How to transfer a cat to another food and is it worth it?

2024 Author: Priscilla Miln | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 00:21

Quality nutrition for a cat is the key to his good he alth, so a good owner takes the choice of food for his pet seriously. Sometimes circumstances force you to change the usual diet of the animal. At first glance, the question of how to transfer a cat to another food is not difficult, but changing food for an animal is stressful. It is difficult for a cat to get used to a new diet, he refuses unfamiliar food. This issue must be approached thoroughly and very responsibly, because the animal cannot be explained that a change in diet is necessary for its he alth. You need to be patient, because this will take time.

Why change food?

There is no consensus among veterinarians on how to transfer a cat to another food and whether it is worth it. If the food is ideal in composition and taste for your pet, then there is no point in changing it, however, there is an opinion that the food should be changed 3 times a year. This diversifies the diet of the animal, and the risk of foodallergies in the cat will decrease. But there are situations when a change of feed is necessary. Let's take a look at some of them.

Kitten grew up

Since the foods are classified according to the age categories of the animal, there are special foods for kittens. They are more nutritious and saturated with vitamins for the active growth of the kitten. But when the animal grows up, such a fortified diet is no longer needed, it can even harm the he alth of an adult animal, so the owner needs to take care of how to transfer the cat to another food.

The animal has grown old

Like all living organisms on this planet, cats age, there is a risk of developing various diseases, including obesity. To avoid this, you need to choose a diet with a lower calorie content. It is better not to use feeds with a high protein content for an aging animal. But for very old cats, the opposite is true, due to poor digestion of food, the animal may develop beriberi, so you need to add more vitamins to the diet, protein is also necessary for such a cat.

Cat Pregnancy

In this position, the animal needs enhanced nutrition. There are special foods with a higher protein and vitamin content for pregnant cats, and you can also temporarily switch an adult cat to kitten food. Do not increase the portion size, this will create an additional burden on her digestive system.

Sterilization of cats

After this operation, the animals are lazier, therefore, the risk of obesity in this category of cats increases. To avoid this, veterinarians recommend reducing the amount of food eaten or switching to a low-calorie diet.

Individual intolerance

A pet may eventually become intolerant to any food component or develop an allergy, so a change in diet will be urgently needed.

Animal disease

There are diseases in which the animal needs to adhere to a special diet. There are special medical feeds, but in no case should you pick them up yourself. How to transfer a cat to another food and which one to choose in this case, the veterinarian advises individually.

Food is no longer for sale

Sometimes it happens that food is discontinued. There is no escape, you will have to look for an alternative.

Basic rules on how to transfer a cat to another food

You can, of course, take and immediately give the new food to the animal, in 90% of cases the cat will simply refuse the new food, it can also lead to indigestion and vomiting. So what is the right way to transfer a cat to another food so as not to injure the animal and not to strike at the pet's gastrointestinal tract? So that the animal does not notice a sharp change in nutrition, you need to add new food to the cat's usual food in small portions within 10 days. In this way, you can check if the cat is allergic to a new food. If the animal responded well to the new food, eats it with pleasure along with the old one, then you can gradually, adding smallnew in portions, remove old food from the diet. On average, such a transfer is carried out in 3-4 weeks. If the cat tolerates the new product well, the transfer time can be reduced to 2 weeks.

If for some reason your pet refuses a new food, leaving it in a bowl, there is another way to switch a cat to another food, but it may seem very inhumane, although it is very effective. The essence of the method is to temporarily put the cat on a starvation diet. Having refused a portion of the new food, the cat waits to be fed with the usual food, but nothing happens. Having walked around with an unhappy look, the hungry cat again approaches the bowl. After several such approaches, the cat finishes the remnants of the new food. The next day, we again dilute our favorite food with new food and give nothing more until the bowl is empty. Such a diet is acceptable for 3-4 days. But if the pet continues to refuse a new food, you should contact your veterinarian with a question about how to transfer the cat from one food to another, otherwise the animal may develop a dangerous liver disease that is fatal.

When transferring an animal from natural food to dry food, or vice versa, prebiotics can be given to the cat. They will help the gastrointestinal tract adjust to the new food faster.

There are times when you needa sharp change, for example, when transferring an animal to therapeutic food, with the appearance of intolerance to the components of the usual menu, with food allergies. In this case, there is a little trick on how to transfer the cat to another dry food, which consists in the fact that you need to lightly pour the dry food with fish broth. This will get the animal's attention. Do not forget to constantly monitor the condition of the pet, its behavior, appearance, so that there are no negative reactions. If any symptoms appear, contact your veterinarian immediately. Timely contacting a specialist will help save the life and he alth of your pet.

Feeding tips for cats

Experienced veterinarians identify a few basic rules when feeding cats:

1. Don't mix dry food and canned food in one feeding.
2. 2 If the animal is fed on feed, it must be premium. Feeding an animal with expensive food is many times cheaper than spending money on treatment after cheap analogues.
3. No need to get carried away with wet food - with frequent use, they provoke obesity. They go like a dessert, sometimes you can pamper your beloved pet, but nothing more.
4. Dry food lovers should always have a bowl of clean drinking water. Wet food is 70% water, while dry food contains much less water. In order for the animal to receive good nutrition with dry food, it needs to drink a lot. If a cat consumes little water, it affects her well-being. If the condition worsens, it is urgent to showanimal to the vet.
5. Without good reason, do not change food often, and if this is a necessary measure, then follow the rules outlined above.
6. Do not give food strictly according to the norms indicated on the box. The cat will eat as much as she needs, she will leave the excess in the bowl, but starvation leads to a number of diseases.
7. If you feed your cat with natural products, then do not forget to add vitamins and minerals to the diet.

The veterinarian will help to perfectly balance the nutrition of the animal.