You wake up and your heart starts racing. You have to change your cat’s food. It seems like a big deal because your cat’s favorite flavor is no longer available in the store and you panic. You won’t be brave enough to change the pâté to a lump.
So what do you do? Don’t worry, even picky cats can almost always be switched to a new diet. Here are some tips to set you up for success when changing your cat’s diet:
Reasons to change your cat’s food
The most important reason to switch your cat from one food to another would be if your vet recommended an immediate diet change due to a health condition, or maybe your cat’s usual food has been discontinued, recalled, or has become difficult or expensive to obtain.
You may also need to look for something new if your cat no longer likes a food as much as it used to. Maybe you’ve been researching cat nutrition and want to upgrade to a food with better ingredients, or switch from a high-carb dry food to a high-protein canned food. Age also plays a role: at some point, kittens will need to switch to adult cat food, and adult cats will eventually transition to senior food.
Whatever the underlying reason, you don’t want your cat to go on an extended hunger strike when introducing a new diet.
How to Find Similar Formulas When Switching Cat Food
If you have to change your cat’s food because of a recall or other issue, it’s easiest to switch to a similar food. Here’s how to compare food using the three factors that are most important to your cat.
Main ingredients (meat)
If the first few ingredients on the label match their previous food, it may be close enough for your cat to accept with minimal questions or testing, so if your cat is used to a food with tuna, salmon, or shrimp, look for another brand or food that has those three main ingredients.
Guaranteed Analysis
Another helpful tip is to check the guaranteed analysis on both labels. Try to avoid big changes, especially in the protein and fat percentages, if possible. This can be more of an issue if you’re switching from dry to canned food, as dry foods are generally higher in carbohydrates.
texture
Many cats are especially sensitive to “mouthfeel” or texture, so if your cat is picky about pate, look for new pate formulas, if your cat licks gravy, look for new formulas with lots of gravy, and if cut meat is your cat’s favorite, look for wet foods with chunks of meat in them.
For some cats, texture can be just as important, or even more important, than the actual taste, and these cats will often tolerate some change in taste as long as the food still tastes good.
How to Switch Cat Food
In most cases, switching cat foods should be done gradually over a week or two to avoid gastrointestinal upset from a sudden dietary change, unless your veterinarian recommends otherwise for health reasons.
By following this guide, you can successfully introduce new flavors to most cats.
Day 1-2: Feed 75% old food and 25% new food.
Day 3-4: Change to a 50%-50% mix.
Days 5-6: Feed them 75% new food and 25% old food.
Day 7: In most cases, you can just feed them new foods.
If you see signs that your cat is not coping well with the change (not eating, vomiting, diarrhea) go back to the amount that was previously tolerated and leave it there for a few days before moving on to the next amount. Some cats take longer than that, so don’t be discouraged if it takes you more than two weeks to transition your cat to their new food.
Switching from dry to wet or wet to dry
The same steps work when switching from one type of food to another, such as dry to canned food or vice versa. If you switch exclusively to dry food, keep in mind that it contains significantly more carbohydrates than canned food and should be fed in moderation, if at all.
Cats generally don’t like mixing dry and wet food because the dry food becomes soggy and the wet food becomes powdery, so it’s best to use separate bowls when switching.
If your cat is only eating the old food, try mixing the old and new foods together or reducing the amount of old food to encourage your cat to consider the new food.
Rotation diet for cats
You could also try a rotation diet. A rotation diet helps keep your cat from becoming “addicted” to one brand or flavor. The basic concept is simple: feed a variety of foods. Rotation can be done daily, weekly, or monthly, but the idea is that because the foods are constantly changing, your cat will be less stressed when their food changes.
If your cat needs to be on a special diet for health reasons, you can slow down or eliminate the rotation by simply rotating more frequently.
If you want to feed your cat small amounts of dry food, try giving them several small portions of canned food during the day and a tiny bit of dry food as a nighttime snack at bedtime.
Troubleshooting when switching cat foods
The most important thing when changing your cat’s food is to make sure they keep eating – maybe less than usual, but they should still eat the right amount of food every 24 hours.
If your cat doesn’t get enough protein every day, they can quickly develop hepatic steatosis, a serious liver disease. Contact your vet if your cat isn’t eating at least 3 tablespoons of food per day.
If after 18 hours your cat hasn’t eaten the new food, try offering them a small amount (say 3 tablespoons) of the old food for the next 6 hours. This will encourage your cat to eat the new food, as it will be their only food for most of the day, while also ensuring they get enough calories within 24 hours to prevent any problems.
Watch for the onset of gastrointestinal symptoms such as vomiting or diarrhea. These could be signs that the switch was made too quickly or that the new food is not familiar to the body. The first step is to slow down the transition to the previous tolerance and take a more gradual approach. If this doesn’t work and gastrointestinal symptoms last more than 24 hours or are severe, contact your veterinarian.
There are some conditions (especially urinary tract problems and gastrointestinal disorders) that require a quick switch.
In most cases, the dietary switch will go most smoothly if your cat is allowed to decide the speed of the dietary change. With time and patience, your cat will soon learn to enjoy the healthy diet you choose for them.
Featured Image: iStock.com/Lightspruch
