Will rotating flavors of the same brand of cat food eventually cause problems for my cat?

Question

Hello, and thanks in advance for any input! I've used Yahoo! Answers for so much over the past several months, and now it's my turn to finally ask a question. I have a four and a half month kitten that I have had since he was about eight weeks old. I have been feeding him Merrick canned cat food for the majority of that time, and he seems to love it, and it agrees with him; his coat is incredibly shiny and soft.

I chose Merrick brand cat food for many reasons, including the fact that they offer 8 different flavors of food. My kitten loves them all (so far) and I know this because I feed a different flavor everyday. I have read a lot on how it's not great to offer a varied diet, and I wonder if this is considered a varied diet in the sense that the main ingredients change daily, or if it isn't as all the ingredients (except for the main ones) are consistent on a day to day basis.

Does anyone have any suggestions, recommendations, or experience with this?

Thanks in advance!

Answer 1

Good food choice! You've done well.

It will not hurt your kitten to offer a variety of foods. In fact it's actually a good thing - even if you were to use another brand of food.

The reason this is good is because your kitten will get the benefits from different meats, and it will not imprint upon one flavor. Kittens who are fed only one food tend to then fixate upon it, and if you need to change foods down the road, they'll be less accepting of it.

On the other hand, kittens who are offered variety are (allegedly) more likely to accept new foods. I say allegedly because while I wanted to offer variety to my two when they were kittens, I got lazy and just stuck with one. So this is hearsay to some extent, although I've had it on good authority.

So by all means offer that variety. It's just fine if it's all from the Merrick line. The only proviso I would add is that you shouldn't offer a fishy food more than 2-3 times per week. Other than that, use whatever rotation works for you!

I thought of some more stuff - I think people say not to offer a variety because it is true that kittens/cats can suffer digestive upsets if a new food is introduced quickly. But that isn't always true, and if your kitten is doing well then no worries.

Another plus to rotating food is that I believe it's less likely that your cat will develop an intolerance for a particular meat.

EDIT: Catiator (above) said the exact opposite to my last statement....she may very well be right! But I still think it would be ok because Merrick doesn't offer terribly novel proteins....if you got into an allergy situation, there are plenty of commercial canned foods that do offer these - rabbit, lamb, duck, etc.

Answer 2

I have had cats for more years than I care to admit and a number of vets along the way. They were all pretty consistent when it came to feeding.

Select a high quality dry food (I use Iams hairball control) and stay with that. If you need to change for some reason, mix the new brand into the old brand, gradually decreasing the amount of the old over a week. This should be available to the cat pretty much all the time.

I also give by cats canned food once a day, 1 can Fancy Feast each. I vary the flavors, but not the brand. If you read the can it is all the same except for that main taste.

Answer 3

Avoid dry food like a plague. It is the leading cause for feline diabetes, kidney failure, UTI's, Crystals in the urine causing blockages. Also obesity and many other problems.
Cats swallow most of the dry food if you look at their barf it is whole and a few of the pieces shatter. The vets feel it is good for cats teeth because the pet food reps tell them it is!!
My vet agreed that cats are obligate carnivores. Meaning they need to have high protein diets with under 10% carbs and dry is not good for them and then tries to sell some to me!!!!!!
Please read the first link to see everything I could write to you and decided to let an expert tell you. then chose a food that is canned from the 2nd list that meets the high protein low carb.

www.catinfo.org
read this article for all the healthy choices
in food for your cat.

www.geocities.com/jmpeerson/canfood.html
Janet and Binky's Cat food chart

You can write me any time. Merrick is a good food as long it has no gravy in it. Changing food flavors is excellent as if you can't get one the cat won't be to fussy to eat another flavor.

Answer 4

I think the Merrick's food is a very good brand. My cats eat the meat and leave all the vegetables on their plates so I stick to brands that are just meat, such as Wellness, Avoderm, Instincts, Evanger's etc. I try to stay away from the ones that have fish and keep those at a minimum of one to two cans per week. One meal a day for them is my home-made stuff made from organic chicken and organic turkey (chicken and turkey on alternate days.) I use the canned at breakfast.

My cats like the Lick Your Chops and Instincts lamb products.

Answer 5

no it should not bother your cat my mom has done the changing of cat food brands many of times. there will be some that they might not like. but doing the food changing will help you find out what the cat likes the best. I hope this was of help.

Answer 6

I have had cats since I was no bigger than a kitten myself. The vets always say to feed the kittens and cats dry food .... not the moist... not the canned... just dry food for most cats in most instances. There are all kinds of foods out there for kittens, young cats, older cats, sedentary cats, cats w/ hairball or urinary tracts problems, and so on. I generally feed my cat the same dry food although I will once in a while give her a "treat" that is a different dry food. None of my cats have ever had problems and they have all lived to be about 18 years old. You can call and ask your vet... or if you don't yet have a vet...call and ask the vet closest to your home. Someone there would certainly be able to answer your questions with some authority....

Answer 7

The only issue with feeding a variety of foods is if someday your cat develops an allergy. Cats with allergies generally react to a protein. If you have been feeding your cat all the readily available proteins, then you may have to find a specialty protein such as rabbit to provide something he hasn't had before. Good for you for feeding your kitten canned food. You minimize his risk of developing diseases such as diabetes and urinary tract disease.