How to change a cat’s food?

You have probably heard that domestic cats are owners of a very selective palate, making the process of changing diet a real challenge. It is an undeniable truth that we must be very careful and be cautious when offering a different feed or incorporate a new food into our pig’s diet. In addition, it is essential to be aware that prohibited foods for cats can cause severe symptoms of poisoning or poisoning.

However, it is also important to be clear that, counting on dedication, patience and the proper specialized guidance of a veterinarian, it is possible to adapt a cat’s palate to new flavors, aromas and textures. And to help you in this process, summarize, in this new article, the step by step to change a cat’s food without harming his health. Ready to start?

Before making any change in the feeding of a cat or any pet, it is essential to consult a veterinarian you trust. First of all, we must know if our cat is strong and healthy to face a change in your diet. It is also crucial to have the specialized guidance of a veterinarian to choose a new feed that offers the right levels of nutrients and please the appetite of our pussycat. The same is true for those owners who choose to offer a raw diet or BARF to their domestic cat.

In addition, periodic visits to the veterinarian and appropriate preventive medicine are also essential to detect any allergy or possible symptoms of pathologies associated with food imbalances, such as diabetes, obesity or kidney failure. In these cases, your cat will need to adopt a specific diet to prevent the evolution of these symptoms and provide an improved quality of life.

Change a cat’s food should always be a slow and gradual process, that respects the adaptation time of each pussycat. The cats cling to their food routine and daily habits to feel safe in their home, and not expose themselves to unknown contexts that may represent a risk to their well-being. If we force our cat to experience a sudden change in their diet, we favor the appearance of symptoms of stress, and also of certain physical signs, such as vomiting and diarrhea.

Elderly cats require special attention to change their diet, since they need the right nutrients, such as a high intake of protein and certain vitamins, to compensate for the natural loss of muscle mass and metabolic decline. In addition, they are usually more vulnerable to developing digestive disorders facing a sudden change in their diet.

Therefore, we should never replace their food completely or suddenly daily for the new feed. To change a cat’s food slowly and gradually, you must begin by substituting a very low percentage of your traditional food for the new one. Gradually, you can gradually increase this percentage until the new feed represents 100% of your daily diet.

Step by step for the change of food in cats:

• 1º and 2ª day: we add 10% of the new food, and complete with 90% of the previous feed.
• 3º and 4º day: we raise to an 25% the amount of the new feed, and add an 75% of the previous one.
• 5º, 6º and 7º day: we mix equal proportions, offering 50% of each feed to our feline.
• 8º and 9º day: we already offer 75% of the new feed, and leave only an 25% of the previous feed.
• From the 10º day: we can already offer an 100% of the new feed, and we are attentive to the reaction of our pussycat.

Are you thinking of offering a BARF diet to your kittens, to enjoy the benefits of a raw and more natural diet? Well, do not miss out on some of our exquisite recipes in the article “5 BARF recipes for cats”.

Add wet food or pate The new dry feed of your pussycat is a good alternative to nuance flavors and stimulate your appetite. You can even make yourself a tasty homemade moist food for your cat, without preservatives or industrialized products.

However, this is a temporary method, which should be used only during the first days of your food transition. Otherwise, your cat can get used not to the new taste I think, but to the wet food. In addition, combining feed with homemade or wet food can cause digestive problems, since foods have different digestion times.

The felines, as authentic carnivores, like that their food has a warm temperature. Remember that animals that hunt for food tend to eat the meat of their freshly killed prey, while still retaining their body temperature. Therefore, if you notice that your cat does not show interest in your new food, you can use this old “trick” of temper your food to stimulate you to taste it.

To slightly temper your cat’s food, add a little Hot water (but not boiling) to its dry feed, and let it stand until it reaches a temperature between 35ºC and 37ºC (approximately the body temperature of a mammal). This will not only increase the flavor and aroma of the food, but also give a more pleasant texture to the palate of your pussycat.

Before stating that our pussycat has a very exclusive palate, we must be clear that, in general, the owners themselves tend to facilitate or increase selectivity or the limitation of the palate of their cats. We tend to offer a single dry feed or the same taste of wet food to our pigs for a large part of their lives. And if a cat experiences a single taste, aroma or texture for a long time, it will be much harder that suits to a new feeding proposal, because it will have clung to a very strict and little varied food routine.

To improve the adaptive capacity and the palatal flexibility of our cats, we must invest in an early food adaptation. All cats set the criteria of their palate and their personal tastes during their first 6 or 7 months of life. During this period, they are more predisposed to try different aromas, flavors, textures and forms of dry and moist food. And if we offer this variety in your children’s diet, we will create an adult feline with great food tolerance and a better predisposition to accept changes in your routine.

If you want to read more articles similar to How to change a cat’s food?, we recommend that you enter in our section of balanced diets.