CHANGING A CATS FOOD – WHAT DOES IT MEAN AND WHEN DOES IT MAKE SENSE?
A change in food aims to introduce your cat to a new diet – the approaches are as varied as the reasons for a change in food:
- Different age cycles of your cat
- allergies or food intolerances
- switching to diet food
- Previously fed variety is no longer produced
- Desire to switch to a higher quality food
Cats do not judge their food by quality, but by smell, taste and consistency. This is why they usually react to new, unfamiliar food with incomprehension and non-acceptance. Changing the food can be useful for picky animals in order to offer them variety.
No matter what reasons apply to your cat, you should think carefully about switching from wet to dry food or BARF.
Switching from dry to wet food:
Mixing different types of food can lead to digestive problems – sensitive cats often react to the new consistency, composition and increased moisture content with stomach pain and diarrhea.
Procedure for the changeover
- Moisten the usual dry food slightly.
- Increase the moisture level day by day until the food reaches the consistency of wet food.
- Then: Slowly mix in the wet food and gradually replace the dry food completely.
Switching from wet to dry food:
Since cats, as former desert dwellers, naturally drink little, the high water content in wet food covers almost all of the house cat's fluid needs.
Procedure for the changeover
- Moisten the dry food.
- Reduce the moisture content daily so that the cat slowly gets used to the consistency of dry food rather than wet food.
Advantages of dry food
- Comfortable handling
- Food can stay in the bowl longer
- More cost-effective
- Positive effects on the dental hygiene and the development of your cat's jaw
Switching to BARF:
Switching from conventional canned food to raw meat can pose challenges for both the cat and you as the owner:
- Your cat has to get used to the smell
- Consistency is not comparable to industrially produced food
- Abrupt change: can cause intolerance and digestive problems
If there is no medical need for a rapid change, a slow, cautious approach is recommended:
First mix small pieces into the wet or dry food - For first attempts: Cook or fry the meat
- Avoid rejection: Reduce the cooking or frying time only in small steps until your cat accepts whole raw pieces and eats them without any problems.
- Positive effects on the dental hygiene and the development of your cat's jaw
By “barfing” you provide your cat with a diet that is as close to that in its original, natural environment.
FEED CHANGE IN DETAIL
Age-related feed change
Over the course of a cat's life, it makes sense to switch from kitten to adult and later to senior food. Depending on the stage of life, your animal will require different rations of nutrients, as both its needs and activity levels change.
kitten food:
- 6 - 7 weeks: Kittens drink from their mother
- From week 4: some wet food
- After week 6: some dry food
Adult food:
- After about 12 months
Senior food:
- From the age of 8
Health-related feed change
Feed change in case of illness (dietary food):
Dietary foods are not only intended for weight loss, but are also useful for special nutritional purposes: renal insufficiency, intestinal diseases, urinary stones or semolina, allergies and intolerances, obesity.
Changing food in case of intolerances or allergies (hypoallergenic food):
By process of elimination, you can find out which food ingredient your cat is allergic to or which it cannot tolerate.
Feed change to support health (Special Diet)
Feed change for underweight animals (high energy feed)
HOW LONG DOES A FOOD CHANGE TAKE?
The duration of a successful feed change depends on the answers to the following questions:
- How old is your cat?
- How long did she eat the previous food?
- Is the change in diet voluntary or for medical reasons?
- How is your cat and its digestion constituted (robust or sensitive)?
The transition from dry to wet food, from wet to dry food, BARF or to another food manufacturer takes an average of two to three weeks - for picky cats this period can be extended to six to eight weeks.
WHAT IS THE BEST WAY TO CHANGE FOOD?
Cats are creatures of habit - their negative attitude towards new things is genetic and presents you as an owner with challenges when it comes to changing food. Patience is the magic word. In addition to accepting the new food, the cat's digestive system plays an important role in changing food. Therefore, the change between dry, wet food or BARF should be done carefully and slowly, also with consideration for the gastrointestinal tract. There are two options for the optimal, successful change:
two-bowl method
- A few days: Place the bowl with new food next to the usual one so that the cat can get used to the smell.
- With a bit of luck, your cat will eat the food after just a few days.
Most successful strategy: substitution method
- Replace the old food with the new food in small steps or mix it in.
- Start with 1/10 of the new food and increase the amount very slowly (every few days).
- If there is no medical reason to rush, the "substitution method" has proven particularly effective when changing food. If your cat does not accept the unknown, you should reduce the amount and proceed more carefully and slowly - the change will take longer accordingly.
Changing the food for kittens
For kittens, a recommendation becomes a principle – step by step:
- After about 5 weeks: Switch from mother's milk to solid food. Mushy kitten food, initially mixed with rearing milk, offers the optimal transition to later cat food.
- The organism of a baby cat performs hard work during the growth and discovery phase: the energy requirement of a kitten is about twice that of an adult cat.
- Characteristics of food for growing cats: higher energy values and highly digestible proteins.
- After about 7 months: adult food. Offer your cat several different flavors. By experiencing variety early on, you can prevent picky eating in adulthood.
You should remember this
You should remember this
Reasons for a change in feed
- Different age cycles of the cat
- allergies or food intolerances
- switching to diet food
- Previously fed variety is no longer produced
- Desire to switch to a higher quality food
Age-related feed change
Depending on its age, your cat needs different nutritional rations:
- Kitten food: from 4 weeks some wet food, after 6 weeks some dry food (in addition to mother's milk)
- Adult food: after about 12 months
- Senior food: from 8 years
Health-related feed change
- Changing food in case of illness (diet food): losing weight and special nutritional purposes (e.g. allergies)
- Feed change for underweight animals (high energy feed)
- Feed change to support health (Special Diet)
duration of the feed change
Depending on the answers to the following questions:
- How old is your cat?
- How long did she eat the previous food?
- Is the change in diet voluntary or for medical reasons?
- How is your cat and its digestion constituted (robust or sensitive)?
- Normal case: 2-3 weeks
You should remember this
Would you like to find out more about a successful change in food for your cat? You can find more detailed information on the subject in our free information brochure.
Download the information brochureDr.Clauder's for a successful feed change
No matter what reasons you have for changing your pet's food: you will find what you are looking for in Dr.Clauder's range.
Food emergency? The nutrition hotline helps
If you have any questions about animal nutrition, we will be happy to help you. Call us during our service hours or send us an email with your request:
- Telephone: 0800 / 474 476 0
- Email: hotline@dr-clauder.com
These are our service times:
- Monday and Wednesday 3 - 9 pm
- Tuesday and Thursday 10 a.m. - 12 p.m.
- Friday 3 - 7 pm
- Sunday 3 - 5 pm (every 1st Sunday of the month)
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