Can my cat eat the same foods all his life?

Question

A vet told me to stick to the kibbles my cat normally eat. He told me it's ok.

Can I add other food to my cat's diet? He 9 months male persian.

Answer 1

If you've found a high quality food that your cat likes, then it's a good idea to stick to this. Change in diet can lead to stomach upsets.

You can introduce new diets if you feel your cat is getting bored, but do it slowly. If the cat seems fine then stick with the diet he's on, there's no point in changing. Remember a cat's natural diet is not very varied! (mostly mice, the occasional bird or frog ick)

An all-dry diet is perfectly acceptable for a cat as long as it is a complete diet, high quality and fresh water is constantly available. It is also good for teeth and maybe weight-control.

Chalice

Answer 2

Alright i have a dog and a cat , my dog LOVES my cat's food and treats and sometimes my cat eats my dog's food , i think that the nutrients and flavors are different to each cat/ dog like strong big bones that dogs need and teeth and cats need healthy yet strong helping for their body but some dogs/cats are different come to say some might like this and not this or they like both, so if you don't want one of them to eat the other as being rude and unfair to the other animal u could keep them away (say the dog would eat all the cat's food) but you can let them have the others food unless they become sick (vomiting) but for my dog and cat they haven't shown any signs or vomiting so i guess it all depends but once in awhile i will give my dog some cat treats as well.

Answer 3

I have 3 cats and always rotate their food. I don't want them to get used to just one brand plus I'm sure they appreciate the variety. I see that some people above have recommended Purina, cat treats etc. I would stay away from both. Just read the ingredients on their packages and make up your own mind. Most of these foods contain corn, rice, by products, corn or wheat gluten and a bunch of other ingredients that are not good for the animals. Manufacturers use them because they are cheap ingredients. Below is a list of the foods that I buy for my cats. I always rotate them so that they don't get too used to one particular brand. Also, you won't find these at the supermarket or Petco, Petsmart, etc. You'll have to do some research to find a store near you that carries them. Also always check the expiration date on the package and get samples before buying a large bag or several cans of a particular brand. You cat may like or hate some of them so get small quantities or samples first.

California Natural
Solid Gold
Felidae
Chicken Soup for the Cat Lover's soul
Natural Balance Ultra Premium cat food
Wysong
Evolve
Dr. Foster and Smith Chicken Formula
Merrick

Stay away from any Purina cat foods, Iams, Eukanuba, Hill’s Science Diet, Whiskas, etc.

Answer 4

Please don't feed your cat table scraps per the advice of someone below, remember a cat is a carnivore who would naturally eat small mice and birds complete with fur, bones, organs etc, not really fish. Small amounts of vegetable/ grain might be eaten as the stomach contents of the prey. The biscuits (or the more expensive types) are made to contain the same nutrients so they are better than the cans/ biscuits from supermarkets. So even if you fed them cooked meat you would not be supplying the same nutrients as the raw mouse. Therefore, the biscuits probably are the best compromise. you can give the occasional trea, but sudden changes can cause diarrhoea which is a nightmare with a persians hair.

Answer 5

I've heard its good to switch foods occasionally so that the cat doesn't get a food allergy from eating the same thing every day. Every 3 or 4 months you can try a different kind. It's not good to switch too often or the cat can get fussy. I think switching every few months only applies to kibble though. The higher quality the food, the less you really need to switch I'd guess.

Answer 6

You should stick with the same cat food and if you change it introduce it very gradually into his diet. Changing it too dramatically can upset the lining of his stomach and unless he seems to really hate his food then there's no reason to change it.
Also, you should never feed cats human food because there is a different mix of protein which cats find hard to digest.
I don't take any notice of this stuff and just feed my cats whatever they want - I'm their slave you see =) But those are the "rules". In my opinion, made to be broken, or at least tampered with....

Answer 7

Your vet is advising you the only way he knows how! Vets only take a very minumum of nutrition classes in school and are extremely misled on diets. I wonder if he would like to eat Total cereal day in and day out for 10 years? Everything he needs to live on would be there. Fair? It's a ridiculous notion that a dog or a cat should live on ONE meal his entire life. There is not one single animal in nature that would do this and for good reason. Feed your pets a variety of foods and keep them healthy and happy.
Feed your cat anything you want so long as it doesn't make him sick. Table scraps, raw food... anything. Variety is the spice of life!

Answer 8

If you mean the same brand and same flavour everyday then it's not such a good idea. They will get sick of the food and stop eating it, and therefore start hunting mice, birds, lizards and other tiny things.
Try giving him a variety of biscuits and jelly meat, with different flavours everyday...that way you're cat will always want to know whats for dinner and will enjoy it. But remember to buy kitten food.

Answer 9

I'm astounded that a vet suggested that you keep feeding your cat kibbles (dry food) only. Cat eating a kibble only diet need to drink a lot more - a lot more - water than cats who eat canned food or a mix of canned & dry foods.

Answer 10

Kibble is not good for cats. It is loaded with carbohydrates and cats are carnivores and don't need carbs. Many cats, (including 1 of mine) have other problems like diabetes from eating dry foods, Canned foods without gravy are what is best for your cat, As far as feeding one type of canned goes, that would be ok as long as it isn't fish all the time. I myself, feed many differednt types of canned foods as I assume my cats like variety.