I think it is silly that people tell you not to mix different foods.


At one time, I had 12 different foods mixed together. Now I don't have so much variety anymore, but I still have a good 4+ brands.

Before the advent of the green revolution, some parts of the world people only ate rice as the carbohydrate source. In some parts of the world people only ate wheat. In some parts of the world people only ate potatoes. In some parts of the world people only ate corn In some parts of the world people only ate yam. In some parts of the world people only ate soy and barley.....etc....etc I actually got to met the professor who sponsored the green revolution. It was quite inspiring.

Nowadays people have so much more variety people are a lot healthier.

 

I'm one of those that think that it's BS for the average cat. I insist on a variety of foods for mine, so that they don't get stuck on one food, they won't get any damage from a bad food (look at the Go! brand fiasco), and so that they'll get a variety of nutrients that one particular food may not have.

As for pet food company's philosophy, I think that's a load of crud also. The goal is always to keep the customer exclusively theirs. Several of the foods, regardless of brands, all come from the same place, and just gets a different label slapped on it.

OTOH, mixing foods is a legitimate concern for those cats that have sensitive systems, and there are quite a few.

 

I had posted a question about this before also. And I was told that it wasn't good to mix them. But I am going to try it anyway. I feed Nutro and have Felidae on the way.

 

I was curious about that thread, since I hadn't seen it, so I did a search to find the one you referred to, was this it? Mixing dry? I don't see any replies about not being good to mix them? One didn't think it was necessary, and there was mention of mixing them slowly for those kitties sensitive to food changes. Perhaps it was another thread?

 

I'm sorry I didn't clarify. I meant I was told not to mix them, by a person not in this Forum. Sorry for not stating it clearly.

 

Here are two quotes from people whom I highly respect. They are about dog food, but I am assuming it would apply to cat as well.


From the Great Dane Lady:

"Why Can't I Mix Brands of Dog Foods? It is very important NOT to mix different brands of dog foods together, or even mix the same brand name, but different products within the line. An example of this would be mixing an adult and senior food of the same company, or mixing two brands i.e. Innova and Eagle together. Because every type of food developed by each company is "designed" nutritionally on a nutrient matrix system of vitamins/minerals/amino acids, it is critical to maintain the integrity of that nutrient panel in order for the food to be balanced. When you move one element in that nutrient panel, it effects all the elements and therefore adjustments must be made in order for the food to be re-balanced. When you mix two foods you will cause excesses and deficiencies in certain nutrients as well as disrupt the delicate balance of the food, especially the minerals composition which is critical to the body's metabolic and skeletal systems. These deficiencies or excesses may not be evident immediately in an adult dog, but they will manifest in a slow deterioration of the animals health and reproduction capabilities. As we know from past experience, it does not take long for the body to exhibit dietary problems in a growing animal."

From Lilian's website, The Dog Food Project, under the heading Myths about Feeding and Nutrition:

"Mixing different dog food brands will improve my dog's diet - This misconception seems to originate from dog owners feeling guilty about the type of food they feed or those who follow their own ideas for "improving" their dog's diet without doing any research. Every brand of dog food is following a specific formulation and philosophy developed by the manufacturer. They are all formulated to supply a balanced amount of nutrients in a ration of a certain size, based on the body weight of the dog. When mixing different foods you run the risk of your dog getting either not enough or too much of certain nutrients."


I raised the question because most people in this forum seem to avocate mixing brands for a long term, which is very different from what I have been told. Of course, we all do what is the best for our critters, and we don't do things just because we are told to.

By the way, mixing food for transition period is a different story.

 

I believe it is detrimental to mix foods that are designed for different life stages. However, I believe it is different than mixing foods made by different companies. Most of the premium cat foods have very similar ingredients with very similar nutritional profile for each life stage.

Also, it is much more detrimental to have too little nutrients than too much nutrients.

 

the only time i would believe in mixing foods was if changing to a different lifestage, a different brand or to a prescription diet, so the tummy gradually gets used to the new diet. i dont think it is of any importance to the cat to 'mix' foods, this is a human ideal, that their pet 'gets bored' or 'likes a change' are human emotions on their pets dietry requirements. we 'eat' with our eyes, cats eat to fufill their energy requirements. kibble shapes and to some extent flavours dont matter to the cat, mixing diets would only lead to tummy problems and diah. (oh and if you pander to what your cat 'likes' to eat ie. chicken and prawns you end up with a fussy cat who will only eat chickens and prawns, not a balanced diet!)

((just my thoughts, no offense to anyone :wink: ))

 

I just wanted to add that if you want to give your cats variety, instead of mixing foods at once you can rotate the foods, ie, one month feed Wellness and the next month or 2, feed Innova, or whatever food you like to feed. If you rotate brands, you will cover any nutritional deficiency a particular brand may have without upsetting the nutritional balance of a particular brand. Of course, when you have a cat with a sensitive stomach it is not very easy to do this and sometimes you may actually do more harm than good by switching foods on a sensitive cat's system.

Nocturne123 brought up some good information and personally I've read on other forums and also have seen certain dogs have problems either with too much or too little of a particular nutrient for upsetting the balance of a particular food.

The best way to provide some variety and not risk any health problems is to rotate brands every once in a while if it is possible instead of mixing in the bowl for each meal.