Our 12 year old cat has issues with constipation and occasionally getting impacted. During COVID we haven't traveled so we've been feeding her three meals a day wet food with water mixed in and one meal of dry kibble. In a while we are going to be taking a one week trip.

We have automatic feeders to provide three meals a day of dry kibble and have a person who will visit her once a day and give one meal of wet food per day. The question is transitioning between the two feeding regimes. Should we keep her on the current mostly wet food diet until the day we leave or should we take a week or two to transition to the mostly dry food vacation regime?

 

I would think you'd want to transition now so that you can be there to see if it has any ill effects. My guess is that it won't touch the dry food now that you've given it wet.

Personally I'd feed it once a day. It's not going to starve in a week. And less poop to scoop.

 

I agree with X - make any switch now so you're there to see the results.

 

I also agree with making the switch now - maybe gradually.
We mostly feed our cat dry food. It's set out in the morning and nibbles on it on/off all day

 

Our cat loves the dry food so that's not an issue. I'm concerned about shocking her digestive system.

EDIT: I'm glad everyone so far is agreeing with my thinking. My seems to think we can make a major change to her diet right before we leave and everything will just be OK.

 

Pilot Dane,

I agree with all that has been said so far...

I have an additional concern though...

Does the person you have who is going to be caring for your cat, know how to Express and how to check for Impaction when they come to feed? I worry that if they are not fully acquainted with the procedures and symptoms, your cat may inadvertently end up in dire straights...

Please do keep us posted.

 

Yes, the person we have check on the cat is very experienced with cat "issues" and has been watching her for over five years. She is also our cleaning lady so she sees our cat regularly and knows her behavior and can spot when something isn't right. We also leave a cat carrier out and she has permission to take the cat to the vet if needed. I make sure the vet has our credit card number on file with permission to a pretty high limit if needed with no need to contact us for permission.

 

I agree with the others, make the switch now.

On a side note, have you discussed the possibility of laxatives with your vet? Our cat has inflammatory bowel disease, and he's been prone to constipation issues. Our vet recommended Miralax twice daily, and it seems to have improved the regularity and ease of his movements.

 

Yes, we give her hairball jells and treats daily but they are more a gentle lubricant. We also give a small does of laxative at the first sign of trouble and our cat sitter can as well. I was just concerned about the sudden drop in water intake by switching 3/4 of her diet from wet food to dry.

Thank you for all the support and great ideas.

 

I would just like to compliment you Pilot Dane on taking such good care of your kitty. You must be very thoughtful and caring people.

Cats aren't great water drinkers, unless something is wrong, but I think you have a good plan set up.