Neutered Cat: 3 Tips for Feeding Your Cat

Spaying or neutering your cat is becoming increasingly common among cat owners, for both males and females. Contrary to popular belief, this is not a cruel practice and does not shorten your feline friend’s lifespan—quite the opposite! No longer driven by hormones to seek a mate for reproduction, our cats won’t run off into the streets at the first opportunity, risking their lives. Female cats also won’t have to endure the physical stress of carrying a pregnancy, which affects the animal’s lifespan, and we won’t have to worry about finding homes for four or five adorable furry friends. Taking all this into account, spaying a cat extends its life.

After all, this is a procedure that alters the balance in your dog’s body—so how should you adjust their diet to their new condition? What kind of dry food should you choose? And what about wet food?

What can we feed our cat? Food, yes…

 Some of the behavioral changes that many owners notice after having their cat spayed or neutered include increased affection, a bigger appetite, and less activity. These are normal behaviors, so there’s no need to worry if you notice them in your cat; they’re caused by a decrease in hormones that previously drove them to seek a mate.

With this in mind, we need to adapt our cat’s diet to its new needs. To start, let’s choose a line of dry food specifically formulated for neutered cats. These foods are highly satiating, richer in protein and fiber to help maintain lean body mass and intestinal health. They are also lower in fat to prevent excessive weight gain. It’s a good idea to choose products that contain carbohydrates derived from rice, such as equilibrium Sterilized cat kibble or even“grain-free”options, which are easier for our cat to digest.

A good practice is to provide more frequent meals in smaller portions, while still ensuring your cat gets the recommended daily nutritional intake; this way, you can avoid the begging and meowing of your food-loving cat. Finally, neutered cats tend to drink less; some may even develop dehydration, urinary tract infections, or even bladder stones. To prevent this, always leave a bowl of fresh water for your cat and mix dry food with wet food. Since wet food contains more water than dry kibble, it helps keep your cat hydrated.

… but not food. What should you avoid?

 Generally speaking, there’s no difference between a neutered cat and an unneutered cat: what’s bad for one is bad for the other. We can even continue to feed them food designed for unneutered adult cats, but we should make sure to keep them active and feed them 20% less than the recommended amount. In this case, it’s even more important to feed them high-quality food, such as the products in the Equilibrium line. Another thing to avoid is completely replacing dry food with wet food: while trying to prevent intestinal issues, we might end up causing problems with their teeth and gums. Wet food tends to stick to the animal’s teeth, contributing to tartar buildup. Dry kibble, on the other hand, acts like a toothbrush, slowing down tartar buildup. It’s best to mix or alternate these two types of food. In medio stat virtus! (The virtue lies in the middle!)

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