Tips + Troubleshooting
It can be a challenge to switch your cat’s food. Some cats are just super picky! If your cat falls into that category, check out some of our most successful transitioning and palatability tips below!
Patience and a willingness to experiment is key 😉
Transitioning Tips
Switching from dry food (kibble)
Grind up a bit of your cat’s favorite dry food (using a coffee grinder or food processor) and sprinkle some on top of the homemade food. This worked well for a couple of our cats!
If they’ve been on kibble for many years, you may need to start by sprinkling a little water on the kibble and slowly increasing the amount of water until they get used to eating soft kibble.
If they refuse to eat the homemade food, try offering wet (canned) food and see if they’ll eat it. Then follow the wet food transition tips below.
Switching from wet food (canned)
Mix a little homemade food into your cat’s favorite wet food. Every couple days, slightly increase the amount of homemade food you’re mixing in, while you decrease the amount of wet food.
If your cat isn’t excited about eating homemade food without anything else mixed in (like our elderly cat), you may have to continue to mix in a little canned food with the homemade food. It’s still a better option than a completely canned food diet!
Or….maybe one of the tricks listed below will work 😉
Palatability Tips - Make it Tasty!
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Liver Powder Food Toppers
Most cats love this! Sprinkle a little bit on top of the food - Tucker won’t eat his food without it! We have 3 Food Topper options available - including a Pork Liver Topper for cats with poultry protein sensitivities!
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Fish Oil
Our girls LOVE this trick! We drizzle a little of our highly refined, sustainably sourced and wild caught Wild Anchovy Omega-3 Oil on top of the homemade food and they eat it up!
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Nutritional Yeast
Some cats love a good yeasty flavor! We get the Trader Joe’s brand. Sprinkle a pinch or two on top of the food. This trick worked really well for Coconut!
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Instinct Raw Boost Mixers
Freeze-dried raw food topper that’s easy to find at PetSmart and PetCo. We use the Cage-Free Chicken Formula for Cats. Kona especially loves this topper! Take one piece, crumble it between your fingers and sprinkle it on top of the food - use more or less as needed.
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Simply Nourish Grain Free Shreds
Mia loves a spoonful on top of her homemade food. We mainly stick to the poultry-only options. We’re unsure of the quality of the fish combinations, but the salmon and chicken seems ok. These can currently be found at PetSmart.
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Shredded Chicken Breast
If your cat likes chicken, chances are it will LOVE a little shredded chicken breast on top of its food!
Mia especially loves this topper and never gets tired of it. It’s a simple, healthy, whole food palatability option.
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Churu
Churu (or your cat’s favorite “licky stick”) dotted on top of or mixed into the homemade cat food can be helpful!
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Canned or Fresh Fish
Fish is high in phosphorous and heavy metals, so we use tuna or salmon as a topper a couple times a week. Add a little canned or cooked filet on top of or mixed into the homemade food - works great for fish-loving cats!
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Crumbled Treats
Freeze-dried treats or gently dehydrated snacks work great for this! Simply crumble and sprinkle a little on top of the food! Try our selection of Naked Beasts Pet Snacks for a healthy, delicious topper or treat! Kona and Izzy approved ✅
Palatability Tips - Food Consistency
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Chunky
3 of our cats prefer chunkier food. If you think your cat might also, try ground turkey or roughly ground up chicken thighs, to see if one of those are tasty for your cat.
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Creamy
Our elderly cat prefers a creamier consistency. To achieve that, we grind the chicken thighs using the smallest meat grinder plate OR pureé the meat in the food processor OR use the immersion blender.
Quick Note…
Some cats transition easily and some require a slow, methodical transition from what they’re currently eating. Sometimes playing around with different protein options and palatability ideas helps. Feel free to try other options/ideas! If they work, please let us know!
Still having issues?
We completely understand how challenging it can be to get your cat to eat a healthier, cleaner diet.
It’s hard enough getting ourselves to eat one! If you need a little support or guidance, please reach out and let’s see if we can troubleshoot the issue together. You can reach us by email here or dm us on Instagram @superiorfelineofficial.