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How to wean a cat from artificial nutrition. How to wean a cat or a cat from dry food: useful tips. The main mistakes of owners when changing the type of diet of cats

Before asking how to wean a cat off dry food, every owner should develop an alternative feeding plan. It would also be nice to understand the reasons why the pet owner decided to make such a transition. The rejection of dry food is ideally accompanied by a competent replacement with a different diet, which should be balanced and nutritious enough.

There are a number of reasons why a cat is forced to refuse dry food for a while. These may include various pathologies (for example, tooth loss in older cats), the age of the pet, individual intolerance. In some cases, the decision to radically change the menu of a pet belongs to the owner. We will talk about the possible difficulties that the owner of the cat will face when transferring the animal to a new type of food in this article.

As a rule, inflamed with the desire to radically change the diet of a pet, the owner keeps in his head a bunch of dry food - natural food. Sometimes natural nutrition is replaced by the synonymous "homemade food", but the essence remains. The transfer of cats from dry food to wet canned food, as a rule, occurs less often and proceeds more easily.

Therefore, now we will focus on the analysis of two "opposites". It is from the dyad "dry food - natural products" that the owner most often comes, wanting to transfer the pet to a healthy, high-quality diet. Such a position is sometimes characterized by a slight shade of maximalism.

Danger of dry food

With the indicated approach, dry food is demonized, endowed with all the negative features that you can think of, the list of which includes:

  • Dry food is filled with dyes, flavors and other "chemistry" that is incompatible with the pet's stomach;
  • Once having tried food with flavor enhancers (all foods contain this, without exception, of course), the cat will get used to it like a drug, and will get hooked for life;
  • Under the beautiful word "by-products" manufacturers hide waste from slaughterhouses, which it was a pity to throw away;
  • Dry food is like fast food - it quickly fills the cat's stomach without giving it any nutrients.

As a result, we have a sick, dying cat, who managed to earn obesity, tumors and liver failure. But is it?

Of course, in all these arguments there is a rational grain, buried under emotionality and susceptibility to popular rumors. For example, cheap food lines do not use the best ingredients, and they gain interest in the eyes of cats due to an attractive unnatural aroma. Feeding a pet for many years with economy-class feed can indeed lead to adverse consequences.

However, it is at least inconsistent to extend these radical statements to all dry food manufacturers in general. The main evidence of the fallacy of such tactics is the practice and statistical studies cited by veterinarians. According to studies, no relationship has been found between animal kidney problems and the consumption of certain feeds. We will discuss this misconception in more detail below.

Dry food: myths and reality

If the desire to wean a cat from the well-known granules is solely your initiative, then before you seriously take on the re-education of a pet, ask yourself - what prompted you to think about the harmfulness of dry food?

There are many myths around this type of feed, even some veterinarians are involved in the distribution of them. These unfounded, but very popular beliefs, we will consider right now:

Myth 1. Dry food is of no use.

Many people tend to identify dry food with breadcrumbs. From this identification, they conclude that dry granules are extremely useless. Such a conclusion could arise due to the characteristic smell emanating from the bags of whiskey, mistakenly taken for familiar flavors.

This misconception is based on complete incompetence in dry food formulations. The pellets used for cat food are compressed by-products. If we are talking about the premium line, then it may come across full-fledged pieces of dried meat that do not lose their nutritional value.

In high-quality dry food, in addition to the proteins, fats and fiber necessary for the cat, there are also vitamins. Rusks abound only in empty carbohydrates. The similarity of granules with crackers is only superficial and does not affect the composition in any way.

Myth 2. Dry food contains unnatural and harmful ingredients.

The modern buyer, over the years of acquaintance with the compositions, has developed a hostile prejudiced attitude towards them. The frequently encountered statement of the average consumer “They write on the packages what the manufacturer wants” applies to cat food. Such mistrust, of course, has its own good reasons, but you should not fall into absolute skepticism and accuse all cat food manufacturers of lies.

Both abroad and in Russia, there are their own standards that firms undertake to comply with. Most manufacturers are simply not interested in potential litigation and painful experiments with their reputation. However, learning to read the composition and interpreting it correctly will be useful for every cat owner.

Myth 3. Dry food leads to the formation of stones.

In some cases, this is true, but a more detailed examination of this statement reveals its inconsistency. The most common causes of urolithiasis include a lack of vitamins, hormonal disruptions (due to castration, for example), untreated viral infections. A significant role is played by the unique anatomy of the urethral canal in each individual, which does not prevent or restrain the excretion of urine from the body.

Dry food can contribute to the formation of stones in several cases:

  • The feed is of poor quality, consists of harmful ingredients, is saturated with flavors;
  • Together with dry food, a sufficient amount of water does not enter the cat's body;
  • Cat nutrition is not balanced - dry food is combined with raw meat or canned food;

In all these cases, crystals accumulate in the urine, leading to pathologies of the genitourinary system.

Myth 4. No dry food compares to a full-fledged piece of meat.

Supporters of this belief retained a naive belief in the superiority of everything "natural". However, nowadays the identity of “natural” and useful is increasingly being called into question, unless we are talking about growing vegetables and fruits in our own garden.

All products bought in hypermarkets, whether raw beef or ripe tomatoes, one way or another, undergo chemical processing. Antibiotics, pesticides, preservatives have long become invisible companions of natural, primeval and natural.

Often the sign "farm products" is used for commercial purposes, deceiving customers.

Often the decision to air feed a cat comes after castration, as the owner is struggling to prevent the pet from becoming overweight. Of course, natural nutrition can correctly adjust to the pet's changing hormonal background.

Properly selected portions will saturate the cat, preventing him from overeating. However, to maintain this delicate balance, you need to be a true professional in cat nutrition and devote the lion's share of your time to the pet's diet. High-quality feeds initially contain a lower level of carbohydrates (compared to budget options). They are suitable for all cats, regardless of gender and age, as they meet their needs.

If the owner sees that the pet still began to gain weight, it makes sense to reduce portions. With natural nutrition, everything is not so elementary, since the control of the ingredients falls entirely on the shoulders of the owner of the animal.

Myth 6. High-protein foods are detrimental to the liver and kidneys.

According to some "advanced" owners, the high protein levels that holistics are famous for is the first and last cause of problems in pets with internal organs. This ignores the fact that in the process of evolution, felines only did what they hunted for birds and rodents, which, in terms of protein content, surpassed any high-protein food.

A moderate dose of protein is easily absorbed by cats, the main thing is to know this moderate dose. Unfortunately, today's consumers are more susceptible to the loud claims about the dangers of any component that periodically sound in the pet food market.

At the moment, there are no experimentally confirmed statistical data on the relationship between the consumption of high-protein feeds and pathologies of the kidneys or liver. Pets with kidney problems are recommended to feed with a low content of phosphorus, not protein.

Dry food: harm or benefit?

As it turned out, dry food is not always harmful to the cat, especially if you do not limit yourself to considering cheap brands. However, there is no need to talk about the absolute sinlessness of this type of nutrition. For clarity, the advantages and disadvantages of dry food are summarized in the table.

Many people take the position that the domestic cat should eat the same food as its wild counterparts. In other words, varieties of a damp place, nutritious due to the abundance of proteins. This, however, does not take into account the fact that wild cats are more susceptible to various diseases that they can adopt from already infected prey. To look at the life of free cats as an ideal is somewhat naive on the part of the owner.

Of course, natural nutrition has its strengths, which not every dry food of the holistic group can compete with. Read more about the strengths of natural food and its nuances below.

Before you take any decisive action, accept that transitioning your cat to a new diet will not be easy. There are unpretentious animals that easily change their tastes to the tastes pleasing to the owner, but such individuals are in the minority. It is pointless to dream of an instant jump from the old menu to the new, as the owner will inevitably have to face disappointment.

Patience is the main thing that the owner should stock up on when instilling new eating habits in the cat.

Some owners, out of anger or despair due to their impotence, turn to drastic measures, manipulating the cat's sense of hunger. Of course, a cat that has been starving for a week will also eat a package of food, but as a result you will get a sick, nervous cat who harbors aggression on you.

If you are ready to sacrifice your peace of mind and sound sleep in the coming month, but reach your goal, then below we provide a step-by-step instruction:

  1. The transition from the old type of food to the new should be gradual, especially if we are talking about a radical change in products. Replacing one type of dry food with another is easy for an animal, while replacing dry kibbles with raw meat requires a lot of effort on the part of the owner and the pet's body. Keep in mind that digestion adapts to the food you eat and produces exactly the amount of enzymes that are necessary for its digestion. When switching to a qualitatively different menu, the gastrointestinal tract experiences a shock, it has to rearrange beneficial bacteria and adapt to a new type of nutrition. Therefore, a quick transition to a new food is not only ineffective, but also harmful to the health of the pet;

  2. During the first three days, the old food should take up 90 percent of the total daily diet. Of course, combined food is harmful to the cat's body, as all veterinarians say. But when switching to a different type of power, there is no other way out, due to the reasons listed above. Therefore, in the first days, only the first acquaintance with small pieces of raw meat, preferably poultry meat, takes place. As a rule, cats are the first to show interest in meat and it is not necessary to push them to taste;

  3. If the pet reacted positively to the novelty offered to him, on the fourth day, take a quarter of the daily diet to natural products. Remember that each subsequent stage is given to the cat with great difficulty and requires more time. So, it can take up to 10 days for a cat to go through this stage. Therefore, the increase in portions of natural products should not go strictly according to the indicated scheme, but in accordance with the feelings of the pet, which these days it is important to carefully monitor. The condition of the stool, the frequency of urging to the toilet, the condition of the coat, the general mood - all these factors should be taken into account by the owner;

  4. If the cat positively accepts the amendments you make to the diet, for 6-7 days, give the cat natural products (kefir, raw meat or cereals - based on your preferences) in the morning and evening, leaving access to dry food during the day. One tablespoon of dry granules is enough to keep the cat “support”, for which he will hold on for several more days. Switching to a natural diet means not only inculcating the digestion to a new product, but also to a different frequency of their use. With natural feeding, the number of meals is reduced, while dry food is often in the pet's bowl around the clock. Leaving a "loophole" to dry pellets, you calm the cat in this stressful situation. However, do not forget to strictly dose the remains of dry food so as not to tempt the pet once again;

  5. Keep in mind that hunger strikes that are inevitable with changes in diet can end with a cat throwing on the food offered to him. In the case of meat or fish, this is dangerous both by sticking bones and volvulus. Digestion, accustomed to small granules, does not always cope with large volumes of poorly chewed meat, therefore some individuals may even vomit undigested meat. Eating habits will improve after some time and the pet will develop its own style of eating, eliminating such troubles;

  6. After ten days, give your pet three-quarters of natural food versus a quarter of dry food. Some cats express a desire to leave at least a small part of dry granules in their diet, and veterinarians see no reason to deny this to pets. It is important to consider, first of all, the comfort of the pet, and not your ambitious goals. If a few pellets a day help him feel better, keep those few pellets as a separate meal. Their mixing with meat or wetting in milk is undesirable.

Cats are reluctant to change their diet, because the force of habit extends to both animals and humans. There are cases when pets refused natural products and continued to give their preference to dry food. What to do and what not to do in such cases:


If the pet resists

A violent protest reaction requires a response from the owner. If the animal completely refuses to accept the new diet, it is allowed to arrange a hunger strike for the rebel for 24 hours. Be sure to leave the bowl of water in plain sight, as the cat must have access to the liquid. The next day, provide him with a new food and give him a choice - food or a hunger strike. Animals don't go against their basic needs and starve themselves to death in front of a full bowl.

If dissatisfaction with the updated menu only intensifies over time, then it makes sense for the owner to ask himself if he is doing everything right. Common mistakes people make when starting to feed their pets with natural products include:


Video - How to transfer a cat from dry food to natural

Conclusion

Despite exhortations from both sides, the question of what to feed a domestic cat remains open. The choice between dry food and natural products is made by each owner individually, based on their time resources and the characteristics of the pet's body. The more you listen to emotional cries about the lethality of dry food, the more your worldview will be distorted.

It is important to develop your own point of view, based on the analysis of the market for dry food and natural products and on elementary experience. If your cat is comfortable eating dry food (assuming it's good quality), think twice why you need to change your diet, as the transition won't be easy. If you feel the strength to discover the cook in yourself and devote enough time to cooking for the cat, then you can safely proceed to action. Some simple recipes for natural dishes are given below:

In the article I will describe in detail how to wean a cat from dry food and accustom it to normal natural food. Let me tell you what the difficulty is. I will explain to pet owners what actions to take if the animal eats exclusively dry food and nothing else. I will describe the common mistakes owners make when changing the type of diet.

Consider the popular ways to change the type of food for an animal:

  1. the transition to natural food must be gradual. Try mix certain ingredients to dry. In the beginning, there should be a small number of them. If the cat accepts your conditions, it is recommended to increase the proportion of natural food over time until you completely give up dry food. It is better to start with finely chopped pieces of boiled beef. It is healthy and tasty;
  2. if a pet has preferences from natural products, it is worth focusing on them. Recommended gradually increase the dose food of natural origin, until you completely replace artificial food;
  3. if the owner does not know the preferences of the pet, you need to try out the most common treats of other cats. Their spread in front of the animal in various bowls. This way you make it clear to your pet that he has a choice. So it is worth doing until he decides. Then they act, as mentioned earlier, gradually increase the portion of natural food;
  4. you can try to feed the cat in two different bowls. And in one it will be dry, and in the other natural. In the first container you need to pour a portion less than in the second. The animal, not having eaten, will have to eat up healthy food. There will be no other way out;
  5. the most radical and harsh way is simply stop feeding your cat dry food. Every animal has an instinct for self-preservation, so it will have to agree to your terms. But these are extreme measures, it is better to try other options, softer ones.

Why is it so difficult to transfer cats to normal homemade food

Includes special components:

  • attractants;
  • additives.

It is they that cause the pet to become addicted to purchased food and become the biggest obstacle to the transition to natural products.

A large concentration of such substances in super-economy class feed.

This applies to kitiket and whiskas, which are especially popular among cat owners.

By purchasing such food for your pet, you make him a kind of drug addict. The animal becomes addicted. The more he eats such food, the more difficult it will be to wean him from it.

In addition, manufacturers of artificial nutrition for animals, using such components, are trying to hide the lack of healthy natural substances in food.

This food is not just useless for the animal. It can cause the development of various diseases of the digestive system, including mental disorders. Especially if the owner is trying to wean the cat from the usual treats.


What to do if the cat only eats dry food

Opinions about the quality of dry food among veterinarians differ. Most of them claim that only a cheap product is of poor quality. Extra class food is balanced and the price corresponds to the quality. The food is complete in terms of the presence of nutrients.

It is quite another matter when the animal's health problems begin. And the veterinarian insists on changing the type of food, indicating the reason for everything is an artificial surrogate. In this case, you need to minimize the intake of such food so as not to harm the animal even more.

Common mistakes owners make when changing the type of diet

When changing the type of diet, pet owners often make similar mistakes:

  • Haste won't help. Wean your pet off dried food gradually. This process may take up to ten days. If you act radically, you can stumble upon a boycott from the animal;
  • Down with provocations. You should not be manipulated by a pet. He can go on a hunger strike and show his character. Give him that opportunity;
  • If you have definitely decided to get rid of the dependence of dry food gotta go all the way. Pour the cat to eat natural food, change it to fresh and watch the reaction. A healthy cat may not eat for ten days. The main thing is that there is enough water. Although in practice there were cases when a cat hid in a shelter, sabotaging food, for 15 days. During this time he neither ate nor drank. Then he got out, naturally emaciated, but alive;
  • It has already been said earlier that special additives are present in dry food that make a drug addict out of a cat. They cause the cat's physiological dependence on such food. In the future, boiled beef will seem tasteless and insipid to the cat, when compared with the rich taste of dry lumps.

If you do everything right and insist on your own, the taste buds of the animal will recover over time, and the pet will understand how tasty and fragrant natural food is.

Artificially created foods are mostly free from nutrients and vitamins. They are addictive and can even cause pathologies in the animal's body. The process of getting rid of dry food can be delayed. But in any case, it is worth holding if you want the best for your pet.

Many people decide to get a cat and think that pouring ready-made food into her bowl is not at all difficult. And few people know that it harms the health of the pet. When a kitten appears in the family, which is already accustomed to such food, this does not mean that it needs to be poisoned further. It is necessary to wean the cat from dry food and accustom it to homemade food.

Irreparable damage to health from dry food

Such food can cause a lot of disorders, the most common of which include:

  • avitaminosis- many dry foods do not contain enough of certain vitamins, which are so necessary for the pet and which are found in homemade food;
  • dysbacteriosis- beneficial bacteria die in the stomach, and an upset occurs;
  • poisoning- a pet can be poisoned by various dyes that the food contains;
  • heart and kidney disease- since this food contains a lot of salt, the kidneys from it may suffer in the first place, because it is difficult for them to excrete them. Poor kidney function will provoke, in turn, heart failure;
  • allergy- ulcers may appear in the animal's mouth or hair will begin to fall out;
  • oncological diseases Most foods contain monosodium glutamate, which is known to cause tumors.

To avoid this kind of trouble, it is necessary to teach the cat to eat ordinary food.

Features of the daily diet of cats

However, in order for the animal to grow up healthy, simply feeding it with normal homemade food will not be enough. Nutrition must be balanced. Your pet's diet should include foods such as:

  • Meat - it is better to give it to an animal raw. It shouldn't be greasy. It is best to buy beef, turkey or chicken.
  • Fish. It must be boiled and given to your pet about 2-3 times a week. It also shouldn't be oily.
  • Yolk. About once a week, the murka should eat 1 piece.
  • Liver. It is given boiled.
  • Variety of regular dairy products.
  • Soups and broths.
  • Various cereals.
  • Vegetables. In this matter, an individual approach is needed, since each animal has its own taste preferences. For example, someone likes potatoes or cucumber, and someone likes melon or watermelon. In any case, this is wonderful, and if your pet asks for vegetables, be sure to pamper him with them.

How to force an animal to eat unusual and tasteless food

The main thing is when you want to accustom a murka to normal food, then keep food fresh. Once a pet has tasted a stale dish, it will remember it for the rest of its life and will no longer touch such food at all. Also, make sure that there is always fresh water in the bowl.

In addition, a cat should eat one type of homemade food at a time, if it is soup, then only soup, if meat, then only meat, and so on. This will ensure the proper functioning of the gastrointestinal tract and in the future will not cause any health problems for your pet.

Cats need three meals a day, but if the animal does not eat for about two days, then it is urgent to seek help from a specialist.

If you want to accustom a cat to homemade food, first of all you should:

  • stock up on patience;
  • develop a step-by-step plan;
  • strictly follow all our advice.

It is necessary to gradually accustom the cat to homemade treats. To begin with, it is worth buying two types of food - dry and canned. With the help of the second, you can gradually accustom your pet to wet food.

3 stages of transition to homemade food:

  • You need to mix two types of food. First you need to mix a very small amount of canned food, gradually increasing the dose.
  • Over time, we replace the dose of dry food with meat and porridge.
  • It is necessary to reduce the dose of dry food by half in 5 days, and from canned food we leave only gravy.
  • When you introduce gravy into the diet, it would be wise to give the murka probiotics to support her stomach and normalize her intestinal flora.
  • Over time, the amount of gravy is also reduced and approach the moment when you need to drop just a couple of drops into homemade food for smell.
  • After that, the cat should be offered homemade food, which will make up its almost daily diet.

If you finally want to accustom your pet to homemade food, then at this stage you need to be prepared for a variety of problems, since the stomach needs time to adjust from dry food.

Show the iron character of the owner of the house

Weaning a pet from dry food is not an easy task, but in this matter you do not need to succumb to provocations and make concessions to your pet, refusing to introduce homemade food into the diet.

In the course of accustoming a cat to homemade food, you may encounter the fact that the animal will show stubbornness. But you also show your iron character. If you put homemade food to the animal and it didn’t even touch it for 20 minutes, hide the bowl. And try to feed him already in the afternoon.

If the cat does not eat, then it is not hungry. Don't beg her on your knees to eat homemade food.

Do not worry if the feedings of the cat were not successful, and she has not eaten for about three days. Of course, the fasting of an animal, which lasts more than a day, already carries a danger to the body. A cat may even lose weight and look very weak, but do not be afraid, having homemade food in front of her eyes, she will not choose death from hunger, no matter how tasty the food may seem to her.

Do not forget that the state of health depends on the nutrition of the cat at home. It is better to show the stamina of your character and not go to different tricks of a cunning pet than to sentence him to inevitable and terrible health problems.

Many owners decide to wean their cat off dry food. The motivation is different - food has become more expensive or the financial situation in the family has become more complicated, there is time for cooking, the animal needs a special diet, and so on. But here's the bad luck, the tailed one arranges a boycott and does not eat delicious natural food. He does not eat for a day, does not eat for two, three, and the owner panics. How often do pet store owners hear from pet owners: “I buy food“ N ”, I know that such food is harmful, but he doesn’t eat anything else, I tried to accustom him to normal food, he almost died of hunger ... ". Do you have a similar situation? We will help you solve your problem!

Remember! Feeding poor-quality dry food is an extreme case, justified by specific circumstances (travel, relocation, etc.). Eating such a product on an ongoing basis will literally kill the animal in the prime of life - the cat is guaranteed to face allergies and problems with the genitourinary system.

As practice shows, the main number of failures is due to the fact that the owner does not understand the essence of his actions, tactics are built intuitively. After all, our cats do not think the way we do, and they do not always understand what exactly we have in mind. To succeed means to act according to the plan, step by step and gradually. It is not difficult in practice, but requires theoretical knowledge. So, the general rules formulated on the basis of common mistakes:

  • Do not hurry- a sharp change in diet will not only lead to a boycott, but is also guaranteed to harm health. The transition to natural nutrition is carried out gradually, within 5-10 days.
  • Don't give in to provocations- hunger strike and the requirement of dry food, these are real manipulations that you must stop or ignore.
  • No animal has yet starved to death near a full bowl.- if a cat has access to water, she can live hungry for up to 10 days! Cases have been recorded when frightened animals did not leave the shelter for up to 15 days and survived without food and water! Naturally, the caudates crawled out of the shelter exhausted and needed help, but they came out alive and on their fours.
  • Don't indulge- pitying the pet, the owner begins to replace dry food with delicacies, almost chewing food for the pet. Not worth it! You are not ready to indulge a cat for the rest of her life? And having accustomed to the “royal attitude” and abruptly changing it, you will really offend the pet.
  • Be aware of supplement addiction Do you know why people drink carbonated drinks, realizing their harmfulness? The multi-colored drug contains food additives that (as established by studies) cause addiction. With cats, the situation is similar, cheap food is generously flavored with nutritional supplements that the pet gets used to. When trying to wean a cat off cat food, most owners face problems precisely because of the development of the animal's physiological dependence. After the bright taste of “drying”, even selected beef seems insipid to the pet, this is a temporary phenomenon, taste buds are quickly restored.

Read also: How to properly bury a cat?

Important! The natural diet of a cat is 45% meat and other animal protein (egg, dairy products, rarely fish); 20% by-products (heart, liver, peeled scar, lung); 20% of cereals, vegetables, other sources of fiber, vitamins and trace elements; 5% food additives - oils, bone meal, vitamin complexes.

Methods for weaning a cat from industrial feed

You can go the "cheap and cheerful" way or stop at the loyal way, you choose. Many owners take a short cut and then, biting themselves for bullying animals, they again run to the store for “drying”. The method is simple - to starve the animal, offering him the allowed food until he is hungry and agrees to accept it.

Even if you have chosen the express method, the replacement of feed with natural food should be done gradually (by mixing).

Important! Do not fold at the decisive moment - the "screams" of the cat, family members and remorse should turn into "white noise". Keep an eye on the household (this is quite serious), protecting your pet from you "sadist", relatives can secretly feed the cat with their favorite food. Wait, be friendly to the pet, but persistent in intentions, cats are far from stupid and know what weak points to put pressure on.

Not sure if you can stand the torture from your family or pet? There is also a more loyal method, which will take more time, but is guaranteed to end in success. We will consider a method that will help to transfer even the most fastidious, adult and “addicted” animals to homemade food:

  • Stop the influence of nutritional supplements- before weaning a cat from dry food, it must be freed from dependence. This is the first, slightly illogical (at first glance) and rather costly stage. You need to get a good, everyday dry food without a sharp taste and smell. How to determine what taste the food? Try it yourself and compare, there is no other way. For 5 days, mix quality food with the usual, gradually replacing the second product with the first. By day 6, the cat should be eating food without a strong taste. You can take a break, but not for long, because we are not going to accustom the pet to more expensive food.
  • To accustom a cat to wet food - the contrast of meat porridge and hard granules is obvious. For a kitten who has never tried anything other than “drying”, even the most delicious porridge will seem inedible even in appearance. Start mixing the pellets with the sachets. Gradually (again in 4-5 days) completely replace drying with wet food. There should be no problems, since almost all cats are happy to eat soft industrial products. There is only one nuance - the food with gravy must also be of high quality, otherwise you will again "put the pet" on nutritional supplements.
  • The last step towards getting used to homemade food– continue to feed your cat wet commercial food mixed with natural products. At first, only chopped boiled meat, after vegetables and, last but not least, cereals. The full transition period can take up to 15 days. At the final stage, add only industrial feed gravy to natural food.

The healthy appearance and active behavior of a pet is directly dependent on the quality of the food we feed it. Dry food, for all its convenience, does not always provide a pet with health, so the question often arises of how to wean a cat from dry food.

Today, the industry of dry pet food is very developed in the world, and in order for it to bring more and more income, advertising is actively working. It is much easier for owners to purchase a supply of "crackers" for their cat than to pick up food, cook food, make sure that it does not remain on the plate for a long time if the pet does not eat it right away. And if the animal is finicky, then it can be difficult to please him. But almost all cats quickly get used to dry food - this alone should raise some doubts. You can choose it at different prices, there is even one that is much cheaper than the meat indicated in its composition.

The cheaper the feed, the less confidence arises in its manufacturer. Even the most expensive foods, if they really have all the nutrients the body needs, are very different from natural products: the digestive tract of a predator, which is a domestic cat, must digest the meat and bones of small animals, vegetable fiber, and not crackers. To stay healthy, your teeth need to be fully nourished. Dry food is made up of chemical, artificially created compounds, the most expensive ones are made from natural products, but they are processed in such a way that they lose the function of a complete meal. In addition, any feed includes dyes, special additives that enhance the taste and smell, and are addictive.

Our pets are still predators, which means they must eat the appropriate food. Of course, it is best to immediately accustom a kitten to it, but if this did not work out, then you need to transfer it to a healthy diet as soon as possible. Abuse of dry food is fraught with urolithiasis, allergies, dysbacteriosis, oncology.

Video "How to feed cats?"

In this video, a specialist will tell you the best way to feed a cat and how to accustom a pet to new foods.

home food requirements

There are different opinions on how to teach a cat to eat everything, but it is important that the usual food is balanced, providing the animal with all the components necessary for a long and healthy life. An adult medium-sized cat should eat approximately 150 g of animal proteins and 50 g of carbohydrates per day. Experts believe that the diet should contain at least 50% meat, 20% offal (liver, heart, kidneys), 20% plant foods (cereals, vegetables), 10% dairy products and vitamins.

The meat should be lean - it can be poultry, rabbit, beef. It is better to give boiled fish no more than 2 times a week. Eggs (or separately the yolk) are given no more than 2 times a week. Dairy products, cereals, vitamins should be present daily. It is better to avoid fatty, sweet, salty or spicy foods, but sometimes the cat must eat butter and sour cream, even hard cheese if he likes it.

As a rule, little kittens try all the food that is offered to them, so you need to do this more often, slipping them vegetables (raw and boiled), broths, cereals from different cereals.

Whatever your pet eats, it should always have access to clean water. But you can’t leave an uneaten portion for a long time, you should throw it away on time to avoid poisoning.

Transition rules

It is not easy to transfer an adult cat to a natural diet, but this must be done with the least losses in order to save your nerves and not torture the animal. You can wean from harmful food gradually, offering the cat certain products, while reducing the number of "crackers". One way involves mixing them into liquid porridge with meat, gradually reducing the amount, and the other is to give a little dry food in the morning, and then only natural. It is believed that the cat will not endure hunger, will agree to try unusual food, and then she will like it. Most of the time it just doesn't work out that way.

There is another, longer and more expensive way to transfer a pet to a new food. Dry food smells much stronger than natural food, and the acquired addiction won’t let go so easily, so it’s useless to force it here. First, you should switch to expensive premium food (less harmful, with a faint smell). Then you can mix dry food with liquid food by purchasing a bag or a jar of the same company. Give such mixed food for several days in a row, gradually eliminate the "crackers". Only then canned cat food should be ousted from the diet in the same way, replacing them with liquid porridge with meat or fish.

If you are consistent, steadily reduce the amount of junk food, then after 3-4 weeks the addiction will be released. During this time, an attentive owner will discover what foods the pet likes, this will help a painless transition.

Forbidden tricks

You can often hear that a cat will not die in a full bowl, so do not be afraid to deprive him of his usual food, completely replacing it with another. This is not entirely correct, because the stomach is accustomed to digesting one type of food, it will not be able to abruptly “learn” to digest a completely different one, besides, the bacteria necessary for this are not formed so quickly. Everything takes time, and a sudden change in nutrition is very stressful.

Not listening to the wishes of the pet, providing him with stress, you can completely lose his trust. But you can not give up before blackmail and whims, all family members must consistently adhere to one plan.

They say that cats are more likely to agree to switch to fish, but if you often give them boiled fish, there may be bad consequences for the nervous and genitourinary systems, especially in males.

Canned food, and then the gravy from them is mixed with cereals. However, it must be remembered that the basis of nutrition is still meat (raw, scalded, boiled), it is to it that cats need to be gradually accustomed.