Food For Newly Neutered Cat

[Djuganight]

Hi,
My cat was neutered this week and I find myself on a dilema regarding the correct food to give him.
I always feed with Royal Canin Mother and Babycat (up to 3 months old) and with Royal Canin British Shorthair Kitten up to this way, which will be turning 6 months old on the 15th.

The Vet. recommended to gradually change to food for neutered cats and I wonder if I really should do it.
If is just a case of weight control, I can simply do it by controlling the amount of food and sticking with the diet I always used up to this day. Or does the neutered food is required to avoid health issues?

Also, I was considering changing the food to Acana or Orijen, which seems to be best of the best, but they don't have food for neutered cats. So, I'm now aiming to True Instinct from Nature's Valley. What you think?

Thank you in advance.

 

[Erin80]

I’ve never heard of neutered cats needing a specific food? Maybe I’m just out of the loop!
Are you feeding wet or dry? If it’s dry, I’ve heard Orijen is really good for a dry food. Wet food is really excellent, especially for males....and you don’t need anything specific for a neutered cat. They really benefit from the moisture in wet food.

 

[mizzely]

I didn't know they made neutered cat food either lol. How old is your kitty?

Orijen is actually just okay in my book. They use of SO many proteins kind of screws you up if you have any allergy issues down the road. They are also currently in the middle of a lawsuit or two.

I agree that wet food is best, especially for males, as it helps prevent urinary issues.

Here are some resources that may help

CatFoodDB's Best Wet Cat Foods

CatfoodDB's Unbiased List Of The Best Dry Cat Foods

 

[lisahe]

Like Erin80 , I've also never heard of foods specifically made for neutered cats, though Royal Canin makes so many varieties that I wouldn't be surprised to find one for striped cats that live in apartments with windows that face west! More seriously, though, to look at what Royal Canin claims about this, here's an article saying male cats start eating more very soon after neutering: "Within 48 hours of neutering, a cat will increase food intake by around 30%, as it is less able to regulate its hunger."

That's a pretty broad statement that raises more questions than it answers because there's no real context or science. The article does go on to say that high protein levels and L-carnitine (which I'm not familiar with) are important. Some quick googling shows that lots of foods (particularly diet foods) include L-carnitine.

What's most important right now, though, is that your kitten is still fairly small so he still needs to eat a lot -- he's growing and developing, so it's unlikely he's overweight and in need of a diet. The general advice for kittens is to feed them as much as they want. (There are exceptions, like for kittens who are insecure about their food and eat until they vomit, but that's not very common.) So unless your kitten's activity really is slowing down a lot after his operation and/or he really is gaining weight, keep feeding him.

I like mizzely and Erin80's suggestion of feeding wet/canned food, which generally has higher protein and lower carbohydrate levels than dry food. Beyond the protein (which is a cat's natural diet so makes a cat feel full) the water's important. Our vet prefers to see cats eat only wet foods -- beyond helping to manage weight, it's also better for their kidneys and urinary function -- no matter what kind of cats they are!

What is your kitten's name? He's very cute!

 

[FelisCatus]

What the heck is food for neutered cats lol. Your vet was probably just trying to sell you something he gets a kick back from. Every single vet in my city is cozy with Royal Canin and will stop at nothing to try and sell you their dry food garbage.

Stick to wet aka canned food and you’re good. If you’re on a limited budget Friskies is the minimum you should get, if you have some money but not a lot rotate Friskies with a high quality food like Blue Wilderness or Wellness cans.

 

[GaryT]

The one thing I learned with my Oliver was to make sure they get enough moisture/water. I had him on dry food and he blocked on me twice. I changed to a dry food specially made for urinary tract. I also started feeding him Fancy Feast pate every day. He never blocked again.

 

[Willowy]

though Royal Canin makes so many varieties that I wouldn't be surprised to find one for striped cats that live in apartments with windows that face west!

Haha, I was about to say something like that! Royal Canin likes to market "specialized" foods. They even have one for neutered kittens (kitten food, or neutered-cat food, why should you have to choose? Lol).

There's really no difference in their various foods; it's all marketing. And neutered cats (especially males) DO have lower calorie requirements, but you can just feed them less of their regular food. I agree that canned food is better, because most cats are bad at drinking enough water, so canned food can help prevent urinary issues.

 

[Djuganight]

Hi,
Thank you all for your replies and I try to reply all questions made.

Yes, they do food specific for neutered cats, almost every brand does it.
They say this specialized food helps with the weight control and also acts in preventing urinary issues, that cats tend to develop after being neutered.

My kitten is going to be 6 months old on 15/02/2019, so still a baby for me
He has been always feed with dry food (Royal Canin). I did tried Farmina N&D Grain Free Kitten, which seems to be one of the best cat foods around, but my God, the kitten was farting all over the place making the house almost inhabitable with the smell (ahahahah) so went back to Royal Canin again.

So you recon that carry on giving him normal kitten food will be fine?

I’m not concerned with the weight gain, as I can control it with the amount of food I give him. I’m just apprehensive about the eventual urinary issues that may arise….

Thanks

 

[Djuganight]

BTW, here are some photos of the kitten "Jack Daniels"

 

[mizzely]

I would keep with the kitten food. Neuter food sounds like a marketing gimmick. Heck, even a lot of kitten foods are, as are senior foods.

Cat food for 90% of kittens to senior cats should be high moisture, high protein, moderate fat, low carb. All the claims on the bag are usually fluff

 

[lalagimp]

He's adorable.

Neutered food just isn't an American thing around here. I suppose it's more akin to Indoor formula, which is lower calories and more carbs.
Don't restrict his food until he's full grown, which is usually 10-12 months depending on the breed, but sometimes as much as 2 years with larger breeds.
If you feel you want to put him on Neutered formula at that time, then he's no longer needing all the nutrition he can get for his development.

 

[Willowy]

If you want to stick with Royal Canin, they have canned versions too. That's the best way to avoid urinary issues.

You can change his food gradually, when you buy the next bag slowly mix the new in with the old. It's not a huge deal; as I said, there's very little difference in the various formulas. So you don't have to run off and buy neutered-cat food right away or anything. But you can switch if you want. (Oh, yeah, as he's still a kitten only use kitten food, or, I suppose, the neutered-kitten food. He does still need the extra nutrients.)

 

[Djuganight]

Thank you very much for your advices.
Forgot that you are in America and the market there may be quite different from Europe.
I will stick with the standard kitten food, eventually, giving him wet food as a treat.
Planning to change the food every other 6 months to diversify the taste. I'm going to order some samples to see which ones he likes the most in order to replace the Royal Canin.

 

[jen]

Royal Canin does make a kitten and adult Neutered/Spayed food. I have seen it at stores and online in America. It is a scam and Royal Canin is junk. He needs a good quality meat based kitten canned and dry food mixture. Ideally more wet then dry. Cats are carnivores and dry food is just packed with carbs and fillers that can't should not be eating.

 

[Kat0121]

Royal Canin does make a kitten and adult Neutered/Spayed food. I have seen it at stores and online in America. It is a scam and Royal Canin is junk. He needs a good quality meat based kitten canned and dry food mixture. Ideally more wet then dry. Cats are carnivores and dry food is just packed with carbs and fillers that can't should not be eating.

I agree about RC 100%. It is a scam and the food is junk. The girls wouldn't touch the couple of cans that I did get to try once. I was in Petsmart once and they had it on sale. One variety was "Intense Beauty". I should have just grabbed a can to rub on my face. I didn't because I didn't think anyone would recognize me after.

 

[jen]

Intense Beauty?? Oh god give me a break. Run fast lol. Don't support that company.

 

[Willowy]

One variety was "Intense Beauty"

LOL! I love it!

The regulations in Europe are different than the US, and I think RC is higher-quality there. But I still think most of their specialized formulas are scammy.

(I say "most" because Babycat is good stuff. I don't know why, because the ingredients look awful, but you can't argue with the results.)

 

[Gizmoandsooz]

Just what you normally feed your cat will do.
Changing his diet can cause him to have the runs.

 

[Kat0121]

Intense Beauty?? Oh god give me a break. Run fast lol. Don't support that company.

 

[lalagimp]

Please keep in mind that in some countries, they do not have all the options we do. Feel free to ask if there are other options available, and then we can educate on better options. If your only choices are "garbage" or learning to make your own food... that cat is probably going to be a Royal Canin lifer.

After running into issues with my adult male later in his life, I will push to say that canned is better than dry, especially in males. It's just more risk otherwise if your cat's urethra gets clogged.