Very likely you have heard that domestic cats have a very selective palate, making the process of changing their diet a real challenge. It is an undeniable truth that we must be very careful and prudent when offering a different feed or incorporating a new food into our kitty's diet. In addition, it is essential to be aware that foods that are prohibited for cats can cause severe cases of intoxication or poisoning.
However, it is also important to be clear that, with dedication, patience and the proper specialized guidance of a veterinarian, it is possible to adapt a cat's palate to new flavours, aromas and textures. And to help you in this process, our site summarizes, in this new article, the step by step to change a cat's food without harming its he alth Ready to begin?
Before making any change in the diet of a cat or any pet, it is essential to consult a veterinarian you trust. First of all, we must know if our feline is strong and he althy to face a change in his diet It is also crucial to have the specialized guidance of a veterinarian to choose a new I think that offers the adequate levels of nutrients and pleases the appetite of our pussycat. The same is true for those owners who choose to offer a raw or BARF diet to their domestic feline.
In addition, regular visits to the vet and adequate preventive medicine are also essential to detect any allergies or possible symptoms of pathologies associated with dietary 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 a better quality of life.
Changing a cat's food should always be a slow and gradual process, which respects the adaptation time of each kitty. Felines stick to their food routine and daily habits to feel safe in their home, and not expose themselves to unknown contexts that can represent a risk to their well-being. If we force our cat to experience a sudden change in its diet, we favor the appearance of stress symptoms, and also certain physical signs, such as vomiting and diarrhea.
Elderly cats require special attention when changing their diet, as they need the right nutrients, such as a high protein intake and certain vitamins, to compensate for the natural loss of muscle mass and metabolic decline. In addition, they tend to be more vulnerable to developing digestive disorders in the face of a sudden change in their diet.
For this reason, we should never completely or suddenly replace their dailyfeed with the new feed. To change a cat's food slowly and gradually, you should start by substituting a very low percentage of its traditional food for the new one. Progressively, you can gradually increase this percentage until the new feed represents 100% of their daily diet.
Step by step for the change of food in cats:
- 1st and 2nd day: we add 10% of the new feed, and we complete with 90% of the previous feed.
- 3rd and 4th day: we raise the amount of the new feed to 25%, and add 75% of the previous one.
- 5th, 6th and 7th day: we mix equal proportions, offering 50% of each feed to our feline.
- 8th and 9th day: we already offer 75% of the new feed, and leave only 25% of the previous feed.
- From the 10th day: we can now offer 100% of the new feed, and we are attentive to the reaction of our kitten.
Are you thinking of offering a BARF diet to your kittens, to enjoy the benefits of a raw and more natural diet? Well, be sure to discover some of our exquisite recipes in the article "5 BARF recipes for cats".
Add wet food or pâté to your kitty's new dry feed is a good alternative to nuance flavors and stimulate his appetite. You can even make yourself a tasty homemade wet food for your cat, without preservatives or industrialized products.
However, this is a temporary method, to be used only during the first few days of your food transition. Otherwise, your cat will be able to get used not to the new taste of feed, but to the taste of wet food. In addition, combining feed with homemade or wet food can cause digestive problems, since the foods have different digestion times
Felines, as true carnivores, like their food to have a somewhat lukewarm temperature Let us remember that animals that hunt for food they usually eat the meat of their recently killed prey, when they still retain their body temperature Therefore, if you notice that your cat does not show interest in his new food, you can use this old "trick" of tempering his food to encourage him to try it.
To slightly warm your cat's food, add a little hot water (but not boiling) to his dry food, and let it rest 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 it will also give a more pleasant texture to your cat's palate.
Before stating that our cat has a very exclusive palate, we must be clear that, in general, the owners themselves often facilitate or increase selectivityor the limitation of the palate of your felines. It is that we have the tendency to offer a single dry feed or the same flavor of wet food to our kittens for much of their lives. And if a cat experiences a single taste, aroma or texture for a long time, it will be much more difficult for him to adapt to a new feeding proposal, because it will have clinging to a very strict and little varied food routine.
To improve the adaptive capacity and flexibility of our felines' palates, we must invest in early dietary adaptation. All felines 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 shapes of dry and wet foods. And if we offer him this variety in his infant diet, we will create an adult feline with great food tolerance and a better predisposition to accept changes in his routine.
