Easy methods to Change Your Cat’s Meals in 10 Easy Steps

Altering your cat’s meals requires cautious consideration and planning. Having lived with a number of cats at completely different life phases and with various well being circumstances, I’ve needed to alter my cats’ diets up to now, which concerned many trials and changes.

Cats are naturally cautious creatures, so any deviation from their ordinary surroundings or eating regimen can set off suspicion and trigger them to keep away from novel meals. New meals smells and flavors set off their survival instincts to keep away from poisonous substances within the wild.

Irrespective of your particular purpose for altering your cat’s meals, you may observe some easy steps to make sure a clean and secure transition to your feline companion.

Meals for Life Levels and Situations

Correct cat diet is necessary to your cat’s well-being and longevity. There are a variety of the explanation why altering your cat’s meals may be helpful or essential.

A cat’s dietary necessities change as they transition by way of life phases. A cat’s eating regimen, due to this fact, wants to vary based mostly on their age and vitality wants. Cat diet is completely different for kittens, adults, and seniors, in addition to when cats are pregnant or lactating.

Sure medical circumstances, comparable to urinary tract an infection, diabetes, inflammatory bowel illness, hyperthyroidism, dental sickness, or kidney or liver illness, may additionally name for a particular eating regimen. Your veterinarian will counsel a therapeutic or prescription eating regimen for a selected length or lifelong if the situation is persistent.

Treating Meals Allergic reactions or Intolerance

Like people and canines, cats can develop meals allergic reactions. Signs embrace itching, rashes, vomiting, and diarrhea. Frequent triggers are particular proteins (beef, rooster, eggs, pork, fish, and dairy merchandise) or components present in meals.

In response to two research, ^{[1] [2]} meals allergic reactions can happen at any age and with any breed or combine, however Siamese cats and their crosses may be at a better danger. Seek the advice of along with your vet about altering your cat’s eating regimen to an alternate protein, hypoallergenic eating regimen, or balanced home-cooked eating regimen for a two-month trial interval to deal with allergic reactions or intolerances.

Supporting a Wholesome Weight

Puzzle feeders present psychological stimulation and make mealtime extra participating to your cat. Melina Grin / Cats.com

All through your cat’s life, their weight could fluctuate between ideally suited, underweight, and chubby. Weight problems is probably the most prevalent nutrition-related dysfunction in companion animals. A number of research determine weight problems ^[3] because the second most typical well being concern in home cats, after dental illness. This concern is a major purpose why cat homeowners swap their cat’s meals.

To assist your cat shed some pounds, go for a eating regimen excessive in lean protein, average in fats, and low in carbs. Meals greater in dietary fiber can even assist cats really feel fuller. You might additionally swap from free-feeding to measured meals, and it could assist to vary from dry kibble to a canned meals with excessive moisture. Encourage train by way of play, comparable to with wand toys and puzzle feeders. For those who’re not sure in case your cat is the appropriate weight, or how a lot you ought to be feeding them, converse to your veterinarian for recommendation.

Cats—particularly seniors—are additionally identified to be choosy eaters. Any demanding occasion or sickness can have an effect on their need to eat. You may have to tempt your cat to eat by serving canned meals at room temperature or warming the meals to extend its scent and enchantment. Providing a wide range of moist and dry meals may additionally entice them again to the plate.

Adapting to Way of life Modifications

Way of life adjustments, comparable to a shift in family members or private funds, could have you ever trying into new sorts of meals. When adopting a brand new kitten or grownup cat, conserving them on the identical eating regimen for a number of weeks is finest to keep away from tummy points attributable to the nervousness of adjusting houses. But when the present eating regimen isn’t appropriate or if the cat turns into sick or refuses to eat, you may want to modify to a unique kind of meals. We needed to change our kitten’s meals from dry to moist when Sienna received sick and misplaced her style because of calicivirus. Fortunately, she recovered absolutely.

Lately, the price of residing has additionally been throwing pet dad and mom for a loop. In america, solely 3% of pet homeowners have pet insurance coverage, and one in 4 pet homeowners fear in regards to the excessive price of vet care. Some cat homeowners face difficulties paying for ample diet. To alleviate monetary pressures, you may swap your cat’s meals to dry, make balanced home made meals, purchase in bulk on-line, or go for cheaper meals choices that meet their dietary wants.

Easy methods to Change Your Cat’s Meals

Altering your cat’s meals abruptly may cause them issues, comparable to tummy upsets or meals aversions. For the smoothest transition, observe these 10 easy steps:

1. Seek the advice of Your Veterinarian

Although all kittens have to convert to grownup meals, and senior cats develop into able to transition to a eating regimen formulated for older cats, it’s finest to speak to your veterinarian to evaluate your cat’s present dietary necessities based mostly on their historical past, weight, physique, and muscle situation rating.

2. Select the New Cat Meals

When switching meals, select a complete-and-balanced cat meals with comparable components, texture, and evaluation to make sure the identical high quality and advantages. For those who’re altering to a brand new model because of a well being situation, it’s finest to hunt dietary recommendation out of your vet.

3. Evaluation the Pet Meals Model’s Web site and Feeding Information

For a clean transition to your cat’s new eating regimen, overview the model’s web site and feeding information, which can give particular suggestions for the transition and feeding quantities.

4. Plan the Change

It’s finest to introduce new diets to your cat when they’re wholesome, since a sick cat may not settle for a brand new meals kind and may develop a meals aversion. Put together and analysis totally to make sure a clean transition that meets your cat’s dietary necessities over a gradual interval.

Veterinarian Dr. Joanna Woodnutt advises to keep away from altering your cat’s eating regimen after they’re concerned in a really demanding scenario, comparable to after they’re hospitalized.

“If compelled to eat meals after they really feel anxious or nauseous, cats can develop an aversion which may be very laborious to beat,” she stated. “Even when a eating regimen is required for a medical purpose, it’s often finest to vary the meals at residence as soon as the acute medical downside is over.”

5. Guarantee a Gradual Transition

Transition your cat’s meals steadily over 10 to 14 days. Start by putting a small quantity of the brand new meals subsequent to the previous meals on the identical plate to introduce your cat to the novel scent and texture.

Progressively enhance the quantity of recent meals whereas reducing the quantity of the previous meals till your cat is solely consuming the brand new eating regimen. Don’t combine the meals, and don’t worry in case your cat doesn’t eat the brand new delicacies instantly.

Right here’s an instance of how one can transition to a brand new kind of meals:

• Day 1 to 4: 75% previous meals + 25% new meals
• Day 5 to 7: 50% previous meals + 50% new meals
• Day 8 to 10: 25% previous meals + 75% new meals
• Day 11 to 14: 100% new meals

“Cats will be finicky about their meals—they’ve developed to be suspicious of recent issues, and so could flip down a brand new taste or texture of meals,” Dr. Woodnutt stated. “This implies it’s necessary to go gradual when altering a cat’s eating regimen. It doesn’t matter if it takes a number of weeks!”

6. Reinforce Constructive Associations With New Meals

Place a small quantity of the brand new meals subsequent to the previous meals to introduce your cat to the novel scent and texture. Melina Grin / Cats.com

Encourage your cat to eat the novel meals by providing it throughout common feeding occasions and eradicating any uneaten meals after an affordable period of time.

Provide the brand new meals in small portions as a deal with and reward your cat after they eat it to create a optimistic affiliation with the newest nourishment. Feeding your cat inside a peaceful surroundings can even assist them really feel extra snug attempting new meals.

7. Observe Your Cat on the New Eating regimen

Take note of your cat’s gastrointestinal well being, particularly regarding litter field habits. Commonly verify your cat’s poop and be looking out for softness, uncommon stool odor, constipation, or diarrhea. For those who discover any blood or extreme mucus within the poop, it’s finest to hunt veterinary steering.

Furthermore, observe adjustments in your cat’s conduct, comparable to lethargy, lack of urge for food, hiding, or sleeping.

8. Handle Challenges Throughout Transition

Monitor your cat’s response to the brand new meals. In case your cat throws up or has softer stools, cease feeding the novel eating regimen and swap again to their ordinary model for a number of days earlier than attempting once more. See a veterinarian in case your cat experiences persistent diarrhea or signs of meals allergic reactions.

Cats may develop into sick or refuse to eat after they bear a dietary change. If a cat goes as little as 24 hours with out meals, they will develop into severely ailing and require veterinary care.

9. Be Affected person

Give your cat ample time to regulate to a brand new eating regimen, primarily if they’ve been consuming the identical factor as kibble for a very long time.

Serafina, my feminine cat, examined my persistence through the transition; it took her six months to modify from dry to canned meals. That’s an excessive case, nevertheless it reminds us that some cats want extra time than others to regulate to a brand new dietary regime.

10. Full the Meals Changeover

As soon as your cat consumes 100% of the brand new meals, full the transition if no hostile reactions happen.