My cat (a 10-year-old male) has put on some weight recently (about 1lb), and I want to make sure he doesn't get any heavier. I've decided to change his diet (though he'll only eat dry food) and have opted for two different types. I weigh them out and only give him the recommended daily amount (as stated on the packets). However, I’m giving him two sorts: Friskies and Hill's (I stopped the Whiskas and Royal Canin because of the weight gain). Do you think it's better to stick to just one type of dry food rather than two, or does it not really matter?
Thanks for your advice.
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I think it was in this thread that someone shared a link to a table detailing all the different types of dry food, but I can't seem to find it. Could you post it again please, as I can't see it anymore. Thanks in advance.
Personally, my cat is on Purina dry food specifically for neutered cats.
Generally, the recommended amount of dry food for a cat is 10g per kg of body weight (so basically, a cat weighing 11 lbs would have 50g of dry food a day, and one weighing about 15 and a half lbs would have 70g). Usually, that should stop them from putting on weight and they might even lose some (provided you choose the right dry food).
Mixing two types of dry food means that if a recipe changes, they’ve still got something they can stomach. Plus, since the perfect kibble doesn't exist, it helps balance out any nutritional gaps between brands.
Cats definitely love Whiskas and Friskies because it’s basically McDonald's for them. We wouldn't say no to a burger ourselves, but it shouldn't be the bulk of our diet, otherwise you're looking at some serious health issues.
You can get larger kibble or ones with special shapes (like shurikens) that force cats to actually chew. You could find a brand like that—not sure what's available over in Mexico—and mix it in with your Hill’s.
Personally, I’m all for mixing brands and I’m actually doing that with my lot at the moment. I’ve got one real greedy eater who won’t touch anything but Royal Canin Maine Coon, while the other one struggles because the biscuits are a bit too big for him. It also helps balance out any downsides of the Royal Canin with another brand.
Whiskas and Friskies are very much budget-range dry foods.
You should only mix two types of dry food when you're transitioning your cat to a new brand, and you need to do it gradually so it doesn't upset their tummy.
Why do you want to give them two different sorts?
It’s not the Royal Canin that’s making them put on weight, it’s the Whiskas. My cats are on RC and they’re absolutely fine.
On the other hand, you should never give a cat two different types of dry food, especially if you're trying to get them to lose weight. Even if one isn't too high in fat, there’s no guarantee the other won’t be.
A brand of dry food that works really well for weight management in both cats and dogs is Virbac—it's much lower in fat than most others.
In just a month, a pug I'm looking after has lost about 2.2 lbs.
Thanks for the reply, but when I say I’m rationing, I mean I’m weighing it to see how much he’s actually eating. He has his dry food out all day and he doesn't actually finish the whole bowl in a day! It was just to keep an eye on things. He obviously loves Whiskas and Friskies, but I’m going to try and switch. The Hill’s ones I buy (supposedly for hairball control since he’s semi-longhaired) are tiny and he just swallows them whole without crunching. So, I need to find some larger kibble that he’ll have to chew to help prevent tartar buildup. I live in Mexico though, so I’ll have to see what I can find as there’s much less choice for cats than for dogs here. I also felt like the Royal Canin for Persians was a bit too rich and made him put on weight.
You can definitely mix two types of dry food without any issues, but please, for goodness' sake, never give them Whiskas or Friskies, especially to a cat of that age. It’s absolute rubbish (yet another cat I know who's fed on Friskies ended up at the emergency vet just yesterday with urinary stones, so that says it all...). Why bother mixing supermarket brands with premium dry food? Just choose two good brands and you can mix them perfectly fine. I’d also suggest not rationing your cat’s dry food; it’s best to leave it out for them to graze on. They actually end up eating less than if you only feed them once a day because they know it’s always there.
