How to wean a cat off liquid food and get used to normal food

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It’s much easier to pour granules from a bag into a bowl than to bother preparing natural food for your cat. This method of feeding can significantly reduce the time spent caring for your pet. But in some situations you have to change your usual diet.

• 2 Why do cats become persistently addicted to freeze-dried food?

  2.1 Video: the dangers of dry 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 in the morning, when digestion has just started. Be sure to keep an eye on your cat's drinking bowl; there should always be clean water in it. The grains of dry food swell in the stomach, absorbing liquid, hence the constant thirst. Meals must 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.

1. 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.
2. 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; give your cat something tasty every time. He must remember the smell and consistency. Try treating your pet to chicken fillet or pork pulp, banana, potatoes or sausage. It is important to make a start, and then things will go naturally.

1. 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.
2. 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.
3. At this stage, it is necessary to mix natural food into the canned food. For 100 gr. Factory products account for 20 grams. regular food. Feed your pet at this rate for 7-10 days.
4. 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
5. 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.
6. 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.
7. 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.

Common mistakes owners make when changing diet type

As practice shows, the majority of failures are due to the fact that the owner does not understand the essence of his actions; tactics are built intuitively. Our cats don’t think like we do, and they don’t always understand what exactly we’re up to. To achieve success means to act according to the plan, step by step and gradually. This is not difficult in practice, but requires theoretical knowledge. So, general rules formulated based on common mistakes:

• Don’t rush - a sudden change in diet will not only lead to a boycott, but is also guaranteed to harm your health. The transition to natural nutrition is carried out gradually, over 5–10 days.

• Do not give in to provocations - a hunger strike and a demand for dry food are real manipulations that you must stop or ignore.

• No animal has ever starved to death near a full bowl - if a cat has access to water, it can live hungry for up to 10 days! Cases have been recorded where frightened animals did not leave the shelter for up to 15 days and survived without food or water! Naturally, the tailed creatures crawled out of the shelter exhausted and in need of help, but they emerged alive and on their own four feet.

• Don’t indulge - feeling sorry for the pet, the owner begins to replace dry food with delicacies, almost chewing the food for the pet. Not worth it! You are not ready to indulge your cat for the rest of its life, are you? And by accustoming him to the “royal attitude” and abruptly changing it, you will really offend your pet.

• Remember about dependence on food additives - do you know why people drink carbonated drinks, realizing their harmfulness? The multi-colored drug contains food additives, which (as research has shown) cause addiction. The situation is similar with cats; cheap food is generously flavored with nutritional supplements, to which the pet gets used to. When trying to wean a cat off cat food, most owners encounter problems precisely because the animal develops a physiological dependence. After the bright taste of “drying”, even selected beef seems fresh to the pet, this is a temporary phenomenon, the taste buds are quickly restored.

Important! A cat’s natural diet is 45% meat and other animal protein (eggs, dairy products, rarely fish); 20% by-products (heart, liver, peeled tripe, lung); 20% cereals, vegetables, other sources of fiber, vitamins and microelements; 5% food additives – oils, bone meal, vitamin complexes.

Important aspects

1. 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 this by the percentage of 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.
2. An important feature of feeding cats is that meat alone is not enough for them. The animal needs grains, 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.
3. 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 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 if there is no allergy. 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.

Benefits of dry granules

It is quite natural that most cat owners are skeptical about dry mixtures. But at the same time, veterinarians confirm the beneficial properties of the feed. Among the main advantages are:

• composition balanced in the content of nutrients, vitamins and minerals;
• ease of dosage depending on the age of the pet and its personal needs;
• practically guaranteed protection against poisoning;
• easy storage.

Dry granules do not have the main disadvantage of natural products - they do not weather, do not become covered with a dry crust and do not deteriorate. And one more important fact - all commercial diets contain taurine, which is necessary for the health of the pet. In their natural habitat, cats obtain this substance by hunting rats and mice. Manufacturers enrich feed with the necessary amounts of taurine to fully meet the body's needs.

Functions of taurine in the body

The first information about taurine appeared in 1827. At that time, chemists were able to isolate it from beef. The highest concentrations of the substance are found in the muscles, heart, central nervous system and retina. Therefore, a pronounced deficiency can provoke the development of problems in these parts of the pet’s body.

Taurine is a substance of exclusively animal origin, so it is not found in plant foods. And, if the pet owner decides to opt for regular foods, meat will definitely need to be included in the diet. But this is quite expensive given current food prices. Therefore, eating ready-made formulas allows you not to think about this problem.

Irreparable harm to health from dry food

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

To avoid this kind of trouble, you need to teach your cat to eat regular food.

Why do cats develop a persistent addiction to freeze-dried food?

Not too scrupulous and conscientious manufacturers, in the struggle for market share, add a lot of specific substances to their products (flavors, taste enhancers and other synthetic additives), which first attract animals (addictive substances), and then cause sustainable addiction (attractants) - a kind of “narcotic” " addiction. This is especially true for the most accessible and cheap cat food of the economy and super economy class (Friskies, Whiskas, Kitiket, etc.). At the same time, other food becomes unattractive and is not perceived as potential food.

Cheap dry food is addictive

Video: the dangers of dry food

Features of the daily diet of cats

However, for an animal to grow healthy, feeding it just normal homemade food will not be enough. Nutrition must be balanced

. It is necessary that your pet’s diet include the following foods:

• Meat – it is better to give it to the animal raw. It shouldn't be greasy. It is best to buy beef, turkey or chicken.
• Fish. It needs to be boiled and given to your pet about 2-3 times a week. It also shouldn't be greasy.
• Yolk. About once a week, Murka should eat 1 piece.
• Liver. It is given boiled.
• A variety of regular dairy products.
• Soups and broths.
• Various porridges.
• Vegetables. This issue requires an individual approach, since each animal has its own taste preferences. For example, some people like potatoes or cucumbers, while others like melon or watermelon. In any case, this is wonderful and if your pet asks for vegetables, be sure to pamper him with them.

What do I, being so smart, feed my cats?

• boiled meat (beef, chicken);
• boiled duck and goose liver (heart, kidneys) when cutting poultry;
• boiled sea fish (hake, pollock, blue whiting);
• milk porridge (semolina, rice);
• porridge with canned fish (saury);
• soup in meat broth with carrots and meat;
• Borsch with sour cream;
• cottage cheese with sour cream (it doesn’t always work, but I give it regularly);
• meatballs with stewed vegetables;
• boiled sausage (milk sausages, amateur sausages, doctor’s sausage).

That's basically it. Although no, not everything:

• In the summer, sometimes I bring them grass from the garden and the cats are eager to “graze.”
• For the winter, I prepared a bunch of natural hay for them.
• Well, there’s also a box of vitamins.

That's it now. And look at the photos of cats. How strong and healthy they are. None of them are obese, despite the breed's tendency. The cats are lean, active and in athletic shape.

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Feeding your cat dry food is convenient and practical. When using economy class products, this solution also looks profitable. The benefit for the animal itself remains in doubt. Owners are thinking about changing their diet and switching to natural food, but cats are reluctant to do this. Changing the diet must be done correctly so as not to create unnecessary stress for the animal.

How to force an animal to eat unusual and tasteless food

The main thing is that when you want to accustom your dog to normal food, then make sure that the food is fresh

. Having once tasted a stale dish, a pet will remember it for the rest of its life and will never touch such food again. Also make sure that there is always new water in the bowl.

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

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

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

• be patient;
• 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, you should buy 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 in a very small amount of canned food, gradually increasing the dose.
• Over time, we replace the dose of dry food with meat and porridge.
• You need to reduce the dose of dry food by half in 5 days, and leave only the gravy from canned food.
• The moment you introduce gravy into the diet, it would be wise to give your cat probiotics to support her stomach and normalize her intestinal flora.
• Over time, the amount of gravy is also reduced and comes to the point where you only need to add a couple of drops to the homemade food for flavor.
• After this, the cat should be offered homemade food, which will make up its almost daily diet.

If you finally want to accustom your pet to home-cooked 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.

Reasons for changing your diet

Today, the dry pet food industry is very developed in the world, and in order for it to bring in 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 select food themselves, prepare food, and make sure that it does not remain in the plate for a long time if the pet does not eat it right away. And if an animal is picky, it can be difficult to please. 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 food, the less trust there is 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, plant fiber, and not crackers. To remain healthy, teeth must receive full load. Dry food consists of chemical, artificially created compounds, the most expensive ones are made from natural products, but they undergo such processing that they lose the function of a complete meal. In addition, any food includes dyes and special additives that enhance taste and smell and are addictive.

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

Show the iron character of the owner of the house

Weaning your pet off dry food is not an easy task, but in this matter there is no need to succumb to provocations and make concessions to your pet, refusing to introduce homemade food into the diet.

While accustoming your cat to homemade food, you may encounter the animal being stubborn. But you will also show your iron character. If you provide your animal with homemade food and it doesn’t even touch it within 20 minutes, hide the bowl. And try to feed him already at lunchtime.

If the cat doesn’t eat, it means it’s not hungry. Don't beg her on your knees for her to eat homemade food.

Don't worry if your cat's feedings are unsuccessful and she hasn't eaten for about three days. Of course, starvation of an animal that lasts more than a day already poses a danger to the body. The cat may even lose weight and look completely weak, but do not be afraid, having homemade food in front of her eyes, she will not choose to die from hunger, no matter how tasty the food may seem to her.

Don’t forget, the cat’s health depends on what he eats at home. It is better to show the steadfastness of your character and not resort to various tricks of a cunning pet than to sentence it to inevitable and terrible health problems.

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.

General information

The popularity of industrial cat food is understandable - owners have no time to prepare food for their pets. Ready-made food can be placed in a bowl and stored for a long time - this is undoubtedly convenient. Striving for convenience, do not forget about the needs of the cat, because its health depends on a balanced diet!

You should not feed your pet with economy class food. These products are made from cereals and do not contain meat or vitamins. Simply put, cheap food is a useless filler for the stomach. In addition, economy class products contain salts and preservatives, which contribute to the development of urolithiasis.

Premium and super-premium classes are considered optimal for everyday feeding. However, you should not blindly trust the inscriptions on the packs! Read the composition of the product, only it will show the true value of the food. Some manufacturers believe that food containing 70% grains is healthy, but this is far from true. Holistic class foods are considered the most natural, but they also have the highest price.

Difficulties in switching to homemade food

The components of the feed 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.

Monosodium glutamate is one of the causes of addiction

The food additive E621, which is a flavor enhancer, is included in most dry diets intended for feeding pets:

This component not only gives the product an unnatural taste, but also irritates the taste buds. Cats get used to the rich taste and aroma of granules, so natural food does not arouse their interest. Refusing the “correct” food, the pet will use all its charms, begging for familiar food and treats

It is important for the owner not to give up at this moment. Also watch the video on how to wean a cat off food:

Also watch the video on how to wean a cat off food:

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.

What are artificial feeds?

There is also plenty written and said about artificial food for cats today. But basically this is a discussion about which food is better: premium or economy class? What is cheaper and what do cats eat better? The question of whether a cat needs to be fed artificial food at all is rarely raised.

Mostly canned food and dry food for cats are bought because we are lazy. Yes, yes, let's call a spade a spade. First of all, we take care of ourselves. When purchasing artificial food, we don’t bother ourselves with the question “what to give the cat for dinner.” I bought canned food, opened it, poured it into a bowl - and that’s it. Minimum expenditure of thought processes and time.

Natural food is healthier than artificial food.

Advertising of food also greatly contributed to their popularity and somewhat distorted our understanding of a cat’s diet. It is thanks to advertising that we know for certain that cats simply “need” cereals and other silage. But let me remind you that a cat is a carnivorous predator, which by definition cannot become a vegetarian.

In order to understand what ready-made food should consist of, you can remember what the menu of a cat in the village consists of (as close as possible to natural conditions). These are mainly small rodents, less often birds, and even less often fish and insects (moths and grasshoppers). All this is divided into:

• meat - animal proteins;
• bones and skin - calcium and phosphorus.

All that is contained in the victim's stomach is plant fibers and grains. Separately, cats eat grass occasionally for reasons of maintaining their health.

Cats do not eat fermented milk products on their own. Only as kittens in their cat childhood, and if a person allows it. Raw milk in the stomach of an adult cat almost immediately curdles and is not digested.

What follows from all of the above? The fact is that ideally the food should contain all these ingredients in natural proportions. Namely:

• meat – 45%;
• animal protein (egg or milk) – 20%;
• entrails, bones, offal – 10%;
• vegetable components (vegetables, cereals) – 20%;
• the rest is natural mineral supplements and vitamins – another 5%.

But, unfortunately, there are no ideal feeds. They would be too expensive and unprofitable to produce.

So what are we (or rather cats) offered as cheaper food to produce? In order not to be unfounded, we simply read what is written in small letters on a can or bag of food:

• chemical preservatives, sugar substitutes and antioxidants (you can’t live without them);
• by-products (good in principle, but who can guarantee that blood or feather meal, tails, sinews and other waste from slaughterhouses do not go there);
• dyes, flavor enhancers;
• fillers (cellulose, soy, starch).

If the presence of chemical components is at the very least reflected on labels, then with by-products and fillers it is somewhat more complicated. The legislation of many countries does not say at all that the manufacturing company is obliged to indicate a complete list of what is included in the by-products. And no one knows what may be hidden under this formulation.

Cats eat all of the budget line food with by-products of “plant and animal origin” with great appetite due to the presence of generously sprinkled flavoring additives. It’s hardly worth talking about their usefulness. Quite the contrary.

Cats get hooked on artificial food and then not only do they not eat anything other than dry food, but they also often have health problems:

• then the metabolism is disturbed, and cats become fat before our eyes;
• then tumors develop out of the blue;
• or even some British Vicomte de Bragelonne suddenly dies from liver or kidney failure due to many years of excessive consumption of food.

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 prepare mixed porridges - semolina or oatmeal 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.

Ready-made food: pros and cons

Prepared cat foods come in a variety of forms: dry, wet, and canned. The products are also divided into 4 classes: economy (these are the well-known “Whiskas”, “Friskies”, “Felix”, etc.), premium, super-premium and holistic. Manufacturers of the last 3 types of food can produce medicinal lines. Each of these types of products has both advantages and disadvantages.

Dry food

This type of cat food consists of dried food ingredients. Among their advantages are:

• long shelf life;
• natural plaque removal;
• balanced composition, as a result of which no additional use of vitamins is required;
• ease of use – food in the form of dry granules is convenient to take with you on a trip;
• saving time and physical effort of the owner.

Cons of dry cat food:

• minimal amount of moisture - insufficient water supply can cause serious problems with the health of the animal;
• high carbohydrate content, addiction and subsequent refusal to eat other food - this applies to low-quality products (Whiskas, Friskis, etc.).

Wet and canned foods

Wet food consists of kibbles in a liquid sauce or jelly. Canned cat food is, roughly speaking, natural food placed in hermetically sealed metal containers. They are healthier for animals than dry food, because they contain more meat and less grains (we are not talking about cheap Whiskas or Kitiket, but about high-quality products). Information about the pros and cons of these types of food:

Premium and super-premium products

Premium food (“Brit Premium”, “Organix”, “Probalance”, “Hill's”, “Eukanuba”) and super premium (“Fitmin For Life”, “Brit Care”, “Summit”, “Blitz” , "Leonardo") are best suited for feeding representatives of the cat family. However, these products also have disadvantages. Information about the pros and cons of finished premium and super-premium products:

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.

The nutritious nutrition that a cat receives ensures good health and helps prevent the occurrence of many problems with it. Food belonging to the budget class, both soft and dry, is not of high quality and cannot be the cat’s main diet. If for some reason the cat is accustomed to Whiskas, it must be weaned off such unhealthy diet and switched to a nutritious diet. Due to their very high cost, only a few can afford high-quality ready-made food, and therefore most often the pet is accustomed to ordinary natural food. Veterinarians and animal owners who are faced with a similar problem can answer in detail the question of how to wean a cat off Whiskas.

If your pet resists

For the furry's pleasure, it is recommended to buy fortified pads or sticks, catnip and reward them after lunch.

Be sure to read:

What to do if a cat marks in the apartment, how to deal with it

This secret has two functions:

• Add vitamins to your furry's diet.
• Reward him for eating the right foods.

Important! You can’t follow a lead and give concessions. If the animal gets what it wants once, it will demand unhealthy food.

Reward should be in a healthy way: vitamins, tasty “sticks” that contain useful substances. Don't forget about affection - your pet is stressed and needs its owner.

8 basic rules that an owner needs to follow when changing a cat’s diet:

1. Once you have chosen the method of transferring from one type of food to another, you cannot deviate from the feeding plan.
2. Give vitamins: special pads, catnip, sticks with useful substances.
3. Do not mix dry and homemade product. The transition should be from dry to wet, from wet to home feeding.
4. You should not make concessions when your pet asks for old bait.
5. Water should always be fresh and within the cat's reach. It is recommended to change it 1 to 2 times a day.
6. It is better to divide feeding into two doses: morning and evening.
7. The harsh method is not suitable for kittens and cats with nervous system diseases.

Why is it difficult to wean

Having realized the need to switch his cat to a normal diet, the owner often faces difficulties, since weaning a cat off Whiskas is always a difficult process. This is not due to the fact that the animal does not know other food and therefore does not perceive it as something edible. You shouldn't complain about your cat's stubbornness. The whole problem is that budget food, including Whiskas, contains special additives to give it an attractive taste and aroma. The cat gets used to them like a drug and therefore is not ready to eat normally.

Addiction does not come from just one serving. When Whiskas is given several times a year because the owner has to go on business for a day, the cat will not have time to get used to the food and will not get sick from all the chemicals that it contains. If you feed your pet Whiskas constantly or often, then nothing good can be expected, and in addition to addiction, serious diseases of the intestines, liver and kidneys will soon arise.

Useful tips

It happens that cats do not want to change their eating habits. As a manipulation, the animal can even resort to starvation, which always frightens the owners.

1. Don't put pressure on your pet. You should not try to force feed or force the animal to eat what you give.
2. Consult an experienced veterinarian. A cat's health can affect its persistence.
3. Once again, carefully review the menu that you have compiled for the animal. Add more of his favorite foods there. Take a responsible approach to the distribution of portions and useful microelements.
4. A hunger strike is acceptable, but not more than a day. At this time, you can remove the food bowl, leaving only clean water. You should not allow yourself to go without food for a long time. In general, such a measure is considered a last resort.
5. Give only fresh food in a slightly warm state. A piece of meat should be soft, juicy and with a pleasant aroma. If the cat doesn’t like something in appearance, then natural food may cause disgust.
6. Experiment with dishes. Perhaps the cat simply does not want to eat meat for breakfast and porridge for dinner. Switch places to understand your pet's preferences.

To learn how to wean your cat off dry food, watch the video.

Pets bring their owners not only joy and pleasure, but also numerous troubles. If health issues can be resolved by contacting the veterinary service directly, then you can easily create a diet for your pet without consulting a veterinary clinic.

Today, many cat breeders are faced with difficult choices in terms of nutrition for their pet. You can, of course, take the path of least resistance and accustom kittens to dry food from a young age. Thus, the owners make life easier only for themselves: they do not need to spend extra time preparing special food for their four-legged pet, it is much easier to clean the place where the pet eats food, because nothing gets spilled or gets dirty. The owner only needs to pour dry food into a bowl - and the cat’s lunch is ready! But do not forget that all food, especially dry food, is very addictive. If they are used too often, and even more so constantly, even an adult cat, not to mention a small kitten, can develop a number of diseases.

How to wean

A cat that is accustomed to artificial food can be successfully weaned off it using one of several proven methods.

• Radical
  . This method is applicable only to healthy animals, since if the cat has health problems, stress from a sudden change in food will not lead to anything good. With this method, synthetic food is simply eliminated at once, and natural food is placed in the bowl. The owner should be firm and not give in to the pitiful meowing of the cat, which may completely refuse to eat for 5-7 days. Gradually he will come to terms with the fact that there is no usual food, and will begin to eat what is given to him.
• Smooth
  . With this method, natural food is gradually mixed into the usual food. Gradually its volume is increased until Whiskas is completely replaced. The process usually takes up to 1 month. At first, it is more convenient to train by introducing boiled meat, cut into cubes, since it is easier to disguise as synthetic food.

When changing food, it is not uncommon for a cat to experience diarrhea or constipation, which is a normal reaction of the body when they begin to give the pet complete food instead of Whiskas. This phenomenon is especially pronounced with the radical weaning method. If digestive problems do not stop within 1 week, you will need to consult a specialist. It may be necessary to feed your pet with medications to restore the intestinal microflora that Whiskas has disrupted.

Reasons for refusing to eat

A small kitten refusing to eat is always a very serious cause for concern. The baby requires examination by a veterinarian, who is called to the house. In newborn kittens, the cause may be:

• Disorders of intrauterine development. Injuries received during childbirth, as well as from being crushed by an inexperienced cat. Low birth weight due to placental insufficiency in the cat - such kittens must be supplemented artificially, otherwise they will die. Intrauterine infection, for example, with chlamydia or feline leukemia virus. Hypothermia (low body temperature) - when keeping a cat and kittens in a cold room, and especially when raising kittens without a cat. If you have hypothermia, you cannot feed your kitten because its digestive system is not functioning. The baby is gradually warmed up by giving him a solution of pedialyte or a 5% glucose solution at the rate of 1 ml of solution per 30 g of the kitten’s weight per hour, achieving active movements in the kitten. Hypothermia is very dangerous, so you should maintain the temperature in the den at 29–32 o C, lowering it every week by 2.5 o C until it reaches 21 o C. To warm the den, lamps are placed above it, and heating pads are also used. This is usually necessary if there is no cat or she refuses to be with the kittens. Neonatal isoerythrolysis (hemolysis of newborns) is a condition when antibodies obtained from a cat's colostrum attack the kitten's red blood cells, resulting in the development of jaundice. The kitten can be saved by transferring it to artificial feeding for 2 days, and then returning it to the cat. The condition is caused by a mismatch in the blood groups of a cat and a kitten; its analogue is Rh conflict in humans. The difference is that in primates, the transfer of antibodies occurs through the placenta, and the course of Rh conflict is intrauterine. In cats, the transfer of antibodies occurs with milk, so this condition is easier to suppress, since the penetration of maternal antibodies into the blood through the intestinal wall of the kitten is possible only in the first 24 hours of its life.

In kittens that previously developed normally, the reason for refusing to eat may be:

• helminthic infestation; infection; in some cases, when solid food is introduced and there is a lack of drinking water, the kitten may experience constipation, which reduces appetite.

Methods for weaning cats off industrial food

You can go the “cheap and cheerful” route or choose the loyal method, the choice is yours. Many owners take the shortcut and then, biting themselves for abusing the animal, run back to the store for “drying.” The method is simple - starve the animal by offering it permitted food until it becomes hungry and agrees to accept it.

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

Important! Do not give up at the decisive moment - the “screams” of the cat, family members and remorse should turn into “white noise”. Keep an eye on your 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 your pet, but persistent in your intentions, cats are far from stupid and know what weak points to put pressure on.

Not sure you can withstand 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 switch even the most fastidious, adult and “dependent” animals to homemade food:

• Stopping the influence of food additives - before weaning a cat off dry food, it must be freed from addiction. This is the first, slightly illogical (at first glance) and rather expensive stage. You need to buy good, everyday dry food without a strong taste or smell. How to determine what taste food is? Try it yourself and compare, there is no other way. For 5 days, mix high-quality food with the usual one, 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, since we are not going to accustom your pet to more expensive food.

• Accustom your cat to wet food - the contrast between 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 by appearance. Start mixing the kibble with your bagged food. Gradually (again over 4-5 days) completely replace dry food with wet food. There should be no problems, since almost all cats happily eat soft industrial products. There is only one caveat - the food with gravy must also be of high quality, otherwise you will again “add your pet” to nutritional supplements.

• The last step to get used to home-cooked food is to continue feeding your cat wet commercial food, mixing it with natural products. At first, only chopped boiled meat, then vegetables and lastly grains. The complete transition period can last up to 15 days. At the final stage, add only gravy from industrial feed to natural food.

If we sum up the duration of all stages, the conclusion suggests itself that it will take almost a month to re-educate the pet... this is inconvenient, but when the situation demands it, there is no choice. The main task is not to cause harm, that is, not to bring the animal to stress and not to spoil it. Feed your cat on a schedule, no snacks, go back to the point about indulgence, by spoiling your pet, you yourself will provoke problems. Natural foods spoil, so food that remains in the bowl 20 minutes after the start of feeding is discarded, and the bowl is washed and put away until the next meal. Another important point is that the cat cannot be fed only porridge; the basis of the diet is chopped meat, offal, and cottage cheese. Grains and vegetables are complements or “fillers.”

Important! Fish cannot serve as the basis of the diet, but many owners switch their pets from drying to boiled fish. For cats (especially cats), this tactic is unacceptable, since it leads to diseases of the nervous and genitourinary systems.

10 tips on how to properly and safely wean your cat off dry food.

Most cats simply love to crunch on kibble of food at any time. Therefore, the need to wean off dry food often becomes stressful for a cat. And it’s one thing when replacing food is the owner’s desire, but quite another thing when switching to wet food is necessary because it is more natural.

how to wean a cat off food: whiskey, kitiket Animals, like people, are hostages of their habits, especially food habits. It is extremely difficult for many people to switch to an unusual diet, even understanding that it is important for health, let alone cats. Read: Is dry food bad for cats? Cats are more gourmets and picky eaters, so it is possible that your pet will be reluctant to eat a new type of cat food or even refuse to eat it. But this situation is stressful not only for the animal, but also for the loving owner.

Use the right feed:

How to wean a cat off Whiskas, Kitiket and similar dry food

1. First of all, have a lot of patience and try to understand that this is stress for the animal.

2. The transition should be smooth and gradual, do not rush.

After all, dry cat food, unlike wet food, can sit in the feeder all day and the animal can eat whenever it wants. And wet food requires feeding 2-3 times, since it is impossible for a bowl of wet food to stand in an open space all day.

3. For the first 1-3 days, introduce new food into the diet at the rate of 90% old food and 10% new food (for example, holistic food).

how to stop a cat from eating dry food - dosage of new food

4. No matter how stupid it may sound, make it an event for the cat - talk to him when he approaches the bowl, call him to eat, affectionately stroke and praise him when the pet has eaten, or at least tried new food.

5. If the animal accepts new food quite normally, then already on the 3rd day you can increase the content of the new food to 25% of the total amount of food. If, after 3 days, the animal is reluctant to eat new food, then do not rush to move on to the next stage; it is quite possible that your pet will need 2 or 3 times longer than others. It's not scary.

6. If the transition goes smoothly, then already on day 4-5 you can try giving the cat ¼ can of wet food in the morning and ¼ in the evening, leaving 1 tablespoon of dry food during the day to make it easier for the animal to switch to less frequent meals.

7. Gradually increase the portion of wet food, make sure that the animal feels as comfortable as possible, do not try to immediately give up dry food throughout the day.

8. A cat that eats less often can pounce on food and quickly eat the contents of the bowl; this will negatively affect digestion and overall well-being, so it is important to crush the wet food with a fork, as if spreading it over the bowl. This way, your cat will have more time to eat everything more slowly, rather than swallowing the food in one piece.

9. There are cases when, despite all efforts, the animal cannot completely switch to wet food, here you should consult with a veterinarian about the possibility of leaving 15-20% dry food in the pet’s diet. That is, you will give just a little dry food every day or, for example, 1-2 tablespoons several times a week.

10. Monitor your pet's behavior and overall health throughout the diet change period. If there are any deviations from the usual, do not neglect consulting a veterinarian.

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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.

The components of the feed 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.

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.

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 prepare mixed porridges - semolina or oatmeal 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.

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 .

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 a veterinarian to create a healthy diet for your 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.

Following these simple tips will help you cope with transitioning your 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.