Can Changing Cat Foods Make My Cat Sick?

Cat owners may need to change a cat’s food for a variety of reasons. Changing cat foods should not be done abruptly as this may cause the cat to become ill or reject the new cat food.

A cat’s food should change at certain times during its life. For example, a kitten should be fed special kitten food until the kitten is about nine months old. Again, the cat food may change once it becomes a senior cat and may be fed cat food specially designed for senior cats.

Sometimes, the cost of a cat food may cause the cat owner to have to change food. The cat’s veterinarian may also recommend a change in cat food if there is concern about the cat food’s nutrition or if the cat has health conditions that could be improved with different cat food.

No matter what the reason, changing cat foods should occur in gradual steps. A recommended process of changing cat food is to replace only one fourth of the old food with the new cat food at a time. The amount of new food replacing the old food should gradually increase over several days.

A general recommendation is to replace one fourth of the old food with new food at a time. For a few days, feed the cat one fourth of the new food with three fourths of the cat’s usual food. Then, feed the cat a mixture of half new food and half of the cat’s normal serving of usual cat food for a few days.

The cat should be fed three fourths of the new food and one fourth of the old cat food for a few days before switching completely to the new cat food. This gradual way of changing cat foods allows the cat’s stomach and tastes time to adjust to the change. This process makes it less likely that the cat will reject the new food or get an upset stomach from the change.

Some cat owners are tempted to frequently switch cat foods out of fear that their cats get bored with their cat food. Unless the cat is refusing the cat food or the cat food is substandard or unhealthy, there is probably no need to change cat food unless it is to suit a cat’s stage of life or health condition. In fact, changing cat foods frequently can cause problems like stomach upset.

If a cat is refusing to eat the usual cat food, the cat owner should consult a veterinarian. A refusal to eat could be a symptom of an illness or caused by a dental problem.

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