The benefits of breed-specific cat food
You may have heard there are cat foods designed exclusively for specific cat breeds. But why buy a cat food specific for a purebred and what exactly makes these diets so special?
To find the answers, read our guide on the benefits of breed-specific cat foods.
In New Zealand, you can get breed-specific food for Ragdoll, Maine Coon, British Shorthair, Persian and Siamese cats. If your cat is purebred (pedigree), you may want to consider feeding your feline friend one of our Superior Nutrition cat foods made specifically for your cat’s breed. These foods are tailored to support the breed’s unique attributes that makes you cat’s breed special.
What are the nutrition benefits of a breed-specific cat food?
Choosing to feed your cat a breed-specific food will provide exactly what your purebred kitty needs. From facial and jaw structure to skin and coat type, these tailored diets consider each breed’s unique attributes to provide a very specific set of nutrients and protein levels to meet the nutritional needs of purebred cats. Here are a few examples:
- Cat food for British Shorthair cats has the right level of protein to maintain the breed’s heavy body type.
- Cat food for Siamese cats is tailored to preserve the breed’s long, slender body type.
- Cat food for Maine Coon cats is enriched with ingredients that help with joint health, because the breed is three times heavier than the average cat.
- Cat food for Persian cats has ingredients that support the breed’s long fur coat.
- Cat food for Ragdoll cats has a focus on strong bones and healthy joints, because Ragdoll cats have a large frame and heavy bones.
Kibble shape
Beyond nutrition, breed-specific dry cat foods have a kibble shape and size to suit each breed’s jaw size. This encourages chewing, which provides dental benefits.
- Siamese cats have a pointed, narrow jaw and like to use their teeth to pick up food. For this reason, Siamese kibble is tube-shaped.
- Kibble that’s specifically for Ragdoll cats is pyramid-shaped, which suits the breed’s broad jaw.
- British Shorthair food has a large kibble size, to suit the breed’s large jaw.
- Maine Coon kibble suits the large, square jaw of the breed. It’s shaped to encourage chewing to support oral hygiene.
- Persian kibble is almond shaped, to suit the breed’s brachycephalic (shortened) face type.
Mixed feeding
Breed-specific foods come in wet and dry formulations, so you can feed your cat a combination of both to provide a range of health benefits. Introducing a wet meal into your pet's diet is a great way boost their daily hydration, while also adding excitement to mealtime through a variety of flavours and textures.
On the other hand, the crunchy texture of the dry kibble exerts a scraping action on the surface of the teeth and gums, which helps remove the build-up of plaque and tartar. To learn more about the benefits of feeding your cat both wet and dry food, visit our ‘Mixed Feeding for cats’ article.
Not sure which food is the best for your purebred cat? If you want help choosing the right food for your feline friend, pop into your local Animates store and have a chat with our friendly pet experts.