Made A Mistake With Changing Cat Food. Advice Needed.

hypatia

TCS Member
Thread starter
Young Cat
Joined
Feb 20, 2017
Messages
68
Purraise
39
Location
India
I fed my cat Orijen Cat and Kitten dry food until about 3 months ago. Then I ran into a problem with it's availability, so I gave her Farmina grain-free food until Orijen came back in stock. First I gave her Farmina Lamb and Blueberry, then switched to Chicken and Pomegranate. Now Orijen is back in stock. But I made the mistake of waiting until Farmina was completely over before opening the Orijen packet, instead of slowly mixing the new food with the old food. It didn't strike me until too late, because I always considered Orijen Hypy's default food.

Now, for the past couple of days, she's been a bit fussy with eating. She was always a fussy eater when it came to wet food, but usually she'd clean the plate with dry food. The past couple of days, however, she'd leave more than half the allotted kibble in the plate. When I go after her and feed her from my hands, she'd finish it. So I thought it was a problem with getting used to the new kibble pieces since Farmina had bigger pieces and Orijen is thinner.

But she also seems to have a slightly upset stomach. She's eating a lot of grass, which she does when tummy isn't well. She also isn't pooping and peeing as often. Usually she pees thrice and poops twice a day. But she only peed twice and pooped once yesterday and today (the day before yesterday she pooped in the morning and then pooped very late at night yesterday so there was more than a 24 hour gap).

So I'm wondering what I should do about her. It doesn't seem too bad. She still eats enough and everything else seems normal. Should I buy Farmina again and do it properly this time? Though even if I order it right now, it'll be a couple of days before the food arrives. Is it even necessary to introduce food slowly when the cat is already familiar with the food?

Also how do I change cat's wet food? She's currently on Royal Canin and has been for a few months. Now I want to try another food which she previously had before Royal Canin, so that she doesn't get bored with the food.
 

EmmiTemmi

TCS Member
Alpha Cat
Joined
Sep 16, 2017
Messages
399
Purraise
481
Location
Wisconsin
She'll be fine sticking to the Orijen now, even without the slow transition. A transition time between any dry foods is usually a good idea (even if you're transitioning back to a food you consider her 'default' food), but your cat seems to be handling it alright, since she's eating enough. Two pees and a poo are pretty normal for a cat, and as long as it's not diarrhea, she seems to be fine. Wet food doesn't really need much of a transition phase from what I've read, so no worries about changing over wet foods.

If you're very worried about the quick switch from one food to another, and she's exhibiting very worrying symptoms (lethargy, refusing food at all, etc), then contact a vet.
 

Columbine

TCS Member
Veteran
Joined
Feb 27, 2015
Messages
12,921
Purraise
6,224
Location
The kitty playground
In my experience, any sudden change in dry food can cause tummy upsets. If her tummy is really bad, your best bet would be to get a small bag of the Farmina and do a change over around a month or so. I've abruptly switched kibbles without thinking in the past, so you're not alone ;) When there's only a mild upset, you can just wait it out - she will adjust, given time. If she's more severely affected, I'd definitely go for the slow changeover method. Better safe than sorry ;)

Changing wet foods doesn't cause the same kinds of problems - I rotate wet foods all the time, all kinds of brands, and it's very rare for it to cause gastric issues (unless there's some ingredient that doesn't agree with kitty's tummy).
 

Yanaka

TCS Member
Alpha Cat
Joined
Sep 20, 2017
Messages
461
Purraise
282
Location
Philadelphia
How long does gastric upset last if they ate the "faulty" food just a few times?
 

Columbine

TCS Member
Veteran
Joined
Feb 27, 2015
Messages
12,921
Purraise
6,224
Location
The kitty playground
It really depends on the cat and the food. When it happens with Asha, it usually settles fairly quickly (within a few days), but some cats have more violent reactions than others. Imo, it's always better to go back to a gradual switch than take the chance ;)
 
  • Thread Starter Thread Starter
  • #6

hypatia

TCS Member
Thread starter
Young Cat
Joined
Feb 20, 2017
Messages
68
Purraise
39
Location
India
Hi, guys. Thanks for your replies. It seems her tummy fixed itself. She's pooped twice and peed thrice today, at the times of the day she normally does. So I guess I don't need to give her Farmina (although I had a 0.3kg packet ordered, in case I had to). Now, she's still not cleaning her plate. She does finish off her food when I feed it from my hand, and does seem excited for the Orijen dry food, so I'm guessing it's still a matter of her getting used to the Orijen kibble shape.

What do you guys think about Orijen dry food. I read great praise for it as the best cat dry food. Is Farmina any good? It was the only grain-free dry food I could find (that delivers to my location) when Orijen went out of stock. Which one's better?

Also, is it a good idea to keep changing up her food (both dry and wet) every now and then? I read somewhere that eating the same food for too long can cause the cat to develop allergies. Is there any truth to this?
 

EmmiTemmi

TCS Member
Alpha Cat
Joined
Sep 16, 2017
Messages
399
Purraise
481
Location
Wisconsin
I read somewhere that eating the same food for too long can cause the cat to develop allergies.
According to the American College of Allergy, Asthma, and Immunology, you cannot develop an allergy from eating large quantities of something, or eating something over a long period of time. However, allergies can spontaneously develop throughout your life for no particular reason, which might make people believe that feeding the same food for a long time might have caused the allergy. I do think it's a good idea to change up the wet food flavors on occasion though, since cats can get bored of only one flavor.

As to the Orijen question, I haven't used that before, so I'll let someone else handle that question.
 

Yanaka

TCS Member
Alpha Cat
Joined
Sep 20, 2017
Messages
461
Purraise
282
Location
Philadelphia
Allergies also come from exposure to bad/inflammatory ingredients. Which are def in kibble, I believe.
 

Columbine

TCS Member
Veteran
Joined
Feb 27, 2015
Messages
12,921
Purraise
6,224
Location
The kitty playground
I believe that Orijin is one of the better kibbles available, though I've not tried it myself (I'm in the UK, and I prefer to use British or European brands where I can - fewer air miles, and often better value :winkcat: ).

Which country are you in? Someone may be able to offer other brand suggestions if you want them :)
 

ailish

TCS Member
Alpha Cat
Joined
Nov 7, 2016
Messages
481
Purraise
474
I can't speak for Orijen, only switching foods. I switch foods every can and she doesn't seem to mind a bit. I easily use 10-12 kinds, maybe 7-8 different brands. I do it because, well, I like giving her different kinds of food. I don't know if she cares, but I like to think she enjoys the variety. I do know that when I did an elimination diet and started by feeding her nothing but Ziwipeak Venison she seemed to go on strike for a couple of days after about 2 weeks of the same thing three times a day. She did get over it. I think we were both bored out of our minds after 10 weeks of Ziwipeak Venison. Another reason I switch is because I'm hoping it will keep her from turning into a finicky eater. Also, and maybe most importantly, if we switch constantly and there is a problem with a food, she hasn't been eating it exclusively and getting the full effect of whatever the problem is. Some kind of deficiency will get filled in by the other foods, and some kind of toxin situation or too much of some ingredient will get diluted by not eating it day in and day out. That's my thinking about food switching.
 
  • Thread Starter Thread Starter
  • #11

hypatia

TCS Member
Thread starter
Young Cat
Joined
Feb 20, 2017
Messages
68
Purraise
39
Location
India
Which country are you in? Someone may be able to offer other brand suggestions if you want them :)
That's my thinking about food switching.
I live in India and the local pet stores don't provide a better selection. All that's available in my city is Royal Canin and Whiskas. I order Orijen off Amazon, though it's unavailable there now so order it from 'Jawsnpaws'. And from all the extensive reading I've done on cat dry food, it seems like Orijen is the best choice available in Indian online shops. I could order from Amazon.com and while I could afford expensive food, I can't afford the expensive international shipping and import fees, not to mention the lengthy wait and unreliability of product arriving on time. We don't really have much variety and quality in Indian pet markets.

I also didn't want to give my cat the same type of food forever. Can't imagine ever eating like that myself. So I added Farmina as a second option. Those are the only reliable grain-free options I could find (by reliable I mean I can count on the product being available for the most part, and the product is not sample sized).

I'm thinking of adding home-cooked food as a supplement every now and then. Very much like treats, but healthier, and certainly not as the main food. Currently I give her little bits of chicken every now and then off my plate. Any suggestions about that?
 

Columbine

TCS Member
Veteran
Joined
Feb 27, 2015
Messages
12,921
Purraise
6,224
Location
The kitty playground
Yeah, I researched cat foods in India a while ago (we have a few members in India ;) ), and I remember that choices were pretty limited. The grain free Farmina foods are pretty good too, so I can see why you went with that as a second choice. Maybe a good solution would be to buy bags of each and mix them together. That way, your cat's digestion is constantly used to both foods, so shouldn't get tummy upsets if one or the other has a supply problem in future.

Homemade food definitely has possibilities. Check out the Raw Recipe Thread and Cooked Recipes Thread for balanced recipie ideas. In fact, the raw and home cooked forum is full of ideas and discussions on the topic. The recipe is key, though, as this article explains.

If you're just talking about treats, though, any plain cooked meat is fine. Just make sure it's not cooked with seasonings, onions or garlic (both of which are toxic to kitties).
 

duckpond

TCS Member
Top Cat
Joined
Dec 13, 2017
Messages
3,905
Purraise
4,346
I live in small town Arkansas, so i understand it can be hard to find many brands of food locally, i cant either. I order online for the most part. I feed a variety of wet, but also rotate several dry foods throughout the week as well, my 4 do not seem to have a problem with it, or they are just use to it. with dry I feed mostly Dr. Elsey's clean protein chicken. also Farmina quail and pumpkin right now, Orijen Tundra, and Evo which i guess i will need to find a replacement for. If you can get Farmina and Orijen i think those are two good foods, they are in my rotation.
 

Sica

TCS Member
Kitten
Joined
Dec 14, 2017
Messages
4
Purraise
1
Location
Los Angeles, CA
Hi, guys. Thanks for your replies. It seems her tummy fixed itself. She's pooped twice and peed thrice today, at the times of the day she normally does. So I guess I don't need to give her Farmina (although I had a 0.3kg packet ordered, in case I had to). Now, she's still not cleaning her plate. She does finish off her food when I feed it from my hand, and does seem excited for the Orijen dry food, so I'm guessing it's still a matter of her getting used to the Orijen kibble shape.

What do you guys think about Orijen dry food. I read great praise for it as the best cat dry food. Is Farmina any good? It was the only grain-free dry food I could find (that delivers to my location) when Orijen went out of stock. Which one's better?

Also, is it a good idea to keep changing up her food (both dry and wet) every now and then? I read somewhere that eating the same food for too long can cause the cat to develop allergies. Is there any truth to this?
For dry kibble I believe Orijen is one of the best. I have looked at, and tried (well my pets have tried them!) numerous different brands, and the more I read about pet food in general the more I'd lean towards Orijen. I had never heard of Farmina before I saw this thread actually, but looking at the ingredient lists it looks good as well. However, comparing Orijen vs Farmina it appears Orijen has more meat (better) and less additives. In other words, Farmina has more supplements probably to make up for having less meats. Now, I am not sure if supplementation is necessarily a bad thing, but I personally have the belief that our pets as well as ourselves absorb the nutrients better when it is served in its' natural form.

As for the rotation of foods, we have only rotated between different proteins to change it up flavor wise. I'm not too familiar with the allergy part of it.
 
Top