How do I gradually switch my cat's food to a new one without problems?
Updated On September 23rd, 2025
How to change your cats food
2 Answers
Most Helpful Answer
Published on February 12th, 2019
It's recommended to do it gradually over a period of 1-2 weeks, you need to mix the new and old food, start with a small amount of the new food the first few days and gradually increase the amount of the new food and decrease the amount of the old food.
1Pet Parents found this answer helpful
Related Answers from Veterinarians
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Published on March 8th, 2018
It is a good idea to gradually transition any pet to a new food. That being said, many pets have stronger stomachs than others and can transition between foods with no issue. You can try the transition over 4 days and watch stools and appetite closely. If you notice decreased appetite or runny stools then you may want to purchase another small bag of the older food for a more gradual transition. Best of luck to you and Oliver!
1Pet Parents found this answer helpful
Health & Wellbeing
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 kit
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!
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Food & Nutrition
Hi, I'm going to change my kittens dry food because he doesn't gain weight on that product. Probably I should do it gradually up to 7 to 10 days. But Oliver's old food stock is not enough to reach 7 to 10 days, only 4 days. And I don't want to buy an
It is a good idea to gradually transition any pet to a new food. That being said, many pets have stronger stomachs than others and can transition between foods with no issue. You can try the transition over 4 days and watch stools and appetite closely. If you notice decreased appetite or runny stools then you may want to purchase another small bag of the older food for a more gradual transition. Best of luck to you and Oliver!
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Food & Nutrition
My currently 3 month old male Persian kitten feeds on royal canin dry food for kittens and whiskas wet food. I want to start feeding her royal canin wet food and royal canin dry food specially for Persian . Can I just start feeding her the new food
Hello, any new diet that will be offered should be transitioned gradually. Sudden diet changes may cause a decreased appetite, vomiting or diarrhea. So transition the diet slowly. Make sure that the new food is also for kittens as she needs the additional calories and protein for her growth. Hope this helps and best of luck.
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Health & Wellbeing
My cat (13yr) lost lots of weight (now 6#), eats tons, has loose stool, and vomits occasionally but not often. A vet found no masses, and blood and urine panels came back clean. Now I suspect IBD and want to try a food trial. The instructions on this
Yes, it is always good to gradually change over to a new diet rather than doing it abruptly. I usually recommend a period of about 5-7 days to switch food. Start with 25% new food, 75% old food for 2-3 days, then increase the ration to 50:50 for a few days, then further increase it to 75% new, 25% old for a few days, then 100% new food. I hope the diet change does the trick for Z. Best of luck. Let us know if you have any additional questions!
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Food & Nutrition
Hi. My mom bought a wrong brand of dry cat food. We can't refund it. My mom don't hsve money for cat food for now. And my cats are starving. Should I feed them the cat food?
Hello and thank you for reaching out to Boop by Petco. If you still have any of the previous cat's food, you can try gradually introducing the new food. For example, start by feeding 25% new food and 75% old food for a few days. Then 50%/50% for a few days. Then feed 75% new food and 25% old food for a few days. Then feed just 100% of the new food. This will help to reduce the risk of gastrointestinal upset as a result of a diet change. If you do not have any more of the previous diet, that is OK. Just be aware that your cat may have some soft stools for several days during the initial diet change. I hope this is helpful!
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Health & Wellbeing
How to make feed transition and what amount should I have to do it and how much should I use?
If you are wanting to switch Kiko to a new food the best way to do it is to transition him slowly from the old food to the new food over about a period of one week. I usually recommend doing about 25% of new food to 75% of old food for 2 to 3 days then increasing that to 50-50, then increasing it 2 to 3 days later 75% new to 25% old and so on. By the end of 7-10 days you should be able to successfully start them on the new food without any problems. Signs to watch out for that can indicate a food intolerance to the new food include vomiting and diarrhea/soft stools. Good luck.
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Health & Wellbeing
Lola had 7 kittens 5 weeks ago. How long should it take them to go from wet kitten food to dry kitten food?
Great question! It should take about two weeks to transition them. Mix together the wet food and the dry food, and over the next two weeks, slowly increase the amount of dry food and decrease the amount of wet food until they are eating the dry food only. I hope this helps :-)
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Health & Wellbeing
What can you do to help prevent the animal from getting diarrhea with the new food?
When switching to a new food, I recommend that you mix it slowly into the old food over 2-3 weeks. So, for example, the first 5 days feed 75% old food, and 25% new food. The next 5 days feed 50/50. The next 5 days 75% new food and 25% old food. If you see nausea, vomiting, or diarrhea during any of this period, then back off and transition a little slower. If the symptoms continue, then your pet may have a dietary intolerance to the new food and it should not be used.
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Food & Nutrition
To switch from kitten stage wet food to adult stage wet food both are the same brand (Iam)does it have to be introduced slowly?
What a great question. I have seen many dogs and cats get diarrhea from switching from kitten to adult even if it is the same brand. I would still recommend a 4 or 5 days introduction/ slow switch over. Best of luck and thank you for using Pet Coach.
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Health & Wellbeing
My cat isn’t eating as much as usual after I change the cat food. How can I make it eat new cat food?
First, you'll want to make sure to do a gradual change over 7-9 days, slowly adding in more new food and less old food, otherwise Shiro can get an upset stomach which may be why she doesn't want to eat the new food. If the food is a dry food, you can wet it with a little water and warm it up in the microwave for 3-5 seconds. If the food is a wet food, you can just warm it up as it is. Cats are driven by smell, and so a smelly, warm food is likely to entice them to eat. If Shiro still doesn't want to eat the new food, I would return to the old food for a bit, and then try again (slowly). A vet visit to rule out any issues such as stomach upset, illness, etc, is also a good idea if you see any other problems.
Updated on September 24th, 2025
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