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Old May 30th, 2011, 11:39 AM
Twocents Twocents is offline
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Join Date: Mar 2009
Location: SW Ontario
Posts: 78
Exclamation Dangers & Gradual Transition

Quote:
Originally Posted by Longblades View Post
Here is a trick my Vet suggested and has found to often work... I have not tried this but it sounds reasonable.
Yes, this method works well; it's one of the tips listed by Dr. Pierson on Catinfo.org, above (http://catinfo.org/), & one we've successfully used both for transitioning from kibble and switching from one brand of canned to another. (“Transitioning tips shortcut: http://catinfo.org/#Transitioning_Dr...o_Canned_Food_ )

A gradual transition is best. Suddenly switching to a new food can cause problems and make your cat really sick (diarrhea, loss of appetite resulting in hepatic lipidosis [fatty liver disease] from too much weight loss at one time, stress, stress-induced urinary problems, stress-induced infections, dehydration, ...).

A sudden change that leaves a cat too hungry also results in a cranky, agitated animal. Anyone with more than one feline knows this also results in more kitty disputes & fights.

My own experience has been that our cats do NOT like two different foods mixed together. Even if the food is the same brand & type, they dislike two different flavours combined in one dish. One of our cats was very stubborn; to get him off kibble we had to buy a variety of little cans of cat food to find ones he would eat. Then we had to transition him to the same food our other cats eat.


Since kibble and many treats are LOADED with bacteria, you should not add water to it and leave it out. This is why I would be careful about combining kibble together with canned food. If you want to prove this to yourself, put some pet kibble in a dish, add some water to it & leave it. If you do the same thing with canned food and compare the two, the wet kibble will go bad before the canned food because canned food is sterile.

People with kids in the house need to remember that pet kibble and treats should be handled like raw meat..


The Safety of Dry Food - http://catinfo.org/#The_Safety_of_Dry_Food


"Dry food is far from a clean, safe, and pathogen-free source of food for your cat. Please see the section on my Making Cat Food page which details just a few of the many pet food recalls due to contamination of commercial pet food with deadly chemicals, bacteria (salmonella, etc.), fungal mycotoxins, and storage mites. The issue of rancid fats in dry food is also discussed on the Making Cat Food page (http://catinfo.org/?link=makingcatfo...rs_of_Dry_Food).

…There is no doubt in my mind that many cats and dogs have become ill from the contaminants that are often present in dry pet foods yet nobody (including the veterinarian and pet owner) puts 2 + 2 together and realizes that the diet is the source of the pet's illness.

Keep in mind that dry foods are not refrigerated and they sit in warm warehouses, on pet store shelves, and in your cupboards for weeks or months before your pets consume them.

At the very least, dry food should be kept in the refrigerator but it is better to just refrain from feeding this type of food." Dr. Lisa Pierson, Catinfo.org
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