Switching foods

[rosalie]

Question about switching from one food to another; should the new onehave the same ingredients as the old?
I'll be going to Petco tomorrow and buy food there. I'll choose according to
the many guidelines here about right food.
I'm a bit confused though since Madam has had Science Diet lately and dry food all her life. Now she eats canned Friskies, and SD, and Purina Cat Chow sometimes! (My fault but it was an emergency) I tried SD canned once but she didn't care much for it.
Anyways, do I choose a food with similar ingredients/same flavor and meat first ingredioent, no corn, no fillers, etc?
That'll be also for the other two 8 months old kittens I foster (and that would eat anything since they were ferals and used to many different things)
Thank-you!

[coaster]

Hi Rosalie!!

well, you probably know my approach by now -- -- I'd just feed them the new food and see what comes out the other end!!

OK, I'm really only half kidding. if you pick a food with good ingredients, even if it's different, the main thing is if she likes the new food and it doesn't cause diarrhea, it should be OK.

Tim

I really think the reason cats get finicky about their food is because their caretakers feed them the same old thing all the time. cats get variety in the wild, why not in the house. I try to feed my cats different things so they don't get stuck in a rut. so far, so good.

[Cat Fancier]

I definately recommend buying small amounts of several different foods to see if they'll eat it first. I've wasted alot of money buying large bags of dry and a case of canned that my cats didnt like.

I have never gotten catfood at Petco but i think i've heard several people here mention that Natural Balance dry and canned is a pretty good/healthy brand. I'm looking at Petco's online store and notice that they sell Eaglepack and Nutro Natural choice and Nutro Max which are good brands of canned food that i personally feed my cats along with other brands.

I'm not sure if you're looking for recommendations of particular brands or not so i hope i'm not coming across as too pushy.

Good luck with the food switch.

[rosalie]

I'm planning on reading well food labels tomorrow at Petco. Yes, I thought I would like samples_ that was mentioned once that some stores carried pet food samples_ in case they don't I'm planning on buying the smallest package; as you well said no point in getting food they won't like.
I think that a dry food can be combined, I mean fed along, with another brand canned food? ..thanks for your replies and imput

[Cat Fancier]

Originally Posted by rosalie

I think that a dry food can be combined, I mean fed along, with another brand canned food?

Sure, i do it all the time. At one point i had 3 different brands of dry and 5 different brands of can but i've settled on just one dryfood and several canned brands.

[drjean]

When changing diets, take it easy! You are asking for tummy upset otherwise. Here's a detailed article about why and how to switch:
http://www.littlebigcat.com/index.php?a ... chingfoods

Cheers,
Dr. Jean

[octoberdana]

I just found a great food at my local Pet store! It's called Premium Edge Finicky Cat. It has decent ingredients, not the best, but not the worst... The best part is that I don't have to drive hours to get it or have it shipped to me.

It cost $6.19 for a 6.6 lb bag.

Ingredients:
Chicken, chicken meal, whole grain brown rice, brewers rice, chicken fat (preserved with mixed tocopherols), corn gluten meal, salmon, potatoes, millet, cracked pearled barley, natural chicken flavor, flaxseed, kelp, carrots, peas, tomatoes, apples, cranberry powder, rosemary extract, parsley flake, potassium chloride, methionine, salt, choline chloride, dried chicory root, taurine, plus essential vitamins and minerals.

[coaster]

why is it that switching foods upsets a cat's digestive process? they get lots of variety in the wild. (sometimes I wonder how they can survive outdoors)

Tim

[OsnobunnieO]

some cats are sensitive, others aren't. Several people here mention that any switch causes immediate problems.

I, on the other hand, feed quite the rotation. I have three (about to be just two) dry foods and about 5 or 6 brands (about 14 cans total) of wet that I switch on an every other day basis. Never had a problem But I consider myself lucky.

[coaster]

I use the same basic mix of dry food daily, but have been switching wet foods. Forturnately, my cats will eat just about anything. Unfortunately, Rocket is prone to loose stools, and I'm trying to figure out which foods are causing it. I wish all three cats could eat the same food.

Tim