Cat Food, Cat Health Issues
An Easy Guide: Transitioning Cats To A Raw Food Diet
Apr
A while back we wrote an article about Transitioning Your Cat to a Wet Food Diet for those of you with kibble addicts like ours were. We emphasize moist diets for cats because the dehydration they experience eating only dry food is detrimental to their health. Now we’ll show you how to start from kibble to transitioning cats to a raw food diet. Raw food not only has the right amount of moisture, but it’s also full of nutrients that are lacking in processed dry and wet foods.
It’s as easy as taking these 3 steps. Remember that patience is your friend. Cats can be finicky so it is important that you don’t quit. Studies show that cats will eventually chose the food that is most nutritious for them if given the option over time. Stick with the process. It took us a long time transitioning cats to a raw food diet in our home but the payoff is well worth the effort.
Transitioning Cats To A Raw Food Diet
Start by stopping the ‘free feeding’. Hunger is your friend. Only feed your cat the kibble in small amounts 2 or 3 times daily.
Then start mixing a small amount of wet food into the dry food when you feed your kitty.
Increase this amount daily (even if they try to eat around it) and decrease the amount of kibble you place in their bowl. Eventually they will eat the wet food.
Note: You may need to experiment with different flavors of wet food. We’ve found that cats like the higher quality canned foods most (because of the quality of the meat), so be willing to spend a little more if you must. It’s better for them anyway.
Again, if they won’t touch the wet with the raw, mix it in slowly and in small amounts – just as you did with the dry to wet step. They may try to eat around it. That’s okay. Just let them know that it’s there and that it will be added to their daily meals. Eventually they’ll be eating it with joy. Here’s a simple ‘how-to’ video to help with this step:
Just as in steps one and two, this process may take time. However, the transition from wet to raw always seems to go faster than the dry to wet.
There are different options for raw feeding cats. If you are looking to make the food yourself, click here to see the breakdown of options and amounts to feed.
And that’s it! No biggy. It just takes time and patience. Remember that this is a process. Cats are sensitive beings and you may have some tough eggs to crack and others who follow along easily. Be gentle with them all. Let the process happen. You’ll be so happy when you see the difference in their coats, skin, energy and overall health.
And don’t forget that ALL diets need digestive enzymes! You can add these into ANY diet (commercially processed or not) with this simple liquid antioxidant enzyme formula below.
