• Sit tight. Make sure you keep your cat’s usual routine as normal as possible. This means the same diet, same treats, same medications. From now until we start the study. Even things like play routine, grooming, indoor/outdoor access, and other enrichment and care habits.

• If there’s a significant change in your cat’s normal routine before you begin the study, please let us know as soon as possible.

• Meanwhile, please keep an eye out for the study package. It’ll be arriving soon. Check your email for exact delivery dates.

• Please set up and register the tracker as soon as you receive it. We need to collect your cat’s activity level for at least 3 weeks before they switch to a new diet. The instructions on setting up the tracker are included in this package. Please make sure to type your email in all lowercase when registering since the account name is case-sensitive.

• The tracker is from Moggie. It was designed with your cat’s comfort in mind weighing only 10 grams and is just a few centimetres in size. Your cat will barely notice it after getting used to having it on!

• The package should include:

  • A set of the activity tracker (tracker + hub + charger cord)

  • A prepaid return label and an envelope

  • A collar for your cat (if requested)

  • A USB-C charger (if requested)

• The package will also include a return parcel to send us back the tracker after you’ve completed the study. The devices must be returned to receive your study participation credit. You may drop the package off at a Royal Mail post office or postbox.

• When setting up, the Hub should display a solid white light when connected, and both devices should show a green dot next to them in the app.

• When putting the tracker on the collar, make sure the ‘M' is facing upright.

• Make sure to recharge the tracker only when prompted to charge (approximately every 4 weeks). For the most accurate data, charge the device while your cat is sleeping, as this time is recorded as sleep activity. And please remember to record the date and charging duration each time you charge the device. You can always check the battery level in the app on your phone.

• Anything missing from the package? Any issues with setting up the tracker? Please contact us at diet-study@kaktin.com

• The package containing the free food for the study will arrive separately 3 weeks after.

* Only if you choose to receive during the screening. We have a limited number of trackers we cannot guarantee all interested participants will be selected to have their cat wear one

• The package containing the food for the study may be shipped in 1-3 boxes.

• The study package should include: 

  • Your cat’s free food

  • A hard copy of the study instructions

  • A plastic scoop (if your cat is assigned to the dry and wet food)

• If you are selected to receive KatKin for your cat, the first shipment will include only the first 28-days of food in one box. You’ll receive 2 more boxes of KatKin as the study progresses for a total of 12-weeks worth of food. Store KatKin in the freezer. Defrost in the fridge. Katkin meals keep fresh in the fridge for 3 days opened or 5 days unopened, and for up to 9 months in the freezer.

• If you’re selected to receive dry and canned food for your cat, this will be the only food shipment you receive for the entire study. The food may come in 2 or 3 boxes, and can be stored outside of the fridge at room temperature. Once wet/canned food is open, store it in the fridge for up to 3 or 4 days.

• Please wait to transition your cat to the study diet until your assigned start date. All key dates will be provided to you via email.

Please make sure you have received all of your study material and your cat’s food before you begin the study. If there is anything missing or the food doesn’t look right, please reach out to us at diet-study@katkin.com

• Keep an eye out for a questionnaire in your email inbox! We’ll be asking about your cat’s routine, behaviour, and various aspects of health before they begin their new diet. It’s the longest and most important questionnaire you’ll have to fill out in this study, so make sure to find a chunk of time (~20 min) to complete it carefully. The questionnaires are best viewed on a computer or tablet.

• Please pay closer attention to your cat's behaviour around mealtime, as we'll be asking in detail. This includes:

  • While you're preparing and serving the meal, do they? Meow/Vocalise; Beg; Approach the meal quickly; Start to eat immediately; Sniff/investigate the food before eating; Lick/groom their face; Lick/sniff the food bowl; Flick their ears backward; Flick their tail; Lick the food; Refuse to eat; Hesitate before eating

  • While your cat is eating their meal, do they? Eat calmly; Eat quickly/eagerly; Refuse to eat; Guard their food; Eat while sitting; Concentrate on eating; Keep head in the bowl until the end of the meal; Raise head regularly; Eat a few bites then stopped; Drop their food; Lick/groom their face; Protrude tongue; Half-close eyes; Flick their ears backward; Flick their tail; Shake head; Smack lips; Pause frequently

  • After your cat eating their meal, do they? Meow/vocalise; Beg; Stay near the food bowl; Leave food uneaten; Lick their face; Groom; Nap; Use the litter box

• Please pay closer attention to your cat's body weight. If you can, it’d be great if you could track your cat's weight throughout the study by weighing them or yourself (+/- your cat) on a regular basis.

• Upload your cat’s before photo (optional) — we’d love to document your cat’s journey. If you’d like to share a “before” photo please use this link.

Having any issue completing the questionnaire? Reach out to us at diet-study@katkin.com

• How exciting! When you serve your cat their first meal of the study diet, make a complete change over to the study diets. For the next 12 weeks, your cat should no longer be offered any amount of their dry or wet pre-study diet.

• Don’t add anything extra to their meals. At all. We’ll be asking about their behaviour around feeding time, and any additions to the food can interfere with their behaviour.

• If they don’t eat at first, don’t rush to give them something else. Cats are designed to quickly adapt to changes in food availability. And if they miss a meal, there’s nothing to worry about.

• Please refrain from altering the texture or temperature of the food. Avoid using enrichment tactics like playing or catnip to encourage eating if you don’t normally use them. Just let your cat explore the new food at their own pace.

• If you’re feeding KatKin:

  • We use daily-serve flexible trays. Each half of the flexible tray is split into convenient morning and evening portions, making up your cat’s daily calories needs. You’ll need to use scissors to open the flexible trays.

  • Treat KatKin like you treated your cat’s pre-study wet food diet — feeding it from the same bowl type.

  • Serve KatKin straight from the fridge. The cats in our taste-test panels have found the food straight-from-the-fridge to be the most appetising. Cat parents say that it had the best texture.

• If you are feeding dry and canned food:

  • Please follow the feeding and portioning instructions we provide in your email or in the study print-out. The feeding amount is tailored to each cat based on their caloric need.

  • For the canned food, please serve as two meals: half the portion for breakfast and the other half for dinner. 

  • For the dry food, it can be offered in the morning and left out for your cat to graze. Or you may split it into two servings — whichever works best for them. 

  • To accurately measure the dry food, please use the provided scoop. Measure carefully. Level off by tapping on a hard surface to ensure accuracy.

  • Treat these diets just like you treated your cat’s pre-study wet and dry food diets — feeding them from the same bowl types as you had been.

• As always, keep an eye on your cat’s routine, behaviour, and various aspects of health. 

• We’ll be checking in with you and sending you questionnaires to fill out. Expect them once a week at the beginning of the study, and once every two weeks towards the end of the study. Please see the schedule in your study print-out or email. The questionnaires will be similar to what you received before switching to the new diet but slightly shorter.

• Remember, each questionnaire must be completed within three days of their requested date to receive the associated credit.

• If you have an activity tracker, make sure to recharge the tracker only when prompted to charge (approximately every 4 weeks). For the most accurate data, charge the device while your cat is sleeping, as this time is recorded as sleep activity. And please remember to record the date and charging duration each time you charge the device. You can always check the battery level in the app on your phone.

• Try to keep your cat’s lifestyle (exercise, interactions, enrichment, water access) as consistent as possible.

• Continue to give any treats, supplements, and medications (including regular preventives) your cat was already receiving with the exception of:

  • Any added directly to your cat’s meal

  • A large quantity (>10% of your cat’s daily calorie needs)

  • Oral or topical antibiotics, antifungals, or antiparasitics 

  • Any medications that may stimulate appetite

• Contact us at diet-study@katkin.com as soon as possible if anything significant has changed so we can advise you further.

• Share photos of your cat’s journey (optional) — we’d love to see and hear all about your cat’s experience. Use this link to share photos at any time.

• Congratulations on reaching the end of the study. We can’t thank you enough for your contribution to the advancement of science.

• If your cat received an activity tracker, please put the tracker, the hub, and the charging cord into the empty envelope provided. Use the prepaid label and ship them all back to us at KatKin. Participants who fail to return the Moggie tracker within one next month of completing the study won’t receive their Amazon study credit. 

• Depending on your adherence to the study instructions, we’ll calculate the amount of the Amazon voucher you’ve earned. It could add up to £100.

• If you’re assigned to feed the dry and wet/canned diet during the study, you’ll be offered a box of KatKin to try at no cost.

• Upload your cat’s after photo (optional) — we’d love to see your cat’s journey. If you’d like to share an “after” photo please use this link.

• At this point, your cat is now free to eat whatever diet they please.

Please don't hesitate to contact us at diet-study@katkin.com