| Switching Foods |
The area in a cat’s nose for detecting smells is ten times larger than that of a human’s nose, which makes them highly receptive to
scents. A larger part of their brain is devoted to deciphering scent messages. In addition to this, a cat’s tongue can tell the
differences between salty, sweet, sour and bitter tastes. If your cat has a cold, feline herpes virus or respiratory issues like asthma
or upper respiratory infections, this will highly affect their eating habits if not kept under control. If they can’t smell it, they won’t
eat it.
If your cat can’t have seafood at all, go for the novel proteins like duck, rabbit and/or venison. If they can have seafood and you’re
able to finally eliminate or drastically reduce the amount of dry food, start incorporating some of those other protein sources as
well. Maybe even mix it together with the seafood in small increments, a teaspoon at a time, gradually decreasing the seafood
amount. My cats like Nature’s Variety canned foods but Evo is also very popular. After a couple of weeks, reduce the amount of
seafood given and if you can, eliminate the dry food completely. If not, then give it to them sparingly and less frequently. Maybe
once in awhile as a small treat.
Most vets and people say to stick with one novel protein. I think that’s fine at first for a month or two but I don’t believe sticking
with one is good as it can still lead to their systems getting used to only one food source and you’re right back where you started;
trying to find something they like and can tolerate. Switch it up and do it slowly. Pay attention to any reactions they may have to
that food. Keep a diary of how they liked it and if it helped or caused problems. There are so many different protein sources out
there now it’s not hard to find several different ones. Beef, chicken, lamb, turkey, venison, duck, rabbit, bison, even goat!
If you want to switch your cat to a raw diet and they’ve only been on dry, I suggest going to canned food first. Get them used to
eating moist food with real taste to it before giving them another change. If they’re still resisting, try adding some fat free chicken
broth.
Some animals do well on particular meats like turkey or beef and some have severe allergies to them. If you try raw meat, and
your cat gets a severe reaction like diarrhea or vomiting, wait a little while and let their tummy calm down before trying
something else like chicken or rabbit! Don’t give up, just give a tiny amount for a week or two and see how that goes. Don't go full
force next time, let their body get used to it and see if it can handle different meat. Then increase it slowly.
Don’t ever let your cat go more than 24 hours without food to coax it into eating a new food. This is very dangerous, as it takes as
little as 48 hours for a cat’s liver to become damaged and fatty liver disease to start setting in. I hear people say all the time, “they’
ll eat when they get hungry enough”. That’s just not the case. And now that I’ve experienced what it’s like to have a cat get liver
disease from not eating, I am the first person to speak up on this issue.
Switching to raw food is trickier. Most cats don’t like cold food from the fridge so even leftover canned food should be left on the
counter for about five minutes to get it as close to room temperature as possible. Raw food that’s been thawed in the fridge should
be done the same way. Let it sit on the counter for just a few minutes to get the chill out. Some cats will tear right into raw food,
they’re wild, feline instincts kick right in. Others will sit there, look at it and start playing with it. Mine gave me a look at first as if
to say, “what the heck am I supposed to do with this?” Pre-made, frozen, raw foods can contain a lot of vegetables that cats really
don’t need. Mine don’t particularly like all those veggies. They want some MEAT! After trying some of the very same frozen raw
that my sister’s cats completely chow down, mine liked it at first and then shrugged it off. They won’t touch it. But I have
managed to sneak a small amount into their canned fish; all they smell is the fish.
One weekend I was preparing to cook rib-eye steaks on the grill so I decided to cut off some small pieces and see if they’d even
touch it. Boy did they ever! Of course they picked the expensive meat, but it gave me hope. Since then, I’ve tried small amounts of
ground turkey, ground chicken and ground bison (buffalo). All of them were eaten voraciously. If you can’t put your cat on a
completely raw diet, my advice is to definitely add it into their food. Some raw is better than none at all, especially for an IBD kitty
or one with any gastric issues. The enzymes present in raw food are the best things to heal their digestive tract. Just make sure to
get a good, quality meat source. Check the company’s website and look at their farming and packaging practices. You can also
check the FDA’s website to see if that company has had any recalls.
When first serving raw, you can slightly pan sear each side of a frozen patty in a cast iron or stainless steel pain for a few seconds
to get the juices and scent going. Don’t use Teflon; it’s highly toxic to animals. Don’t cook the raw very long or you’ll eliminate most
of the enzymes your pet needs. Or you can zap it in the microwave for just a few seconds but I don’t recommend doing that if you
can sear it on the stove instead. The smell of meat cooking on the stove is a good way to get their noses ready for it. Don’t continue
doing this very long, a week or two is okay. You want the healing process to start as soon as possible.
If you can’t sneak it in their moist food, give them a bite here and there as a treat and make it seem like it’s a big deal. It’s like
having a child that wants a piece of candy. If a pet thinks it’s getting something that they’re not supposed to have, they’ll like it all
the more. Act like it's table scraps and I’ll bet they love it. Make sure to check the raw foods page for more information on safe and
clean, preparing and feeding practices.
Lastly, I believe highly in the power of B12 injections. There are many varying opinions on this issue but here’s mine. It’s used for
malabsorption of nutrients and even though it’s recommended you test your cat for a B12 deficiency, it’s my opinion it should be
given regardless of whether the tests come out negative or positive. If you can’t test, give it to them anyway. I’ve talked with
many vets, including mine, that agree that B12 deficiencies go hand in hand with any gastric issues. All the literature I’ve read
states that taking antacids and medications highly strips their system of B12. Any kind of GI issues usually leads to loss of B12
somewhere in the body. And it can make them ravenous with hunger. This is not the main reason to give B12 but it’s a huge plus
when you’re trying to transition a sick cat to a different food. They most likely have nausea because of their illness and this will
definitely help.
Remember, it’s a long process. And one that may not only save your cat’s life but also help them to lead a longer, happier and
healthier, life.
scents. A larger part of their brain is devoted to deciphering scent messages. In addition to this, a cat’s tongue can tell the
differences between salty, sweet, sour and bitter tastes. If your cat has a cold, feline herpes virus or respiratory issues like asthma
or upper respiratory infections, this will highly affect their eating habits if not kept under control. If they can’t smell it, they won’t
eat it.
If your cat can’t have seafood at all, go for the novel proteins like duck, rabbit and/or venison. If they can have seafood and you’re
able to finally eliminate or drastically reduce the amount of dry food, start incorporating some of those other protein sources as
well. Maybe even mix it together with the seafood in small increments, a teaspoon at a time, gradually decreasing the seafood
amount. My cats like Nature’s Variety canned foods but Evo is also very popular. After a couple of weeks, reduce the amount of
seafood given and if you can, eliminate the dry food completely. If not, then give it to them sparingly and less frequently. Maybe
once in awhile as a small treat.
Most vets and people say to stick with one novel protein. I think that’s fine at first for a month or two but I don’t believe sticking
with one is good as it can still lead to their systems getting used to only one food source and you’re right back where you started;
trying to find something they like and can tolerate. Switch it up and do it slowly. Pay attention to any reactions they may have to
that food. Keep a diary of how they liked it and if it helped or caused problems. There are so many different protein sources out
there now it’s not hard to find several different ones. Beef, chicken, lamb, turkey, venison, duck, rabbit, bison, even goat!
If you want to switch your cat to a raw diet and they’ve only been on dry, I suggest going to canned food first. Get them used to
eating moist food with real taste to it before giving them another change. If they’re still resisting, try adding some fat free chicken
broth.
Some animals do well on particular meats like turkey or beef and some have severe allergies to them. If you try raw meat, and
your cat gets a severe reaction like diarrhea or vomiting, wait a little while and let their tummy calm down before trying
something else like chicken or rabbit! Don’t give up, just give a tiny amount for a week or two and see how that goes. Don't go full
force next time, let their body get used to it and see if it can handle different meat. Then increase it slowly.
Don’t ever let your cat go more than 24 hours without food to coax it into eating a new food. This is very dangerous, as it takes as
little as 48 hours for a cat’s liver to become damaged and fatty liver disease to start setting in. I hear people say all the time, “they’
ll eat when they get hungry enough”. That’s just not the case. And now that I’ve experienced what it’s like to have a cat get liver
disease from not eating, I am the first person to speak up on this issue.
Switching to raw food is trickier. Most cats don’t like cold food from the fridge so even leftover canned food should be left on the
counter for about five minutes to get it as close to room temperature as possible. Raw food that’s been thawed in the fridge should
be done the same way. Let it sit on the counter for just a few minutes to get the chill out. Some cats will tear right into raw food,
they’re wild, feline instincts kick right in. Others will sit there, look at it and start playing with it. Mine gave me a look at first as if
to say, “what the heck am I supposed to do with this?” Pre-made, frozen, raw foods can contain a lot of vegetables that cats really
don’t need. Mine don’t particularly like all those veggies. They want some MEAT! After trying some of the very same frozen raw
that my sister’s cats completely chow down, mine liked it at first and then shrugged it off. They won’t touch it. But I have
managed to sneak a small amount into their canned fish; all they smell is the fish.
One weekend I was preparing to cook rib-eye steaks on the grill so I decided to cut off some small pieces and see if they’d even
touch it. Boy did they ever! Of course they picked the expensive meat, but it gave me hope. Since then, I’ve tried small amounts of
ground turkey, ground chicken and ground bison (buffalo). All of them were eaten voraciously. If you can’t put your cat on a
completely raw diet, my advice is to definitely add it into their food. Some raw is better than none at all, especially for an IBD kitty
or one with any gastric issues. The enzymes present in raw food are the best things to heal their digestive tract. Just make sure to
get a good, quality meat source. Check the company’s website and look at their farming and packaging practices. You can also
check the FDA’s website to see if that company has had any recalls.
When first serving raw, you can slightly pan sear each side of a frozen patty in a cast iron or stainless steel pain for a few seconds
to get the juices and scent going. Don’t use Teflon; it’s highly toxic to animals. Don’t cook the raw very long or you’ll eliminate most
of the enzymes your pet needs. Or you can zap it in the microwave for just a few seconds but I don’t recommend doing that if you
can sear it on the stove instead. The smell of meat cooking on the stove is a good way to get their noses ready for it. Don’t continue
doing this very long, a week or two is okay. You want the healing process to start as soon as possible.
If you can’t sneak it in their moist food, give them a bite here and there as a treat and make it seem like it’s a big deal. It’s like
having a child that wants a piece of candy. If a pet thinks it’s getting something that they’re not supposed to have, they’ll like it all
the more. Act like it's table scraps and I’ll bet they love it. Make sure to check the raw foods page for more information on safe and
clean, preparing and feeding practices.
Lastly, I believe highly in the power of B12 injections. There are many varying opinions on this issue but here’s mine. It’s used for
malabsorption of nutrients and even though it’s recommended you test your cat for a B12 deficiency, it’s my opinion it should be
given regardless of whether the tests come out negative or positive. If you can’t test, give it to them anyway. I’ve talked with
many vets, including mine, that agree that B12 deficiencies go hand in hand with any gastric issues. All the literature I’ve read
states that taking antacids and medications highly strips their system of B12. Any kind of GI issues usually leads to loss of B12
somewhere in the body. And it can make them ravenous with hunger. This is not the main reason to give B12 but it’s a huge plus
when you’re trying to transition a sick cat to a different food. They most likely have nausea because of their illness and this will
definitely help.
Remember, it’s a long process. And one that may not only save your cat’s life but also help them to lead a longer, happier and
healthier, life.
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If you’ve managed to switch your cat from dry food to a quality, grain-free canned or raw food, then
you should be dancing a jig in the streets! It’s tedious and can seem next to impossible to do, but it
can and must be done. It should be done in stages and at their own pace, if at all possible. But be
prepared to be frustrated and for this to take a couple of weeks to a couple of months…it’s a process.
If they’re on dry food and it’s not grain-free, switch the brand. I prefer Merrick’s Before Grain dry
foods. They have some fish flavored varieties that my kitties love! In addition to this, get some cans
of Weruva fish flavored food or Tiki Cat. Don’t use human grade tuna or any other fish as it contains
more mercury and toxins than their livers can handle. Start giving them some canned fish in
between dry food and slowly decrease the amount of dry every three or four days. You could also
crumble some of the dry and sprinkle it on the wet food, or mix it so they think they’re still getting
what they want. If you think of the new food in terms of not just taste but scent, this will help you
understand how heavily they rely on scent for eating.
you should be dancing a jig in the streets! It’s tedious and can seem next to impossible to do, but it
can and must be done. It should be done in stages and at their own pace, if at all possible. But be
prepared to be frustrated and for this to take a couple of weeks to a couple of months…it’s a process.
If they’re on dry food and it’s not grain-free, switch the brand. I prefer Merrick’s Before Grain dry
foods. They have some fish flavored varieties that my kitties love! In addition to this, get some cans
of Weruva fish flavored food or Tiki Cat. Don’t use human grade tuna or any other fish as it contains
more mercury and toxins than their livers can handle. Start giving them some canned fish in
between dry food and slowly decrease the amount of dry every three or four days. You could also
crumble some of the dry and sprinkle it on the wet food, or mix it so they think they’re still getting
what they want. If you think of the new food in terms of not just taste but scent, this will help you
understand how heavily they rely on scent for eating.
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