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You've probably heard that domestic cats have a very selective palate, which makes the process of changing diets a real challenge. It is an unmistakable truth that we must be very careful and prudent when offering a different feed or incorporating a new food into our pussy's diet. In addition, it is essential to be aware that foods prohibited for cats can cause severe cases of intoxication or poisoning.
However, it is also important to bear in mind that, with 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 in this process, Animal Expert, in this new article, summarizes the step by step to change a cat's food without harming its health. Ready to get started?
Steps to follow: 1
Before making any changes in the diet of a cat or any pet, it is essential to consult your trusted veterinarian. The first thing to do is to find out if our feline is strong and healthy to face a change in your diet. In addition, it is crucial to have the expert guidance of a veterinarian to choose a new feed that offers the right nutrient levels and that pleases our pussy's taste buds. The same is true for owners who choose to offer a raw diet or BARF, in Portuguese, ACBA (Biologically Appropriate Raw Food) diet to their domestic feline.
In addition, periodic visits to the veterinarian and adequate preventive medicine are also essential to detect any allergies or possible symptoms of diseases associated with dietary imbalances such as diabetes, obesity or kidney failure. In these cases, your cat will need to follow a specific diet to prevent the evolution of symptoms of each of these pathologies and provide an improvement in quality of life.
2 Changing a cat's food should always be a slow and gradual process, respecting the adaptation time of each animal. Cats cling to their eating routine and their daily habits to feel safe in their home and not to expose themselves to unfamiliar contexts that could pose a risk to their well-being. By forcing our cat to undergo a sudden change in his diet, we facilitate the appearance of stress symptoms and also some physical side effects such as vomiting and diarrhea.
Older cats require special attention to changing their diet, as they need the proper nutrients, such as a high intake of protein and certain vitamins, to compensate for the natural loss of muscle mass and decreased metabolic rate. They tend to be even more vulnerable and develop digestive disorders in the face of a sudden change in your diet.
Therefore, we must never completely or suddenly replace your meal daily for a new ration. To change a cat's food slowly and gradually, you should start replacing a very low percentage of your cat's traditional food with the new kibble. You can gradually increase this percentage until the new ration represents 100% of your pussy's daily diet.
Step by step to change cat food:
- 1st and 2nd day: we add 10% of the new food, and complete it with 90% of the previous ration.
- 3rd and 4th day: we raise to 25% the amount of the new ration and add 75% of the old one.
- 5th, 6th and 7th day: we mix equal proportions, offering 50% of each ration to our feline.
- 8th and 9th day: we offer 75% of the new ration and we leave only 25% of the old ration.
- From the 10th day onwards: we can already offer 100% of the new feed and we are attentive to our pussy's reaction.
3 To add moist food or pâté to your pussy's new dry feed is a good alternative to flavor flavors and stimulate your appetite. Even you can make a tasty homemade food at home for your cat, without preservatives or industrialized products.
However this is a temporary method, which should only be used in the first few days of the food transition. Otherwise, your cat may get used not to the taste of the new kibble, but to the moist food. In addition, the combination of feed with homemade or moist food can cause digestive problems, as the food has different digestion times.
4Cats, as the authentic carnivores that they are, like their food to have a warm temperature. Remember that animals that hunt for food usually ingest the meat of their prey that has just been slaughtered, when they still have their body temperature. So, if you notice that your cat is not interested in your new food, you can use the old "trick" of warming the food to encourage him to taste it.
To slightly warm your cat's food, add some hot water (but not boiling) in the feed 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, it will also give your pussy a more pleasing texture.
5Before stating that our pussy has a very restricted taste, we must keep in mind that, in general, the tutors themselves usually facilitate increased selectivity or limiting the taste buds of your cats. It's just that we tend to offer a single dry ration or the same moist food taste to our pussies for most of their lives. And if a cat experiences only one taste, aroma or texture for an extended period of time, it will be very harder for him to adapt to a new diet proposal, as he will get used to a very restricted and little varied eating routine.
To improve our cats' adaptability and taste flexibility, we must invest in early dietary adaptation. All felines develop their taste criteria and their personal tastes during their first 6 or 7 months of life. During this period, they are more likely to taste different aromas, flavors, textures and forms of dry and moist foods.And if we offer this variety in your children's diet, we will create an adult feline with greater food tolerance and a better willingness to accept changes in your routine.
