Cold Turkey food switch?

thoenix

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Last night, we brought home Peter Parker, our new one year old kitty.  He's integrating well.  He's getting along with the great dane, the other cats.  He isn't showing untoward attention to the 'cagepets' (sugar gliders, rats).  

But he came home on Science Diet.  Which my twin cats are very allergic to.  They can't do anything with rice, corn or wheat. At all.  Or I end up with weeks or even months of digestive upsets and very, very sick, miserable cats.  Which means we have to keep Peter in the second bedroom, away from everyone else, for much of the day since he's used to being free-range fed his kibble and fed his wet twice a day.  

How bad would it be to just do a really rapid transition and/or cold turkey transition to the foods that ARE safe for my twin cats?  Pete is a one year old domestic shorthair who was rescued from a feral colony.  He's had all his shots very recently and has only just got over an earmite infestation but the vet says he's good to go now.
 

vball91

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I think it depends on what food you're going to transition him to. If it's going to be all wet, it's generally much less of an issue to do rapid changes. If it's another dry, a gradual transition is generally recommended. Or you could try scheduled feedings only of their separate foods and remove all free-fed dry.
 

ritz

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I agree with vball91.  I would phase out the free fed dry food (wet food is so much better in most cases).  I'd mix some of the SD with the foods your other cats can eat.  Depending on how he does, I'd increase the proportion of the good stuff to the Science Diet stuff.

When was he rescued from a feral cat colony before he was in the shelter?  Generally speaking, feral cats are too picky about what they eat, although they may be more food motivated/obsessed than non-feral cats.
 

katluver4life

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My latest addition that I rescued from the shelter went right to eating what ever I fed my other 2. I have no clue what he ate while there, and he ate everything that I put in front of him without any problems.
 

raintyger

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I haven't switched rapidly involving dry food, but I was told that switching wet brand to wet brand didn't matter much, I could just throw in a different wet brand without much consequence. I don't think I've switched brands suddenly, 100%, but I do remember switching faster than I thought I should, and nothing ever happened.

I also know that at the pet shelter they just feed the kitties whatever's available--meaning that if someone donated a bunch of high end wet, that's what the kitties get. If there's not a whole lot of donations or funds available, they get whatever is the most economical/best choice.

Another thought would be to add some probiotics to aid in the transition.
 

just mike

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Vball and Ritz are on target here. Switiching wet foods is not a big of an issue but it's always recommended transitioning dry formulas slowly... up to two weeks. :nod:
 
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thoenix

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I do know for a fact this shelter feeds only Science Diet.  They have a contract with the company for a sponsorship thing.  I guess we'll continue the dry slowly for the next two weeks.  Pete'll just have to be isolated at night so everyone can have their own dry food down because there is no way my girls are ever going to eat ANYTHING in one sitting.
 

katluver4life

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Ok my bad..I had assumed the Science Diet he had been on in the shelter was the wet kind. So yea, a slow transition is needed with switching to different dry's. A tiny bit of the new added with his old,  with a bit more added each day until it's all just the new food, over the course of 2 weeks is recommended. I have been able to transition mine in less time when they were still on dry, but I stayed with the same proteins which I think helped.

Good luck with your new kitty!
 
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