Changing diets (for a new owner)

[cgf79]

Hello,
I'm taking over caring for a young cat next week. He's called Luca and is around 1 year old. He is neutered and is an indoor cat. I've never had a cat before and Luca has come as a bit of a (very welcome) surprise. I've made an appointment with the vet but she can't see us for two weeks. In the meantime I have some questions about his diet/eating habits.

He currently eats a tin of store brand wet cat food a day but seems to leave quite a bit in his bowl (about a quater). Is this normal for a young cat? From what I've gathered (I haven't had much time so may be completely wrong) some cats are quite finicky when it comes to food. Is it likely he doesn't like it or could he just not have much of an appetite?

I had planned to change his diet as soon as I started looking after him as I wanted to feed a better quality food. I'm now thinking maybe I should wait until he has been weighed/checked over by the vet? So as to avoid chopping and changing his diet in such a short space of time.

If I do change foods straight away should it be done slowly to avoid an upset stomach?

Is there a recommended cat food brand? Or is it a matter of whatever fits the particular cat?

Thanks for any help and apologies if any of this should be in another topic!

[Tink]

Hi, there
Yes, it is pretty individual. The guideline I follow is something around 1/2 to 1 oz. food per body weight a day. So for a 10 lb. cat let's say, 5-10 oz. of tinned food a day should be about right (1-2 tins).
I think you should probably stock up on the food he is currently eating and then maybe buy a few miscellaneous tins of foods you might like to try with him. Certainly you can offer him a little bit at a time of each (maybe try a tablespoon at first) to see if it suits his taste. I'd keep his main diet the same and experiment with other tins by leaving a bit out and see if any peak his interest more. Might be too stressful to change everything all at once but I see no harm in small offerings to see what his preferences are and what kind of appetite he has.
The fact he's already on tinned food is great--later on things you might want to use to pick out his food is look for ones with meat as the top ingredients, naturally preserved if possible, and not too many fillers (especially ones with corn or wheat and such..if there is rice,brown would be preferable to white) not too many artificial flavorings and colors. I prefer grain free foods for my cats, myself. However it is early days yet so I wouldn't fret too much over his current diet just yet and concentrate on transitioning to a new home.
Oh, and congratulations

[dandysmom]

Some very good advice from Tink. How many meals a day are you giving him? He may be leaving some because he's had enough; I'm a great believer in smaller meals more frequently.. my 11 year old girl has 4 a day (wet) with just a sprinkling of dry. Dry is convenient for the owner, but a diet of it can cause cystitis problems with many cats, as they tend not to drink enough water. Many people (myself included) like to add a bit of water to the wet food to make more gravy which they seem to like and increases the liquid intake. Changing the diet should be gradual ... add a little bit of the new to what he's accustomed to.

Do let us know how the little fellow is doing!

[Elaine]

If current owner is just putting a whole tin of food out in one sitting and leaving it, it's quite likely that Luca has had his fill and leaves it. Wet food goes off quickly and so Luca may not eat the rest if it has been out all day. As DM says, try a few smaller meals through out the day.
To change his food, this should be done over the course of a week to ten days, adding a little of the new food gradually, any signs of an upset tummy then stop the new food imediately.
Are you changing from wet food to dry food or another brand of wet food?
Be careful if changing to a dry only diet as this can be a contributory factor in male cats getting Urinary tract disease.
Tink has given you some useful tips on what to look for in a good quality food.
Congratulations for the arrival of your new cat. xxx

[cgf79]

Thank you for the guidelines. I'll start looking around locally for cat food with a higher meat content.

As far as I know my dad just opens a tin in the morning and leaves it there till the next day. Thinking about it that can't be very appealing for Luca!

Is it a good idea to feed a mix of dry and wet? Although I haven't lived with a cat I don't see how feeding wet food can be that inconvenient? I might not be able to manage feeding 4 times a day because of work, but would feeding at breakfast and dinner be ok?

Originally Posted by Elaine

Are you changing from wet food to dry food or another brand of wet food?

I don't want to feed dry only, I didn't know that was possible! I want to change the brand of wet food he currently has as I think it's very low quality. Even though I know very little about cats I can't imagine dry biscuits being very enjoyable. I keep rats and spend a lot of time making their food as interesting and enriching as possible.

Thanks for all your congratulations, I'm really excited to live with Luca!

[Elaine]

Personally, I feed a wet only diet but thats b ecause I have had some experience of illness, with the likely candidate being dry food. That said some cats dont suffer any ill effects while others do.
Just make sure that what ever food you decide to use, it is a "complete" food. There are several foods such as applaws which dont have all the nutrients needed for a complete diet but are fine as a treat.

[wilbar]

Cats naturally eat many small meals a day (about mouse-sized ) & feral cats are known to catch & eat around 6 mice a day with pregnant/lactating females eating up to 12 mice a day. So it's no wonder that your cat will graze on the whole tin of food over the day & then leave some, either because he's not hungry or it deteriorates & is no longer palatable.

I'm not a fan of dry only diets (although many vets seem to have no problem in recommending dry only diets, despite the links with urinary tract problems). But I would happily leave a bowl of good quality dry food out for a cat to graze on over the day then feed smaller amounts of a good quality wet food morning & evening.

Plus I supplement my cats' food with raw meat (e.g. raw minced chicken, turkey, lamb etc), steamed coley fish, tuna in water, lightly scrambled egg, cooked chicken etc. They may have one of these instead of wet food in the evenings to add variety. And if you can get your cat to chew on RAW bones, e.g. a raw chicken wing, then even better ~ fantastic for dental care

But the main thing to remember is that cats are obligate carnivores, so they need good quality meat (not just lean muscle meat, but all sorts of animal body parts, some offal, sinewy chewy bits etc). If you feed only proprietary cat food, try to choose ones that have a good proportion of meat (not just meat by-products or derivatives), & as few additives, flavourings, colourants, grains, cerals etc as possible.

If you are intending to change your cat's diet, I would recommend that you do it gradually by mixing small amounts of new foods with the old food, then increasing the proportion of new food. And introduce new foods one at a time over the course of a few weeks.

And it can be a really good thing to hand feed your cat some of the tastier & favourite food items sometimes, because this creates a good bond with you & your cat, & your cat sees you as the "bringer of good things". Plus it can make so much easier if you want to train your cat at some stage if they are used to getting hand fed sometimes.

As Luca is an indoor cat, doing some training (see clicker training thread) would be a lovely thing to do with him, provides much needed mental stimulation for an indoor cat.

Good luck with Luca ~ hope you'll be very happy together.

[cgf79]

Thank you all so much! I feel less at sea now.

I've ordered some tins of Bozita, Natures Menu, Applaws, Yarrah Organic and Hills Feline. For the first few days I think I'll just feed them as treats in very small portions in addition to his current food and see which he enjoys the most. As I can only get dry food in large bags I've just got one brand, Orijen.

I'm moving opposite Billingsgate Fish Market, next Saturday if I'm up early enough I'll pick up some fresh fish as a treat.

I move in on Sunday and I'm very excited! Hopefully he'll take to his new diet without any trouble.

[calismum]

Can't really add to the advice given. I've always fed wet with a bowl of dry available for them to ad lib when they feel like it.

Hope your move goes smoothly and you and Luca settle in quickly.