Healthy Active Pet Frequently Asked Questions For Cats On Fresh Food

Cats can be notoriously stubborn, so if you find you hit a few speed bumps on your journey to fresh foods, don’t stress.

We have compiled some of the most common challenges you can face, with some tips to overcome them. 

They’re constipated

Cats are particularly prone to constipation following a major diet change, more than likely because they have adapted to their high fibre processed diet. Animals that eat raw food generally produce a lot less waste, which means less bulk in the stool.

We have included some fibre rich foods in each recipe, such as psyllium husks, flaxseeds, chia seeds and vegetables. These should help, but you may need to increase the portions if constipation is an issue.

You may also find that adding water to these gelatinous substances to form a paste or gel before feeding them will help, as they absorb a lot of water in the digestive tract that can dry out the stool.

Another common cause of constipation is feeding raw meaty bones, especially if you cat has not eaten them before.

To combat this, always feed small amounts of bone to begin with and spread these meals out by a few days.   

They don’t like their new food

Some cats will absolutely love raw food, whereas others don’t seem to even identify it as food. There are several ways to combat this, and we’ve included our favourites below. 

If they are eating dry food, you may find it helpful to transition them to wet food first or start adding water to their dry food to make a bit of a stew. Then you can add bits of fresh meat to this mixture to get them used to the idea. 

Another strategy is to lightly cook the meat to release aromas and make it more attractive. From here you can gradually reduce the cooking time until you are no longer cooking it and just serve the food warm instead.

Cats will often refuse food that is cold from the fridge, so it’s a good idea to warm it in a bowl of hot water before serving. 

Chop the meat into bite sized pieces so the task of eating new food is less daunting and unfamiliar. 

Always feed their food on a flat plate, rather than a bowl. Cats typical don’t like eating out of dishes with sides and may object to new food in an unfamiliar dish. 

Get them into the habit of eating at set mealtimes if they previously grazed through the day. Hunger is a powerful motivator. 

If you’ve tried all of these tips without success but still have some of their old food stashed away just in case, get rid of it.

Your cat can smell it and if they are particularly stubborn, they will go on a hunger strike until you cave in and dig it out of the cupboard.  

Upset tummy or runny poos

Switching to a completely new food can be a big change, especially if your cat has been eating something very different, like biscuits.

This can present as digestive upset, which should hopefully pass quickly. You can help this process by adding new foods slowly, starting with just a single protein and replacing part of the old food with new food, working up to the full meal new meal plan over a week or so.

Sometimes organ meat can be a trigger for an upset stomach, so it’s a good idea to add small amounts of these ingredients once your cat is enjoying the other parts of the recipe.  

This upset tum can be due to the gut microbiome not being accustomed to eating fresh foods, so you can also consider adding some probiotics or probiotic foods to support the transition. 

They’re not losing weight

Once you have made the full transition to fresh foods, give it a few weeks to start seeing results. If 3-4 weeks have gone by with no change, reduce their food by 10% and wait another 2-3 weeks. 

If you haven’t added exercise or play to your cat’s routine, now is a good time to start. If they are exercising a lot but the scale isn’t moving, take note of their body condition too.

It is possible they have gained muscle and lost fat, without the number on the scale changing. 

And remember that cats are very small, so if you’re using a regular human scale it may not detect losses under 1 kilogram, but this can still account for a large percentage of your cat’s bodyweight! 

They’re always hungry

Cats are often quite good at self-regulating their food intake when they are eating a nutritious, species appropriate diet.

This won’t always be the case, but if your cat is persistently asking for more food, it’s quite likely they need to be fed more. This is particularly the case if they are losing weight and very hungry, as we don’t want to risk them being undernourished. 

The recipes here are fairly low in calories so if your cat is not gaining weight, especially if you have added exercise or play, you can safely up their portions a little bit.

If they are not losing weight and are very hungry, try splitting their food into multiple meals through the day so they don’t go so long without food.  

Maintenance

Well done! You (and your cat) did it. Hopefully your cat has reached their goal weight, has more energy, their overall health has improved, and they love their new food.

It’s important not to view this as a short-term solution, but rather a permanent lifestyle change that will have ongoing positive impacts on your cat’s wellbeing. 

You may find that you need to slightly increase your cat’s meal sizes so they don’t continue to lose weight if they have reached an ideal size.

This means you may be feeding slightly more than what the feeding guide suggests, but that’s totally ok. The feeding guide in this meal plan is designed for steady loss, not maintenance, and we don’t want you to follow a guide that’s no longer right for your cat. Try increasing their food by 10% to start.  

At this point you can also consider introducing some fattier meats, like more beef or lamb.

This is up to you, but you don’t need to be as vigilant in selecting very lean cuts of meat like in the original recipes, as this was designed to help you achieve your weight loss goals. 

If you find the meal preparation to be too much work, or you just don’t have time or don’t enjoy it (no judgement from us!), you can swap any or all meals for our air-dried food.

You can always switch back to homemade whenever you feel inspired and feed a hybrid diet.