How to change the cat’s diet?

Pets don’t have the same nutritional needs. Depending on their age, their temperament or their way of life, the diet must be adapted to these specific needs, which leads to the choice of one food over another

How to change your cat’s diet when the body is used to receiving the same food regularly? All of this can cause food intolerance, or indigestion, especially causing vomiting or diarrhea.

In this article we will find out how to change the type of power supply of our beloved cat in complete safety.

How to change the cat’s diet? 2 things to watch out for

An important aspect to keep in mind is that of pay close attention when a different food is offered or a new food is added to the diet of our little domestic tiger, with well-defined eating habits.

1. Know what your cat eats and doesn’t eat

First of all, it is necessary to know the foods forbidden to cats to prevent them from feeling bad and from having even serious ailments which can also create the development of pathologies that could become chronic.

It can be said that the cat has hardly lost its ancestral carnivore instinct: despite being tamed it is, in fact, still a very adventurous animal and a skilled hunter. Who has never received as a “gift” a mouse, small birds or other animals that the feline has the opportunity to hunt during its hours of freedom around the house?

His digestive system is designed for a carnivorous diettherefore rich in protein, which is why the cat eats meat and fish in nature.

Having said that, it is possible to adapt our kitty’s refined palate to new flavors and food textures with the right care and patience as well as with the precious suggestions of the vet.

2. Veterinary consultation first of all

Consulting a trusted veterinarian is essential before making any changes to the diet of your cat, dog or any other pet.

In this way, the professional will tell us, for example, which is the correct diet containing all the essential nutrients for the cat, or will inform us if the animal is suitable for the change of diet.

Graduated change to change feeding

To make a change of food in the cat in the best way, you need to let your pet discover the food graduallytime for your digestive tract to adapt, for example, by producing enzymes to digest new nutrients.

Many cat owners may experience difficulties when changing food for their four-legged friend.

Tips on how to change your cat’s diet gradually

Ideally, to change your cat’s diet you need to change it gradually. This food mixture should be spread over ten days in order to get the animal used to the new diet.

Here is one below protocol often proposed by vets:

• 2/3 old food, 1/3 new food for 3 days;
• same amount of old and new food for 3 days;
• 1/3 old food, 2/3 new food for the last 3 days;
• after which, definitively switch to the new regime.

Be careful when combining dry food with homemade or wet food as digestion times are different.

It’s very important to make a transition for every feed change in your cat! Even if the animal has followed this diet in the past, it needs to get used to digesting it again and, in this regard, a new diet must be restarted. transition.

But what is the food transition for in cats?

Food transition allows you to switch from one diet to another, while allowing your digestive tract to adjust. The digestive system (stomach, intestines, liver), in fact, is trained during digestion, depending on the type of food it is used to receiving.

The more the animal has a specific food, the less it will be able to digest a wide variety of foods and will be less sensitive to changes. Conversely, an animal that has a more varied diet will respond better to the change.

So what to feed cats?

The vast majority of our cats are fed a complete food, which has the advantage – when the product is of good quality – of providing a balance of nutrients. The variety of nutrients is therefore ensured by the method of preparing the food.

There are two main categories: dry foods (croquettes) and wet foods (pâtés and jellies), which differ mainly in the water content (15% of water in dry food, 85% in wet food).

What happens when you change your cat’s diet?

A change of diet in cats, when we stay on the same type of food (changing the range of kibbles, for example) usually has no complications.

In other cases, however, during a transition between a dry food and a wet food, the digestive tract of the cat may have difficulty. We must therefore be very vigilant during the transition.

Can probiotics help with a cat’s diet change?

Probiotics are nutritional supplements that can be used every day or as a treatment before, during and after your cat’s food transitions.

They carry one microbial diversity in the digestive tractaiding in the regularization of the bowel making it more suitable for a seamless transition.

Probiotics therefore prove to be good food supplements that will make your kitty more resistant during diet changes.

Why change the cat’s diet?

There are several reasons why you want to change your cat’s diet. The main ones are due to the weaning of small kittens, i.e. the transition from a liquid food (breast milk or powdered milk for kittens or homemade milk) to solid food for adult cats.

Another reason why making a change in the cat’s diet is important is because of the health state of your 4-legged friend or his age. For example, cats with health problems (obesity, kidney disease, etc.) or older cats will need to adjust their diet. Or even your cat stopped to eat the food that you used to offer him and therefore seems to require a new type of food.

You have adopted a cat and you want offer him new foods? This too is one of the reasons for opting for a change in the cat’s diet.

Feed change: the cat won’t eat?

This is due to the fact that very often our beloved felines have a quite selective palatewhich makes the diet change procedure quite a feat!

When you change your cat’s diet, you should start by replacing a small amount of the old food with the new one and gradually increase the doses of the new food until you only provide the new diet, the final one. Good luck!

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Article written for Todocat.com by

Stephane Tardif
Veterinary doctor