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| Rocky (17+); Fred (14) and Smokey (10 ) |
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| Deborah Albritton |
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Meet Deborah Albritton, M.P.A.
Ask Ariel friend and client
Ask Ariel friend and client, Deborah Albritton is an
experienced cat owner with three senior kitties. Rocky, Fred and Smokey
are pampered to the fullest! Over the years, Deborah has educated
herself and learned from experience about all different ways to transition her
finicky kitties to healthier food. Since she has had so much success, we
would love to share her tips with you!
First and foremost choose a high
quality food. I have seen first-hand the
difference that a true quality diet can make. Choose brands that do not
contain grains or chemicals and limit poultry and seafood since these foods can
be inflammatory for a lot of cats with health conditions such as feline herpes
and stomatitis. Some of my kitties' favorites are Addiction, Instinct and
Ziwi Peak. I only use canned food or freeze dried raw as toppers. I
don't use dry kibble due to the added carbohydrates, poor digestibility
and overprocessing of the food.
Toppers
I have used toppings probably as the best way to “bribe” my kitties to eat new foods!
I have 2 cats that do really well and I still have one (10 year
old) that will not eat rabbit or venison. So, it can be very
difficult. I think the key is to use the healthy toppings—in moderation.
Some favorites are freeze dried foods such as : Natures Variety Instinct Raw Daily Boost (fine powder), Dr. Harvey's tripe, Feline Instincts beef or Stella
and Chewy's.
I grind up the topper in a blender and have little containers labeled with
their favorite toppings in a little basket. (Word of warning…too much topping
can be constipating—so, be careful – to go gingerly with these as toppers!)
Many can be mixed with warm water as a little treat for topping.. which
may work like a “gravy topping”.
Hide the Supplements in Something Yummy!
I hide their supplements in all meat baby food (e.g. ham or beef) with no
issue. ( just make sure no onions—which is often in veggie broth or chicken
broth in commercial products) I also use different textures of food. For
example, Pride By Instinct offers rabbit flavors in different textures so you
can see if your kitty prefers minced vs pate, for example. Rocky, Smokey
and Fred at different times, have benefited from these Ask Ariel supplements:
Colostrum
for Pets, Power Probiotic, Notatum, Quentans, Roqueforti, Kidney Health, Renelix, Lypozyme and more.
Transition Your Pet's Diet Changes Slowly
Here
is a suggested transition schedule:
- First
4 days ¼ new ¾ old
- Next
three days ½ new ½ old
- Final
three days ¾ new food and ¼ old
If
your cat is “super fussy”, go even slower. Sometimes just a
1/4 teaspoon a day of the new food until eventually they get used to the new
smell and texture.
Fiber
We do add a little pumpkin—for our elderly cats--- helps since their mobility
and motility slows with age. Also, 1/8 teaspoon ground flaxseed 2x a day mixed in food.
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