home All hormones How to wean a cat off dry food. How to wean a cat off artificial food. Irreparable harm to health from dry food

How to wean a cat off dry food. How to wean a cat off artificial food. Irreparable harm to health from dry food

Many cat owners, believing advertising, believe that industrial ready-made dry, wet, semi-moist feed provide pets with decent nutrition, saturate the body with everything necessary nutrients. In addition, a ready-made diet is quick, simple, and convenient. Cats happily crunch on croquettes and dry food granules and are unlikely to refuse another portion of Whiskas.

It is quite easy to accustom cats to ready-made food, but if there is a need to change the type of diet to natural food, for example, for health reasons, weaning the animal off food addiction and favorite delicacies is not so easy. But in order not to harm the health of your furry pet, you need to know how to wean your cat off dry food or wet “pads” correctly.

Qualitative, balanced diet- the key to health, energy and feeling great our smaller brothers.

Regardless of what type of food you choose for your mustachioed pet (natural food, ready-made food), the animal should receive all vital nutrients with food. About artificial feed

, which are presented in a wide range on the modern market, many articles and reviews have been written. On the forums there are questions: “What is better – natural food or a ready-made diet?”, “Which food to choose for a cat?” But this question is rarely raised about whether ready-made food is healthy. Most owners are willing to buy ready-made food

, because they don’t want to think about what to feed the cat during the day. Of course, this approach to organizing rational feeding for pets is more convenient, but don’t lie, it’s just for us. Cats, like people, are hostage to their eating habits. Representatives of the cat family are real gourmets and are quite picky about food. This is precisely the feature that unscrupulous manufacturers exploit. ready-made feed

, which contain attractants and additives.

For many cats, wet, semi-moist food is a kind of food “drug”. If a cat from an early age is accustomed to eating canned food, aromatic crispy “dried food,” the pet will most likely refuse new food and, even more so, natural products and even go on an impromptu hunger strike as a sign of protest. Therefore, it will not be so easy to accustom a cat to homemade food.

What ready-made food can be given to cats?

Having given preference to a ready-made diet, you need to choose products from proven, well-known brands, but only marked “premium”, “extra”, “super-premium” class (Purina, Royal Canin, NM, Hills, Acana). Consider age, breed, individual characteristics your body pet.

In the line of many manufacturers there are special ones for pregnant females, spayed and sterilized cats, cats, as well as for animals with allergies (holistic). There are also special therapeutic and preventive foods that veterinarians can prescribe for diarrhea, digestive disorders, hormonal disorders, in the postoperative period.

Products of the “premium”, “extra”, “super-premium” categories contain vitamins, essential amino acids, macro-microelements, natural ingredients (salmon, poultry, lamb, lamb, grains, vegetables), biologically active substances.

If the cat is kept on a prepared type of food, feed it the same food, products from the same manufacturer.

Budget industrial food has an unbalanced composition, contains dyes, flavor enhancers, flavorings, stabilizers, synthetic chemical components, low-grade offal, soy, starch, which negatively affect the health of your pet.

Feeding cats with canned food and dry food of the “economy” class can provoke:

nutritional allergies;
digestive disorders;
metabolic disorder;
, liver failure;
endocrine pathologies.

The condition of the fur, teeth, and claws deteriorates. Dry budget food often becomes the cause, especially in males, and as you know, this disease is not only difficult to treat, but can also cause death.

How to switch a cat to a natural diet

Unfortunately, despite all the assurances of manufacturers about the balanced composition and quality of their products, there are practically no universal, truly high-quality ready-made feeds. Still natural food, right? organized diet, will be much more useful.

If you decide to transfer your cat, be patient in the fight against food addiction. At first, the cat may ignore pieces of boiled meat or fish placed caring owner in a bowl, constantly begging for favorite treats and desired “delicacies”.

It is especially difficult to wean cats off crunchy “pads.” After flavored “drying”, the cat natural products will seem bland and possibly tasteless.

Introduce new foods into your diet gradually, by mixing. Otherwise, you can provoke eating disorders, metabolic disorder. Transition to a new type of food - severe stress for the body of a mustachioed pet.

To transfer your cat to , follow these tips:

If the cat received dry food, gradually replace it with wet food (canned food). Buy its wet counterpart, since your pet is already accustomed to a certain composition and taste parameters, as well as the ingredients of ready-made food. Gradually replace the “drying” and completely switch the cat to wet food.
Introduce into the diet every day at each feeding. healthy food. Mix whole pieces of boiled, veal, sea, lean river fish into the wet food.
You can prepare mash from rice, buckwheat, oatmeal. Cook porridge in vegetable, meat, fish broth.
Give your cat different foods to understand your mustachioed pet's taste preferences. Make sure that one of the bowls always contains fresh, boiled, filtered drinking water. When offering your pet new food, calling the cat to the bowls, talk to the cat in a gentle tone.

If the cat continues to ignore the food, or, after eating a few pieces of meat, the fish disgustedly moves away from the bowl, you can try another, more loyal method. Purchase everyday ready-made food at the pet store that does not have a strong odor or distinct taste. For a week, mix it with your favorite canned food or dry food soaked in water. Despite the fact that this method is more expensive, this is how you can change your diet without health consequences.

You can also provide your cat with several bowls of food. At the same time, let one contain your favorite ready-made food, but in a minimal quantity, while the others contain a variety of natural foods, various delicacies, and treats. Gradually reduce portions of prepared food, increasing the percentage of natural products. Over time, the cat must make his choice, and it will clearly be in favor of the straight cat.

Around the tenth day, the cat will get used to eating “tasteless” food. In the future, supplement your diet with homemade products. Gradually add finely chopped boiled and raw minced meat. Supplement your diet with boiled, stewed vegetables, and grains in small quantities.

If the cat continues to protest against natural products in porridge, meat food add sauce, gravy, jelly from industrial feed. Over time, the cat will get used to the new diet and taste the taste of natural products. It is very important that the transition to a new diet is as comfortable as possible for your pet.

Sometimes it happens that, despite all efforts, a cat cannot refuse dry food. In this case, consult your veterinarian. Perhaps a specialist will still advise leaving 10-20% of dry food in the diet. Thus, the pet will receive “drying” in minimal quantities per day as complementary food, but no more than two to three tablespoons per week. At the same time, only high-quality professional premium food will be used in feeding, “ super premium».

The right natural diet for a cat, useful tips

Don't forget that cats are carnivores and, of course, predators. Therefore, the basis of a mustachioed pet’s diet (70-80%) should be meat products.

You can feed cats:

poultry (chicken, turkey);
oceanic, sea varieties lean fish;
veal, beef, lamb, rabbit;
porridge with canned fish;
fermented milk products ( low-fat cottage cheese, skim milk, kefir 1-2.5%, yoghurts without any flavoring additives);
boiled, stewed, raw vegetables.

For porridges, give buckwheat, wheat, rice, oatmeal. Barley and pearl barley are poorly absorbed by the body of domestic animals. Porridges should be well boiled. Cook them in meat, fish broth or milk if the cat is not allergic to fermented milk products.

When switching an animal to natural products, carefully monitor the condition and behavior of the pet. Some cats, especially high-breed cats, have intolerance to certain food components. May develop food allergy, digestive disorders.

Food should be fresh, varied, and at room temperature. Balance your diet according to the ratio of proteins, fats, carbohydrates, amino acids. Choose the correct serving size. Stick to your feeding schedule.

Food must completely cover the body's energy costs. The cat's diet should contain vegetable and animal fats, fiber, biologically active substances, and essential amino acids.

You should not give cats food from the refrigerator, offal, or meat without first heat treatment. Banned for cats: salty foods, marinades, smoked foods (sausages, sausages, cheeses), raw River fish, too fatty meat (pork), long bones, sweets, baked goods. Stale, moldy, rotten food will cause poisoning, intestinal disorder, dysbacteriosis, other systemic failures in the body.

Complete natural diet without fail, complex vitamin premixes, vitamin and mineral supplements, amino acids. Regarding their choice, consult your veterinarian. The specialist will select vitamin preparations taking into account individual physiological characteristics, your pet's age, energy needs.

For the cleaning digestive tract from hairballs, food debris, plant special herbs (catnip, sprouted oats) in flower containers. Seeds can be purchased at pet stores and veterinary pharmacies.

As a rule, if everything is done correctly and consistently, You can accustom a cat to homemade food in two to three weeks. If the cat is too picky, it may take more time. In normalization digestive processes Pro-prebiotics, enzymes, and homeopathic remedies will help.

In any case, be persistent in your actions. Even if the cat has gone on a hunger strike, you should not succumb to provocations, heart-rending meows and protests from your mustachioed pet. Do not give under any circumstances forbidden foods or treats. In this case, you will only prolong your food addiction, and the process of weaning off ready-made food will be delayed.

Besides, two or three days starvation diet will not harm the pet's health. Representatives of the cat family have a very strongly developed instinct of self-preservation, but if the cat has access to drinking water, the animal can survive up to ten days without food. When hungry, the cat will be forced to try new treats and natural food.

When weaning your cat from food addiction, remember that the main thing in solving a difficult problem is patience and perseverance. If you approach the issue as responsibly as possible, over time the cat will get used to the new diet without any negative consequences For health reasons, it will be a pleasure to eat natural foods.

If, when switching to a natural type of feeding, the pet suffers from digestive disorders, refuses to eat, despite all efforts, or the cat’s condition worsens, be sure to show the cat to a veterinarian. A specialist veterinarian-nutritionist will select the optimal feeding regimen, special food and diet for your beloved pet.

The modern rhythm of life leaves its mark on society. People who have pets are forced to feed their four-legged friends dry food. This type of food saves time because you don't have to stand at the stove for hours. However, not everyone knows that dry food is dangerous to the health of cats. They are addictive, poorly absorbed and do not saturate the skin with the elements necessary for full hair growth. Hence the need arises to transfer the animal from ready-made feed to natural food.

How to wean a cat off dry food

Option #1. You cannot suddenly switch an animal to natural food; some consistency must be observed. Alternate ready-made food with regular food, and the first should be given at morning time when digestion has just started. Be sure to keep an eye on your cat's water bowl; it should always contain pure water. The grains of dry food swell in the stomach, absorbing liquid, hence the appearance of constant thirst. Meals should be provided strictly according to the schedule, the frequency of feeding procedures is 3 times a day. Devote the morning meal to dry food (you can soak it in water), and serve natural food for lunch and dinner.

Option #2. There is another scheme for transferring a cat from dry food to natural food. It consists of mixing two types of food in certain proportions. On the first and second days, you need to steam the dry food with water, knead it with a fork and mix it with regular food in a 5:1 ratio (5 parts dry food, 1 part natural food). In this case, actions must be performed 3 times a day (every meal). From the third to the fifth day, increase the amount of natural food to two parts, that is, mix it with dry food in a ratio of 5:2. Every few days, add one portion of natural food.

It is extremely difficult to wean a cat off dry food; they become very accustomed to taste and smell enhancers, preservatives and artificial additives. Of course, this is exactly what manufacturers are counting on. Observe the proportions, take your time, mix in one part every few days, or leave the morning time for feeding with the prepared mixture. It is important to understand that the transition should be smooth, unnoticeable for the pet itself.
Many cats refuse to eat any food other than dry food. The owners, in turn, begin to starve them, mistakenly believing that the animal will eat everything when it gets hungry. You don't need to do that, be smarter. Arouse interest in natural food with treats, giving your cat something tasty every time. He must remember the smell and consistency. Try giving your pet a treat chicken fillet or pork pulp, banana, potatoes or sausage. It is important to make a start, and then things will go naturally.

The first thing you need to do is feed your cat the soaked food for two weeks. In this case, the food must be filled with water, left to steep, and then all salts and impurities must be drained. Do not let the animal drink the liquid that remains in the end.
Next, transfer the cat to ready-made food, but in the form of canned food. Give preference to one manufacturer. Feed the animal a similar treat for a week, then proceed to the next step.
On at this stage It is necessary to mix natural food with canned food. For 100 gr. Factory products account for 20 grams. regular food. Feed your pet at this rate for 7-10 days.
After time, increase the amount to 40 g. per 100 gr. canned food Keep the cat in this mode for about 5 days, then start adding 60 grams. natural food per 100 gr. canned food
When you reach this point, wait 3 days and try giving your cat all-natural food. If she refuses to eat, add 10 grams. finished product and try again.
If your pet refuses again, wait a while so that she gets hungry, but don’t delay. Avoid hunger that lasts more than a day.
In cases where the cat flatly does not want to eat, increase the proportions to 70 g. natural food per 100 gr. canned food, then every day again mix in regular food, but not sharply, add 5 grams.

Important aspects

The marketing of dry food manufacturers is the same: they present it as a universal product that can replace natural food. At the same time, manufacturers claim that the finished food contains the required amount of proteins, fats, carbohydrates and fiber. They argue for this percentage vitamins and elements necessary for the full development of the cat and its future offspring (if the cat is pregnant). Of course, expensive food can boast of this, but not the economy segment.
An important feature of feeding cats is that meat alone is not enough for them. The animal needs cereals, dairy products and vegetables, which are responsible for vision, digestion and strengthening bone tissue. Therefore, when switching from dry food to natural food, you need to give your cat vitamins containing calcium, iron and magnesium. Cook food without adding seasonings, add salt rarely, and if possible, cook without it.
Unlike cats, cats are prohibited from being given sausage and canned food in oil; onions, garlic, and herbs (dill, parsley) are also contraindicated for them. Experienced veterinarians They unanimously say that cats should not be fed raw fish, even if they eat it with pleasure. As for chicken and quail eggs, you can sometimes pamper your pet with the latter option in the absence of allergies. Raw meat, namely pork and beef, can cause stool and stomach upset, so they should be fed with caution.

It is easier to wean cats off dry food than cats. Act gradually, do not try to force feed the animal natural food, let him come to this on his own. In cases with cats, add vitamins and minerals to their food and take the course once every six months.

Video: how to feed cats properly

Despite the convenience and minimal time spent feeding cats with dry food, many decide to switch their pets from kibble to natural food. The reason may be problems with the cat’s health, a desire to provide the pet with better quality and healthy nutrition, or the inability to purchase dry elite food due to its high cost. But a good owner will not constantly stuff his pet with economy-class croquettes, since their composition is far from perfect in terms of benefits for the cat’s body.

The composition of the finished feed, indicated on the label of the can or bag, includes:

animals and vegetable proteins;
fats;
carbohydrates (mostly potatoes or corn);
vitamins;
minerals;
preservatives and antioxidants (these chemical substances necessary to increase the shelf life of the product);
food colorings;
fillers (soy, starch or MCC polysaccharide).

Good to know: Manufacturers of dry cat food do not always indicate the presence of several other special additives in its composition: taste enhancers, flavors, attractants (attractive substances) and additives (substances addictive). These "cunning" additives not only make your cat eat kibble with appetite, but also turn him into a "drug addict". Therefore, an animal accustomed to dry food often has difficulty switching to natural food, which, of course, is both tastier and healthier.

Methods for transitioning a cat from dry food

Some cats immediately begin to eat natural food with pleasure. But it is often difficult to quickly wean a cat off dry food; he stubbornly refuses the dishes prepared by the owner, and demonstratively symbolically “buries” the offered food with his paw. This is not surprising: after croquettes generously flavored with flavoring additives, natural meat seems bland to the cat, and it takes time for the taste buds to restore sensitivity.

Helpful advice: To make it easier for a cat’s digestive system to adapt to new food, when switching from dry food, at least for the first time, it is recommended to give the animal a probiotic - a bioactive supplement containing lacto- and bifidobacteria. Your veterinarian can tell you which probiotic is best for your pet.

There are several practice-tested methods that can quickly wean a cat off dry food, or at least make this process relatively painless for the animal.

Preparatory stage

It can be easier to wean a cat off dry food if you rid the animal of the addiction syndrome caused by attractants and additives that are included in all croquettes without exception. The amount of these substances in different varieties feed is different. To stop the effect of flavoring additives, buy quality food, which contains fewer of them. To do this, consult your veterinarian, read the ingredients listed on the label, or decide by simply smelling the kibble. They should not have sharp, strong odor. Mix the new “drying” with the usual one, gradually replacing the old food over the course of a week until it is completely eliminated.

The hard method: “There will be no more croquettes”

This is the most quick way wean your cat off dry food. In one day, the entire supply of dry food is removed from the house (not hidden, but removed, because cats have an excellent sense of smell). Homemade food is placed in a bowl. It is replaced several times a day with a fresh portion. It is quite possible that the cat will ignore the new food, and will prefer to remain hungry for a day or two... Then the survival instinct will kick in, and natural food will go with a bang.

But if you are not sure that you and your household will have the courage and perseverance to endure the plaintive groans of your beloved cat for several days in a row, choose another method. Cats are smart animals, and if your pet makes you indulge her at least once, and you give her dry food, she will be sure that she can always achieve her goal, and sooner or later she will get the coveted croquettes.

Gentle method

This method of weaning a cat off dry food involves gradually reducing its amount in the daily diet. For example, you can put only natural food in the feeder in the morning - a hungry cat most likely will not refuse it. And in the afternoon she will receive her favorite “drying”. It is advisable to prepare homemade meals (at least during the adaptation period) from the products that your pet loves most. Food preferences can be easily determined experimentally. Gradually, the amount of dry food should be reduced, and at the final stage, simply place two feeders next to each other, one with a small amount of croquettes, the other with a natural dish. Having not eaten a small portion of “drying”, the animal will be forced to eat the contents of another bowl. This “re-education” may take several weeks, but the owners will be deprived of nervous stress.

Switching to natural food through wet food

All cats enjoy eating delicious canned meat and fish from pouch bags or jars. Over the course of 4-7 days, replace some of the dry food in the feeder with wet food until there are no kibble left in the feeder. Then start mixing pieces of boiled meat into the canned food, then some vegetables, and lastly the porridge. It is important that natural food does not differ in size and consistency from wet food. The period of such a gradual transition can take up to 2 weeks, and there are usually no problems with “declaring a hunger strike.”

Benefits of natural cat nutrition

Food prepared at home is closer to the natural “menu” of predators, representatives of which are the felines. Ideally, from 60 to 80% of a cat's daily diet should consist of meat products, of which only a fifth or sixth can be represented by offal. Another 20% is occupied by cereals, vegetables, vitamins and minerals.

No type of dry food is prepared using this recipe, since its cost would be too high. More often animal protein in croquettes it is represented by by-products, in premium food it is up to 50%, in dry canned economy class it is only 5-6%. By providing your cat with food that matches the nature of this animal, you maintain its health and prolong its life.

Many owners who initially gave their cats exclusively dry food at some point decide to switch them to natural products. There can be a lot of reasons for this, but most often this happens due to the need to save money, because good mixtures They're not cheap. In addition, many of them are produced abroad, and due to the depreciation of the ruble, their price has increased significantly. In addition, a change in diet is often determined by the health status of the pet. Be that as it may, cats do not always willingly agree to such changes - they refuse unusual food and prefer to starve.

In this article we will tell you the easiest way to wean your cat off its usual dry food.

Why is there a problem?

The simplest method is to starve the cat out. True, it will not suit everyone, but only mentally stable people, because not everyone will be able to endure the pitiful meow, the unhappy look of a pet and the reproaches of loved ones.

In most cases, owners who decide to accustom cats to home-cooked food make a lot of mistakes because they do not understand what exactly needs to be done and are not familiar with the psychology of their pets.

In turn, cats refuse proper food largely only because they are generally prone to conformism. It is most difficult for those who have not eaten natural food since childhood.

In reality, weaning an animal is not difficult if you use a few tips below.

The owner who is in no hurry to complete the translation is doing the right thing. natural food one day. The thing is that a radical change in diet will most likely make your cat boycott new types of food that are unfamiliar to him. Therefore, the process is extended over at least for a week, or even better for 10 days.

In this situation, the main thing is not to follow the lead of mustachioed manipulators. Do not forget - their ostentatious hunger strike is nothing more than a game for the public. Science knows of no cases of a healthy animal dying of hunger next to a full bowl.

Provide your pet with fresh water and give him time to think. Ignore pitiful moans and sad looks as unreasonable. It will take willpower, but the result is more important here.

Those owners who try to force cats to eat by offering them gourmet foods, running after them with a bowl, etc. are doing something very wrong. You shouldn’t pamper your pet, otherwise you’ll have to walk half-bent over his catness all his life. You won’t be able to behave this way all the time, and animals experience a change in attitude extremely painfully and often become depressed.

And never forget that most cheap foods are simply stuffed with various additives, addictive physiological nature in cats. It is this circumstance that most often determines the animal’s intolerant attitude towards a natural diet. This phenomenon This is purely temporary and soon enough the taste buds will regenerate and the animal will develop an interest in normal natural nutrition.

When creating a natural diet, owners should remember correct ratio products:

meat in it is up to 45 percent;
eggs, fish, cottage cheese, etc. – approximately 5;
offal – 20;
the same amount of cereals, vegetables, herbs, fruits;
flavoring additives (oil, vitamins, microelements) – 5.

Soft option

There is another way - it is more loyal and less traumatic. Its essence is simple - instead of the usual food, start giving expensive food that does not have a strong odor. This will free the animal from physiological dependence.

You should do this:

for the first 5 days, add premium mixture (Whiskas, Royal Canin) to the usual mixture, reducing the amount of the former;
on the 6th day, give only expensive food;
after this comes the stage of transferring to high-quality canned food;
here they also begin to mix wet food into the dry food;
and finally, the latter is gradually diluted with normal food according to the same scheme.

In general, this will take about a month. Throughout the entire period, it is necessary to follow the feeding regime and not give the animal treats between meals. In the future, it is worth remembering that all leftover natural products (if the cat has not eaten within 20 minutes) are put into the refrigerator.

What we must not forget

Offer your pet fresh food every day until he capitulates and starts eating. Such innovations can cause stress in a cat. Therefore, it is better to mix new products with dry food over the course of several days, gradually reducing the proportion of the latter.

During this period, it is important to ensure that no one else in the family feeds the cat “crackers” behind your back.

Be kind to the animal, but remain strict and strict when it comes to nutrition. Pets have a fairly sharp mind and understand perfectly how to make their owners feel sorry for themselves.

I use “natural”, do not forget to add vitamins and microelements to it.

Remember, too much fish in your diet can be harmful to your pet’s health. The phosphorus contained in it provokes kidney disease.

Adequate nutrition for a cat is the key to its health and beauty. appearance. Surely, all owners know that budget ready-made food from supermarkets is not The best decision For furry friend. Why does it become necessary to wean your pussy? Someone takes a kitten that is already accustomed to ready-made food, others save at first, but after visiting clinics they decide to change their diet, and for many, veterinarians directly advise them to think about normal food for the animal.

Disadvantages of ready-made food, why it is better to switch your cat to normal food

Before thinking about how to wean a cat off Whiskas and accustom it to normal food, owners should understand what disadvantages it has finished products from the shop:

The quality of most products leaves much to be desired; even more expensive premium foods are far from ideal, let alone budget products.
With such feeding, the pussy stomach loses its ability to stretch, as a result, transfer to natural nutrition becomes impossible.
Most feeds contain stimulating additives. The cat eats and eats, but does not get enough; it is attracted only by the smell, and not by satiety.
Prepared foods include granules, jellies, purees and stews. The load on the teeth in such a situation is minimal, which leads to plaque, tartar and other diseases.
Buy good food Sometimes you can’t afford it, but feel free to add the cost of treatment to inexpensive goods, because problems with the kidneys, stomach, and intestines are inevitable.
The animal is forced to eat the same food. On the one hand, you buy different products: with turkey, chicken, trout, shrimp, etc.. In fact, their composition is the same, as is the smell and taste. Just look in the pack - you won't find any differences.

It is for these reasons that you should transfer your cat to normal nutrition: you will protect her from problems in the future, ensure a healthy and carefree life. Of course, this is not so easy to do, and in the future you will have to carefully plan your diet, but if the costs of super premium class and holistic treatments seem prohibitive to you, switch to a natural diet.

How to wean a cat off food without the help of a veterinarian

Any veterinarian will tell you how important it is to wean your cat off kittycat. And that this is a matter of health, not economy. If you compare Whiskas or Kitikat with human food, then in fact it’s a cheburek from the gateway. You can eat fast food and crackers for a long time without consequences. Hardly. The same goes for cats.

The main problem with cheap feed is that it is too a large number of cereals.

They overload the intestines, producing too much feces. And at the same time a minimal amount of substances of animal origin. Most often this bone flour from expired products that contain practically no meat. And another “magic” list of synthetic substances. Moreover, a couple of them cause a kind of drug addiction in the cat.

Organs become the first victims of cheap food genitourinary system. This is why it is so important to know how to wean your cat from catcalling. After all, castrated predators have a particularly difficult time due to the body’s need to excrete harmful substances from cheap food. Hence the appearance of urolithiasis, narrowing of the ducts up to necrosis of the penis. In cats, the disease may develop less rapidly, but with deadly consequences.

The next victims of cheap feed are the liver and intestines. The scarcity of animal protein in the diet causes a weakening of metabolism. The liver has to work doubly hard to remove harmful substances. A weakened immune system, which is caused by an overloaded intestine, may not save you from contracting any infectious disease.

In addition to Kitikat and Whiskas, the following can claim the first places in our anti-rating:

But you can figure out how to wean a cat off food without a veterinarian. You just need to know what food, other than whiskey and kitiket, cannot be categorically transferred to. These are the names from the anti-rating and mixed nutrition. During retraining, both food and natural food should not be given. This will cause even more harm.

Stages of transferring an animal to normal food

To accustom a cat to normal food, you must follow certain instructions:

Dry food is replaced with a wet equivalent from the same manufacturer. The animal is accustomed to certain flavoring additives, so the transition will not be abrupt. At the same time, the soft version of the food contains fewer harmful components than the dry version.
Natural food is introduced into the cat’s diet gradually. You can cook mixed porridges - semolina or rolled oats plus meat/fish. From a similar homemade food the pet will not refuse.
Fresh water must be available free access for an animal. Drink plenty of fluids will allow you to quickly remove toxins from the body.
“Cat grass” grown on the windowsill will become an additional source of vitamins.
Gradually more and more natural products are added that the cat prefers. For example, if he loves boiled fish, then they give it instead of food.
The amount of feed decreases every day. Not having enough, the cat will begin to eat from a nearby bowl, where healthy foods must be placed in a timely manner.

This plan of action allows the owners to gradually and without harm to the animal’s health transfer the pet from dry food to regular food, completely weaning it off Whiskas and eliminating the dependence.

Features of the transition to natural products

To facilitate the transition of the animal to natural food and wean it off Whiskas, it is necessary to include a complex of vitamins for the pet in the diet. Cats usually eat vitamin tablets with pleasure. IN in rare cases The veterinarian can prescribe fortified formulations in the form of intramuscular injections.

It is worth considering the features of translation adult cat or a kitten on normal food:

A small kitten cannot be weaned off its usual food by starvation. First, you need to transfer your pet to liquid food from bags, and then introduce other components into the diet. It is best to add new products instead of the usual food after active play with a pet.
An adult animal with a strong dependence on dry food can be left to fast for two days. The main thing is not to forget to give your pet water all the time. When very hungry, the animal will eat the natural product with pleasure based on the instinct of self-preservation.

When switching to healthy food We must not forget about the prohibition of mixing. Simultaneous use dry food and cooked meat or other product will lead to illness gastrointestinal tract at the pet's.

Cat behavior when changing diet

When switching from dry food to natural products, it is worth remembering the pet’s self-preservation instinct. The animal will not starve to death if there is any food in the bowl, so you should not succumb to provocations and return harmful treats to the diet.

It is worth contacting your veterinarian to draw up healthy diet pet. The doctor will order tests and, based on them, will announce which products are preferable for the cat.

When switching to normal food from dry food, you should follow several recommendations:

You cannot give in to the whims of the animal and return the harmful treat;
you can stroke and caress your pet after he has eaten normal food;
You need to give your pet plenty of water.

Compliance with these simple tips will help cope with the transition of the cat to regular food. If during the process of accustoming to a new food your pet’s health suddenly deteriorates, you should consult a veterinarian. The doctor will determine the cause of the disease and prescribe treatment.