Feeding Tips to Transition Your Cat

onto PurrForm

Transition from processed food to a raw diet

Switching to a raw diet allows you to know what you are feeding your cat. You will feel much more comfortable knowing the wholesomeness of each ingredient & the health benefits to your cat. It is ideal to start your kitten on a raw diet at an early age. They can eat the same food as adult cats, just more of it and more often. Kittens need about twice as much food per ounce of body weight as an adult.

 

All that growing requires them to ideally eat about every 4 to 6 hours. If you’re getting a kitten(s), start them off on the right track with a raw diet, and you won’t have to worry about transitioning them later on.

 

The key to transition for an older cat is patience.
The transition can be fast or very slow. However long it takes, stick with it, it’s well worth it.

 

Transitioning your cat onto raw food needs to be carried out over at least 8 – 10 days. Cats have sensitive stomachs and any change in diet should be done gradually. They also need to get used to a different texture and smell.

Essential rules to successfully transition your cat onto a raw food diet

  • Cats smell their food before eating it. If the food smells different, cats will often not even try it.

  • Pet owners must therefore decide what makes their cats tick when it comes to food and try to disguise the smell of the new food

  • The easy way to do this is either;

  • To crunch kibbles and sprinkle over the raw food

  • Pour tuna brine juice onto the raw food

  • Pour water into their pouch of favourite wet food to make a gravy. Then sieve the gravy and pour a small amount onto the raw food. Store the remaining gravy in the fridge.

  • As a pet owner you will have to do anything necessary to entice your cat to test the raw food, so be imaginative!

  • Behaviour towards your cat is also important. Be relaxed and do not make eye contact with your cat when serving the first raw meal.

  • Move away from your cat and pretend to be busy, cats know how to get your attention so don’t fall into their trap!!

How to Transition:-

If your cat is currently on wet food:

Follow the steps below, twice a day, morning and evening.

  • Day 1 & 2 Mix 10% of raw food with your cat’s current wet food for 2 days in a row.

  • Day 3 & 4 Increase the amount of raw food by another 10% and decrease the amount of the current wet food.

  • Day 5 to 10 Apply this method until you have eliminated the need to mix the current wet food and raw, until your cat is solely eating raw.

If your cat is currently only eating dry food:

  • Please ensure that your cat’s dry food is available in a separate bowl at all times during the early stages of the transition.

Follow the steps below, twice a day, morning and evening.

  • Day 1 & 2 Serve 10g of raw food into your cat’s bowl, then crunch and sprinkle a few bits of kibble over the top of the raw food.

  • Day 3 & 4 Serve 20g of raw food and sprinkle the crunched kibble over the top.

  • Day 5 & 6 Serve 40g of raw food and sprinkle less crushed kibble.

  • Repeat this process until you have completely cut out thedry food and your cat is eating a raw meal twice a day.

Switching your cat from a raw diet onto PurrForm raw:

Follow the steps below, twice a day, morning and evening.

  • Day 1 & 2 Mix 20g of PurrForm raw food with the current raw diet and decrease the current raw diet by the same amount.

  • Day 3 & 4 Increase the amount of PurrForm raw food by another 20% and decrease the current raw diet by the same amount.

  • Day 5 & 6 Apply this method until your cat if fully transitioned onto PurrForm raw food.

  • This process can also be applied when trying to introduce a new PurrForm flavour.

Key Points:-

When switching from processed food or dry food diet, remember the following:

  • Be very patient as this could be a slow process

  • No matter how long it takes, stick with it, it’s worth it!

  • Never switch diet instantly but instead mix the current diet with some of the raw food.

  • Providing your cat with a variety of different flavours of raw food is recommended.

  • Ideally before serving, the raw meat should be at room temperature as sometimes cold food can upset the stomach of your cat. Remember that when a cat hunts, its prey would never be chilled!

How much raw meat and bone should you feed your cat?

  • Daily amount should be around 2% to 3% of the total body weight of your cat, spread over 2 meals, morning and evening.

  • Food portion will also depend on your cat’s appetite as one day they might ravish their bowl and the next day they will only eat half of their meal.

  • Kittens of 9 months can eat twice as much per gram of body weight as an adult cat, as they are growing.

  • When feeding your cat, set a routine whereby the food is given in the morning and in the evening, preferably at the same time each day. If a cat is eating the correct food, it does not need to ‘graze’ during the day.

  • Remove any uneaten food after 30/45 minutes, cover it and this can be stored in the fridge for later.

When serving a raw frozen diet, please remember the following:-

  • Keep frozen until ready to prepare for feeding

  • For maximum food safety and freshness, defrost your cat’s daily portion by thawing it in the fridge for a minimum of 8 hours for our 70g pouches or 24 hours for our 450g tubs.

  • The food can be left at room temperature for 15 to 30 minutes before serving.

  • Once defrosted, our meat will stay fresh for 3 to 4 days in the fridge.

  • Do not heat or microwave our products and its contents under any circumstances.

Take care when handling raw meat, and ensure all utensils and surfaces are thoroughly cleaned after use.

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