I tried to switch commercial cat can food to homemade cat food. My Cat were not interested at all! Is there any way to do it? Have anybody tried to do it for cat’s over all health? Thank you!
How to switch from Commercial Cat Food to Natural alternatives like raw,homemade or organic?Any experience?
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Here’s a link to my blog on the subject: http://runeamok.multiply.com/journal/item/16/HOW_TO_GET_STARTED_FEEDING_RAW
My blog on converting to canned food lists suggestions for making the change, and these suggestions could work for converting to raw as well: http://runeamok.multiply.com/journal/item/17/CONVERTING_YOUR_CAT_TO_CANNED_FOOD
I have successfully converted one cat – who is nowhere near malnourished – and am restarting the process for my other cat.
Do it gradually or your cat will get a tummy upset, whether it’s interested or not.
the reality is, is a cat raised on commercial food might not have the proper enzymes to eat raw food right away. It’s key and important to gradually introduce a new diet. A lot of cats will appear to prefer to starve rather then eat different food, but if left they’re eat it eventually. The key is to ensure all ingredients are as fresh as can be. As a older piece of meat that might still be good for you or I to eat because we’re cooking it, might not be safe to serve raw to your animals. A good way to introduce more protein into your cat’s diet is to start with a fresh raw egg and put a little on some dry kibble. Then work with a small amount of ground meat with kibble or soft food or whatever they’re familiar with. Your cat might take a while, but keep steadfast. It won’t be forever. A good thing to add to your cat’s kibble as well is a wee bit of olive oil now and again.
I never tried to that, but I can tell you that if a cat has never had any food besides commercial dry food he/she will not want to eat anything else. My cats were raised eating dry food and now even if I offer a fresh piece of raw or cooked fish they will sniff it to death but never even take a bite. Maybe they don’t know it is food. Maybe they just develop a different palate.
You may be successful if you start by mixing the new food with the old one and increase the amount of the new food gradually. For the first few days give about 80% commercial, 20% raw, and then gradually up the raw food percentage. Keep in mind that cats have distinct nutritional needs being carnivores that cannot metabolize certain nutrients. You’ll have to be very careful and talk it over with your vet before going 100% raw food.
Good luck!
keep giving it the commercial cat can food and mix in the homemade cat food gradually more and more of the homemade cat food in the commercial cat can food every week or your cat/cats will get an upset stomach/diarrhoea
As a vet’s office manager, I saw many malnourished cats coming in from well meaning owners that had switched to homemade or raw diets. You would be better served switching to a Premium brand like Nutro or Solid Gold.
If you insist on doing this, please remember that cat’s need roughage in their diet as well. They also need Omega-3 fatty acids, Taurine, Selenium, Vitamins A, C, K, D and E, Calcium, Gamma Linolenic Acid, L-Glutamine, DL-Methionine, B Complex (B1, B2, B3, B5, B6, B12. They’ll need superoxide dismutase, magnesium, phosphorus and potassium as well. Folic acid is a requirement as it aids in iron absorption. Biotin is necessary for utilization of fatty and amino acids. If they do not receive fresh roughage they will need Chlorophyll added to their food as well.
Avoid any soy or soy made products as it has been known to cause liver function disorders and hormonal imbalances in cats.
Be sure to keep enough sodium in their diet, but not too much either. Raw foods should be served at room temperature or above.
Avoid onions, garlic and any related root vegetables, as they contain N-propyl disulphide which destroys red blood cells in cats. Avoid raw potatoes and green tomatoes. Avoid chocolate. Avoid grapes and raisins.
Honestly, you should reconsider. But if not, keep all above and more in mind. There is a reason most ‘holistic’ and ‘natural’ food vendors also sell many vitamins for cats. The diet they provide isn’t properly formulated.
if you get a high quality food like EVO or wellness it is better for them than anything home made. those foods like evo or wellness are top of the line and they include all the things that are essential to the health and happiness of your cat.
Many years ago when I first had two pedigree Burmese kittens, the breeder advised me to continue to feed them cooked minced chicken. This involved buying cheap boiling fowl, cooking them in a pressure cooker, then mincing them in a Kenwood Chef ,complete with bones, then freezing it in meal sized lots. There is no doubt the cats loved this and did very well on it, but ultimately their health and condition was no worse on a semi dried food such as Iams. Also it was a lot less fiddling about and inconvenience. What ever you do remember that cats are true carnivores and must be fed meat, processed or otherwise.
It might sound mean, but just switch. When they get hungry enough they will eat it. Don’t offer them anything else except the homemade and water. MAKE SURE though that the food you are making is Healthy for them and has all the nutrients a CAT needs in it! Otherwise you are not helping their over all health.