Plenty of people “get it” about dry kibble being a very poor choice for cat food – but making the switch from kibble to canned (and maybe from canned to home-prepared) can seem daunting, especially if you have a kibble addict on your hand.
One of the biggest obstacles to success? Free-feeding the dry food (i.e., leaving it out all day). This obstacle can be easily overcome!
Having food available 24/7 is NOT a good idea for any cat, and if your cat has constant access to that food, you’ll have a very hard time getting her weaned onto a healthier, low-carbohydrate, moist, high-protein canned food. Here’s the two-step:
Step One: Offer two or three meals a day of a very small amount of dry food (perhaps 1/8 to 1/4 of a cup) and, after 30 minutes, take up the food she hasn’t eaten. Then do not give in if she pleads for a between-meal snack. You want your cat to get accustomed to eating on a schedule this way–at mealtimes.
Step Two: Next, after you’ve established set meal times for a few days or a week, begin setting out meals of ONLY good canned food. If your cat refuses to touch it, take up the food and try again a few hours later.
