Rotating foods

Hi all, I Have a question about rotating dry foods for the cats. I like to rotate their food every few months with a different brand. I switch it gradually over a couple weeks. I was wondering if anybody feeds a different kibble with eahc meal and if it causes any ill effects?

I'd like to do the same with the dogs as well.

Thanks

Dilly, I LOVE feeding a variety of foods. :nod: What I did when I was feeding kibble was basically just make a mix of the brands I wanted to use. I didn't feed them separately. But once you've introduced several brands slowly, I see no reason you can't rotate them at every meal, or every day, or every few days. :dk:

I don't know anything about feeding dogs, but my understanding is that their digestive systems aren't as sensitive as a cat's can be. :dk:

Thanks LDG

Dilly said:

Hi all, I Have a question about rotating dry foods for the cats. I like to rotate their food every few months with a different brand. I switch it gradually over a couple weeks. I was wondering if anybody feeds a different kibble with eahc meal and if it causes any ill effects?

I'd like to do the same with the dogs as well.

Thanks

Click to expand...

I have a terminally ill DLH. I give her a different grain free dry food, different wet food (some grain free, some not) and dry food combo every evening. It has caused her no ill effects. But, this cat, will be, if, she can make it till February 15, 2013 three and a half years old. She, was supposed to pass away, before, a year old. So, other then, some minor medications, her major issue has been eating. I have stopped that issue, to a point. This involves: feeding her a different dry, a different wet and dry combination and a different piece of live prey every night. That is just my experience. I am NOT sure, if, her eating habits are due to her illness or I "allow her" to be so picky. I am also, not sure, if, most cats stomachs can handle such a varied diet!

Thats my concern. I don't want to cause loose stools or gas that can be used as a war weapon, lol

Dilly said:

Hi all, I Have a question about rotating dry foods for the cats. I like to rotate their food every few months with a different brand. I switch it gradually over a couple weeks. I was wondering if anybody feeds a different kibble with eahc meal and if it causes any ill effects?

I'd like to do the same with the dogs as well.

Thanks

Click to expand...

Hmmm... A variety of brands.  What I would do it choose the brands and formulas I want to rotate.  I'd mix all of those brands and transition the current brand over the course of a couple, maybe 3 weeks.  If you mix a lot of them they will most likely have different protein, fat and carb levels so it might take awhile for the body to adjust to this.  After you've transitioned, there probably will not be any side effects if you go a couple of days using one of the brands and then switching to another of the brands but I'd be on the lookout for loose stools if you do this.

Thanks for the reply.

So I should mix them all at first to get their systems used to each food then I can feed each food seperately in a rotation?

This is something that really depends on the cat(s). I've been rotating foods for years (currently 2 cats, 13 and 12, though the 12-year-old came to us as an adult). The cats get 3 or 4 brands of grain-free wet food in various flavors rotated throughout the week, and three brands of dry, with all three dry brands being mixed together the 7th day. Neither one has ever had any trouble with the rotation, but they seem to have cast-iron stomachs. The 13-year-old has always refused to eat any food more than twice a week. They used to get one meal of dry a day and one meal of wet, but we've gone to two or even three meals of wet every day and dry put out to nibble on at night.

It's probably best to start out slowly and see how they do.

Dilly said:

Thanks for the reply.
So I should mix them all at first to get their systems used to each food then I can feed each food seperately in a rotation?

Click to expand...

Yes you could do that, but try to do the transition super slow. Kitties and their tummies can be quite finicky when it comes to new foods. :nod:

I've been trying to get my 15 year old cat to eat wet food and also raw food for many years. I've tried the transitional mix of dry and wet/raw and also tried "waiting him out", but he loses weight, about a pound of weight in a very short period of time when I try these methods. I thought I had him cured of this behavior, but after eating wet food for two weeks, he won't touch it anymore. Like others, I've tried every brand of grain free wet food under the sun. Different brands of raw food is also a "no go".

So, back to dry food. I do feed him good quality grain free dry food. His preferred favorites are Nature's Variety Instinct (Chicken) kibble and Blue Buffalo Wilderness (Duck) kibble. He gets 1/4 cup of  Nature's Variety Instinct in the morning (7am) and 1/4 cup Blue Buffalo Wilderness in the evening (5pm). Since he likes to graze, the Nature's Variety is always consumed by 12 noon and the Blue Buffalo is always consumed by 10 pm. There is always fresh water for him since I change it daily. He isn't like most cats. He loves to drink water and drinks lots of it even when he isn't eating. He's always done this. Being a manx breed cat, he just loves water whether he's drinking it and playing in it.

With this regimen, it doesn't affect him to eat two different varieties of dry cat food daily. This regimen doesn't get him "burned out" on one flavor either. His last blood work, he passed with excellent results too. No liver problems, no kidney problems, no bladder problems, no pancreas problems and he still has all of his original teeth. He does get regular teeth cleanings too. My vets say he's in excellent health for a 11 1/2 pound cat at his senior age.

But, I'm going to be trying some Stella & Chewy's freeze dried raw food on him within the next two weeks and see how this goes.

Night Wing, have you ever read the guide on catinfo.org for transistioning cats to wet? Maybe you could get that a try?

Minka said:

Night Wing, have you ever read the guide on catinfo.org for transistioning cats to wet? Maybe you could get that a try?

Click to expand...

I have read that. Tried that too. Unfortunately for me, my cat Tiger, hasn't read it or if he has, he doesn't agree with it.

I rotate kibbles for my dogs. . .but for the cats (although they get very little kibble now) I mix the kibbles. Less tummy trouble that way. And I can switch one brand (I try for 4-5 different kibbles, although tthat would be hard with only one cat!) in the mix without trouble. But if feeding 2 different kibbles in the same day works for your kitty, go for it!

For canned food they're fine with switching frequently and I try for as wide a variety as I can manage.