Transitioning a Kitten
I just got a kitten named Vaaldir on Monday. Unlike two of my other bengals he did not come raw fed. And unlike all my other cats he isn't taking to raw right away. Partially he is overwhelmed by a new home as he wouldn't even eat his normal food. So I want to share his adventures transitioning to raw.
Day 1 (Monday) Put a complete raw meal in front of him. Smelled it but little interested -always try this first, you'd be surprise some cats just go with it. In this case I think my little guy is just overwhelmed by a new home
Day 2 (Tuesday) we put down several options including a piece of raw chicken, freeze dried raw and his normal canned (from the breeder) smelled it licked a few, mouthed some freeze dried raw (lamb) But not to interest -today he is still adjusting but sometimes you have to try some different flavors and textures to see what they like as an individual
Day 3 (Wednesday) put down a small piece of chicken for lunch while the other kittens ate. Smelled it, licked it, played with it. -sometimes watching others especially as kittens can teach other kittens what they are supposed to do. In older cats this can be a means of competition and inspire them to eat
Day 4 (today) lunch (pictured) diced chicken heart, tiny piece of liver and
tiny piece of raw chicken and freeze dried raw mixed in with chunked canned food (the other was pate) He ate most of it.
Tonight we will do the same with a little less canned
A few notes:
1. Never feed a cat dry food. it is detrimental for their health for multiple reasons.
2. Never transition using kibble either. It can cause digestive upset and leave your companion open to illness and bacterial disease
3. Canned food is often just as bad as dry food as it's nutrients are cooked out. It's only saving grace is it's moisture content which is essential for cats. only use it if absolutely necessary to transition your cat to raw.
4. If you must use canned food use on that is grain free and preferably carbohydrate free (grains, fruits and veggies)
Day 5 Breakfast My husband tried to give him plan raw (as in no canned added) that was a total no go -impatience can set you back. Although it can be frustrating go at your cats pace. We all know they are boss!
Day 5 Lunch My husband tried mixing in some wet canned and he finished his whole meal (no really sure what was give as I wasn't home lol) -remember fed multiple smaller meals throughout the day to kittens. They have tiny stomach but need lots of nutrition as they rapidly are growing!
Day 5 Dinner I gave Vaaldir about 4 oz of meat including small chunks of chicken, duck heart, duck liver and ground lamb mixed with about a teaspoon of canned!!! He ate almost all of it -sometimes just a smear of wet canned can get a transitioning cat to eat. Experiment. with amounts and see how little you can add. Eventually you won't need to add anything!!!
We are now on Day 6 of Vaaldir's transition! Hubby tried larger chunks at lunch and i gave him the chunks the other cats usually get. We also tried beef. So far he has had chicken and duck. As you can see we barely even needed any canned food. I placed just a few morsels on there. I think it was a success! -don't be afraid to experiment with size and protein sources your little guy may surprise you
And we have arrived at Day 7 of Vaaldir's transitioning to raw! Guess what?! We are officially 100% on raw...no canned! This 15 week old kitten came to me one week ago tomorrow fed on wet and dry Blue Buffalo. Just seven days and he is fully on raw!
