Are Meal Toppers a Good Idea for Cats? Pros and Cons

One conversation I've been having with folks recently is about cat meal toppers. A few people I've talked to absolutely swear by them, and wouldn't keep a cat without having a supply of meal toppers around for them. Others have gone their whole lives without ever using them, and one even had no idea they existed!

Like a lot of various pet products out there, meal toppers have a lot of fancy marketing surrounding them, making a lot of promises, and they sound like they'd be great. But that's assuming everything they claim is true, which we all know isn't often the case.

So, today, I wanted to do a deep dive into meal toppers. What are they, what benefits do they have for your fur baby, and should you use them? Are there any drawbacks or reasons not to use them? In short: what do you need to know?

Let's dig in.

What Are Cat Meal Toppers?

Alright, first, let's start with looking into what cat meal toppers even are in the first place.

The simple answer is that meal toppers are products you put on top of your cat's food, usually dry food.

And, when you browse stores with meal toppers for sale, that's kind of it?

So, here's the problem. "Meal toppers" is a broad category, and it's not one that is well defined by any sort of regulation or product specifications. I've seen all kinds of things listed as meal toppers, including:

• Packets of chicken, pork, beef, or turkey bone broth.

• Dehydrated milk powder.

• Raw milk products, particularly goat milk.

• Flavored milk products, including fruit milks.

• Vegetable toppers, including squash and greens powders.

• Raw meat nuggets, frozen to use.

• Freeze-dried meat nuggets.

• Egg products, particularly quail eggs.

• Fish products, including sardines.

And that's just from a handful of stores!

That's a ton of variety, which makes it pretty difficult to discuss "meal toppers" generically, because there's a whole lot of difference between pouring some bone broth over your kitten's kibble and adding powdered greens to their food.

So, I'm going to discuss a lot of pros and cons to adding "stuff" to the top of your cat's food, but I'll also try to call out specifics here and there. For example:

Is Milk Bad For Your Cat?

A few of those meal toppers are milk products, and for some of you, that's ringing alarm bells.

We've all seen cartoons and other media of cats drinking milk. A lot of us probably have given our cats milk as a treat, even.

I'm not surprised that I get a lot of shocked reactions when I tell people that they shouldn't do that.

Cats are mammals, and as kittens, they drink milk to grow and survive. But did you know that we humans are the only mammal species that drink milk after childhood?

Most animals, and even many humans, lose the enzyme that allows us to digest milk as we get older. And if you're lactose-intolerant, you know how much of a pain that is.

Giving your cat milk might seem like a tasty treat, and many cats will definitely go for it. Someone sent me a post on Instagram the other day of their cat demanding milk when she poured herself a glass; that cat jumped up on the counter and practically tried to knock the cup from her hands to get at it.

That doesn't mean it's good for them, though. Sure, milk has some protein in it, but lactose causes all kinds of stomach problems, including flatulence, abdominal cramping, and more. Plus, milk is pretty fatty, even skim milk. It's really not healthy for cats to drink.

This is where things get a little tricky, though, because that's all just about cow's milk. A lot (not all, but a lot) of meal toppers aren't actually cow's milk. Some use goat's milk, which is a lot lower in lactose.

Goat's milk is healthier for cats, but I'm still skeptical. For one thing, raw milk can be a huge health hazard. For another, a lot of the evidence that I can find saying goat's milk is great for cats is coming directly from businesses selling goat's milk, and not from actually authoritative sources.

And all of that, you know, is just about one particular kind of meal topper. I haven't even touched on things like the freeze-dried meat bits or the bone broth!

Do Meal Toppers Have Benefits for Cats?

I'm going to say yes. Meal toppers can have some benefits for cats, though it can depend both on what meal topper and what cat. What are the benefits?

Meal Toppers Often Add Moisture to a Meal

One of the biggest issues with cats is that they often don't drink enough water. Chronic low-level dehydration can be a significant health problem and can cause kidney issues down the line.

I wrote a whole guide on how to help get a cat to drink when they're refusing water because of this problem.

The truth is, any sort of moisture is better than nothing. So, some meal toppers, like broth or gravy especially, can be a great addition. A friend of mine finally got her cat to eat and drink after days of illness by using a meal topper to make it moist for him, and it helped a lot with hydration.

Meal Toppers Enhance Scents and Flavors

Let's be real here; if you had to eat nothing but dry cereal for every meal, you'd get pretty tired of it, too, right?

For cats, dry food can be pretty boring. They'll eat it, usually, but it's practically just because it's all you'll give them. I've also had quite a few people message me over the years asking for help because their cats suddenly started refusing to eat their dry food.

Dry food is nutritionally complete, which is important. But it's also bland and boring. Just because it technically meets your cat's needs doesn't mean they're going to like it.

Meal toppers are a source of a lot of enticing scents, whether it's poultry or other meats, or just the moisture rehydrating the dry food enough to make it more appealing. It's one of the ways you can encourage a picky cat to eat, too.

Meal Toppers Can Include Useful Nutrients

This one is a big "it depends" based on what the meal topper actually is. Some meal toppers include ingredients with micronutrients your cat won't get elsewhere.

I definitely urge you caution with this one, though. Again, cat foods are generally nutritionally complete. They're scientifically designed to have everything your cat needs to be healthy. Some added nutrients can be good, but others get dangerous when there's too much of it available.

I knew one guy on Instagram whose cat had a lot of health issues, and it turned out to be because the meal topper he was using had a lot of extra calcium in it, which, on top of the calcium in the food, was causing hypercalcemia. Not good!

Sometimes, your vet will recommend a meal topper to augment a nutrient your cat needs. Other times, the meal topper might be causing the problem in the first place.

What Are the Drawbacks to Cat Meal Toppers?

Now let's talk about the downsides to meal toppers. I already kind of mentioned one just above, so let's start with that one.

Meal Toppers Unbalance Nutrients

Many meal toppers are rich. They're flavorful, and that flavor comes from protein, fat, sugar, and the like. It's enticing, but it's also potentially harmful.

I don't just mean issues with excess micronutrients, either. Some of those meal toppers include a lot of fat, or a lot of oil, or a lot of sugar, which can cause obesity, diabetes, and digestive issues.

This is why whenever someone asks me if I recommend a meal topper, I say to be careful with it. They can be fine, but always make sure that you're never exceeding 10% of your cat's caloric intake in meal topper. They aren't free, and they can easily lead to obesity and health problems.

Meal Toppers Can Make Your Cat Even Pickier

I know, I know. I already said that you can use meal toppers to encourage a cat to eat. But that's only for short-term use!

If you're giving your cat a meal topper with every meal, that's what they're going to expect. If you try to feed them without it, they're going to turn their nose up at the food. And you would too; imagine if you suddenly were no longer allowed herbs or spices on your food. No thank you.

Meal Toppers Can Include Harmful Ingredients

This is also an extremely "your mileage may vary" concern. Some meal toppers are fine. Others aren't. The problem is, as a pet supplement, they're very poorly regulated, and sometimes barely regulated at all. You really need to trust where you're getting your meal topper, so you know it isn't contaminated or adulterated.

Even if you're getting something like human food to use as a meal topper, you want to double-check. I knew one gal whose cat was having health issues, and it turned out that the bone broth she was buying to use as a meal topper just had a lot of sodium in it, and the excess sodium was causing problems.

Even something like sardines. Fish is generally good for cats, but sardines are oily, and can be packed in oil, and that oil causes digestive problems in large amounts.

What's the Verdict? Are Meal Toppers Good for Cats?

I offer a tentative maybe.

Some meal toppers can be fine when you consider them a treat. They aren't an everyday thing, and they should be used sparingly, so you don't cause or worsen health problems.

Other meal toppers can be a bad idea, or even downright harmful. Always review what's in the toppers you use.

If your cat is having issues, a meal topper can sometimes help. Ask your vet first, so you don't accidentally make something worse.

A Few More of Your Questions, Answered

To round things out, here are a few questions people have asked me either here on my blog or via Instagram.

How do I know if my cat could benefit from a meal topper?

Think about why you're using a meal topper.

Some cats are in a position to need one.

• An older cat that has lost their sense of smell and needs help feeling an appetite.

• A sick cat that needs more assistance with finding food attractive and more moisture in their system.

• An underweight cat that needs to gain weight in a healthy way, without the habit of overeating. This is common with neglected or lost cats.

• A cat with a specific health concern, where a vet recommends a particular kind of topper to provide nutrients.

If there's not a good reason to use a meal topper, think of it as a treat and use it accordingly.

Are there other uses for meal toppers?

Sure. One of my favorites, actually, is for food transitions. It can be really hard to get a cat to go from a food they know and enjoy to one they don't. But if they need to get on a new food for health reasons, or just because the food you used to buy is discontinued now, well. You need to transition them somehow, right?

You can use a meal topper to add flavor to their old food, and add the same topper to the new food, so there's a lot of similarity between them. Then, you gradually reduce how much of the topper you use until they've made the move. It works!

How do you know if a meal topper is any good?

Look at the ingredients, and consider a cat's diet. Cats are obligate carnivores, which means they need mostly protein, and relatively little carbs, with fats in the middle. A topper that is primarily fats, or worse, something full of sugar, is going to be pretty unhealthy.

Some of those toppers I listed way up above are just things like meat, which is fine. But it's also not all that different from their food. You're kind of just mixing kibble with a less nutritionally complete kibble.

Things like raw milk can be a vector for disease, and things like powdered greens might not be doing much for your cat at all.

Do you have any other questions? Feel free to reach out! I love having these discussions; it's always a good feeling to help you help your cat live a better life.