Palatability assessment of a commercial wet renal diet in healthy cats: an open-label in-home exploratory trial.

backgroundWet renal diets are considered the best option for managing cats with chronic kidney disease (CKD), but their palatability is a recurrent concern. HYPOTHESIS/

objectivesAssess the palatability of a commercial wet diet formulated for early-stage CKD in cats. ANIMALS: Forty-two healthy cats privately owned by 31 caregivers.

methodsAn open-label in-home feeding trial was conducted over three 6-day phases, during which cats were offered the wet renal diet (Phase 1), their usual wet diet (Phase 2), and both diets simultaneously (Phase 3). Time from diet presentation to eating (latency time), food intake, and feeding-related behaviors were recorded by caregivers. Analyses included descriptive statistics and mixed-effects regression models.

resultsCaregivers classified renal diet acceptance as positive for 69.0% (n = 29) of cats, negative for 23.8% (n = 10), and neutral for 7.1% (n = 3). Overall, cats were significantly more likely (P < .001) to be recorded in a higher diet intake category in Phase 2 than in Phase 1, whereas latency time did not differ significantly (P = .07). Based on recorded intake during Phase 3, neither diet was significantly preferred (P = .34), although caregivers perceived a preference for the usual diet in 47.6% (n = 20) of cats and for the renal diet in 45.2% (n = 19). If prescribed, caregivers would offer this therapeutic diet to 78.6% (n = 33) of cats. CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL IMPORTANCE: In this short-term feeding trial, most healthy cats accepted the renal diet formulated for early-stage CKD with no apparent palatability concerns.