How to switch a cat to a new food. Transferring a cat to a new food and vitamins Basic rules on how to switch a cat to a different food

Any transition should be made gradually. If you simply start feeding your cat a new type of food, eating disorders, allergies, or simply refusal to eat cannot be ruled out. It will be quite difficult to neutralize the negative consequences - so it is better to take care of a smooth change in diet from the very beginning.

On the first day, place just a small amount of granules in the bowl. They should be close to the cat's usual food. Make sure the animal eats them, and the next day increase their share in the main diet.

Continue this trick every day: your pet must get used to the new taste and smell, try unusual food and adapt to it. By the tenth day, you can safely replace the old food with a new one. The main thing is to avoid sudden jumps in feeding. Some cats need as little as three days to get used to it, while others need about three weeks.

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During the transition period, it is very important not to feed the cat food from the table. The animal must get used to discipline - otherwise it may refuse new food.

Don't forget that your cat should always have enough fresh water. This is especially important if you feed your pet exclusively dry formula.

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It often happens that the food we buy for our cat is not suitable for her. There can be a lot of reasons: allergies, lack of nutrients and trace elements, or intolerance to any of the ingredients. In the end, it also happens that a loving owner can no longer afford to provide the pet with the usual diet and is forced to look for alternatives, which is especially important during various kinds of crises.

But such changes do not always go smoothly. Any animal gradually gets used to what it eats. Here we can draw an analogy: if a person loves junk food, it is difficult for him to give it up, even when he understands that we are talking about his own health.

If it’s difficult for us to force ourselves to do the right thing, then it’s even harder with our smaller brothers. Try to explain to the noble and proud descendant of ferocious saber-toothed tigers that he will no longer be given his favorite food. This is a mortal insult!

That's why the first thing you need to do is be patient. All members of the cat family have an innate cunning that they will certainly use to sabotage your plans for replacing food. You will most likely be waiting for a trick with “burying”, which clearly compares the new diet with litter for the tray. Let’s not forget the pained expression on his face, sad glances and heart-rending meows - your pet will do everything to elicit pity and create the impression of a poor and starving creature. But you can’t give in to provocations! Reluctantly, we stand our ground.

The procedure for replacing food is incredibly simple. Ideally, about ten days should be enough for the transition, during which you will slowly accustom your domestic predator to the new food. In the first days, we add 25% of the new diet to the old diet. If everything goes smoothly, then we gradually increase the ratio to 50/50. At the last stage, you can give 3 quarters of the new food. And so on until the bitter end. If this period drags on, or worse, the purring bandit completely decides to ignore your efforts, then you should resort to more radical measures.

Here we will immediately make a reservation that all owners love their cats. But love is not only about pampering and stroking, sometimes it means once again making a difficult decision and taking responsibility. And this is exactly the case here. If a smooth replacement does not work out: your cat eats up the granules of the old food and leaves the new one in the bowl, or flatly refuses to approach the food in principle, then you will have to starve it out.

The most effective way is to give your cat preventative fasting. And no, we are not monsters or sadists: this is not done with the goal of torturing the pet, but for the sake of his health. If suddenly seditious thoughts arise in your head, pushing you to surrender into the clutches of a tailed tyrant, then remember - no cat has ever died from exhaustion in front of a bowl full of food. Remind yourself often that cats, especially indoor and sterilized ones, even benefit from fasting fasting days - they will help cope with excess weight.

The essence of the procedure is simple: you remove the bowl for a day and do not give the cat anything to eat (even if he really asks and is offended), and the next day you put a bowl with new food. Many advise not to embarrass the animal and not to stand around the bowl with the whole family waiting for a miracle - a proud tailed dog may not like public admission of defeat in the war for food.

In general, the period depends on the stubbornness of a particular representative of the cat family, but should not exceed three days - then this will definitely be harmful. Remember that during this period the starving person must be provided with water, otherwise it will truly become torture. In the end, the result is the same - your pet will carefree eat the new food, despite the fact that before this he showed fierce hatred and disapproval in every possible way.

The only thing is that when switching to a new diet (especially if this is done for reasons of economy), you should not ignore the issue of quality. Firstly, the diet should contain a lot of meat, because the cat is a predator. Secondly, look for probiotics in the composition, they will help with digestion. Phytocomponents (fennel, Yucca Schidigera) will help eliminate toxins, and the vitamin-mineral complex will provide your animal with the correct ratio of microelements. In this vein, the line of cat food from Blitz shows itself very well, where diets with chicken, dietary turkey and hypoallergenic lamb are presented.

Before switching your pet from one food to another, think carefully about whether your dog or cat needs it. First, consult a veterinarian or an experienced breeder. They will help you choose food and tell you how to make the transition without harm to your health.

You need to switch to another food gradually so as not to disturb the bacterial intestinal flora of the animal. If you suddenly change the food for a cat or dog, your pet may experience vomiting, diarrhea and allergic reactions. During the week, to avoid gastrointestinal upset, feed your pet two days in a row according to the following scheme: 1/4 of the new food is added to the old, on the third and fourth days - 1/2 of the new food to the old, on the fifth and sixth days 1/4 of the old food remains, and there will already be 3/4 of the new food. On the seventh day, only new food can be given. It is better to stretch the period of changing nutrition to ten days - there is no need to rush.

When consuming dry prepared food, you must follow the feeding standards specified by the manufacturer. Be especially careful with your puppy or kitten. At first, the little ones need to be fed the food that the breeder fed them. You cannot add food from your table to dry food, since these foods already contain complete balanced nutrition, vitamins and minerals necessary for the animal’s body.

By switching to dry food and continuing to feed homemade food, you will only spoil your pet's stomach. Many people think like this: “Today I’ll nibble on crackers, and tomorrow I’ll buy a piece of meat and pamper my pet.” Feeding in this way is only harmful to health. It is especially important in the first days of changing old food to new do not overfeed!

The transition from homemade food to dry food should also take place from five to ten days so that the intestinal microflora gradually adapts and is able to digest other foods. This process is difficult and takes time.

For 5-10 days, feed dry food, increasing its quantity, and reduce natural food. Just don’t mix food with natural food in the same bowl.

Follow this pattern: home-cooked food in the morning and afternoon. In the evening - dry food.

Be sure to monitor your pet's behavior: eyes, ears, fur, stool, because allergic reactions can occur from any food.

Some are starting to blame the quality of the food. These are erroneous conclusions. It is impossible to predict how your pet’s body will react to a particular food. Each animal requires an individual approach, therefore, having chosen a brand of food, first buy a small weight for testing. You can also give lactobacilli during a diet change.

It is difficult to switch from natural food to dry food, so consult your veterinarian. Think again about whether it is worth making such a transition and whether your dog or cat needs it.

✔ The animal should always have fresh drinking water;

Changing cat food- this is a process that, sooner or later, every owner of a mustachioed tabby will have to face. And, alas, things are such that simply pouring new food into a bowl will not work; a more thorough and serious approach is needed.

Changing food for cats: when is it necessary?

Veterinarians disagree on how often cat food should be changed. Most believe that you should feed your pet the same type, flavor, and brand of food for as long as possible, changing it only when necessary. However, some modern Western veterinarians believe that food (or rather, the main source of protein, meat\poultry\fish) is not only possible, but also necessary, about 3-4 times a year in order to prevent the occurrence of food allergies and provide a more balanced diet.

However, there are a number of situations when a change of food is inevitable:

1. Growing up

During the period of active growth (up to 1-1.5 years), kittens need high-calorie food with a large amount of micro- and macroelements. When a cat stops growing, the need for such a rich diet disappears and extra calories, as well as “extra” vitamins, can be harmful rather than beneficial.

2. Aging

In the case of older cats, there is no consensus on whether their food should be changed? Which one? And when? Most senior cat foods are designed for cats over 7 years of age and are low in calories and low in protein. Indeed, cats aged 7-10 years are most susceptible to obesity and related diseases, as well as kidney problems, but after 10 years the need for protein and calories increases, because... food is less digestible, and therefore some veterinarians recommend switching cats aged 10+ to kitten food.

3. Pregnancy

Pregnant cats need a reinforced, high-protein, high-quality diet. They are typically fed kitten food or special food for pregnant cats.

4. Castration

In fact, it is necessary to switch a castrated animal to special food only if it is naturally prone to laziness and a sedentary lifestyle. But even under such conditions, you can get by with reducing portions and feeding according to a schedule, especially since food for castrates is, as a rule, of low quality.

5. Obesity

If your cat has gained or is rapidly gaining excess weight, then she simply needs a special diet, although here everything can be reduced to a regimen and reducing portions, especially if the case is not advanced.

6. Allergies

7. Individual intolerance to food components

For one reason or another, your specific cat cannot digest individual components or a component of a specific food (flavor), which results in diarrhea/constipation and/or vomiting. The main thing here is to distinguish intolerance from allergies and other diseases.

8. Disease

There are a number of diseases that require special diets: endocrine (diabetes, hyperthyroidism), urinary tract (cystitis, urolithiasis, chronic renal failure), pancreatitis, hepatitis, etc. Some involve switching to medicinal food, others - a specifically balanced natural diet. Also, medicinal food can be prescribed for prophylaxis, after surgery or during an acute course of the disease.

9. Negative reaction to food

Roughly speaking, you don’t like the way the cat looks (droopy eyes, dull and/or brittle fur, etc.), or you don’t like the smell from the mouth/tray. Here, as in the case of intolerance, it is important not to miss a serious illness by wasting everything on food.

10. Feed has been discontinued\not imported\not supplied

Whether you like it or not, you have to change it, there are no options.

Changing food for cats: general principles

1. In most cases, food should be changed gradually over 7 days for a healthy, adult cat and over 10 days for picky\old cats and kittens. The transition from dry food to natural/canned food and vice versa can take up to a month.

2. Immediately, sharply changing food can and should be done in cases of transfer to medicinal food/exclusion diet, when food intolerance is detected and when switching from homemade food (cabbage soup, borscht, porridge) to balanced food, because A gradual change in this case will do more harm than a sudden transition.

3. During the process of changing food, the cat can fast (refuse new food) for no more than 24 hours; after 48 hours of fasting, cats begin to develop hepatic lipidosis (fatty liver) - a deadly condition, which, however, is reversible in the early stages.

4. Cats may find dry food unattractive after wet food or even after improper home feeding; cats especially do not like medicated food. To attract the attention of such picky eaters to the new food, you can sprinkle it with chicken/fish broth or tuna juice (these substances can be called natural attractants). You can also try hand-feeding your cat - this way the new product will inspire more confidence in her.

5. When switching to another food, especially if the type changes (dry-wet), you can use pro- and prebiotics, as well as food enzymes (it is better to consult a veterinarian before use)

6. You should constantly monitor the cat’s condition and see how it reacts to the new food (feces, appearance, absence/presence of itching/vomiting, etc.); If negative reactions are detected, you need to stop the transition process and contact a veterinarian.

7. When changing food, especially when switching between types of food (dry-wet), an imbalance of nutrition, calcium\phosphorus, vitamins and minerals is almost inevitable; consult a veterinarian on this issue.

How to switch a cat to another food?

The easiest way is to transfer a cat from one dry food to another; to do this, it is enough to gradually mix the new food with the old one over 7-10 days.

As a rule, serious problems (diarrhea) can arise when switching a cat from a low-class food (high in carbohydrates and fiber) to a high-class food (grain-free). In this case, it is recommended to make the transition even smoother - between the original and the desired food, you should place 1-2 “transitional” foods with an average content of carbohydrates and fiber, and first switch to the first, then to the second, and only then to the desired one. The number of transitional feeds should be approximately equal to the number of classes separating the initial feed from the desired one.

Without a smooth transition, you can change different tastes within the same brand line (chicken-beef-fish).

How to switch a cat to dry food?

If your cat ate natural/canned food, then for a competent transition you need to calculate the daily calorie intake for your pet. And break this norm into 2-3 doses, give natural/canned food at one time, and dry food at another. Gradually, the proportion of drying needs to be increased and the “moistening” portion reduced. The bowl with new food should be available for no more than 30 minutes. If the cat does not touch it during this time, it is necessary to offer new food again no earlier than after 6-8 hours. Forward