Brachycephalic Breeds And Food Shape

[prairiepanda]

I was looking at breed-specific foods out of curiosity to see if there was anything special to them, and decided that they are largely just a marketing ploy; almost identical to their standard varieties but with an insane price markup. But one thing that seems like it might potentially have some merit is the unique shape of kibble for brachycephalic breeds. So my question for those of you out there with squashed-face cats: is the shape/texture of food important for your brachy cat to eat comfortably? Not just with regards to kibble, but also looking at canned food and raw. Is anyone feeding brachycephalic cats large meat chunks, for example? I'd just like some insight as to their challenges (or lackthereof, if that is the case) eating with their special jaw shape.

 

[FlawlessImperfection]

I have a Shih-Tzu, (the dog version of what my son calls Shih-Tzu cats!) Our friend does much the same things we do with her cat. Both were trained to drink from a Guinea pig bottle to keep faces clean, super easy by smearing a little Gerber meat baby food on the tip. No “swamp face”! Also, they make a mess with pate style food unless fed by hand, and it can stuff up their nose sometimes. A food that can be cut into cubes works very well, and feeding with chopsticks (if you ever need too) works the best! They just pluck it off the end with no mess.

 

[Kieka]

I don't have a brachy cat (which is a flatter, shorter face cat for those who don't know, the typical breeds known for this are Persian and Himalayan) but from my understanding... Most cats will pick up kibble with incisors without their tongue or use the upper side of their tongue to almost lap up food. The unique thing for brachy cats is they tend to have a harder time picking up kibble so they will use the underside of their tongue to roll the kibble into their mouths. Meaning that a rounder or almond shaped kibble will roll easier making it easier to pick up. Smaller cuts of raw food or a lickable pate style would also be easier to manage. They also tend to have more crowded teeth and more prone to dental issues as a result. Making it so that easier to chew food is more comfortable and dental care is important to keep on top of.

I think the bigger thing is bowls. They tend to do best with a wider, shallow bowl. Preferable one with a slight curve and inside lip to keep the food in the middle. The bigger the better when it comes to their food bowls. Even if it may look a little funny with a small amount of food in such a large bowl it will make eating so much more comfortable. Elevating it slightly can also help them out in a better throat alignment and general positioning while eating.