Changing cat food necessary if no better results in coat?

Question

I have 1 year old cat with poor coat, I visited a vet several times but he says there is nothing wrong with the cat. His recommendation was to change the cat food.

When I fed my cat "Royal Canin Persian Kitten" his coat was average. Then the vet asked me to switch from "Royal Canin" to "Josera Cat Food". I didn't see any improvement in his coat. Now the vet wants me to switch to "Royal Canin Skin and Care Nutrition" which is really expensive.

1. Should I switch food again?
2. Is a poor coat the result of feeding only dry food, and wet food once or twice a month?
3. What should I feed my cat to improve his coat?

Answer 1

I have no better health advice than your vet has.

But, if my cat was healthy otherwise, I would not change cat food for a really expensive food.

Now, depending on where you live the quality of the cat food might not be up to what is needed. The European Union has rules on that and so even low price dry cat food that claims to be a total / complete food will be healthy for a cat. Try to find out what the rules are in your country. And there might even be some comparative tests on the available cat food.

You might try a small bag of the expensive cat food, see if you find it worth your money.

Answer 2

While I can only offer primarily anecdote-based information, I have consistently found drastic improvements with my cats' coats when feeding a quality all-wet diet. I will admit up front that I have not tried lower priced wet options, and that an all-wet diet can be more expensive than many kibble-based diets, as well as less convenient. However, four of four cats I've fed this way have very high-quality, soft coats when fed a species-appropriate canned food.

As available foods vary between countries, and recipes may also vary from region to region, the best advice is to do your own research on what ingredients are in foods available for you. A species-appropriate food will be primarily named meat ingredients (avoid "meat" and "meat by-product" ingredients, as there's no telling what they may be), with some added supplemental vitamins, minerals, and vegetables (to simulate the stomach contents of prey). As cats tend to get most of their water through prey, a wet diet will lead to a better hydrated cat, and a cat who is hydrated and receiving proper nutrition will be more likely to have a healthy coat as well.

Answer 3

If your cat is doing healthy in the cat food you have chosen for her, please don't change food again and again.

For Coat, I can give you advice.

1. Try not to bath your cat on a regular basis.
2. Wait for a week or two for proper results.
3. Add Fatty acids (Fish and Salmon) in your cat's food. (With vet advice)

Thanks

Answer 4

Do not change food, if it works well for your cat's age, weight, and breed and is vet recommended. Keep the new food if everything else is fine and healthy. Cats usually don’t like change in their food.

There are supplements like collagen that you can add to your cat's food that may help her coat and be more cost-effective than switching to an expensive food brand. Any brand works as long as it contains marine collagen peptides as the active ingredient. And make sure you get a product for cats.
It's typically powder made to sprinkle over food, though this could vary.

I bought some for my 15yo arthritic Maine Coon and saw an improvement in her fur and joints immediately.