Introducing your cat to new food

19th June 2019

During your cat’s life, there might be a requirement to change your cat’s food. This could be for any of the following reasons.

• If your cat has developed a medical condition and now requires prescription food
• If you have just rehomed them and want to change their food
• If you want to start giving them a better-quality food
• If they have reached a different stage in their lives and require a different life-stage diet e.g. they no longer require kitten food and should now be fed adult cat food or they’re getting older and require senior cat food
• If your cat is pregnant and you want to start feeding her kitten food which is higher in protein and calories to help her unborn kittens grow strong

Gradual transition to new food

Transition to the new food should be a gradual process rather than a straight swap to prevent your cat getting an upset stomach. Start by adding a small amount of food to your cat’s existing diet and over the course of about a week gradually give your cat more of the new food and less of the old food. If your cat is picky then you may want to spend a bit longer doing this.

Changing from dry to wet food

If you’re switching your cat’s food from dry to wet, you can try sprinkling some of the dry food over the wet food or crumbling it up and mixing them together. Make the wet food more appealing by serving it at room temperature rather than straight from the fridge. Don’t be tempted to microwave the food as this could cause hotspots which could burn your cat’s mouth. Keep wet food fresh by serving it in a SureFeed product, which lock in 99.8% of moisture in a 12-hour period.

Monitor your cat's weight

Never starve your cat to force them into eating the new food as this could make them ill. Keep an eye on your cat’s weight whilst your cat goes through the transition process. If your cat starts to lose weight because they’re not eating enough of the new food, speak to your vet for advice.