Neutered cat: which kibble to choose

Neutering changes the cat's hormones: it burns less energy at rest and its appetite often rises. With the same bowl as before, the surplus quickly turns into extra weight.

An overweight cat is more exposed to diabetes, joint problems and urinary disorders. Excess weight builds up within months and is lost slowly: it is better to plan for it from the operation onwards.

As soon as your cat is home and eating normally after the anaesthetic. Switch over about a week, mixing more and more of the new kibble with the old.

If your cat is under one year old, choose a « kitten sterilised » formula or ask your vet: it still needs a growth food, but a less calorific one.

Sterilised formulas are generally lower in fat and calories, with more protein to keep muscle and more fibre to make the cat feel full. Many are also formulated for urinary comfort, with controlled minerals.

In our aisle there are sterilised versions from Josicat, Brit Premium by Nature, Brit Care, Royal Canin, Pure Life, Lara, Wanpy and Divinus, from bags of a few hundred grams up to 15 kg.

Start from the amount printed on the bag for your cat's ideal weight, and weigh it with a kitchen scale: by eye you almost always serve too much.

Split the ration into several small meals, or use a feeder or a treat ball to make it move a little. Treats count towards the total: if you give some, take away a few pieces of kibble.

Cats naturally drink little, and urine that is too concentrated favours crystals and urinary stones, which are more common in neutered cats, especially males.

Wet food and pouches are roughly three quarters water. Replacing part of the kibble with a portion of « sterilised » wet food increases water intake without adding calories, as long as you reduce the kibble accordingly. Also keep several fresh water points around the home.

See a vet quickly if your cat:

• goes to the litter box often without passing urine or passing very little;
• urinates outside the box or cries while urinating;
• has blood in its urine;
• loses weight for no reason or stops eating.

A male cat that cannot urinate at all is an emergency: it must be seen the same day.