My cat has sensitive GI. Is a 10-day food transition long enough?

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!

Rather than using a 50/50 mixture for a diet transition, I would instead ideally recommend starting 75/25 old/new food for 2 days, 50/50 for another 2-3 days, then 25/75 old/new food for another 2 days. Chloe is more likely to experience gastrointestinal upset without the more gradual transition. That said, it is possible that she could be perfectly fine with a more consistent 50/50 transition over 7 days. If she does not normally have a sensitive GI tract, you can try a 50/50 mix for 7 days, but if she does develop signs of a GI upset (vomiting, diarrhea, loss of appetite), a more gradual transition will be necessary. I hope this helps clear up any confusion!

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!

Her stool in the 2nd and 3rd pictures still look a little soft, so I would give it another couple of days on the 25%/75% mixture before going to 50/50. If when you do make that switch to 50/50 and she starts having diarrhea again, then I would say that this food isn't agreeing with her and keep her on her old food instead. I say that because if you've tried the 50/50 mixture, got diarrhea, went back a step for a bit before returning to 50/50 and still get the same result, then it's not a food that agrees with Kitty. Best of luck, I hope this helps!

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.

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.

Cats, unlike dogs can eat only meat and be fine, as they are obligate carnivores. Dogs can actually be fed a vegetarian diet but cats cannot. If she was doing well on the previous food then transition her back if you want, or you can give her a little more time to get used to the new diet. You could even transition her to a completely canned diet. If you changed her abruptly from one to the other, that could be what started her problems, especially if she has a sensitive stomach. Since she's eating fine I don't think you need to rush her to the vet just yet, as long as she seems well otherwise. Decide what food you want to feed her long-term and transition her slowly from her current diet by offering her some of each dry food in two separate bowls for a few days. Then put 75% old food/25% new food in the bowl together for a few days. Then go to 50%/50%, then 25%/75%, taking a few days each time. Gradually reduce the amount of old food until she is completely fed the new dry food. If she gets an upset stomach, you can back up a step and hold there until she feels better. If she loses her appetite, starts vomiting, becomes lethargic, then do get her in to see your vet as soon as you can.