How do I change my cat's diet?

"How do I change my cat's diet?" The question is frequently asked, and for good reason. It concerns many owners, at different times during the life of the cat.

Not all animals have the same needs depending on their age, temperament, and way of life... and the diet must be adapted to these needs, which leads to diet changes.

A change in diet in cats, when the body is used to receiving the same food regularly, can cause food intolerances, or indigestion, causing diarrhea in particular.



Contents of this article:

 How do I change my cat's diet?

1- How to change your cat's diet?
2- Why change your cat's diet?

Read more: Organic cat food: what does it mean?

1- How to change your cat's diet?

It is therefore a question of making your animal discover the food gradually, the time that its digestive tract adapts (that it manufactures the enzymes to digest the new nutrients for example).

When you change your cat's diet, you have to mix the old and the new food, gradually increasing the proportions of the new, until you only give the definitive diet. 

This mixture should be spread over ten days, ideally.

I suggest you a protocol, for example:

• 2/3 old food, 1/3 new for 3 days
• half/half for 3 days
• 1/3 old food, 2/3 new during the last 3 days

then switch permanently to the new diet

It is very important to make a transition for each change in the cat's diet! Even if the animal has already had this diet in the past, it must get used to digesting it again, and a transition must therefore be started again.

Probiotics are dietary supplements that can be used daily, or as a cure, before, during, and after cat food transitions. 

They bring microbial diversity to the digestive tract, making it more apt to achieve a hassle-free transition. It is therefore a good dietary supplement that will make the cat more resistant to diet changes.

 How do I change my cat's diet?

Read more: What to feed a cat with kidney problems?

2- Why change your cat's diet?

Food transition allows you to switch from one diet to another, giving the digestive tract time to adapt. Indeed, the digestive tract (stomach, intestine, liver) is trained during digestion, depending on the type of food it is used to receiving.

The more the animal has a specific food, the less it will be able to digest a wide variety of foods and will be sensitive in case of change. 

Conversely, the cat that has a more varied diet will respond better to change.

Our cats are mostly fed with a complete food, which has the advantage (when the product is of good quality) of providing a balance of nutrients. 

The variety in nutrients is therefore ensured by the method of preparation of the food. There are two major categories: dry foods (kibbles) and wet foods (pies and jellies).

Which differ mainly in their water content (15% for kibbles, 85% for wet). Cats eat little with household diets (cooked at home), we more often see cats hunting when they have access to the outside.

A change of diet in cats, when staying on the same type of food (changing the range of croquettes, for example) generally happens without complications. 

On the other hand, during a transition between dry food and wet food, for example, this is where the digestive tract can have difficulties, and you have to be very vigilant during the transition.

I hope I explained the information well. 

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