[Amy106]

do I need to mix the old with the new and make it more of a transition? Also, after finding this site I started buying canned kitten food (Iams kitten) but is it ok to give him a variety of brand names? Shadow (his name) did not like the Iams kitten that much but he ate some of it. Anyway, I always heard with dogs you dont want to abrubly change the food like that but is it different for cats? Thanks!

 

[Zalensia]

Nope cats are the same.
Occasionally people get away with it, but it is not recomended. It can upset thier stomachas and cause diareoaeh (I cant spell it lol) Even the same flavour but different brands can cause this. It is best to gradually change the food, over 5-7 days.

 

[queen of the nile]

With canned food, however, you can usually get away with switching foods every day. That is unless your kitty has a very sensitive stomach. If you notice that your kitty's stools are softer after a canned food change, then you may need to do the process more slowly.

 

[eadavenp]

what if you need to switch over from dry to wet food? i have been reading that the dry food will encourage even more bacteria growth on the wet, and that they shouldn't be mixed.

 

[queen of the nile]

You need to feed them seperately. What I did was I started my cats on four meals a day, 2 wet, 2 dry. I gradually increased the amount of canned in the wet meals and reduced the kibble in the dry meals.

 

[Bengal Cat]

Dont have a ton of experiences here but I was psyced about all the different can food flavors I could give my kittens. They eat Iams dry and wet. I gave them Nutra Max canned and the younger one threw up and got diarrhea in the middle on the night and the older one got diarrhea. I wasnt sure if it was the food or not. So I put them back on a consistant diet of there regular Iams food for a few days and they got better. Then I tried agian with the Nutra Max only I gave then only a few teaspoons. The younger cat threw up agian and got diarrhea, so far havent seen the older ones stool. So I'm going to stick with what works and gradually try other foods when they are a bit older

 

[samstersam]

Nope cats are the same.
Occasionally people get away with it, but it is not recomended. It can upset thier stomachas and cause diareoaeh (I cant spell it lol) Even the same flavour but different brands can cause this. It is best to gradually change the food, over 5-7 days.

i think it depends on the cat...I guess your cat has a sensitive tummy.
I rotate foods every DAY..i switch about 4 different brands and all the flavors the company offers...(wellness, innova, chicken soup, nutro)

I figure this: cats, animals, humans: NONE of these eat the same exact food everyday even for a week. (Do you eat the same exact food for breakfast lunch and dinner every day for a consecutive number of days?)
Even cats in nature when they hunt they grab the occasional rodent here and there maybe a bird or even insects)...

My 6 month old kitten has been fed a variety of foods since birth and is an absolute pig as well....never did Sox ever get an upset tummy or diarrhea...

i guess its different when u talk about a cat that has been on an exclusive diet for months or years to suddenly switch...but if the kitten or cat had been fed a variety since day one of eating solid foods, then i think food rotation is better...(its more natural!)..i think the sooner you adapt the cat to a variety diet the better as well....

 

[Ianthe]

It really depends on the individual cat, but I am always switching around my cat's food. :roll: I am lucky, neither of my cats have sensitive stomachs, and I have never had a problem, and I always rotate different flavors, and different brands.

 

[drjean]

Gradual switching is best if the cat has been on a steady diet for a long time. I fed mine a wide variety of foods when they were kittens and this seems to have helped them develop "tough" tummies that tolerate change easily. But that's not the case for a lot of cats. Here's more info on switching:
http://www.littlebigcat.com/index.php?a ... chingfoods

Cheers,
Dr. Jean