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How do I safely switch my kitten's wet food without upset stomach?

Updated On September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Cat | American Shorthair | Male | neutered | 4 lbs

I just adopted two kittens and switched their dry food too soon (they gave us free food, I assumed we could use). They got sick so we went back to their original brand. I was going to switch their "wet" brand from Friskees Turkey Giblet Pate to a kitten formula cat food (Chicken Soup for the Soul) but wasn't sure if I would have the same experience with them (diaherrea, vomiting). If I want to switch wet foods, is there a process I need to follow?

4 Answers

Most Helpful Answer

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Answered By Megan, DVM, CVA

Veterinarian

Published on March 6th, 2018

You can switch their food but you want to slowly transition them to the new food. This means you want to start with mixing only a small amount of the new food in with the old food for a few days then over a 10 day period, increase the amount of new food while decreasing the amount of old food until you are just feeding the new food around day 10. By slowly transitioning them to a new food, it decreases the risk of causes an upset stomach. I hope this helps!

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Other Answers

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    Answered By Dr. Davis

    Veterinarian

    Published on October 25th, 2017

    I usually start with offering a small amount of moistened dry food beside the wet food. As they start to eat it then I give more moistened dry food and less canned. Gradually you can stop the wet food. I also leave some dry in a dish and as they grow and their teeth get bigger they will start to eat the dry without moistening. As long as you switch the food gradually they should not get an upset stomach or diarrhea. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach to help you care for your kittens.

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    Answered By Dr. Dayna, DVM, CVA

    Veterinarian, Certified Veterinary Acupuncturist

    Published on October 26th, 2017

    So I would just very slowly start to decrease the amount of canned food and increase the amount of dry. Do this slowly over 1-2 weeks. They will usually prefer the canned but will do fine as you transition it away. I hope this helps! Thank you for using Pet Coach.

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    Answered By David Darvishian

    Veterinarian

    Published on December 8th, 2017

    Hi and thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Sorry to hear about Winnie. Let's address the vomiting first. If that persists, worsens or other signs develop, I would advise that you have her evaluated by your veterinarian. Vomiting has many causes in cats including intestinal worms, overgrooming leading to hair balls or problems with too much hair being ingested, anything that can affect the motility or functioning of the stomach and intestinal tract, inflammation, infection, dietary problems (including dietary indiscretion or eating things pets are not supposed to eat, food sensitivities/allergies), ingestion of foreign bodies or exposure to toxins, bacterial overgrowth in the gut, problems in the stomach, intestines, or even problems outside of the intestinal tract/stomach including pancreatitis, kidney/gallbladder/liver problems, metabolic disease (diabetes,etc), endocrine diseases (thyroid or other hormone problems), etc. In kittens, we would be most concerned about intestinal parasites, dietary indiscretion, or a foreign body. A thorough history and physical exam with resultant diagnostics such as fecal tests, blood tests, imaging studies such as x-rays/ultrasound can be done to try to determine what is going on. Once a diagnosis is made or suspected a sound treatment plan can be implemented. Transitioning the food should occur over a 7-14 day time period. Each day decrease the amount of wet food offered and slowly increase the amount of dry you are offering. After a week or two, the transition should be complete. Two other points- she may be experiencing some oral discomfort from gum inflammation or teething which is affecting her ability to eat dry food comfortably. Also, it's possible this particular type of wet food you are using is not compatible with her causing her to vomit. Not all diets will work for all pets. You might have to go through a trial and error process to see what diet will work the best for her. One last point, the grain-free trend in the pet food industry is a fad. There are very few pets who suffer problems from eating grains. This trend is popular in human nutrition and many people have problems with grains. It's just a marketing strategy used by the pet food industry with no substantiated proof that it's important in pet nutrition.

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