“Variety is the spice of life” means that doing different things, trying new experiences, or changing routines adds excitement and interest to life, much like spices enhance the flavor of food. Without variety, life can feel dull or monotonous. This saying encourages people to embrace change, explore the unfamiliar, and enjoy diversity in everyday activities, relationships, and perspectives. It suggests that a mix of experiences—whether joyful, challenging, or unexpected—makes life more vibrant and fulfilling. The phrase highlights the value of stepping outside comfort zones and appreciating the richness that difference and novelty bring to our lives.
It might apply to the food we give our cat companions!?
Absolutely—it’s a great fit for our feline friends too! Just like us, cats can get bored with the same food every day. Offering variety—whether through different flavors, textures (like wet and dry), or occasional treats—can make mealtime more engaging and enjoyable for them. It may even encourage better eating habits. That said, it’s important to introduce new foods gradually and ensure they’re nutritionally balanced and safe. For cats with sensitive stomachs or medical needs, consistency might be better—but for many, a little variety really is the spice of life! A happy palate can mean a happier, more stimulated cat.
If there is a good example of proof that domestic cats can become bored (a quite complex emotion) it is in their preference for a varied diet. And I don’t mean preying on different animals. I mean putting down different types of wet cat food to pique their interest and encourage them to eat with more interest and enjoyment.
Like humans cats enjoy their food. It varies between cats and this form of enjoyment is, of course, dependent on health. A sick cat will lose their appetite like a human but in general, instinctively cats like to eat. It is hard wired and deep seated into their psyche as it is about survival and cats are great survivors.
Without wishing to preach in any way, the first duty of a cat caregiver is to keep their cat or cats safe and building on that foundation, to then provide the environment in which they can be as relaxed and as happy as possible.
Ensuring that there is a variety of wet food types available is one good way of discharging that oh so important duty.
Some cat owners think their cats are being unnecessarily fussy with their food; turning up their noses at perfectly good foods. But sometimes this is due to boredom with a certain brand and therefore taste.
It is about the cat’s mood, which is also how humans operate. I have just given my cat his breakfast or is it his supper! He is a night owl so if I feed him at 06:30 it is probably supper for him as he tends to sleep in the day.
I gave him a nice quality wet food; one I know he likes and enjoys. He turned his nose up at it and decided to eat the semi-dried remains of a different brand of wet food that had been in the bowl for 10 hours! And he also had some dry.
Some cat caregivers think that it is acceptable to feed their cat the same dull, cheap dry cat food day in and day out. Cats will eat it because they must but it is a bit of a failure in terms of cat caregiving even if it is the cheapest and most convenient way to feed one’s cat.
I know cat owning is expensive if you do a really good job. It is getting ever more expensive with inflation and higher vets’ bills (greedy corporations taking over independent vets).
But long-term eating of cheap dry cat food is likely, I believe, to cause health issues; to shorten lifespan. There are too many cats dying of kidney disease. Dry cat food might be a contributing factor and probably is.
That’s another cat caregiving duty: to make sure a cat’s lifespan is a long as possible as it is indicative of good health and therefore good caregiving.
In terms of food variety, I’d say a range of about five different food brands is good. They can be rotated more or less daily. I believe in the highest quality and small cans or sachets as this ensures minimum waste.
The Holy Grail of cat feeding is zero waste. It can be hard to achieve. But it can be heavily minimized by:
- rotaing food flavour (different brands) and
- putting down smaller quantities than the manufacturers want us to put down. Most sachets in my view are too large which will almost inevitably lead to some food being left in the bowl. I hate to see that.
As mentioned, boredom is an emotion. Cats are not automatons. The are more similarities between cats and humans than there are differences. One of the similarities is that cats at least feel the basic emotions.
I also hate to see cats bored. In the wild, their wildcat forebears would never be bored as they are and were too busy trying to survive. Boredom leads to distorted behaviours and sometimes pleasure eating also just like humans. This can lead to obesity. Heard of the cat obesity epidemic? Well, a lot of it is down to full-time indoor cats becoming chronically bored due to a lack of stimulation due in turn to a sterile environment.
Food variety is one way to enrich the cat’s environment. And food puzzle feeders can add to that enrichment although sadly they only work with dry cat food.
Please your darling cat and make feeding a happy ocassion with exciting food varieties.
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