Just like how humans can get bored of eating the same food each day, so can your cat! A varied cat food diet with different flavours and textures not only keeps your cat interested in what they are eating, but also provides more enrichment from the whole experience. The last thing you would want is for your cat to get bored of its food and stop eating from its food bowl altogether.
How do you know if your cat is getting bored? One way to tell is if your cat is out foraging for food more often (especially when you are not paying attention). As natural hunters, one way to keep their interest in food could be putting some kibble in toys or hide certain pieces around the house so that they would need to “hunt” for their food. That being said, not all pet owners might be comfortable leaving food pieces lying around the house in hopes that your cat will find them, unless you have high confidence in your cat’s hunting skills!
Another way to keep your cat interested in their food is by rotating the flavours, ingredients or textures in their cat food. In this article we explore the benefits and some risks associated with rotating cat food and share some potential options should you wish to explore switching things up.
Benefits of rotating cat food
Rotating cat food is not all just about providing new flavours and textures for your cat, it does carry certain health benefits as well. By providing a more varied cat food diet, the higher the likelihood that your cat is getting the vitamins and minerals they would need.
One easy way to provide some cat food variety is to mix 2 or more types of dry cat food in one bowl. Another way to do this is to mix both canned and dry cat food to offer a variety in texture and flavour for your cat.
A tip to maintain the freshness of the food is to buy smaller bags since through mixing, you will be going through the food at a slower pace. Ensure that you take a few days to slowly introduce the new food by mixing both the old and new cat food together to minimise any risks of gastrointestinal upset.
However, it is important to still give your cat wet food often as you may already know, cats generally do not like or drink enough water, especially if it is still or standing water. This is why providing hydration through its cat food is not only an easy solution to prevent your cat from getting dehydrated, it also keeps its mealtimes more interesting.
Risks of Rotating Cat Food
That being said, rotating cat food may not be suitable for cats that suffer from diet-responsive health problems such as inflammatory bowel disease or have ‘sensitive stomachs’.3 Owners of picky eaters may also find it harder to find another suitable diet for your cat, hence it might be easier to just stick to the tried and tested cat food that already provides complete and balanced nutrients which your cat has accepted.
For cat food enthusiasts, it is important to note that you should not change the variety of food at every single meal as frequent flavour rotation can actually lead to the finicky eating behaviour we do not want to condone in our cats. This is because they will just simply wait for something more ‘exciting’ to come along.
In conclusion, mixing things up for your cat in terms of its diet can not only keep your cat excited for each meal, but it can also provide other health benefits too. If you find yourself running out of options in terms of cat food variety, you can consider switching brands as well!
You can check out PetCube’s Gently Cooked Cat Food and Raw Cat Food range that offers all sorts of meat selections from chicken to venison, to fish, to beef, to lamb and even kangaroo meat to add to your cat food! If your cat is new to fresh food, gently cooked is a great way to start!
Every cat is unique and has its own set of health requirements and favourite flavours, hence whenever in doubt, always check with your veterinarian before making any drastic changes to your cat’s diet.