How to wean a cat off artificial food. How to wean a cat off dry food (Whiskas, Kitiket, Proplan and other industrial food): effective methods and recommendations when changing your pet’s diet How to wean a cat off ready-made stew food

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

You cannot start weaning your pet off dry food if the animal is sick. Additional stress on the body can lead to disastrous consequences.

Difficulties in switching to homemade food

Feed components are attractants and additives. These chemical components are designed to get the animal used to the treat. It is these elements that make it difficult to wean your pet off Whiskas. The largest number of such additives is in economy class feed.

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

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

How to wean a cat off Whiskas?

Many owners start giving dry food to cats from a young age. Kittens do not refuse goodies and soon become hooked 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 your pet mixed food, for example, giving dry food and regular food. This combination of products has a detrimental effect on the animal’s intestines and stomach, leading to tragic 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 equivalent from the same manufacturer. The animal is accustomed to certain flavoring additives, so the transition will not be abrupt. At the same time, the soft version of the food contains fewer harmful components than the dry version.
2. Natural food is introduced into the cat’s diet gradually. You can cook mixed porridges - semolina or rolled oats plus meat/fish. Your pet will not refuse such homemade food.
3. Fresh water must be freely available to the animal. Drinking plenty of fluids will help remove toxins from the body faster.
4. "Cat grass" grown on the windowsill will become an additional source of vitamins.
5. Gradually more and more natural products are added that the cat prefers. For example, if he likes boiled fish, then they give him that instead of food.
6. The amount of feed decreases every day. Not having enough, the cat will begin to eat from a nearby bowl, where healthy foods must be placed in a timely manner.

This plan of action allows the owners to gradually and without harm to the animal’s health transfer the pet from dry food to regular food, completely weaning it off Whiskas and eliminating the dependence.

Features of the transition to natural products

To facilitate the transition of the animal to natural food and wean it off Whiskas, it is necessary to include a complex of vitamins for the pet in the diet. Cats usually eat vitamin 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 transferring an adult cat or kitten to normal food:

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

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

The nutritious nutrition that a cat receives ensures good health and helps prevent the occurrence of many problems with it. Food belonging to the budget class, both soft and dry, is not of high quality and cannot be the cat’s main diet. If for some reason the cat is accustomed to Whiskas, it must be weaned off such unhealthy diet and switched to a nutritious diet. Due to their very high cost, only a few can afford high-quality ready-made food, and therefore most often the pet is accustomed to ordinary natural food. Veterinarians and animal owners who are faced with a similar problem can answer in detail the question of how to wean a cat off Whiskas.

Why is it difficult to wean

Having realized the need to switch his cat to a normal diet, the owner often faces difficulties, since weaning a cat off Whiskas is always a difficult process. This is not due to the fact that the animal does not know other food and therefore does not perceive it as something edible. You shouldn't complain about your cat's stubbornness. The whole problem is that budget food, including Whiskas, contains special additives to give it an attractive taste and aroma. The cat gets used to them like a drug and therefore is not ready to eat normally.

Addiction does not come from just one serving. When Whiskas is given several times a year because the owner has to go on business for a day, the cat will not have time to get used to the food and will not get sick from all the chemicals that it contains. If you feed your pet Whiskas constantly or often, then nothing good can be expected, and in addition to addiction, serious diseases of the intestines, liver and kidneys will soon arise.

How to wean

A cat that is accustomed to artificial food can be successfully weaned off it using one of several proven methods.

Radical. This method is applicable only to healthy animals, since if the cat has health problems, stress from a sudden change in food will not lead to anything good. With this method, synthetic food is simply eliminated at once, and natural food is placed in the bowl. The owner should be firm and not give in to the pitiful meowing of the cat, which may completely refuse to eat for 5-7 days. Gradually he will come to terms with the fact that there is no usual food, and will begin to eat what is given to him.
Smooth. With this method, natural food is gradually mixed into the usual food. Gradually its volume is increased until Whiskas is completely replaced. The process usually takes up to 1 month. At first, it is more convenient to train by introducing boiled meat, cut into cubes, since it is easier to disguise as synthetic food.

When changing food, it is not uncommon for a cat to experience diarrhea or constipation, which is a normal reaction of the body when they begin to give the pet complete food instead of Whiskas. This phenomenon is especially pronounced with the radical weaning method. If digestive problems do not stop within 1 week, you will need to consult a specialist. It may be necessary to feed your pet with medications to restore the intestinal microflora that Whiskas has disrupted.

You may love your cat more than anything in the world, but that love is truly tested when your dear pet starts tearing up furniture, scratching, or getting into places he shouldn't. To wean your cat from unwanted behavior, you will need a sufficient amount of patience and persistence. With some lifestyle adjustments and special corrective techniques, you should be able to stop your cat's unwanted behavior.

Steps

Part 1

Identifying the causes of unwanted behavior in a cat

Understand the most common causes of behavioral problems in cats. Although all animals are unique and may have specific characteristics or specific types of unwanted behavior, in most cases their behavior can be broken down into seven types:

avoiding or not using the litter box;
placing territorial marks with urine on furniture and other objects;
grinding their claws down on furniture and other objects in your home (your cat may also scratch you and other people while playing);
aggressive behavior towards other people or towards the owner;
aggressive behavior towards other cats in your home;
demonstrating stress or anxiety;
fear of certain objects or people.

To rule out possible health problems, take your cat to the vet. Sometimes cats begin to behave badly or exhibit behavioral abnormalities when health problems arise. For example, your cat may refuse to use the litter box due to a urinary tract infection, or she may be aggressive towards you because she is in physical pain, which may not be obvious to you. Some cats may be fearful of people or objects due to vision problems and may groom themselves excessively if they have an overactive thyroid gland (hyperthyroidism).
- Taking your cat to the veterinarian will help identify any health problems that may be causing the bad behavior and treat them promptly before they get worse. If your veterinarian confirms that your cat is completely healthy, you can focus on other environmental causes of your cat's behavioral problems.
Identify the reasons for your cat’s unwanted behavior that lie in the environment. Once you know your cat is completely healthy, you will need to consider why she may be exhibiting one or more of the unwanted behaviors. Pay attention to her environment and try to identify triggers for unwanted behavior, including the following:
- a dirty or insufficiently clean litter box can lead to refusal to use it;
- attacks from the second cat can lead to the first cat refusing to use the litter tray and causing it to become aggressive;
- the arrival of a new cat in your home may lead to the old cat starting to mark territorially with urine; the arrival of a new dog at home can also cause fearful or aggressive behavior in the cat;
- Not having enough scratching posts can lead to your cat scratching furniture and other objects in your home.
Part 2
Correcting cat behavior
1. Avoid using physical punishment and scolding. Physical punishment and verbal abuse are among the least effective ways to correct unwanted cat behavior. In fact, if you hit your cat and yell at it, it will become more afraid of you, be less willing to play with other people, and become more aggressive at scratching and biting. It is very likely that your cat will continue to misbehave when you are not around because she will know that she can get away with bad behavior if you don't see it.
  - Physical or verbal punishments are generally ineffective and short-lived, so they fail to stop the cat's unwanted behavior. On the contrary, they create a more stressful environment for you and your cat. While it may be difficult for you to stop yourself from scolding and using physical punishment on a cat who has marked furniture or gone to the toilet on the carpet rather than in the litter box, it is important to take a deep breath and try, as a responsible pet owner, to resort to more effective correction technique.
2. Use remote correction. When using this technique to wean a cat from unwanted behavior, it creates an associative connection between its unwanted action and an unpleasant surface texture, unpleasant smell, taste or sound. For remote correction, you can use items you already have at home.
  - Texture. You can place sticky paper, aluminum foil, or a scratchy plastic mat on the floor where you don't want your cat to go. Cats generally don't like to step on these types of surfaces.
  - Smell. You can use scents that your cat doesn't like to limit her access to certain areas. For example, you can place cotton balls soaked in citronella, perfume, air freshener, citrus essential oil, aloe juice, eucalyptus or wintergreen oil on certain surfaces and objects.
  - Taste. To prevent your cat from chewing on certain items, you can rub them with certain foods, such as tart apple, citrus fruit, hot sauce, cayenne pepper, or aloe gel. After a while, your cat will begin to associate the unpleasant taste with a specific object or surface and will try to avoid it.
  - Sound. Using scary sounds can distract your cat from engaging in unwanted behavior or jumping on certain surfaces. To make sounds, you can use a whistle, a bell, or a tin can with coins inside. Try making a scary sound instead of your own voice when your cat is about to do something bad, and she will begin to associate this type of behavior with a negative sound.
3. Ignore your cat when she starts to misbehave while playing with you. If you notice that your cat tends to become rude or aggressive during play, you can try to correct this behavior by stopping the play and then ignoring your pet.
  - In this case, you need to go to another room and close the door behind you. Wait until your cat has calmed down before touching or paying attention to her again. This will demonstrate to her that bad behavior during playtime is unacceptable, and will help to wean her from repeating such actions in the future.
Part 3
Making adjustments to your cat's environment and lifestyle
1. Keep your cat's litter box clean. If your cat avoids using the litter box, it is important to keep it clean to encourage her to start using it properly. This means spot-cleaning the litter box daily and refilling it, as well as giving it a thorough wash every week to make the litter box seem like an attractive place for your cat to use the litter box. Most cats do not like litter boxes with mesh bottoms and lids, so try to avoid using these types of litter boxes.
  - If you have several cats at home, then there should be one litter box for each cat, plus one additional litter box. Try to distribute litter boxes in different places so that each cat has enough personal space to relieve itself. For this purpose, select secluded places in your home where the cat can clearly see what is happening around if someone approaches it.
  - The litter box should be large enough for the cat to sit comfortably in it, and the layer of litter in it should be from 2.5 to 5 cm. Cats do not like it when the litter is poured in a layer that is too thick.
2. Provide your cat with scratching posts and daily play time. Most cats begin to misbehave due to boredom or lack of stimulation, so it is important to focus on daily playtime with your pet. To distract your cat from rough play with your hands, use one or more cat toys. During games, keep your cat's attention focused on toys and change them every week so that your pet does not get bored with them.
  - To prevent your cat from scratching furniture and fabric items, it is a good idea to use scratching posts. Place scratching posts in the most active rooms of your home and in your cat's favorite spots.
3. To reduce your cat's stress, use cat pheromones. If your cat uses urine to mark territorial marks, then using synthetic cat pheromones may help. They can reduce the animal's stress and stop the cat from placing territorial marks due to anxious fears or worries.

Good afternoon to all cat lovers and, part-time, visitors and readers of the blog “Obsolute Cat”. Here again a topic has arisen, seemingly well-trodden far and wide. What to feed cats: artificial food or natural products?

What are artificial feeds?

There is also plenty written and said about artificial food for cats today. But basically this is a discussion about which food is better: premium or economy class? What is cheaper and what do cats eat better? The question of whether a cat needs to be fed artificial food at all is rarely raised.

Mostly canned food and dry food for cats are bought because we are lazy. Yes, yes, let's call a spade a spade. First of all, we take care of ourselves. When purchasing artificial food, we don’t bother ourselves with the question “what to give the cat for dinner.” I bought canned food, opened it, poured it into a bowl - and that’s it. Minimum expenditure of thought processes and time.

Natural food is healthier than artificial food.

Advertising of food also greatly contributed to their popularity and somewhat distorted our understanding of a cat’s diet. It is thanks to advertising that we know for certain that cats simply “need” cereals and other silage. But let me remind you that a cat is a carnivorous predator, which by definition cannot become a vegetarian.

In order to understand what ready-made food should consist of, you can remember what the menu of a cat in the village consists of (as close as possible to natural conditions). These are mainly small rodents, less often birds, and even less often fish and insects (moths and grasshoppers). All this is divided into:

meat - animal proteins;
bones and skin - calcium and phosphorus.

All that is contained in the victim's stomach is plant fibers and grains. Separately, cats eat grass occasionally for reasons of maintaining their health.

Cats do not eat fermented milk products on their own. Only as kittens in their cat childhood, and if a person allows it. Raw milk in the stomach of an adult cat almost immediately curdles and is not digested.

What follows from all of the above? The fact is that ideally the food should contain all these ingredients in natural proportions. Namely:

meat – 45%;
animal protein (egg or milk) – 20%;
entrails, bones, offal – 10%;
vegetable components (vegetables, cereals) – 20%;
the rest is natural mineral supplements and vitamins – another 5%.

But, unfortunately, there are no ideal feeds. They would be too expensive and unprofitable to produce.

So what are we (or rather cats) offered as cheaper food to produce? In order not to be unfounded, we simply read what is written in small letters on a can or bag of food:

chemical preservatives, sugar substitutes and antioxidants (you can’t live without them);
by-products (good in principle, but who can guarantee that blood or feather meal, tails, sinews and other waste from slaughterhouses do not go there);
dyes, flavor enhancers;
fillers (cellulose, soy, starch).

If the presence of chemical components is at the very least reflected on labels, then with by-products and fillers it is somewhat more complicated. The legislation of many countries does not say at all that the manufacturing company is obliged to indicate a complete list of what is included in the by-products. And no one knows what may be hidden under this formulation.

Cats eat all of the budget line food with by-products of “plant and animal origin” with great appetite due to the presence of generously sprinkled flavoring additives. It’s hardly worth talking about their usefulness. Quite the contrary.

Cats get hooked on artificial food and then not only do they not eat anything other than dry food, but they also often have health problems:

then the metabolism is disturbed, and cats become fat before our eyes;
then tumors develop out of the blue;
or even some British Vicomte de Bragelonne suddenly dies from liver or kidney failure due to many years of excessive consumption of food.

So how to wean a cat off artificial food and switch it to natural food?

If you are patient, your cat's diet can be changed.

Therefore, many cat lovers either initially try not to give food to cats, or are wondering how to switch a cat to natural food.

When we got our first cat, Muska, we (to be honest) treated and pampered her with Whiskas and Perfect Fit. And then it turned out that Muska refused all types of food, preferring to wait until we bought food. And then there are growing rumors and news that the food is not safe.

In short, we decided to wean the cat off food and give her natural food. Not so. Muska had already gotten used to the delicious-smelling pillows and stubbornly waited for them, rejecting and avoiding bowls of sausage or fish. I took a strong stand, despite my wife's protests and her threats to go to animal rights court. The supply of food was abruptly stopped, and the cat’s oxygen was, as they say, cut off. Every day several times I offered Muska a choice of meat, sausage, or fish. She sniffed, but did not touch, continuing to beg with cries for food (which was not available).

This went on for a day, two, three... a week. Hungry cat cries and wife’s persuasion not to torture the unfortunate animal. But the main thing is to remain adamant at this moment. Once you give me an indulgence, that’s it, you don’t have to start a second time. The cat will be one hundred percent sure that sooner or later she will receive food.

“Hunger is not a aunt, hunger is a uncle. Hunger is a big man!” Such epithets are not in vain. No matter what happens, the very first instinct of an animal is self-preservation. Live! At any cost, by any means, just live! No animal in its right mind would die of hunger if there was even the slightest possibility of maintaining its life. In the frozen tundra, beyond the Arctic Circle, starving wild dogs gnaw pieces of the frozen feces of their brethren who were here, just so as not to die. So here, in a warm house, on a cozy sofa, a cat will not die of hunger in front of a bowl full of natural food, just because it wants Whiskas. Believe me.

After a week and a half of hunger strike, the cat began to eat boiled meat. Further – more, I learned what fish and porridge are. Today we do not know what artificial food is and are completely indifferent to the jars and bags of food temptingly displayed on the shelves. We initially gave our second cat, Marsik, only natural food.

What do I, being so smart, feed my cats?

I'm telling you:

boiled meat (beef, chicken);
boiled duck and goose liver (heart, kidneys) when cutting poultry;
boiled sea fish (hake, pollock, blue whiting);
milk porridge (semolina, rice);
porridge with canned fish (saury);
soup in meat broth with carrots and meat;
Borsch with sour cream;
cottage cheese with sour cream (it doesn’t always work, but I give it regularly);
meatballs with stewed vegetables;
boiled sausage (milk sausages, amateur sausages, doctor’s sausage).

That's basically it. Although no, not everything:

In the summer, sometimes I bring them grass from the garden and the cats are eager to “graze.”
For the winter, I prepared a bunch of natural hay for them.
Well, there’s also a box of vitamins.

That's it now. And look at . How strong and healthy they are. None of them are obese, despite the breed's tendency. The cats are lean, active and in athletic shape.

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Dry cat food is not complete nutrition and can lead to health problems for your pet. In addition, such food provokes food addiction, as a result of which the animal gets used to such food and begins to refuse normal food. Therefore, it is important to know how to wean your cat off dry food and replace it with natural products.

How to switch a cat from Whiskas, Proplan, Kitiket to natural food

Whiskas is the most addictive in cats, so in this case, in order to switch the cat to healthy food, it will take a lot of time and patience of the pet owner. You can wean off Whiskas by gradually reducing the amount of food and replacing it with new but healthy products. This method is most suitable for feeding kittens.

To switch an adult cat from Whiskas to homemade food, you need to put natural food in a bowl. Even if the animal does not want to try a new product, you should not despair - after a few days of fasting, the cat will still begin to eat healthy food. The basic rule in this case is to always have fresh food in the bowl. only quality food!

Both methods are ideal for weaning kittens and adult animals off.

Important! It is not allowed to add natural products to this food, since such food overloads the animal’s digestive system.

Any specialist will say that foods such as Kitiket or its analogue can lead to various diseases in cats. To prevent this from happening, it is important to wean your pets from using them.

To do this, you need to stop giving cats this food altogether, and constantly put fresh food in the bowl, preferably starting with meat (you can try boiled beef or liver). After some time, the pet will begin to eat it. After this, you can introduce vegetable dishes, offal and grains. Such methods help wean cats off other dry industrial foods.

In some cases, with severe addiction, the weaning process can last from one to two months. Therefore, you should not despair, it is important to go towards the goal - and then the result will not keep you waiting. After all, the main task of the shift is the health of the pet.

The main mistakes owners make when changing the type of cat diet

A pet's pitiful look is not a reason to pour Whiskas into a bowl.

When changing cat food from dry food to natural products, owners make a number of mistakes.

Here are the most common ones:

It takes a long time to transition from feed to regular food - from two to three weeks. Therefore, owners should be patient and in no case, using a certain method of weaning from food, follow the lead of their beloved animal, no matter how sorry it is and no matter how much pain it experiences. This is especially true in situations where the owner simply stopped feeding the cat commercial food.
It is also important not to rush when changing the type of food. An abrupt transition can provoke health problems in a cat, for example.
There is no need to pamper the animal by replacing food with various delicacies.
You need to understand that the process of changing the diet for animals is a stressful situation. Therefore, you need to endure “strikes” and your pet’s bad mood. It is necessary to show love and patience towards the cat. If the cat does try a new product, it should be petted and praised for it.

Important! A normal, healthy diet for cats should contain about 45 percent meat products and protein of animal origin, 20 percent each of vegetables, grains and offal. And only 5 percent is allocated to various additives (bone meal, oil, vitamin and mineral complexes).

How to wean a cat off industrial food: effective ways

It is easier to wean kittens off dry food by offering them natural food.

You can accustom your cat to normal food using the following methods:

Gradual reduction in the amount of dry food. Experts advise placing two bowls first: one with natural food, and the other with dry food to which the cat is accustomed. It is recommended to reduce the amount of industrial food daily, keeping it to a minimum. It is quite possible that a pet that will not eat enough will begin to try natural food.
Mixing normal food into the food. The main principle of this method is consistency and gradualism. With each meal, it is necessary to add natural products to the food, which over time will completely replace the food.
Feeding your favorite food. If an animal, in addition to industrial food, loves a certain product, you can give it in larger quantities. Gradually, using this method, you can wean your cat off food and switch it to natural food. If the animal's preferences are unknown, you should try putting several foods in separate bowls. Depending on what food the animal is partial to, you can determine what food you can replace the food with first.
Relieving the effects of food additives. You need to understand that dry food has many additives that make your beloved pet “addicted” to such food. You can replace it, which does not have a pungent odor or taste. First, it is added in small quantities to the cat’s usual food, then the proportions are increased and by the end of the week it is completely transferred to food without food additives, which will be easier to replace with homemade food.

Natural food is added to dry food when weaning a cat.

When mixing homemade food into the feed, it is advisable to first use meat (boiled and finely chopped), then vegetables. At the last stage of changing the diet, you can start adding grains (this can be done by the end of the second or third week).

The most radical way is to never feed your cat industrial food again. Naturally, this will be very difficult, and at first the animal may stop eating altogether. But over time, the instinct of self-preservation will win - and the cat will begin to eat normal food.

Important! When adding natural products to food, it is desirable that at first they do not differ too much in consistency and size from dry food.

Thus, weaning a cat off food and accustoming it to homemade food is a long and difficult process, since food additives are addictive. However, this is quite possible if the owner adheres to exact recommendations and does not make mistakes when changing the cat’s diet.

The video talks about the dangers of dry cat food: