Castration is a surgical operation common in pet cats and dogs, and weight gain is often observed a period after castration. Nutritional management can be important for animal health in both processes. Due to differences in manufacturing techniques and nutrient composition, wet canned food generally exhibits higher palatability and lower energy density than dry food. Till date, few studies have explored if compared to dry kibbles, canned diet can have advantages in promoting recovery from castration surgery and maintaining normal body condition after castration in cats. In our study, dry and canned diets were fed to cats experiencing castration surgery with a free-feeding method. During the one week after surgery, cats fed canned food exhibited less pain and discomfort, and improved inflammation and antioxidative capacity than cats fed dry food. During the four weeks after surgery, cats fed dry food showed significantly more weight gain and change of body condition, meanwhile their blood and fecal measures resembled more of those observed in overweight and/or obese individuals than cats fed canned food. Collectively, canned food with high palatability and low energy density promoted the recovery of cats from the castration surgery and reduced their weight gain after castration.

Read the full article in the Journal of Animal Science.