Cat People - Switching to Wet Food

[goldberry]

I am switching my kitties to wet food because one is having urinary problems. She really loves her dry food and is a picky eater.  I am following all the things you are supposed to do to switch.

 

The thing is, with wet food, she licks the food only.  She occasionally gets a few bits that accidentally get in her mouth while she is licking. But it's like she doesn't know she is supposed to bite it.  So she licks it until it is all mushed down and then walks away.

 

What I have done so far to switch:

Started feeding the dry food on a schedule.  We used to free feed.  Started putting dry food out twice a day for 30 minutes.  Did that for about 5 days.

Yesterday started offering half a can of wet food at feeding time.  She went straight to it, but just licked until mushed. Same thing last night. This morning, same thing.

 

I'm worried about her not getting enough nutrition.  This is her second day doing this.  Advice?

 

 

 

[Carrie12345]

We're moving toward a combo right now.  My cat hasn't seemed to have any trouble, but we started by mixing the dry with wet.  He can't get the dry in without also taking the wet, even if he wanted to.

[Carrie12345]

Is it a prescription food, or just off the shelf?  I don't know much about prescriptions, but you don't have to buy mush off the shelves. There are lots of "strip" and "morsel" options.

[Cinder]

One of our cats prefers dry food too. He used to only lick the wet food then leave the rest. We started mixing dry with the wet and now he eats most of it. I use about a spoonful of dry with 1/4 small can of wet.

[Pawz4me]

You may need to try lots of different foods -- different flavors and textures.  Some cats love certain flavors and hate others.  Some like certain textures (shredded, pate, etc.) and some hate it.

 

You might also try mixing just a bit of wet food in with her kibble.

 

ETA:  Or you could have weird cats like mine.  One totally refuses to eat any kind of canned food except for a handful of times a year when she demands it.  The other cat won't eat kibble but wants a different flavor/texture of wet food at each meal.  :lol:

Edited January 20, 2016 by Pawz4me

[MercyA]

You may need to try lots of different foods -- different flavors and textures.  Some cats love certain flavors and hate others.  Some like certain textures (shredded, pate, etc.) and some hate it.  Etc.

 

Yes, this. My cat would lick wet foods he wasn't very interested in. If he liked the flavor and texture, he'd actually eat it. I never knew there were so many textures of cat food--pate, flaked, little bits (with and without gravy), "filets," and shreds--not to mention all the different flavors. Cats can be extremely picky.  :) You might just have to keep trying until you find a winner.

[goldberry]

The morsel type is refused altogether.  The pate type is licked and apparently enjoyed, but not consumed.  We have tried various flavors.  She seems to like the current one, is just not getting she should pick it up in her mouth.

 

She has urinary issues AND she will not take medicine.  I mean WILL NOT.  I have had cats forever, I know how to give medicine in all different manners.  She WILL NOT take medicine.  So in addition to getting the moisture, I am hoping with wet food, I can add medicine to it if I need to.

[Cinder]

What about those Fancy Feast Purely? Our finicky cat really likes these a lot whereas he has turned up his nose at other brands/flavors. It's pricey so we don't get it all the time and he has condescended to eating regular Fancy Feast most of the time.

 

Good luck with your cat. Our other cat--the one that will eat anything, even bread and plastic--is very very difficult to give medicine to. I can't even hide it in food. And of course he's the one that has had more health issues so far. *sigh*

 

 

[Sdel]

Well, your doing better than me.  My stubborn kibble cat will only sniff the wet and then walk away in disgust.  My vet was fairly honest, some cats just won't ever eat the canned foods.

 

Stefanie

[Mergath]

I have a cat with similar issues. For her, the problem was that her kidneys started to fail as she got older. The first thing we did was switch to a high-quality grain-free dry cat food, and that made a big difference. She went from peeing what smelled like pickle juice in random places to normal urine in the litter box.

 

She also likes to lick her canned food instead of eating it. We found that she eats the most if we buy pate and kind of chop it up with a fork. It's hard for her to lick it without also eating it that way. She still doesn't eat a whole can, but she eats a lot more of it.

[GailV]

Our cat thought that canned food was evil and we were trying to kill her; she resorted to eating the plants (including poinsettias, which irritate their mouths) rather than eat the evil canned food.  Then I discovered that she believed baby food chicken (like Gerbers) was sent directly from the cat gods to her plate, so I mixed it with the canned food and gradually eliminated that baby food.  Now she accepts Wellness canned as though it's what she's eaten all her life.

 

Well, except she'd really really REALLY like to continue to gorge on dry food.  We keep a bag of Wellness dry around for bribes and rewards, giving her a few pieces for good behavior.  We can just shake the bag and she'll come running like it's time to PARTY :party:

[Pawz4me]

Also, you'll probably have the best luck if you serve it just a tiny bit warmed (a few seconds in the microwave and then stirred well).  Especially if it's been refrigerated, but it might even help to serve it warmed versus room temperature.  Warm food smells stronger, and many believe the smell is sometimes what most entices cats (and dogs) to eat.

[Miss Peregrine]

We had to chop it up and/or mix it with dry at first. He would just lick it until a big patty would fall out of the bowl.

[Tanaqui]

Warm food smells stronger, and many believe the smell is sometimes what most entices cats (and dogs) to eat.

 

Humans too!

 

If mixing the wet food in with the dry doesn't work, try watering down the wet food a bit more. Maybe if it's more liquid she'll lap it like she's drinking it. I've had that work with reluctant eaters at times.

[Anne]

I have a 20-year old cat who has only recently condescended to eat wet cat food - one brand only. All other brands are apparently evil.

 

My question is - is the wet cat food better for him? Should I really be feeding all or mostly the wet, rather than mostly dry with some wet?

 

Anne

[poppy]

I think most cats just want the juicy juice.  There is a "broth" variety I saw at Target but I dont' remember the brand.

Of all I've tried, the Iams Shreds are the most consumed.  Which, of course, because they are the most expensive!

[GailV]

I have a 20-year old cat who has only recently condescended to eat wet cat food - one brand only. All other brands are apparently evil.

 

My question is - is the wet cat food better for him? Should I really be feeding all or mostly the wet, rather than mostly dry with some wet?

 

Anne

 

Cats are set up to get most of their liquid intake via their food, and dry food doesn't provide that.  Some cats will have problems with dry food because of that -- they naturally don't drink much water.

 

Also, dry foods often have a less-than-ideal nutrient mix for cats, using more fillers to make the pellets.

 

Overall, wet is closer to a natural diet for cats.  

 

But there are dry food brands that are probably better for cats than certain wet food brands.  So there's a whole lotta "it depends" insofar as saying which your cat should do.

[Pawz4me]

I have a 20-year old cat who has only recently condescended to eat wet cat food - one brand only. All other brands are apparently evil.

 

My question is - is the wet cat food better for him? Should I really be feeding all or mostly the wet, rather than mostly dry with some wet?

 

Anne

 

Yes.  Wet food has more protein and fewer carbs (and that tends to be true even for "grocery store" brands).  And the biggie is that it has more moisture.  Most cats don't drink enough to maintain good kidney and urinary health, so the extra moisture in wet food can really help.

 

The only argument that can reasonably (IMO) be made for kibble (beyond convenience and cost) is that it may help keep teeth clean.  I don't believe that, although I think some of the "prescription" dental health kibbles really do work.

Edited January 20, 2016 by Pawz4me

[Spy Car]

I'm a dog guy, not a cat guy, but after seeing the very profound differences in feeding canines a balanced natural raw diet I would definitely work on transitioning a cat off kibble to a raw diet, with canned food lpossibly used as an intermediary step.

 

Cats, even more than dogs, were not shaped by evolution to eat carbohydrates. Felines are obligate carnivores. It is no wonder they experience health failures eating a junk-food kibble diet.

 

I do know it is critical that cats not go off their food. Dogs can be waited out, not cats. Cats also need fresh/frozen foods, we're dogs can handle meats that are a little "off." Cats also need taurine; beef hearts are a great source.

 

If it were me, I'd do the research. I've raised very athletic gundogs for many decades. The difference in condition of feeding a balanced raw diet has surpassed by highest expectations with respect to vitality, god health, and condition. Cat people I kow report the same, if not more so.

 

Feeding animals a natural diet for their species makes sense.

 

Bill

[goldberry]

Cats are set up to get most of their liquid intake via their food, and dry food doesn't provide that.  Some cats will have problems with dry food because of that -- they naturally don't drink much water.

 

 

 

Yes.  Wet food has more protein and fewer carbs (and that tends to be true even for "grocery store" brands).  And the biggie is that it has more moisture.  Most cats don't drink enough to maintain good kidney and urinary health, so the extra moisture in wet food can really help.

 

 

Yes, this matches what I have learned.  

 

Spy, I don't think I'm dedicated enough for raw!  I have a friend who does raw... let's just say even in our people food we are very close to vegetarian and much of it has to do with how much I DESPISE dealing with any kind of raw meat even for our own consumption.  If I can't do it for us, I doubt I could do it for kitty.

 

Oh, we did get a "kitty fountain" also to encourage more water drinking.

Edited January 20, 2016 by goldberry

[purplejackmama]

You're a good kitty mom. I almost yakked just reading the title.

[Pegasus]

If mixing the wet food in with the dry doesn't work, try watering down the wet food a bit more. Maybe if it's more liquid she'll lap it like she's drinking it. I've had that work with reluctant eaters at times.

 

This is what I was going to recommend as well:  pate style food, watered down to make it easier to lap up, and warm slightly in the microwave.

 

Try different flavors/brands.  Sometimes it just takes novelty to gain their interest.

[goldberry]

You're a good kitty mom. I almost yakked just reading the title.

 

When one of them had an eye infection, I had to give her this lysine paste.  Oh my gosh - the SMELL!  I had to wash my hands immediately after and I literally gagged in the back of my throat until it was off me!

[SparklyUnicorn]

I agree you might have to just try various brands until you find one she will eat. 

 

I once got a free can.  The cats just licked the juice.  They wouldn't eat it.

 

 

[NicksMama-Zack's Mama Too]

Well, your doing better than me. My stubborn kibble cat will only sniff the wet and then walk away in disgust. My vet was fairly honest, some cats just won't ever eat the canned foods.

 

Stefanie

My 19-year-old cat refuses all wet foods. She had a senior blood panel done 18 months ago, and her renal function numbers were boarderline. The vet recommended we switch to wet rx food. She refused. She'd rather starve. So we gave up. I put her on grain-free Taste of the Wild dry food, supplemented with fish oil. I read about renal failure in cats and purchased Aventi KS powder and added it to her food also.

 

A couple of weeks ago, we took her in for a skin issue. The vet ran a senior panel and her numbers had actually improved. He couldn't believe it. Her renal numbers were normal!

 

I really can't explain what has worked. I rarely add the Aventi, but I'm religious about the fish oil. I just know that she is thriving on the dry, grain-free ood. BTW, she drinks plenty of water.

Edited January 20, 2016 by NicksMama-Zack's Mama Too

[SparklyUnicorn]

We've had this conversation before.  It's really not practical.  Last time I gave my cat raw chicken, he just dragged it around the house.  Can't have a cat dragging raw chicken around the house.  No thank you. 

 

 

I'm a dog guy, not a cat guy, but after seeing the very profound differences in feeding canines a balanced natural raw diet I would definitely work on transitioning a cat off kibble to a raw diet, with canned food lpossibly used as an intermediary step.

Cats, even more than dogs, were not shaped by evolution to eat carbohydrates. Felines are obligate carnivores. It is no wonder they experience health failures eating a junk-food kibble diet.

I do know it is critical that cats not go off their food. Dogs can be waited out, not cats. Cats also need fresh/frozen foods, we're dogs can handle meats that are a little "off." Cats also need taurine; beef hearts are a great source.

If it were me, I'd do the research. I've raised very athletic gundogs for many decades. The difference in condition of feeding a balanced raw diet has surpassed by highest expectations with respect to vitality, god health, and condition. Cat people I kow report the same, if not more so.

Feeding animals a natural diet for their species makes sense.

Bill

 

[Okra]

This has nothing to do with wet food.  But, will your kitty drink more water from a kitty fountain?  When we invested in a cat fountain, water consumption went WAY up.  Then, maybe kitty might be able to eat some of the beloved dry food if she is drinking more water?

[SparklyUnicorn]

There are also moist foods.  I wonder if that would work.

 

 

[goldberry]

My 19-year-old cat refuses all wet foods. She had a senior blood panel done 18 months ago, and her renal function numbers were boarderline. The vet recommended we switch to wet rx food. She refused. She'd rather starve. So we gave up. I put her on grain-free Taste of the Wild dry food, supplemented with fish oil. I read about renal failure in cats and purchased Aventi KS powder and added it to her food also.

 

A couple of weeks ago, we took her in for a skin issue. The vet ran a senior panel and her numbers had actually improved. He couldn't believe it. Her renal numbers were normal!

 

I really can't explain what has worked. I rarely add the Aventi, but I'm religious about the fish oil. I just know that she is thriving on the dry, grain-free ood. BTW, she drinks plenty of water.

 

How are you administering the fish oil?

[goldberry]

We've had this conversation before.  It's really not practical.  Last time I gave my cat raw chicken, he just dragged it around the house.  Can't have a cat dragging raw chicken around the house.  No thank you. 

 

:ack2:  :ack2:  :ack2:

[goldberry]

This has nothing to do with wet food.  But, will your kitty drink more water from a kitty fountain?  When we invested in a cat fountain, water consumption went WAY up.  Then, maybe kitty might be able to eat some of the beloved dry food if she is drinking more water?

 

We did get a fountain.  It came today, I'll see how it goes.

[SparklyUnicorn]

:ack2:  :ack2:  :ack2:

 

Yeah it was very bizarre.  LOL  Anytime I give them food other than cat food, they insist on carrying it around the house. 

[PinkyandtheBrains.]

We did get a fountain. It came today, I'll see how it goes.

My cats love the fountain.

[Lanny]

I would not feed any cat (or dog) wet food exclusively. One who does that is likely to end up with pets who don't have any teeth.  The best thing for cats and dogs is to feed them dry food. Purina Cat Chow or something like that. GL

[Spy Car]

I would not feed any cat (or dog) wet food exclusively. One who does that is likely to end up with pets who don't have any teeth.  The best thing for cats and dogs is to feed them dry food. Purina Cat Chow or something like that. GL

 

You should see the gleaming white teeth on dogs fed a raw diet Lanny. No comparison with those of kibble fed dogs.

 

The carbohydrate load in cat chow is not species appropriate. Cats are carnivores.

 

Bill

Edited January 20, 2016 by Spy Car

[Pawz4me]

I would not feed any cat (or dog) wet food exclusively. One who does that is likely to end up with pets who don't have any teeth.  The best thing for cats and dogs is to feed them dry food. Purina Cat Chow or something like that. GL

 

My dog is four years old and eats home-cooked food with an occasional commercially bought biscuit.  His teeth are in excellent shape.  He had his latest check up just a few weeks ago, and the vet said his teeth are remarkably good for any dog, and especially for a breed not known for good dental health.

 

So . .. no.

[NicksMama-Zack's Mama Too]

How are you administering the fish oil?

I puncture the capsules and squirt the oil on her food.

[NicksMama-Zack's Mama Too]

Do.

Edited January 20, 2016 by NicksMama-Zack's Mama Too

[Lanny]

You should see the gleaming white teeth on dogs fed a raw diet Lanny. No comparison with those of kibble fed dogs.

 

The carbohydrate load in cat chow is not species appropriate. Cats are carnivores.

 

Bill

 

 

Bill I'm glad your dogs have their teeth!   The wife of a late friend fed their dog ("Buttons") wet food and food from the dining room table.. Not hard kibble she could chew on. She ended up without any teeth.  Serious companies, like Purina, include Meat/Chicken/Fish,etc. in their dry foods.  Our dogs would get bored with one kind of Purina dry food, after a year or two, and we had to switch them to another Purina food. A number of years ago, we switched them to a much lower cost brand (made here in Colombia) and they never get bored with that. With one exception, our cats also eat (and prefer) a dry food made by that company (Solla).  I suspect the Solla foods are actually better than the Purina foods, because our animals prefer them.    Cats are picky eaters. Our original cat (she is between 4 1/2 and 5 years old) is the only one still eating Purina Cat Chow.   Our Rottweiler apparently loves Cat food, which is very expensive, per pound/kilo, and he is now banned from the laundry room, where the cats eat. 

[Spy Car]

My dog is four years old and eats home-cooked food with an occasional commercially bought biscuit.  His teeth are in excellent shape.  He had his latest check up just a few weeks ago, and the vet said his teeth are remarkably good for any dog, and especially for a breed not known for good dental health.

 

So . .. no.

 

Dogs don't produce amylase (the enzyme necessary to digest carbohydrates) in their saliva, so all the sugars in kibble really do a number producing plaque and tartar on dogs teeth. Very bad for dente health.

 

Bill

[Spy Car]

Bill I'm glad your dogs have their teeth!   The wife of a late friend fed their dog ("Buttons") wet food and food from the dining room table.. Not hard kibble she could chew on. She ended up without any teeth.  Serious companies, like Purina, include Meat/Chicken/Fish,etc. in their dry foods.  Our dogs would get bored with one kind of Purina dry food, after a year or two, and we had to switch them to another Purina food. A number of years ago, we switched them to a much lower cost brand (made here in Colombia) and they never get bored with that. With one exception, our cats also eat (and prefer) a dry food made by that company (Solla).  I suspect the Solla foods are actually better than the Purina foods, because our animals prefer them.    Cats are picky eaters. Our original cat (she is between 4 1/2 and 5 years old) is the only one still eating Purina Cat Chow.   Our Rottweiler apparently loves Cat food, which is very expensive, per pound/kilo, and he is now banned from the laundry room, where the cats eat. 

 

Dog has "movie star" teeth. Zero tartar. I should have such teeth.

 

Purina loads their foods with grossly inappropriate levels of carbohydrates, because it adds to profits. But it is not good for canine health. It is the same with most dry foods.

 

Cats, even more than dogs, are not suited to a diet of carbohydrates. 

 

Bill

[Pawz4me]

Lanny, here in the U.S. Purina is mostly considered a low quality food.

[nomfaux]

I highly recommend checking out this site: http://www.catinfo.org/

 

Specifically this PDF on transitioning from dry to wet food: http://www.catinfo.org/docs/TipsForTransitioning1-14-11.pdf

 

It helped me immensely when I switched my cats from dry to wet food. Her food comparison chart is out of this world and incredibly useful too, even if it's outdated. Good luck!

[itsheresomewhere]

We watch the neighbor's highly picky cat now and then.  His royal highness has to have the pate mixed with warm water to make a soup like substance.  That is the only way he will eat it.  

[Ailaena]

companies, like Purina, include Meat/Chicken/Fish,etc. in their dry foods.

 

 

Yes, but the meat is often by-products and rarely the first ingredient. These large companies tend to have fillers a the most prominent ingredient, using as little meat as possible.

 

I wish I could do raw, but I'm really afraid my house would look like an abattoir...

[goldberry]

I puncture the capsules and squirt the oil on her food.

How much, one a day?  two a day?

[Spy Car]

We've had this conversation before.  It's really not practical.  Last time I gave my cat raw chicken, he just dragged it around the house.  Can't have a cat dragging raw chicken around the house.  No thank you. 

 

What? You can't feed a cat in an enclosed space?

 

Surmountable hurdle, no?

 

Bill

[Spy Car]

Yes, but the meat is often by-products and rarely the first ingredient. These large companies tend to have fillers a the most prominent ingredient, using as little meat as possible.

 

I wish I could do raw, but I'm really afraid my house would look like an abattoir...

 

I'd say it's usually not that bad, except just now I need to go break-down and pack away 30 lbs of ostrich tendons, another 30 lbs of raw pig ears (fur on), a bunch of beef heart, liver, kidney, and chicken parts. The meat truck came.

 

So abattoir is about right at the moment :D

 

Worth it!

 

Bill

[Carrie12345]

  Serious companies, like Purina, include Meat/Chicken/Fish,etc. in their dry foods.  

 

But the stance many people are now taking is that *including those proteins isn't enough.

The wet food and the kibble we're switching over to now isn't completely carb-free, but it is grain-free.  That's the best I could do without making my own, lol.

[NicksMama-Zack's Mama Too]

How much, one a day? two a day?

The cheap Kirkland fish oil capsules. We started with one a day and added a second capsule later. Like humans, she sometimes has fish-breath from it. Her coat is nice and shiny though!