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

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

Why change feed?

There is no consensus among veterinarians on how to transfer a cat to another feed and whether it is worth doing it. If the food is ideally suited to the composition and taste of your pet, then there is no point in changing it, but 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 food allergies in the cat is reduced. But there are situations when a change of feed is necessary. Let's consider some of them.

Kitten grew up

Since feeds are classified according to the age categories of the animal, there are special feeds for kittens. They are more nutritious and rich in vitamins for the active growth of a kitten. But when the animal grows up, such a fortified food is no longer necessary, it can even harm the health of an adult animal, so the owner needs to take care of how to transfer the cat to another feed.

Animal is 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. High protein foods are best avoided for an aging animal. But for very old cats, the opposite is true, because of poor digestion of food, the animal may develop vitamin deficiency, so you need to add more vitamins to the diet, protein for such a cat is also necessary.

Pregnancy cat

In this position, the animal needs enhanced nutrition. There are special foods with a higher content of protein and vitamins for pregnant cats, you can also temporarily transfer an adult cat to kitten food. Do not increase the volume of a serving, this will create an additional burden on its digestive system.

Cat sterilization

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

Individual intolerance

Over time, an animal may develop intolerance to some component of the feed or develop an allergy, so it will be necessary to urgently change the diet.

Animal disease

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

Feed is no longer for sale

Sometimes it happens that the feed is removed from production. You will not get anywhere, you have to look for an alternative.

Basic rules on how to transfer a cat to another feed

You can, of course, take and immediately give a new food to the animal, in 90% of cases the cat will simply refuse new nutrition, it can also lead to indigestion and vomiting. So how to transfer a cat to a different feed in order not to injure the animal and not strike the pet’s gastrointestinal tract? In order for the animal to not notice a sharp change in nutrition, it is necessary to add new food to the food familiar to the cat in small portions over 10 days. This way you can check whether the cat is allergic to new food. If the animal responded well to the new food, eats it with pleasure along with the previous one, then it is possible gradually, adding small portions of the new one, to remove the old food from the diet. On average, such a transfer is carried out in 3-4 weeks. If the cat tolerates a new product well, then the translation time can be reduced to 2 weeks.

If for some reason your pet refuses new food, leaving it in a bowl, there is another way how you can transfer the cat to another food, but it may seem very inhuman, although very effective. The essence of the method is to temporarily put the cat on a hungry diet. Having refused a portion of new food, the cat expects that he will now be fed the usual food, but nothing happens. Having walked with an unhappy look, the hungry cat again approaches the bowl. After several such approaches, the cat eats up the remains of new food. The next day, we again dilute your favorite food with a new one and do not give anything else until the bowl is empty. Such a diet is valid for 3-4 days. But if the pet continues to refuse new food, you should contact the veterinarian with a question about how to transfer the cat from one feed to another, otherwise, the animal may begin to develop a dangerous liver disease, which leads to death.

When transferring an animal from natural food to dry food, or vice versa, you can give your cat prebiotics. They will help the gastrointestinal tract quickly adapt to new food.

There are cases when a sharp change is necessary, for example, when transferring an animal to medicinal feed, when intolerance of the components of the usual menu appears, and when there is food allergy. In this case, there is a little trick how to transfer the cat to another dry food, which consists in the fact that you need to lightly water the dry food with fish broth. This will attract the attention of the animal. Do not forget to constantly monitor the condition of the pet, its behavior, appearance, so that there are no negative reactions. In case of any symptoms, you should immediately contact your veterinarian. Timely contacting a specialist will help to save the life and health of your pet.

Cat Feeding Tips

Experienced veterinarians identify several basic rules when feeding cats:

1. No need to mix dry food and canned food in one feeding.
2. 2If the animal is fed on feed, they must be premium. It costs several times cheaper to feed an animal with expensive food than to spend money on treatment after cheap analogues.
3. No need to get involved in wet foods - with frequent use they provoke obesity. They go like a dessert, sometimes you can treat your favorite pet, but nothing more.
4. Lovers of dry food should always have a bowl of clean drinking water. Wet food consists of 70% water, but dry contains much less water. In order for the animal to receive good nutrition with dry food, he needs to drink a lot. If the cat consumes little water, it affects her well-being. If the condition worsens, the animal must be urgently shown to the veterinarian.
5. Without good reason, it is not necessary to change the feed often, and if this is a necessary measure, then follow the above rules.
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 a 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.