Showing posts with label diet transition schedule. Show all posts
Showing posts with label diet transition schedule. Show all posts
Friday, July 11, 2014

Feeding Tips For Your Finicky Kitty


Rocky (17+); Fred (14) and Smokey (10 )

Deborah Albritton

Meet Deborah Albritton, M.P.A.
Ask Ariel friend and client

Ask Ariel friend and client, Deborah Albritton is an experienced cat owner with three senior kitties.  Rocky, Fred and Smokey are pampered to the fullest!   Over the years, Deborah has educated herself and learned from experience about all different ways to transition her finicky kitties to healthier food.  Since she has had so much success, we would love to share her tips with you!

First and foremost choose a high quality food.  I have seen first-hand the difference that a true quality diet can make.  Choose brands that do not contain grains or chemicals and limit poultry and seafood since these foods can be inflammatory for a lot of cats with health conditions such as feline herpes and stomatitis.  Some of my kitties' favorites are Addiction, Instinct and Ziwi Peak.  I only use canned food or freeze dried raw as toppers.  I don't use dry kibble due to the added carbohydrates,  poor digestibility and overprocessing of the food.

Toppers
I have used toppings probably as the best way to “bribe” my kitties to eat new foods!   I have 2 cats that do really well and I still have one (10 year  old) that will not eat rabbit or venison.  So, it can be very difficult.  I think the key is to use the healthy toppings—in moderation. Some favorites are freeze dried foods such as : Natures Variety Instinct Raw Daily Boost (fine powder), Dr. Harvey's tripe, Feline Instincts beef or Stella and Chewy's.

I grind up the topper in a blender and have little containers labeled with their favorite toppings in a little basket. (Word of warning…too much topping can be constipating—so, be careful – to go gingerly with these as toppers!)  Many can be mixed with warm water as a little treat for topping.. which may work like a  “gravy topping”.

Hide the Supplements in Something Yummy!
I hide their  supplements in all meat baby food (e.g. ham or beef) with no issue. ( just make sure no onions—which is often in veggie broth or chicken broth in commercial products) I also use different textures of food.  For example, Pride By Instinct offers rabbit flavors in different textures so you can see if your kitty prefers minced vs pate, for example.  Rocky, Smokey and Fred at different times, have benefited from these Ask Ariel supplements:   Colostrum for Pets, Power Probiotic, Notatum, Quentans, Roqueforti, Kidney Health, Renelix, Lypozyme and more.


Transition Your Pet's Diet Changes Slowly  
Here is a suggested transition schedule:  
  •  First 4 days   ¼ new  ¾ old
  •  Next three days  ½ new  ½ old
  •  Final three days  ¾ new food and ¼ old   
If your cat is “super fussy”,  go even slower.   Sometimes just a 1/4 teaspoon a day of the new food until eventually they get used to the new smell and texture.
Fiber
We do add a little pumpkin—for our elderly cats--- helps since their mobility and motility slows with age. Also, 1/8 teaspoon ground flaxseed 2x a day mixed in food.