Gaps and Controversies in Feline Food Palatability

Feline food palatability is fundamental to ensure nutritional intake and the commercial success of pet foods, yet the field has several gaps, unresolved contradictions, and methodological inconsistencies. A literature search identified 141 relevant publications. Critical evaluation of this body of work revealed four recurring areas of tension: the inconsistent definition of palatability, where the same term evaluates different constructs; contradictory behavioral indicators, where the same behaviors (e.g., nose-licking) are variably interpreted as positive or negative across studies; methodological fragmentation arising from overarching test selection, study design implementation, and inconsistent or selective reporting; and the disconnect between owners’ perception of palatability and objectively measured feline responses. This critical narrative review discusses the origins of these inconsistencies, their implications for cross-study comparison, and their combined effect on the reliability of existing evidence. Resolving these contradictions may benefit from a proposed integrative framework for defining palatability, a standardized ethogram for behavioral indicators, and a decision framework for selecting assessment methodologies. These approaches could improve the comparability and reliability of future studies, but their effectiveness requires validation.