The 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 completely different life levels 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 traditional atmosphere or food 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 easy and protected transition to your feline companion.

Meals for Life Levels and Circumstances

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

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

Sure medical circumstances, reminiscent of urinary tract an infection, diabetes, inflammatory bowel illness, hyperthyroidism, dental sickness, or kidney failure or liver illness, may name for a particular food regimen. Your veterinarian will counsel a therapeutic or prescription food regimen for a selected period or lifelong if the situation is continual.

Treating Meals Allergy symptoms or Intolerance

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

In line 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 is likely to be at a better danger. Seek the advice of along with your vet about altering your cat’s food regimen to an alternate protein, hypoallergenic food regimen, or balanced home-cooked food 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 best, underweight, and chubby. Weight problems is probably the most prevalent nutrition-related dysfunction in companion animals. A number of research establish weight problems ^[3] because the second commonest well being concern in home cats, after dental illness. This concern is a major purpose why cat house owners change their cat’s meals.

Additionally Learn: Cat Weight problems Chart: Discover Out if Your Cat is Overweight

To assist your cat shed pounds, go for a food 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 may additionally change 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, reminiscent of with wand toys and puzzle feeders. In the event you’re uncertain in case your cat is the appropriate weight, or how a lot try to be feeding them, converse to your veterinarian for recommendation.

Cats—particularly seniors—are additionally identified to be choosy eaters. Any anxious occasion or sickness can have an effect on their want to eat. You may must 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 adjustments, reminiscent of a shift in family members or private funds, could have you ever wanting into new kinds of meals. When adopting a brand new kitten or grownup cat, holding them on the identical food regimen for just a few weeks is greatest to keep away from tummy points brought on by the anxiousness of fixing houses.

But when the present food regimen isn’t appropriate or if the cat turns into sick or refuses to eat, you may want to modify to a special kind of meals. We needed to change our kitten’s meals from dry to moist when Sienna acquired sick and misplaced her style on account of calicivirus. Fortunately, she recovered totally.

In recent times, the price of dwelling has additionally been throwing pet dad and mom for a loop. In the USA, solely 3% of pet house owners have pet insurance coverage, and one in 4 pet house owners fear in regards to the excessive price of vet care. Some cat house owners face difficulties paying for sufficient diet.

Additionally Learn: How A lot Is Pet Insurance coverage for a Cat — Is It Actually Value It?

To alleviate monetary pressures, you may change your cat’s meals to dry, make balanced do-it-yourself meals, purchase in bulk on-line, or go for cheaper meals choices that meet their dietary wants.

The way to Change Your Cat’s Meals

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

1. Seek the advice of Your Veterinarian

Despite the fact that all kittens must convert to grownup meals, and senior cats grow to be able to transition to a food regimen formulated for older cats, it’s greatest to speak to your veterinarian to evaluate your cat’s present dietary necessities primarily based 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 substances, texture, and evaluation to make sure the identical high quality and advantages. In the event you’re altering to a brand new model on account of a well being situation, it’s greatest to hunt dietary recommendation out of your vet.

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

For a easy transition to your cat’s new food 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 greatest to introduce new diets to your cat when they’re wholesome, since a sick cat won’t settle for a brand new meals kind and may develop a meals aversion. Put together and analysis completely 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 food regimen once they’re concerned in a really anxious state of affairs, reminiscent of once they’re hospitalized.

“If compelled to eat meals once they really feel anxious or nauseous, cats can develop an aversion which may be very arduous to beat,” she mentioned. “Even when a food regimen is required for a medical purpose, it’s often greatest to vary the meals at dwelling as soon as the acute medical drawback is over.”

5. Guarantee a Gradual Transition

Transition your cat’s meals progressively over 10 to 14 days. Start by inserting 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 lowering the quantity of the previous meals till your cat is solely consuming the brand new food regimen. 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% 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 might 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 mentioned. “This implies it’s necessary to go sluggish when altering a cat’s food regimen. It doesn’t matter if it takes just a few 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 instances and eradicating any uneaten meals after an inexpensive period of time.

Provide the brand new meals in small portions as a deal with and reward your cat once they eat it to create a optimistic affiliation with the newest nourishment. Feeding your cat inside a relaxed atmosphere can even assist them really feel extra comfy making an attempt new meals.

7. Observe Your Cat on the New Food regimen

Take note of your cat’s gastrointestinal well being, particularly regarding litter field habits. Frequently examine 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 greatest to hunt veterinary steerage.

Furthermore, observe adjustments in your cat’s habits, reminiscent of 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 food regimen and change again to their traditional model for just a few days earlier than making an attempt once more. See a veterinarian in case your cat experiences continual diarrhea or signs of meals allergic reactions.

Cats may grow to be sick or refuse to eat once they bear a dietary change. If a cat goes as little as 24 hours with out meals, they will grow to be severely unwell and require veterinary care.

9. Be Affected person

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

Serafina, my feminine cat, examined my persistence throughout 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 antagonistic reactions happen.