Getting your cat used to homemade food: arguments in favor of a healthy diet. How to wean a cat off food and get used to homemade food? Train your cat to eat homemade food

Many people are sure that there is nothing difficult about caring for a cat. It is enough to pour food from a bag into her bowl. What could be simpler?

But such owners do not think about the fact that such food can cause harm to the animal. If you already have a cat accustomed to food in your hands, it is absolutely not necessary to poison the fluffy further. With a little persistence and patience, you can wean your cat off food. We will tell you how to do this in today’s article.

Why is it difficult to wean a cat from drying?

This task can indeed be quite difficult. When looking for a way to wean a cat off dry food, many pet owners may encounter surprising stubbornness of the animal. Cat habits are much more stable than human ones, and therefore more difficult to fight. In addition, many people who have never dealt with these furry animals often simply do not know what to feed their domestic cat. What does she like? Can I give her soup, candy or milk?

Another difficulty is that most manufacturers add a variety of flavor enhancers, flavors and food additives to their feed. Cats get so used to this “chemistry” that it is sometimes simply impossible to change their preferences. Compared to store-bought crackers, homemade food seems simply tasteless to them.

If you want to save money and buy cheap food for your animal, get ready to become a regular client of the veterinarian. Budget “drying” contains a record amount of carcinogens, which a priori will not add health to your pet.

Why is it worth weaning your cat off dry food?

If you are ready to think about how to wean your cat off food, then you already understand the disadvantages of canned food:

• Manufacturers add stimulants to the vast majority of feeds. The cat eats a lot, but does not become full.
• With this method of feeding, the animal’s stomach loses its ability to stretch. As a result, it becomes physically difficult for the cat to eat regular food.
• Even the most expensive brands of dry food are very far from ideal. They contain only chemical elements, nothing natural.
• Cat food of more or less passable quality costs a lot of money. If you are trying to feed your animal budget food, get ready to visit the veterinary clinic.
• Prepared cat food most often comes in the form of small pellets, pates, purees, or small pieces. The animal has absolutely no need to load its teeth. It just swallows the food. This is fraught with the appearance of tartar, plaque and other troubles.
• The cat eats the same food. The composition of the granules is almost the same. Only the smell is different, and even then not always. You can easily verify this by opening two or three packs of food with different flavors at the same time and comparing their contents.

If you are still not sure whether cats can eat raw meat, and prefer to make do with granules, study the list of troubles that store-bought “crackers” can cause your pet:

• vitamin deficiency - in the vast majority of dry food, the amount of vitamins stated on the pack does not correspond to the internal contents;
• kidney failure - “crackers” are terribly salty, so the kidneys of many animals simply cannot cope with excreting such an amount of salt;
• dysbacteriosis - beneficial bacteria in the animal’s stomach die over time, and diarrhea may occur;
• allergies - if the cat’s food is not suitable, ulcers may appear and hair may fall out;
• poisoning - cheap food contains a lot of dyes that are not at all beneficial for the animal;
• oncology - most dry food contains monosodium glutamate (a very dangerous substance that can cause cancer).

What should be included in the diet?

For your pet to live a long and healthy life, it needs to be fed properly. What do cats like to eat and what should be included in their weekly diet?

Try to regularly give your cat the following foods:

• Raw lean meat. Chicken, rabbit, turkey or beef are great.
• Fish. It also should not be greasy and must undergo heat treatment.
• Egg yolk. One piece per week is enough.

• A variety of dairy products. Here, too, you need to remember about fat content.
• Broths and soups. Diversity is allowed here. The main thing is that the pet likes it.
• Boiled liver and offal.
• Raw and stewed vegetables. It all depends on the individual preferences of the animal. Some people like melon, others like cucumbers.
• Cereals in the form of porridges and casseroles.

Many less experienced owners are interested in whether cats can have cheese? On the one hand, it seems to be a dairy product, but on the other, it is quite fatty and can cause harm to the animal. The answer in this case is quite simple. If you occasionally pamper your pet with a small piece, nothing bad will happen. But you shouldn't feed your cat cheese regularly.

How to accustom a cat to natural products?

If you don't know how to wean your cat off food, take a look at one of the two options below.

Method No. 1

The cat needs to be fed 3-4 times a day. Therefore, try to alternate “crackers” with regular food. Give the usual food in the first half of the day. At this time of day, digestion is just “waking up”. To reduce the saltiness of dry food, fill the portion with plenty of water. When the “crackers” are soaked, drain the liquid and give the wet lumps to the cat.

Make sure your pet always has a sufficient amount of clean water.

Offer your animal natural food for lunch and dinner. Do not give in to the indignant cries of your pet demanding canned food. If the cat has not eaten, remove the bowl after 20-25 minutes until the next feeding.

Method No. 2

This option involves mixing canned food with regular food. On the first day, soak the crackers, drain off excess water and dilute with homemade food. The proportion is approximately this: 5 parts canned food, 1 part natural food. Repeat the procedure for lunch and dinner. Feed the animal this way for 3 to 5 days.

After this, start diluting the feed in a ratio of 4:2, and after a week switch to the 3:3 option. Every week, reduce the portion of dry food by 1 part, and gradually increase the portion of homemade food.

If you have found a suitable way to wean your cat off dry food, follow through to the end. Do not succumb to cat provocations and expressive “hungry” looks. Act confidently and persistently. Stick to your plan.

If an animal has declared a boycott, do not starve it for weeks. It may be dangerous. Try to arouse interest in homemade food by treating them to some kind of delicacy. Offer a little different food: a piece of meat, sausage, a slice of bread, a slice of cucumber, a slice of potato. A hungry animal will definitely be interested in something.

What not to do

Have you already chosen a way to wean your cat off food? Then remember a few rules:

1. Take your time. Sometimes it can take months to relearn. A drastic change in the usual diet will discord your relationship, lead to a boycott and changes in the animal’s well-being.
2. Don't spoil your pet. Of course, sometimes it’s not only possible, but also necessary to treat you to something tasty. But you should not “put” food into the animal’s mouth. You're not going to indulge all his whims for the rest of your life, are you? This is not the way to start. The attitude towards the animal should remain equal and friendly, as always.

Important points

In the process of retraining an animal, it is important to be persistent and consistent. If you do not live alone, agree with all household members to act rationally. Keep an especially close eye on children. Protecting their furry pet from the “monster and tyrant”, they can feed him the usual and favorite crackers. Such “concern” will negate all efforts and fruitful work on retraining.

Explain to your children that you are doing this not because you don’t love Barsik or Murka. But because you don’t want the fluffy to get sick. Ask for help and assign your child to make sure there is always plenty of fresh water near the pussy. More often than not, this tactic works flawlessly.

What should

We have already told you what can be included in the diet of an adult animal. Now let's talk about proportions. Proper nutrition that provides the cat with all the necessary elements should look something like this:

• 45% - meat and other protein foods (dairy products, eggs, sometimes fish);
• 20% - offal (offal, lungs, liver, heart);
• 20% - vegetables, cereals, various sources of fiber and microelements;
• 5% - vitamin complexes, oil, bone meal.

Conclusion

Weaning your pet off not very healthy store-bought food can take a lot of your time and effort. But in return you will receive a beautiful and healthy animal. If something doesn't bother you, you should consult a veterinarian or cat nutrition specialist. He will be able to choose an individual diet for your pet and tell you how else you can wean your cat off dry food.

If cat owners decide to switch their pets from dry to natural food, this happens most often for the following reasons:

• pet’s health problems requiring refusal of this type of feeding;
• inability to provide high-quality, expensive, premium and super-premium industrial dry products;
• the desire to diversify the menu, maintain health, prolong the life of the cat by feeding natural food, not processed with preservatives.

How to retrain correctly? How to switch a cat to homemade food, because animals are not always ready to share the owner’s intentions and desperately resist innovation, refusing the new diet? Often such voluntary fasting continues for a long time. The cat does not eat, at best it can sniff the food, as a result it loses weight, disturbances in its general condition and behavior appear, and its appearance changes.

Why is it so difficult to wean a cat off ready-made food?

The composition of dry food, especially the line of economy class products, includes a large number of attractants and additives - special ingredients designed to attract the animal, enhance the taste and smell of food, causing persistent addiction to such food. These components are mixed into all feed without exception, especially in super-economy class products. Cats almost immediately become addicted to drugs by eating such food.

The absence of useful components is hidden by manufacturers through the introduction of such chemicals. They significantly worsen the condition of the teeth and fur of pets, cause damage to the psyche, and cause serious illnesses and allergic reactions.

The dangers of dry food

Often the true composition of a product is hidden by the manufacturer. Poor quality food often causes many side effects:

poisoning with chemicals: dyes and flavors;

the development of urolithiasis due to an excess of salts as preservatives, especially dangerous for neutered cats;

the occurrence of vitamin deficiency due to the lack of necessary vitamins and microelements;

heart failure, allergic reactions;

Dysbacteriosis is the death of beneficial intestinal microflora, manifested by indigestion, metabolic disorders, skin and coat problems.

Transferring the cat to homemade food

You can continue to feed the animal its usual food, gradually mixing in various ingredients of another product until a complete replacement occurs. The new type of food should be given to the animal in small quantities in small pieces, no different in size from normal everyday food. After 4-5 days, the volume of dry food is reduced to 50%, then the replacement occurs completely within 10-15 days.

If the pet prefers certain products in addition to dry food, temporarily limit them only to them until the cat is completely weaned from “drying”.

If it is difficult to determine your pet’s taste preferences, it is worth offering several different dishes, placing them in different bowls. The cat will choose and take a liking to the new food, then the cat will be completely switched to homemade food.

There is an option when the volume of regular food is reduced, and the animal, without being completely full, is saturated with another product, homemade, located close to the main, regular food.

Usually, a cat’s refusal of new food plunges the owners into panic - they worry that the pet will become exhausted, get sick, or die. But the animal will not die of hunger if there is food nearby, even if it is tasteless and unloved. Fears are unfounded, remember that you are acting for the benefit of your pet, the cat will humble itself and accept your conditions.

Is it possible to quickly switch a cat to natural food, cat lovers will tell you:

• the addition of catnip facilitates faster adaptation to new food; over time, the supply is stopped, the animal gradually gets used to the food;
• several pieces of dry food are placed on the meat to give it a familiar smell, deceiving the cat;
• probiotics are useful during transition - feeding with dry food worsens peristalsis, lactobacilli improve the digestion process, the microflora is renewed, adaptation is easier;
• during the transition to natural food, vitamins are recommended;
• the bowl of food is removed after 15-20 minutes, regardless of whether there is food left in it or not.

Home feeding diet

The main product in this type of diet is meat, about 80%. The rest is cereals, vitamins, vegetable supplements. Natural feeding requires an accurate calculation of the daily food intake; the idea that the cat itself knows how much it needs to eat is wrong. Often, fluffy beauties, without knowing the limits, gobbling up delicious foods on both cheeks, acquire excess weight, heart and respiratory problems. Different ages are taken into account when compiling the daily menu.

How to calculate a kitten's nutritional intake

Two and a half months is the age at which a baby can be separated from its mother. Before nine months, the kitten should receive no more than 10% of its weight in food. With a weight of 2000 g, the weight of the daily portion is 200 g. 50% is meat food, 50% is fish products.

How to calculate the amount of food per day for an adult cat

An adult animal needs only 5% of its weight in feed. With an animal weighing 5 kg - 250 g of natural food, consisting of equal parts of fermented milk and meat products. 20 g of vegetables and a few drops of vegetable oil are allowed. Active pets that spend a lot of energy are given more food, inactive, obese, and elderly pets require less.

What can you give your cat?

The main components of natural cat food are:

• fish is a favorite product of fluffy beauties; marine varieties are recommended, both raw and boiled. Boiled fish should be cleaned of bones; they can be easily separated from the pulp; they can be swallowed unchewed or get stuck in the esophagus;
• meat - lean chicken, beef, lamb, rabbit, horse meat, scalded with boiling water, are allowed. Pork is banned;
• by-products - liver, lungs, heart, kidneys - are introduced into the diet 2 times a week - their nutritional value and usefulness are low. If there are signs of poor digestion: vomiting, diarrhea, by-products are excluded from the animal’s menu;
• fermented milk products - kefir, cottage cheese, medium-fat starters. Low-fat foods cause stool upset. Cats do not tolerate milk well - the number of enzymes that break down lactose decreases with age;
• vegetables - any are allowed: cabbage, carrots, peppers, pumpkin. A combination is possible. They are given in crushed raw form and can be mixed with meat. Potatoes - excluded;
• eggs - chicken or quail are suitable. The yolk and white are mixed. Serve separately or with kefir and cottage cheese.

A pet’s illness or surgery is a reason to contact a veterinarian to correct the animal’s nutrition.

Chicken necks have proven themselves well for natural feeding of cats. They are prepared as follows: mince twice through a meat grinder to grind hard bones, add a little boiled rice or buckwheat, and grated carrots. They mix.

Natural food - natural healthy nutrition for your feline. With good care, a kind attitude, a positive attitude of the owners, and a well-designed feeding diet, the animal will be healthy, happy, and will live a long, fulfilling life next to its owners.

Veterinarians recommend following certain rules when switching a cat to homemade food. To wean an animal off Whiskas and other artificial foods, you need to act in stages. You cannot combine dry food and regular food, as this leads to gastrointestinal problems. Homemade products should be introduced into the diet gradually. It is also necessary to add vitamins to your cat’s daily menu.

You cannot start weaning your pet off dry food if the animal is sick. Additional stress on the body can lead to disastrous consequences.

Difficulties in switching to homemade food

Feed components are attractants and additives. These chemical components are designed to get the animal used to the treat. It is these elements that make it difficult to wean your pet off Whiskas. The largest number of such additives is in economy class feed.

By choosing such food, the owner develops an addiction in the animal from the first spoon.

In addition to addiction, dry food does not provide the animal with the required amount of vitamins and microelements, which leads to frequent pet illnesses. Manufacturers have learned to produce junk food without including the natural ingredients necessary for the full development of a cat.

How to wean a cat off Whiskas?

Many owners start giving dry food to cats from a young age. Kittens do not refuse goodies and soon become hooked on artificial food.

It is much easier to wean a kitten from dry food whose body has not developed the habit of such a diet.

Veterinarians prohibit feeding your pet mixed food, for example, giving dry food and regular food. This combination of products has a detrimental effect on the animal’s intestines and stomach, leading to tragic consequences.

Stages of transferring an animal to normal food

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

1. 1. 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.
2. 2. Natural food is introduced into the cat’s diet gradually. You can cook mixed porridges - semolina or rolled oats plus meat/fish. Your pet will not refuse such homemade food.
3. 3. Fresh water must be freely available to the animal. Drinking plenty of fluids will help remove toxins from the body faster.
4. 4. "Cat grass" grown on the windowsill will become an additional source of vitamins.
5. 5. Gradually more and more natural products are added that the cat prefers. For example, if he likes boiled fish, then they give him that instead of food.
6. 6. 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 rare cases, a veterinarian may prescribe fortified formulations in the form of intramuscular injections.

It is worth considering the features of transferring an adult cat or kitten to normal food:

1. 1. 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 your pet.
2. 2. 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 foods, we must not forget about the prohibition of mixing. The simultaneous intake of dry food and boiled meat or other product will lead to gastrointestinal diseases in your pet.

A sensitive topic that causes a storm of emotions and condemnation from “caring” owners is the transfer of an animal to a new diet. But the situation really heats up to the limit when it comes to cats and refusal of dry food, even to the point of statements: “My Barsik will die of hunger!” But about everything in order - how to accustom a cat to homemade food, what is the need for this and what you will have to go through, read below.

I don’t want to offend the “deserved” manufacturers of industrial feeds, but unfortunately, most advertising brochures hide important nuances. Low-quality dry food is dangerous and can lead to:

• – destruction of colonies of friendly bacteria in the intestines. The result is indigestion, metabolic disorders, skin and coat problems.

• – not all food contains the vitamins listed in the composition.

• Oversaturation with salts-in cheap feed they are used as preservatives.

• Dye poisoning. Green granules are not healthy vegetables, but paint, not always natural and safe. High-quality food is never multi-colored.

• – salts used as preservatives destroy the animal’s kidneys, especially if a neutered cat eats low-quality food.

• – the kidneys and liver are the first to suffer, and when they “lose ground,” poorly purified blood begins to “destroy” the entire cardiovascular system.

• – hair loss, itching, mouth ulcers, flatulence and many other “charms” due to intolerance to bean base or components of cheap industrial feeds.

Read also: What to feed a Kuril Bobtail kitten - menu by age

The list can be continued, but the conclusion is already obvious: if a cat eats low-quality industrial food, it will not be healthy. And here it’s worth mentioning another component that is present in all “budget” food - a taste enhancer, the well-known monosodium glutamate.

Why does a cat refuse homemade food?

The main reason for neglecting the health of pets is the “boycott” organized by the pet when they see natural products in a bowl after dry food. No, your pet contemptuously turns away from a bowl of meat and vegetables not because he loves dry food, he is addicted to it!

It is high time to consider monosodium glutamate as a substance that causes physiological and psychological dependence. Now you, an adult and reasonable person, know that chips are harmful, but there come times when it is impossible to refuse them. Why? Because they're delicious? - No! Monosodium glutamate and spices, which are generously sprinkled on the product, have an unnatural and unnatural taste, irritating 4 types of taste buds at once. In nature, there are no products so “vigorous” in taste. The “crazed” brain, which has experienced a storm of nervous impulses, will remember the source of “euphoria” for a long time and will torture the owner with the “I want!” signal as soon as the product catches the eye. Sounds like an addiction, doesn't it?

Now transfer your feelings to your beloved cat and imagine that for several years in a row you ate exclusively tasty treats, and then, guided by concern for your health, a voice from above told you to eat oatmeal, broccoli and boiled meat without salt. Yes, you will find a million excuses for yourself and those around you, you will starve and press on pity, but you will win back your favorite food, this is called manipulation! Get ready, if your pet is not the accommodating one, the battle ahead will not be easy.

Read also: How to distinguish a boy from a girl kitten - sexual and behavioral characteristics

Note! Transferring your cat to another type of food should occur gradually, over 7–14 days, even if you decide to change the brand of food.

Methods for switching a cat from dry to natural food

The main thing is the morale and patience of the owner; sooner or later the animal will “submit”. In order for your ward to start eating homemade food, you have to go through a preparatory stage. We buy dry and canned food, mix it - to begin with, your pet should get used to wet food and treat it leniently. We gradually reduce the mass fraction of dry food, replacing it with meat, cereals or boiled vegetables.

It is important not to delay the “canning stage” in order to transfer your cat from dry food to homemade food! You have 4-5 days to reduce your dry food intake by half. Next, we reduce the portions of dry food, and use only gravy from canned food. At this stage, the first difficulties will arise and they will not necessarily be associated with the “perseverance” of the ward. When feeding exclusively solid food, the tone (peristalsis) of the intestines and stomach decreases, and these functions are restored gradually. Your cat may start eating less and this is normal.

At the “gravy” stage, it is advisable to introduce probiotics into the animal’s diet to renew the intestinal microflora. Gradually reduce the amount of gravy, bringing it down to a few drops “for flavor.” On the appointed day, offer your cat a portion of regular food, the same food you will feed your pet daily. Reciprocate ignoring if the person under your care has not eaten in 20 minutes - the bowl has been removed. For dinner - repeat.