Fancy Feast. When I tried to feed her another brand that she normally loves, she snubbed it for a bit.

 

[maggiedemi]

My cat gets obsessed like that. Last month he decided he didn't like Pate anymore, he only wanted the Gravy types. Now this week, he suddenly likes Pate again! I can't figure him out! I say, just hang in there, maybe she'll change her mind next week and like something different than the Merrick.

 

[IndyJones]

Here it's eat what you're given or starve. Usually by next feeding they eat.