Switching Cat Food from Chicken to Fish

Switching a 5-year-old Abyssinian from chicken to fish-based wet food is very doable — Abyssinians tend to have strong food preferences, so a gradual transition is the right call. Quick honest take on wet vs dry before we get into it: wet food is generally the better choice for cats. It keeps them hydrated, is more filling, and mirrors what cats would actually eat in the wild. Cost and convenience are legitimate reasons to mix in some dry, but if you're already on wet, you're in a good spot. A few things will help me point you to the right fish-based option — does your cat have any digestive sensitivities or health issues, and are you doing a full switch or keeping chicken in the rotation too?

Good that she's healthy, and smart to go slow given her history. A sensitive stomach during transitions is common even in healthy cats — it's usually just the gut bacteria adjusting rather than a real intolerance. The fact she's fully on wet already makes this easier. What fish varieties have you tried so far, and do you know if she's shown any preference — oily fish like tuna or salmon, or white fish like cod or haddock?

That's a strong signal — if she's going mad for tuna, she'll almost certainly take to a tuna-based complete wet food without much fuss. The main thing to know is that tuna treats and complete tuna cat food are very different products; treats are often high in salt and not nutritionally balanced, so you don't want those as a main food. For a complete, balanced fish-based wet food that transitions well, I'd go with Applaws Natural Wet Cat Food in tuna varieties. It's high-meat, low-carb, uses simple ingredients, and comes in small tins which is ideal for a gradual switch — you can mix a small tin in with her current chicken food and increase the ratio over 10 to 14 days. It's widely available on Amazon UK and cats with sensitive stomachs tend to do well on it because there's not much in there to react to.

Keep it slow and mechanical about it — don't eyeball it. Days 1 to 3: about 25% new food, 75% current chicken food. Days 4 to 6: 50/50. Days 7 to 9: 75% new, 25% chicken. Day 10 onwards: fully on the new food. If she has a loose stool at any point, just hold that ratio for an extra two or three days before moving on rather than going back to the start. Abyssinians can be dramatic about change but they usually come round quickly once the new food smells familiar. One other thing worth knowing: tuna shouldn't make up her entire diet long-term due to mercury and thiaminase concerns, so once she's settled, it's worth rotating in some white fish or salmon varieties from the same Applaws range to give her a bit of variety.

Perfect — the Applaws multipacks on Amazon UK are good value and give you a mix of flavours to test at the same time, which works well with that rotation idea. Good luck with the switch. Abyssinians are opinionated but she sounds like she's already told you what she wants.