Changes in level of activeness associated with food

jahzara

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Over this past year, I have had to rely on pet food banks, so they have changed food several times. I have noticed that my cat's activity level and behavior changes based off their diet.

(My cats eat both wet and dry food. I am referring specifically to dry food right now as their wet food has mostly remained constant with being Fancy Feast.)

Some foods cause them to be more active throughout the day, while others cause them to be more subdued and wanting to rest.

Obviously food is better than no food. But now that I am able to purchase the brand of my choosing (they are currently on Hill's Science Diet Perfect Digestion because the last food bank food was a store brand and it caused stomach upset in one of my cats), going forward, which brand is better for them to be on in regards to how it affects their activity level?

Is being active a sign of feeling good or is sound sleep a sign of feeling good?
 

abyeb

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Hi there! This is a question you can ask a vet about. There are multiple factors in cat food that may be contributing to the different activity levels you’re seeing, for example, one food might be more calorically-dense than another. If there’s a food that your cats like that makes financial sense for you, and that your cats seem to do well on, then that may indicate that that is a good food to choose for them. But I always recommend asking for a vet’s recommendation, if you can.
 

FeebysOwner

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Hi. Not sure why a particular dry food would cause two separate cats to be less active unless they are just getting too much junk/carbs in the food and feel too full from it. But, I do know it is harder on a cats' digestive system to have abrupt changes made to their food - especially dry food, and this is likely to even more be the case with older cats. Other than being less active, are they experiencing any poop issues, or other unordinary behaviors?

If they do well on the Science Diet food, you could look at the ingredients and then look for other dry foods with similar ingredients. If you are in a financial position to do so, feeding them primarily Fancy Feast and then giving a little bit of dry for 'munching/snacking' purposes would probably help with their overall health in general.
 
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jahzara

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Hi. Not sure why a particular dry food would cause two separate cats to be less active unless they are just getting too much junk/carbs in the food and feel too full from it. But, I do know it is harder on a cats' digestive system to have abrupt changes made to their food - especially dry food, and this is likely to even more be the case with older cats. Other than being less active, are they experiencing any poop issues, or other unordinary behaviors?

If they do well on the Science Diet food, you could look at the ingredients and then look for other dry foods with similar ingredients. If you are in a financial position to do so, feeding them primarily Fancy Feast and then giving a little bit of dry for 'munching/snacking' purposes would probably help with their overall health in general.
Hi and thanks for the reply.

I would have thought that carbs would be less filling and make them want to be up and more active to find another food source?
(He is 5yrs old btw.)

We got the Science Diet delivered on March 31st, so slowly switched them to it the next day. (We do always go slowly with switching dry food as I know it can cause digestive upset and UTIs.) He hasn't thrown up once this past month except for a hairball, so it did seem to sit well with his digestive tract. No poop issues. And no other unordinary behaviors besides this being super active.

I will keep the suggestions about the dry and wet cat food in mind. Thank you.
 
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