Teach your kitten to regular food. How to wean a cat from food and accustom to homemade food? What should be included in the diet

Many people believe that caring for a cat is not difficult. It is enough to pour food from the bag into her bowl. What could be easier?

But such owners do not think that such food can harm the animal. If a cat accustomed to food has already fallen into your hands, it is absolutely not necessary to poison the fluffy further. With a little persistence and patience, you can wean your cat off food. How to do this, we will tell in today's article.

Why is it difficult to wean a cat from "drying"?

This task, indeed, can be quite difficult. When looking for a way to wean a cat from dry food, many pet owners may encounter surprising stubbornness of the animal. Cat habits are much more stable than human ones, and therefore it is more difficult to fight them. In addition, many people who have never dealt with these fluffy animals often simply do not know how to feed a domestic cat. What does she love? Can I give her soup, candy or milk?

Another difficulty is that most manufacturers add a variety of flavor enhancers, flavors and food additives to their feed. Cats get so used to this “chemistry” that sometimes it is simply impossible to shift their addictions. Compared to store-bought crackers, homemade food seems simply tasteless to them.

If you want to save money and buy cheap pet food, get ready to become a regular customer of the veterinarian. Budget "drying" contains a record amount of carcinogens, which a priori will not add health to your pet.

Why should you wean your cat off dry food?

If you are ready to think about how to wean a cat from food, then you have already understood what disadvantages canned food has:

In the vast majority of feed manufacturers introduce stimulants. The cat eats a lot, but saturation does not occur.
The stomach of an animal with this method of nutrition loses its ability to stretch. As a result, it becomes physically difficult for the cat to eat regular food.
Even the most expensive brands of dry food are far from perfect. They contain only chemical elements, nothing natural.
Cat food of more or less tolerable quality costs a lot of money. If you are trying to feed your pet on a budget, get ready to visit the veterinary clinic.
Ready-made cat food is most often small granules, pates, purees or small pieces. The animal does not need to load the teeth at all. It just swallows food. This is fraught with the appearance of tartar, plaque and other troubles.
The cat eats the same food. The composition of the granules is almost the same. Only the smell differs, and even then not always. This is easy to verify by opening two or three packs of food with different flavors at the same time and comparing their contents.

If you are still not sure if cats can eat raw meat, and prefer to get by with granules, check out the list of troubles that store-bought croutons can bring to your pet:

beriberi - in the vast majority of dry food, the amount of vitamins declared on the pack does not correspond to the internal contents;
kidney failure - "crackers" are terribly salty, so the kidneys of many animals simply cannot cope with the excretion of such an amount of salt;
dysbacteriosis - beneficial bacteria in the animal's stomach die over time, diarrhea may open;
allergies - if the cat food is not suitable, sores may appear and hair may fall out;
poisoning - cheap feed contains a lot of dyes that are completely unhealthy for the animal;
oncology - most dry food contains monosodium glutamate (a very dangerous substance that can cause cancer).

What should be included in the diet?

In order for your pet to live a long and healthy life, it needs to be properly fed. What do cats like to eat and what should be included in the weekly diet?

Try to give your cat the following foods regularly:

Raw lean meat. Great for chicken, rabbit, turkey or beef.
Fish. It also should not be greasy and be sure to undergo heat treatment.
Egg yolk. One piece a week is enough.

Various dairy products. Here, too, it is necessary to remember about fat content.
Broths and soups. Diversity is allowed here. The main thing is that the pet likes it.
Boiled liver and offal.
Raw and stewed vegetables. It all depends on the individual preferences of the animal. Someone likes melon, and someone likes cucumbers.
Cereals in the form of cereals and casseroles.

Many inexperienced owners are interested in whether cats can have cheese? On the one hand, it seems to be a dairy product, and on the other hand, it is quite fatty and can harm the animal. The answer in this case is quite simple. If you sometimes pamper your pet with a small piece, nothing bad will happen. But feeding a cat with cheese is not worth it regularly.

How to accustom a cat to natural products?

If you don't know how to wean your cat off food, take a look at one of the two options below.

Method number 1

The cat needs to be fed 3-4 times a day. Therefore, try to alternate "crackers" with regular food. Give the usual food in the morning. At this time of day, digestion only “wakes up”. To reduce the salinity of dry food, fill the serving with plenty of water. When the "crackers" are soaked, drain the liquid, and give the wet lumps to the cat.

Make sure your pet always has enough clean water.

For lunch and dinner, offer the animal natural food. Do not give in to the indignant cries of a pet demanding canned food. If the cat has not eaten, remove the bowl after 20-25 minutes until the next feeding.

Method number 2

This option consists of mixing canned food with regular food. On the first day, soak the "crackers", drain off excess water and dilute with homemade food. The proportion is approximately the following: for 5 parts of canned food, 1 part of "natural". Repeat the process for lunch and dinner. Feed the animal in this way for 3 to 5 days.

After that, start diluting the feed in a 4:2 ratio, and after a week, switch to a 3:3 option. Each week, reduce the portion of dry food by 1 part, and gradually increase the proportion of homemade food.

If you have found a suitable way to wean a cat from dry food, follow the action to the end. Do not fall for cat provocations and expressive "hungry" looks. Act confidently and assertively. Stick to your plan.

If an animal has declared a boycott, you should not starve him for weeks. It may be dangerous. Try to arouse interest in homemade food by offering some treats. Offer little by little different foods: a piece of meat, sausages, a slice of bread, a slice of cucumber, a slice of potato. A hungry animal is sure to be interested in something.

What Not to Do

Have you already chosen a way to wean a cat from food? Then remember a few rules:

Take your time. Sometimes it can take months to retrain. An abrupt change in the usual diet will ruin your relationship, lead to a boycott and changes in the well-being of the animal.
Don't spoil your pet. Of course, sometimes it’s not only possible to treat something tasty, but also necessary. But do not "put" food in the animal's mouth. You are not going to indulge all his whims for the rest of your life? That's not the way to start. The attitude towards the animal should remain even and friendly, as always.

Important Points

In the process of retraining an animal, it is important to be persistent and consistent. If you do not live alone, agree with all household members to act rationally. Take special care of children. Protecting their furry pet from the "monster and tyrant", they can feed him with the usual and favorite crackers. Such "concern" will nullify all efforts and fruitful work on retraining.

Explain to the children that you are not doing this because you do not like Barsik or Murka. But because you don't want fluffy to get sick. Ask for help and instruct your child to make sure that the pussy always has plenty of fresh water. More often than not, this tactic works flawlessly.

than should

What can be included in the diet of an adult animal, we have already told. Now let's talk about proportions. Proper nutrition that provides the cat with all the necessary elements should look something like this:

45% - meat and other protein foods (dairy products, eggs, sometimes fish);
20% - offal (offal, lungs, liver, heart);
20% - vegetables, cereals, various sources of fiber and trace elements;
5% - vitamin complexes, oil, bone meal.

Conclusion

Weaning your pet from not-too-healthy store-bought food can take a lot of time and effort. But in return you will get a beautiful and healthy animal. If something does not bother you, you should consult a veterinarian or a specialist in cat nutrition. He will be able to choose an individual diet for your pet and tell you how else you can wean the cat from dry food.

In the article I will describe in detail how to wean a cat from dry food and accustom it to normal natural food. Let me tell you what the difficulty is. I will explain to pet owners what actions to take if the animal eats exclusively dry food and nothing else. I will describe the common mistakes owners make when changing the type of diet.

How to wean a cat from dry food and switch to natural food

Consider the popular ways to change the type of food for an animal:

the transition to natural food must be gradual. Try mix certain ingredients to dry. In the beginning, there should be a small number of them. If the cat accepts your conditions, it is recommended to increase the proportion of natural food over time until you completely give up dry food. It is better to start with finely chopped pieces of boiled beef. It is healthy and tasty;
if a pet has preferences from natural products, it is worth focusing on them. Recommended gradually increase the dose food of natural origin, until you completely replace artificial food;
if the owner does not know the preferences of the pet, you need to try out the most common treats of other cats. Them spread in front of the animal in various bowls. This way you make it clear to your pet that he has a choice. So it is worth doing until he decides. Then they act, as mentioned earlier, gradually increase the portion of natural food;
you can try to feed the cat in two different bowls. And in one it will be dry, and in the other natural. In the first container you need to pour a portion less than in the second. The animal, not having eaten, will have to eat up healthy food. There will be no other way out;
the most radical and harsh way is simply stop feeding your cat dry food. Every animal has an instinct for self-preservation, so it will have to agree to your terms. But these are extreme measures, it is better to try other options, softer ones.

Why is it so difficult to transfer cats to normal homemade food

Includes special components:

attractants;
additives.

It is they that cause the pet to become addicted to purchased food and become the biggest obstacle to the transition to natural products.

A large concentration of such substances in super-economy class feed.

This applies to kitiket and whiskas, which are especially popular among cat owners.

By purchasing such food for your pet, you make him a kind of drug addict. The animal becomes addicted. The more he eats such food, the more difficult it will be to wean him from it.

In addition, manufacturers of artificial nutrition for animals, using such components, are trying to hide the lack of healthy natural substances in food.

This food is not just useless for the animal. It can cause the development of various diseases of the digestive system, including mental disorders. Especially if the owner is trying to wean the cat from the usual treats.

What to do if the cat only eats dry food

Opinions about the quality of dry food among veterinarians differ. Most of them claim that only a cheap product is of poor quality. Extra class food is balanced and the price corresponds to the quality. The food is complete in terms of the presence of nutrients.

It is quite another matter when the animal's health problems begin. And the veterinarian insists on changing the type of food, indicating the reason for everything is an artificial surrogate. In this case, you need to minimize the intake of such food so as not to harm the animal even more.

Common mistakes owners make when changing the type of diet

When changing the type of diet, pet owners often make similar mistakes:

Haste won't help. Wean your pet off dried food gradually. This process may take up to ten days. If you act radically, you can stumble upon a boycott from the animal;
Down with provocations. You should not be manipulated by a pet. He can go on a hunger strike and show his character. Give him that opportunity;
If you have definitely decided to get rid of the dependence of dry food gotta go all the way. Pour the cat to eat natural food, change it to fresh and watch the reaction. A healthy cat may not eat for ten days. The main thing is that there is enough water. Although in practice there were cases when a cat hid in a shelter, sabotaging food, for 15 days. During this time he neither ate nor drank. Then he got out, naturally emaciated, but alive;
It has already been said earlier that special additives are present in dry food that make a drug addict out of a cat. They cause the cat's physiological dependence on such food. In the future, boiled beef will seem tasteless and insipid to the cat, when compared with the rich taste of dry lumps.

If you do everything right and insist on your own, the taste buds of the animal will recover over time, and the pet will understand how tasty and fragrant natural food is.

Artificially created foods are mostly free from nutrients and vitamins. They are addictive and can even cause pathologies in the animal's body. The process of getting rid of dry food can be delayed. But in any case, it is worth holding if you want the best for your pet.

Many cat owners have experienced that a kitten bought from a breeder or cattery refuses to eat any other food than ready-made store-bought food. This behavior may be due to the fact that the old owners of the kitten fed him only this food, and he went to them. used to.

It is necessary to wean a kitten from such food not only because it is expensive to buy food for him, but also because it can harm his health. Almost all veterinarians say that from ready-made food (whether dry or wet), cats not only do not receive all the necessary vitamins, but it also harms them.

How can you teach a cat to homemade food? There are several ways - the most popular and effective method is to gradually replace food with other food. To do this, on the first day, you need to replace ten percent of the usual amount of food with regular food - if the kitten prefers wet food, you can add various cereals to it, and if he usually eats dry food, then it would be best if you prepare a special porridge for the kitten - it is made quite simply - you need to boil sausage trimmings (or you can cook some simple meat), and just add cereals there. Over time, every day or every other day, reduce the amount of food in the bowl, and over time, leave only homemade food altogether - the kitten will already get used to it and will eat it with pleasure.

There is a faster way - immediately put other food in his bowl instead of food - sooner or later the kitten will get hungry, and still eat what was given.

Let the kitten not eat cereals and soups, but it is unlikely that he will refuse a piece of meat or sausage. If he eats this, then next time try putting meat mixed with bread, pasta, or other food in his bowl. All the same, it is unlikely that you have the opportunity to feed him with meat alone. Gradually, he will get used to it, and will begin to eat it all without adding sausage.

Another option is to feed the kitten twice a day, preferably always at the same time. In the morning, put meat in a bowl instead of food, it can be beef or chicken, cut into small pieces. You can give the kitten both raw and boiled meat. If the kitten will not eat it, then just put it in the refrigerator. During the day, he will probably get hungry, and if in the evening you again offer him the same thing that was given in the morning, most likely he will still eat it. Surely, if this is repeated every day, and the kitten realizes that his favorite food will no longer be given to him, he will begin to eat homemade food.

Veterinarians recommend following certain rules when transferring a cat to homemade food. To wean an animal from Whiskas and other artificial feeds, you need to act in stages. You can not combine dry food and regular food, as this leads to problems in the gastrointestinal tract. Homemade products should be introduced into the diet gradually. It is also necessary to add vitamins to the cat's daily menu.

You can not start weaning your pet from dry food if the animal is sick. Additional stress for the body can lead to disastrous consequences.

Difficulties in switching to homemade food

The components of the feed are attractants and additives. These chemicals are designed to get the animal accustomed to the treat. It is these elements that make it easy to wean a pet from Whiskas. The largest number of such additives is in economy class feed.

Choosing such food, the owner develops an addiction in the animal from the first spoon.

In addition to dependence, dry food does not provide the animal with the necessary amount of vitamins and minerals, which leads to frequent pet diseases. Manufacturers have learned to produce junk food without including the natural ingredients necessary for the full development of the cat.

How to wean a cat from Whiskas?

Many owners begin to give dry food to cats from a young age. Kittens do not refuse goodies and soon sit down on artificial food.

It is much easier to wean a kitten from dry food, whose body has not developed the habit of such a diet.

Veterinarians prohibit feeding a pet mixed food, for example, dry food and regular food. This combination of products adversely affects the intestines and stomach of the animal, leading to sad consequences.

Stages of transferring an animal to normal food

To accustom a cat to normal food, you must follow certain instructions:

1. Dry food is replaced with a wet analogue of the same manufacturer. The animal is accustomed to certain flavors, so the transition will not be abrupt. At the same time, in the soft version of the feed, there are fewer harmful components than in the dry one.
2. Natural food is introduced into the cat's diet gradually. You can cook mixed cereals - semolina or hercules plus meat / fish. The pet will not refuse such homemade food.
3. Fresh water must be freely available to the animal. Drinking plenty of water will allow you to quickly remove toxins from the body.
4. "Cat grass" grown on the windowsill will be an additional source of vitamins.
5. Gradually add more and more natural products that the cat prefers. For example, if he loves boiled fish, then instead of food they give it to him.
6. The amount of food is decreasing every day. Not satiated, the cat will start eating from a nearby bowl, where it is necessary to put healthy foods in a timely manner.

Such a plan of action allows the owners to gradually and without harm to the health of the animal transfer the pet from dry food to regular food, completely weaning off Whiskas and removing the addiction.

Features of the transition to natural products

To facilitate the transition of the animal to natural food and wean it from Whiskas, it is necessary to include a complex of vitamins for the pet in the diet. Usually cats eat vitamins in the form of tablets with pleasure. In rare cases, a veterinarian may prescribe fortified formulations in the form of intramuscular injections.

It is worth considering the features of the transfer of an adult cat or kitten to normal food:

1. A small kitten cannot be weaned from the usual food by fasting. First you need to transfer the pet to liquid food from bags, and then introduce other components into the diet. It is best to add new foods instead of the usual food after active play with the pet.
2. An adult animal with a strong dependence on dry food can be left on a fast for two days. The main thing is not to forget to give water to your pet all the time. Very hungry, the animal on the instinct of self-preservation will eat a natural product with pleasure.

When switching to healthy food, we must not forget about the prohibition of mixing. Simultaneous intake of dry food and boiled meat or other product will lead to diseases of the gastrointestinal tract in a pet.

If cat owners decide to switch their pets from a dry to a natural type of food, this happens most often for the following reasons:

pet health problems that require abandoning this type of feeding;
the impossibility to provide high-quality, expensive, industrial dry products of premium, super-premium class;
the desire to diversify the menu, maintain health, prolong the life of the cat by feeding natural, food that is not processed with preservatives.

How to retrain correctly? How to transfer a cat to homemade food, because animals are not always ready to share the owner's intentions and desperately resist innovation, refusing a new diet? Often such voluntary fasting continues for a long time. The cat does not eat, at best it can sniff food, as a result, it loses weight, there are violations of the general condition, behavior, and the appearance changes.

Why is it so difficult to wean a cat from ready-made food?

The composition of dry food, especially the economy class product line, includes a large number of attractants and additives - special ingredients designed to attract an animal, enhance the taste and smell of food, causing persistent addiction to such food. These components are mixed into all feed without exception, especially a lot of them in super-economy class products. Cats almost immediately become addicted to drugs by eating such food.

The absence of useful components is hidden by manufacturers due to the introduction of such chemicals. They significantly worsen the condition of the teeth, hair of pets, cause damage to the psyche, cause serious diseases, allergic reactions.

Danger of dry food

Often the true composition of the product is hidden by the manufacturer. Poor quality food often causes many side effects:

poisoning with chemicals: dyes and flavors;

the development of urolithiasis due to an excess of salts as preservatives, especially dangerous for castrated cats;

the occurrence of beriberi due to the lack of essential vitamins and minerals;

heart failure, allergic reactions;

dysbacteriosis - the death of beneficial intestinal microflora, manifested by indigestion, metabolic disorders, skin and coat problems.

Transferring a cat to homemade food

You can continue to feed the animal with the usual food, mixing little by little the various ingredients of another product, until the replacement is complete. The new type of food should be given to the animal in small quantities in small pieces, the size of which does not differ from the usual daily food. After 4-5 days, the volume of dry food is reduced to 50%, then the replacement occurs completely within 10-15 days.

If the pet prefers certain foods in addition to dry food, they are temporarily limited only to them until the cat is completely weaned from "drying".

If it is difficult to determine the taste preferences of the pet, it is worth offering several different dishes, putting them in different bowls. The cat will choose and take a fancy to a new food, then the cat is already completely transferred to homemade food.

There is such an option when the volume of ordinary food is cut, and the animal, without eating up completely, is saturated with another product, homemade, located nearby with the main, ordinary food.

Usually, the refusal of a cat from a new food plunges the owners into a panic - they worry that the pet is exhausted, sick, and will die. But the animal will not die of hunger if there is food nearby, even tasteless and unloved. Fears are unfounded, remember that you are acting for the benefit of your pet, the cat will reconcile, accept your conditions.

Is it possible to quickly transfer a cat to natural food, cat lovers will tell you:

more rapid adaptation to new food is facilitated by the addition of catnip, with time the supply is stopped, the animal gradually gets used to food;
a few pieces of dry food are placed on the meat to give the usual smell, deceiving the cat;
probiotics are useful during the transition - feeding with dry food impairs peristalsis, lactobacilli improve the digestion process, the microflora is updated, adaptation is easier;
during the transition to natural food, vitamins are recommended;
the bowl of food is removed after 15-20 minutes, regardless of whether food remains in it or not.

Diet for home feeding

The main product in this type of food is meat, about 80%. The rest is cereals, vitamins, vegetable supplements. Natural feeding requires an accurate calculation of the daily intake of food, the opinion that the cat herself knows how much she needs to eat is wrong. Often, fluffy handsome men, not knowing the measure, gobbling up delicious foods on both cheeks, gain excess weight, heart and respiratory problems. Different ages are taken into account when compiling the daily menu.

How to calculate the nutritional rate of a kitten

Two and a half months is the age to wean a baby from its mother. Until the age of nine months, the kitten should receive food no more than 10% of its weight. With a weight of 2000 g, the weight of a daily portion is 200 g. 50% is meat food, 50% is fish products.

How to calculate the amount of food per day for an adult cat

An adult animal needs only 5% of its weight in feed. With an animal weight of 5 kg - 250 g of natural food, consisting of equal parts of sour-milk and meat products. 20 g of vegetables and a few drops of vegetable oil are allowed. Active pets that spend a lot of energy are given more food, inactive, obese, elderly pets need less.

What can you give a cat

The main components of natural cat nutrition are:

fish is a favorite product of fluffy beauties, marine varieties are recommended both raw and boiled. Boiled fish should be cleaned of bones, easily separated from the pulp, they can be swallowed unchewed or stuck in the esophagus;
meat - low-fat chicken, beef, lamb, rabbit meat, horse meat, scalded with boiling water are allowed. Pork is banned;
offal - liver, lungs, heart, kidneys - are introduced into the diet 2 times a week - nutritional value, their usefulness is low. With signs of poor digestion: vomiting, diarrhea - offal is excluded from the animal's menu;
fermented milk products - kefir, cottage cheese, starter cultures of medium fat content. Fat-free ones cause upset stools. Cats do not tolerate milk well - the number of enzymes that break down lactose decreases with age;
vegetables - any are allowed: cabbage, carrots, peppers, pumpkin. A combination is possible. They are given in a chopped raw form, you can mix it with meat. Potato - excluded;
eggs - chicken, quail are suitable. Yolk, protein are mixed. Give separately or with kefir, cottage cheese.

A pet’s illness or surgery is a reason to visit a veterinarian to correct the animal’s nutrition.

Chicken necks have proven themselves well for natural feeding of cats. They are prepared as follows: scroll twice through a meat grinder to grind hard bones, add a little boiled rice or buckwheat, grated carrots. Mix.

Natural food - natural healthy food for your felines. With good care, good attitude, positive attitude of the owners, well-designed feeding ration, the animal will be healthy, happy, and will live a long full life next to the owners.