The best way to Change Your Cat’s Meals in 10 Easy Steps

Melina Grin / Cats.com

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

Cats are naturally cautious creatures, so any deviation from their regular setting or weight-reduction plan 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 cause for altering your cat’s meals, you possibly can comply with some easy steps to make sure a easy and protected transition to your feline companion.

Meals for Life Phases and Situations

Correct cat vitamin is vital to your cat’s well-being and longevity. There are a variety of the reason why altering your cat’s meals may be helpful or crucial.

A cat’s dietary necessities change as they transition by means of life phases. A cat’s weight-reduction plan, subsequently, wants to alter based mostly on their age and power wants. Cat vitamin is totally different for kittens, adults, and seniors, in addition to when cats are pregnant or lactating.

Sure medical situations, corresponding to urinary tract an infection, diabetes, inflammatory bowel illness, hyperthyroidism, dental sickness, or kidney or liver illness, may additionally name for a particular weight-reduction plan. Your veterinarian will counsel a therapeutic or prescription weight-reduction plan for a particular length or lifelong if the situation is power.

Treating Meals Allergy symptoms or Intolerance

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

In accordance with 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 threat. Seek the advice of together with your vet about altering your cat’s weight-reduction plan to another protein, hypoallergenic weight-reduction plan, or balanced home-cooked weight-reduction plan 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 partaking 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 essentially the most prevalent nutrition-related dysfunction in companion animals. A number of research determine weight problems ^[3] because the second commonest well being challenge in home cats, after dental illness. This challenge is a big cause why cat homeowners change their cat’s meals.

To assist your cat shed pounds, go for a weight-reduction plan excessive in lean protein, average in fats, and low in carbs. Meals increased in dietary fiber can even assist cats really feel fuller. You would additionally change from free-feeding to measured meals, and it could assist to alter from dry kibble to a canned meals with excessive moisture. Encourage train by means of play, corresponding to with wand toys and puzzle feeders. In the event you’re uncertain in case your cat is the proper weight, or how a lot you need to be feeding them, communicate to your veterinarian for recommendation.

Cats—particularly seniors—are additionally recognized to be choosy eaters. Any traumatic 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 attraction. Providing quite a lot of moist and dry meals may additionally entice them again to the plate.

Adapting to Way of life Adjustments

Way of life modifications, corresponding to a shift in family members or private funds, could have you ever wanting into new sorts of meals. When adopting a brand new kitten or grownup cat, maintaining them on the identical weight-reduction plan for a number of weeks is finest to keep away from tummy points attributable to the anxiousness of adjusting properties. But when the present weight-reduction plan isn’t appropriate or if the cat turns into sick or refuses to eat, you may want to change to a distinct kind of meals. We needed to change our kitten’s meals from dry to moist when Sienna obtained sick and misplaced her style as a consequence of calicivirus. Fortunately, she recovered absolutely.

Lately, the price of residing has additionally been throwing pet dad and mom for a loop. In the US, 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 sufficient vitamin. To alleviate monetary pressures, you possibly can change your cat’s meals to dry, make balanced selfmade meals, purchase in bulk on-line, or go for cheaper meals choices that meet their dietary wants.

The best way to Change Your Cat’s Meals

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

1. Seek the advice of Your Veterinarian

Despite the fact that all kittens have to convert to grownup meals, and senior cats develop into able to transition to a weight-reduction plan 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 related elements, texture, and evaluation to make sure the identical high quality and advantages. In the event you’re altering to a brand new model as a consequence of a well being situation, it’s finest to hunt dietary recommendation out of your vet.

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

For a easy transition to your cat’s new weight-reduction plan, evaluate 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 easy 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 weight-reduction plan after they’re concerned in a really traumatic state of affairs, corresponding to after they’re hospitalized.

“If compelled to eat meals after they really feel anxious or nauseous, cats can develop an aversion which could be very laborious to beat,” she stated. “Even when a weight-reduction plan is required for a medical cause, it’s normally finest to alter the meals at house as soon as the acute medical drawback is over.”

5. Guarantee a Gradual Transition

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

Progressively improve the quantity of recent meals whereas lowering the quantity of the outdated meals till your cat is solely consuming the brand new weight-reduction plan. Don’t combine the meals, and don’t worry in case your cat doesn’t eat the brand new delicacies immediately.

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

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

“Cats may 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 vital to go sluggish when altering a cat’s weight-reduction plan. It doesn’t matter if it takes a number of weeks!”

6. Reinforce Optimistic Associations With New Meals

Place a small quantity of the brand new meals subsequent to the outdated 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 instances and eradicating any uneaten meals after an affordable period of time.

Supply 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 setting can even assist them really feel extra comfy making an attempt 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. Repeatedly verify your cat’s poop and be looking out for softness, uncommon stool odor, constipation, or diarrhea. In the event you discover any blood or extreme mucus within the poop, it’s finest to hunt veterinary steerage.

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

8. Tackle 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 weight-reduction plan and change again to their regular model for a number of days earlier than making an attempt once more. See a veterinarian in case your cat experiences power diarrhea or signs of meals allergic reactions.

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

9. Be Affected person

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

Serafina, my feminine cat, examined my endurance throughout the transition; it took her six months to change from dry to canned meals. That’s an excessive case, but it surely 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 adversarial reactions happen.