Switching dry food for my cat???

Question

I used to give my 11 month old cat Meow Mix dry food and yesterday I brought another kind that's really good for her health! I paid almost $20.00 bucks for it! Yesterday night she ate a lot because she really liked it! This morning she vomited and now she doesn't want to eat neither one! What'll I do???

Answer 1

Hi there...as a general rule when changing foods it needs to be done gradually. Cats have very sensitive digestive systems and sudden changes with foods causes bowel distress such as diarrhoea and vomiting. Here's a changing of foods schedule of how to switch a cat from old cat food to new food: http://www.drsfostersmith.com/pic/article.cfm?dept_id=0&aid=100

Answer 2

You didn't say what you were feeding prior to giving them the Core - and that is really a key. If you've just suddenly switched to this rich food, then the end result is often diarrhea. If it's really just soft poops, and not 'runny' then just hang in there and their systems will adjust. If you've been feeding a dry high in grains, sometimes you need to 'step up' to the better quality canned foods. You can get a good one - but less rich - by getting one of the more ordinary canned foods that have some rice or barley in them. Some examples would be the Blue Buffalo spa selects, California Natural, Natural Balance, and Chicken Soup for the Cat Lover's Soul. All good foods but since they have some rice in all of them, they may be easier for your cats to tolerate. And not to continue the dry/wet debate, but those of you who are advocating an all-dry diet really need to read the links that Kia has posted. Vets who are just out of school, and those that have actually bothered to further their education, now recommend a canned food diet for their feline clients. Dry food was created for our convenience and not for the health of our cats. Nature created cats to eat a raw prey diet of meat, and not a dry diet of carbohydrates. And that's the problem with dry diets - they are dehydrating, and too high in carbs. New research now links an all-dry diet to such feline disorders as obesity, diabetes, constipation, kidney disease, and urinary tract disorders. Feeding a canned diet is much closer to what Nature designed cats to eat than dry kibbles.

Answer 3

When switching pet food you can't do it immediately. It needs to be done with gradual progression: 75% her food + 25% new food for 4 days, then 50% each for 4 days, then 25% old food + 75% new food for 4 days. After that gradual process, you can give her the new food. If you switch her food rapidly it causes GI upset often resulting in vomiting and/or diarrhea, which sounds like what you've got. Now, you'll have to take her to your vet to treat her vomiting symptoms, which may or may not involve meds and keeping her food from her for 24 hours. And lastly, never enter into a test of wills with a cat, you'll lose. If she doesn't want it, she won't eat it and starve herself until you take her to the vet because she's lethargic. Hope this helps

Answer 4

As the other posters said, switch foods gradually.

Also, because your cat ate the new food so fast and a large amount of it, that can also cause your kitty to vomit. Sometimes, for whatever reason, when cats eat quickly it will come right back up. Once her stomach settles she will want to eat again.

Answer 5

When you change food, you have to do it slowly. First, mix some wet food with the new dry food, using more wet food than dry food. Each day add a little more dry food to the wet food, until she's eating only dry food. The reason she vomited, was because when you switch foods too fast, it upsets their digestive system, because they haven't yet adjusted to the new food. Just take it slow, and she should be fine. Hope your baby feels better.

Answer 6

When you're switching any animal's food it's best to do it gradually i.e. feed her mostly old food with a bit of new stuff mixed in, then gradually up the percentage of new until she's eating the new stuff. Other wise you can upset their digestion (as you found out!)

She probably just doesn't fancy eating at the moment because she still feels a bit sick. Try again later.

If still not eating, or if being sick / diarrhea give her some plain cooked chicken or white fish - something bland until she is eating normally again.

Answer 7

Her tummy probably became upset from eating too much of a food she is not used to yet. Thus causing her to not want to eat right now. But, if this continues I would consult your vet.
Gradually change her food by mixing it with the food she normally eats. And only allow a certain amount of food per meal.

Answer 8

Treat your cat like you would want to be treated. You would not like to go through life eating one thing and then change immediately. Any food change should be done gradual as all the other people have written. It is too much on her digestive system to just make a change. Watch her and if she isn't feeling up to herself a vet visit is a must.

Answer 9

It is not good to switch the cat all at once. The best way is to mix it up with what she is used to and slowly increase the amount of the new food to where that is all she is getting.

Answer 10

Ask your vet...

This is what I would do:
Mix in small amounts of the new dry food every day. Increase how much you put in and start taking away the old cat food. Eventually, she will be eating all of the new cat food.