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 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 common setting or weight loss program 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.
Regardless of your particular motive for altering your cat’s meals, you’ll be able to observe some easy steps to make sure a easy and secure transition to your feline companion.
Meals for Life Levels and Situations
Correct cat vitamin is vital to your cat’s well-being and longevity. There are a selection of explanation why altering your cat’s meals could be useful or vital.
A cat’s dietary necessities change as they transition by means of life levels. A cat’s weight loss program, subsequently, wants to alter based mostly on their age and vitality wants. Cat vitamin is completely different for kittens, adults, and seniors, in addition to when cats are pregnant or lactating.
Sure medical situations, resembling urinary tract an infection, diabetes, inflammatory bowel illness, hyperthyroidism, dental sickness, or kidney failure or liver illness, can also name for a particular weight loss program. Your veterinarian will recommend a therapeutic or prescription weight loss program for a selected length or lifelong if the situation is continual.
Treating Meals Allergic reactions or Intolerance
Like people and canines, cats can develop meals allergic reactions. Signs embody 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 could be at a higher threat. Seek the advice of together with your vet about altering your cat’s weight loss program to another protein, hypoallergenic weight loss program, or balanced home-cooked weight loss program 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 problem in home cats, after dental illness. This problem is a big motive why cat homeowners change their cat’s meals.
Additionally Learn: Cat Weight problems Chart: Discover Out if Your Cat is Overweight
To assist your cat shed weight, go for a weight loss program excessive in lean protein, reasonable in fats, and low in carbs. Meals larger in dietary fiber may also assist cats really feel fuller. You can additionally change from free-feeding to measured meals, and it might assist to alter from dry kibble to a canned meals with excessive moisture. Encourage train by means of play, resembling with wand toys and puzzle feeders. When you’re uncertain in case your cat is the precise 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 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, resembling a shift in family members or private funds, could have you ever trying into new forms of meals. When adopting a brand new kitten or grownup cat, conserving them on the identical weight loss program for a couple of weeks is greatest to keep away from tummy points attributable to the nervousness of adjusting houses.
But when the present weight loss program 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 received sick and misplaced her style on account 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 value of vet care. Some cat homeowners face difficulties paying for sufficient vitamin.
Additionally Learn: How A lot Is Pet Insurance coverage for a Cat — Is It Actually Value It?
To alleviate monetary pressures, you’ll be able to 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.
Change Your Cat’s Meals
Altering your cat’s meals abruptly may cause them issues, resembling tummy upsets or meals aversions. For the smoothest transition, observe these 10 easy steps:
1. Seek the advice of Your Veterinarian
Regardless that all kittens have to convert to grownup meals, and senior cats turn out to be able to transition to a weight loss program formulated for older cats, it’s greatest 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 substances, texture, and evaluation to make sure the identical high quality and advantages. When 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. Overview the Pet Meals Model’s Web site and Feeding Information
For a easy transition to your cat’s new weight loss program, assessment the model’s web site and feeding information, which is able to give particular ideas 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 gentle interval.
Veterinarian Dr. Joanna Woodnutt advises to keep away from altering your cat’s weight loss program once they’re concerned in a really demanding scenario, resembling once they’re hospitalized.
“If pressured to eat meals once they really feel anxious or nauseous, cats can develop an aversion which could be very onerous to beat,” she stated. “Even when a weight loss program is required for a medical motive, it’s often greatest to alter the meals at house 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 outdated 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 outdated meals till your cat is solely consuming the brand new weight loss program. 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 might be finicky about their meals—they’ve advanced 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 loss program. It doesn’t matter if it takes a couple 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 inexpensive period of time.
Supply 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 most recent nourishment. Feeding your cat inside a peaceful setting may also assist them really feel extra comfy attempting new meals.
7. Observe Your Cat on the New Food plan
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. When you discover any blood or extreme mucus within the poop, it’s greatest to hunt veterinary steering.
Furthermore, observe adjustments in your cat’s habits, resembling lethargy, lack of urge for food, hiding, or sleeping.
8. Deal with 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 loss program and change again to their common model for a couple of days earlier than attempting once more. See a veterinarian in case your cat experiences continual diarrhea or signs of meals allergic reactions.
Cats may turn out 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’ll turn out to be severely sick and require veterinary care.
9. Be Affected person
Give your cat ample time to regulate to a brand new weight loss program, 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, however 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.
Ceaselessly Requested Questions
Can I change my cat’s meals?
Sure, supplied the brand new weight loss program is full, balanced, and appropriate to your cat’s life stage. All the time discuss to your vet earlier than altering your cat’s meals.
How lengthy does it take for a cat to regulate to new meals?
It sometimes takes 10 to 14 days for a cat to regulate to a brand new kind of meals, however keep in mind that every cat has distinctive consuming habits, style preferences, and behavioral patterns. The hot button is to transition slowly and take a look at completely different methods for choosy eaters. As an alternative of speeding the method, concentrate on altering to premium cat meals obtainable.
What occurs when you change cat meals too quick?
Altering your cat’s meals too quick can lead to digestive issues resembling vomiting or diarrhea, and your cat may refuse to eat the brand new meals. You will need to steadily transition to the novel meals to make sure your cat stays wholesome and content material.
Can altering my cat’s meals give him diarrhea?
Cats may need a delicate stool or diarrhea throughout meals transition if that is finished too quick, or the brand new weight loss program is poorly tolerated. To keep away from this, change to a special meals model, sluggish the method, or stretch it over a number of weeks or months as an alternative of 10 days.
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