Is a Novel Protein Diet Right for Your Cat?

Kirsten McCarthy / Cats.com

With so many different types of cat food available, choosing the right one for your cat can be overwhelming. But the good news is, novel protein diets are much easier to understand than they sound.

A novel protein diet is simply a diet that contains a protein source your cat has not eaten before. In the pet food industry, it is used to describe ingredients that aren’t conventionally used in cat foods, such as duck, venison, or even kangaroo!

More than just a boutique option, novel protein diets can diagnose and treat cats with food intolerances and allergies or inflammatory bowel disease (IBD).

This article explains what you need to know about novel protein diets for cats, including exactly what they are and why you might choose one.

What Are Novel Protein Diets for Cats?

When looking for a novel protein for your cat, be sure to check all the ingredients on any food they’ve had before, not just what is listed on the front of the packet. Kirsten McCarthy / Cats.com

Put simply, a novel protein is a protein your cat has never eaten before. For instance, if your cat has never eaten a diet that contains pork, this would be a novel protein for them.

Of course, this is individual to your cat. So, when it comes to pet food industry lingo, the term is used to describe diets that contain unusual proteins not normally found in over-the-counter pet foods, meaning it would be ‘novel’ for most cats.

However, you do need to look carefully at the ingredients list in any food your cat has had before to check they have not had it before.

Examples of Novel Proteins for Cats

Examples of protein sources you might find in a novel protein cat food include:

• Duck
• Venison
• Rabbit
• Kangaroo
• Wild Boar
• Egg
• Insect protein

But the list is endless. Remember, a novel protein doesn’t have to be exotic; it just needs to be new for your cat.

The Role of Novel Protein Diets

What your cat eats plays an important role in their health. You know you want to choose a high-quality, complete, and balanced diet. But the right food for your cat is much more individual than that. Not all foods will suit your cat, even if it’s a great quality food.

If your cat seems to react poorly to certain types of food, it’s most likely that the protein component is the issue. While wheat, preservatives, and fillers all get a bad rep, the most common type of ingredient to cause an adverse food reaction in pets is protein. Research shows that the most common food allergen sources in cats are chicken, beef, and fish.

Novel protein diets are a great option for diagnosing and treating dietary sensitivities in cats. So, what should you look out for in your cat?

Symptoms of Food Allergies and Intolerance in Cats

Recurrent skin or ear infections can be a sign of food allergies in cats. Kirsten McCarthy / Cats.com

Cats who are reacting to something in their diet usually suffer from skin problems or digestive issues. This can come on quickly, for instance, after a change in diet, or develop gradually over time:

• Itchy skin
• Hair loss
• Excessive licking
• Skin lesions such as redness, spots, or scabs
• Recurrent skin or ear infections
• Poor or variable appetite
• Abdominal pain
• Bloating
• Vomiting
• Diarrhea
• Blood in stools

If your cat is showing signs of a food allergy or intolerance, changing the protein in their food to a novel protein could alleviate their symptoms.

However, the first step is to take them for a thorough check-up with your veterinarian. While skin and gastrointestinal symptoms are commonly seen with food intolerances, they can also be a sign of many other problems that may need treating. Your veterinarian may run some routine tests, such as skin tests, blood tests, or urine tests, to screen for underlying issues.

Does Your Cat Need a Novel Protein Diet?

A diet trial is the only way to diagnose a food allergy or sensitivity and is more reliable than any blood test available Kirsten McCarthy / Cats.com

If you’re worried that your cat could be reacting to their food, and you’ve had the all-clear from the vets, you might be wondering if a novel protein diet could help them.

It certainly could! But you need to know the best way to use a novel protein diet for your cat, starting with a diet trial. Read on for my advice, as a veterinarian, on using a novel protein diet to diagnose and treat your food-sensitive cat.

Using Novel Protein Diets in a Diet Trial

The only way to diagnose a food allergy or intolerance in your cat is by doing an elimination diet trial. Unfortunately, although you may see skin or blood tests on the market, they are not accurate for food allergies.

An elimination diet trial involves stopping all aspects of your cat’s current diet (including treats or tit bits!) and transitioning them to a novel diet. It is important to look at the ingredients of every food your cat has ever had to be sure the elimination diet is truly new to them.

The new diet should be introduced gradually over 7-14 days to avoid stomach upsets. You should feed your cat the new diet exclusively for 6-8 weeks, with absolutely no other food during this time.

If your cat’s symptoms resolve, they likely have a food sensitivity. However, to be sure, you should (with the guidance of your veterinarian) ‘re-challenge’ your cat by giving some of the old food – or another diet – to see if the symptoms return.

Using Novel Protein Diets to Treat Cats with Food Allergies and Intolerances

The good news is that cats with food allergies and intolerances have an excellent prognosis. Once you have identified the foods that don’t agree with them and found a food that does, most cats live a normal, symptom-free life without the need for medication.

As time goes on, (unless your cat’s symptoms are severe), you can challenge your cat with several diets to expand the range of food they can safely have. Or, once you’ve found a food that works for them, you may choose to stick to that.

Many cats with allergies do experience ups and downs with their symptoms, especially if they are accidentally exposed to a food they are sensitive to. It is also possible for new allergies to develop, so you may need to do several elimination diets over their life, and keep experimenting with their diet.

How To Choose a Novel Protein Diet for Your Cat?

There are lots of options when it comes to choosing a novel protein diet for your cat. However, as is the case with anything pet-food related, this can be overwhelming. Read on for my top tips on finding the right one for you and your cat.

• Choose a veterinary-specific novel protein diet: As boutique pet food options become more popular, you may see cat foods boasting ingredients found in specialized novel protein diets, such as kangaroo or venison. However, many of these over-the-counter diets also contain other proteins not listed on the front label. This can make them inappropriate for elimination diets or the early stages of re-challenging with single-source proteins.
• Ensure the protein is novel for your cat: As cat food options expand, it can be harder to find a protein your cat has never been exposed to before. You will need to look at every food they’ve ever had, including treats or tit bits. Be sure to check the full ingredients list of both the old and new foods, as many foods will contain multiple protein sources, not just the main flavour on the front of the bag.
• Check that it is balanced and complete for their life stage: whatever you feed your cat, it should be balanced and complete. It should also be appropriate for their life-stage, for instance growing, adult, or senior. This means that you can use it both for a diet trial and to be fed long-term.
• Choose the option you think will be most palatable for your cat: If your cat has food sensitivities, it works best to find one food and stick to it. So, it’s important to find a novel protein diet they really love. Think about your cat’s preferences. Do they prefer wet food or dry food? What types of flavors do they enjoy? It can help to try a few and choose your cat’s favourite to feed for the diet trial.
• Check with your vet if your cat has any other health conditions: If your cat has other medical problems, for instance, kidney disease or heart problems, they might already have specialized dietary needs. So, check with your vet that their new food is appropriate for all their health conditions.

Alternatives to Novel Protein Diets for Cats With Food Sensitivities

While home-cooked diets are a good way to ensure a single, novel protein source, it is very difficult to ensure that they are nutritional balanced and complete for your cat. They should only be used under the guidance of a specialized veterinary nutritionist. Kate Barrington / Cats.com

Novel protein diets are an excellent choice for cats with sensitive stomachs. There are lots of options that are complete and balanced, as well as life-stage specific – meaning you can feed them long-term. They also tend to be more palatable than other options (such as hydrolyzed protein diets), and cheaper than prescription or home-cooked diets.

However, they are not the only option when it comes to finding suitable food for your sensitive cat. Other options include hydrolyzed protein diets, home-cooked diets, or over-the-counter options.

1. Hydrolyzed Protein Diets

The proteins in hydrolyzed protein diets are treated so that the body doesn’t react to them. They can be an easy option for diet trials in particular, as you don’t need to spend time ensuring a protein is novel to your cat. They can also be fed long-term. However, they are often not as palatable as novel protein diets and can be more expensive.

2. Home-Cooked Diets

Some owners turn to home-cooked diets to be sure they know exactly what is in their cat’s food. Home-cooked diets tend to be tasty for cats and it is easy to ensure there is only one protein source. However, it is very difficult to be sure a home-cooked diet is nutritionally balanced and complete, meaning they are often a risky choice for your cat’s long-term health. They are also generally more expensive than commercial pet food and take a lot of work.

If you do want to try a home-cooked diet for your cat, it is worth using a recipe developed by a specialized veterinary nutritionist to ensure it will meet all your cat’s needs.

3. Over-The-Counter Diets

There are lots of boutique pet foods boasting unusual ingredients that look like they could be a good choice for a novel protein diet. However, these foods are not designed for the diagnosis or treatment of food sensitivities. Often, when you look at the full ingredients list, they contain multiple protein sources that are not listed on the front label. This makes them unsuitable for diet trials or the early stages of reintroducing proteins one at a time.