Finicky Cat won't eat her food!?

Question

We've always fed dry food, but one of the cats has been having problems and the vet has suggested we feed at least 1/2 wet or more. Since this is one cat, we thought it would be no big deal, wet food should be a treat right? We got her a special fountain, which she uses, and got some cat food.

First we tried cheap stuff. She wouldn't eat it. Then we tried more expensive stuff. She wouldn't eat it. We tried organic, no. We tried fancy, no. You name it, we've tried it. I've never imagined something like this.

So we took away her dry food and replaced it with wet. Eat or starve, and she doesn't come downstairs because of the dogs...

She started coming downstairs to get the dry food from the other cats while the other cats eat her wet food. o_O

Any suggestions would be appreciated. We're at a loss. Again, we've tried all foods, from the cheap garbage I swore we'd never try to the good stuff put out by Evo. Nothing is working! She will not eat wet food!!! We've tried warming it too, since that's the trick I used successfully on every cat I helped in the past... nope. No dice.

I would really like to avoid feeding all the cats wet-food, but I'm starting to consider it, once this bag is gone. Dog-gone it.

Answer 1

Wet cat food is the best kind,or so I have been told.

It may be because she is not used to it,give her time.

If all else fails,dip your finger in the wet cat food and gently push your finger in her mouth so she can get a taste of it.

I had to try that with my kitty,and ever since then he eats it.

Hope this helps!

Answer 2

You didn't sayWHAT THE CONDITION she has and WHY the vet said wet.

If her problem is digestion then I give my cats acidophilus (get at health food store or market in vitamine section.

If it is UTI then I put a drop of lemon juice in the water... it changes the PH.  JUST A DROP won't change the taste.... and another thing you can do is get some cranberry pills at the health food store  some that are small O they go down easy and will rid cat of crystals.

I feed my cats 9 lives cat food dry... It is suppose to be for urinary tract health... and with the combination I have not had problems in years.

I would try the dry food for uti health and just put drops of lemon in and see how that goes.

re wet/ dry food.  Have you tried mixing a spoon full of wen into the dry and then keep putting more wet in and less dry?

will she eat dry food w/ water on it?

Let us know the condition this is for so we can give a more rounded ans.

Answer 3

3. Offer a teaspoonful or so of the new food in a separate bowl at feeding time. Do this at every meal. The idea is that kitty will finally realize it's food and will give it a shot. By offering just a small amount, you'll avoid digestive upsets should he or she be willing to give it a try.

4. If he tries any, note which brand/flavor it was. You may then want to focus on that brand or that flavor in other brands. But don't be fooled. The cat may eat it all up but then never want to eat it again. So before buying a case of a food that he seems to like, make sure he's going to continue going for it.

5. You can try putting a smear of food on his nose or mouth. That'll cause him to l**k it. If he likes it, he may try more.

6. Bribes. Crush some kibble and sprinkle it over the top. Try fish or liver flakes, parmesan cheese, a drop of soy sauce, meaty baby food (with no added onion or garlic), whatever it takes.

8. Don't try starving the cat into submission. That could ultimately be fatal. You may want to cut back a bit on the regular food so that hunger may encourage him to eat, but don't force the issue. As he starts eating more canned, you will decrease the amount of kibble he's getting. But just be sure that he gets enough to eat every day.

I've cut out the items you've already tried.  Personally the one I've had the most luck with is sprinkling crushed kibble over the top.  

Adding lemon juice to water - not sure why someone suggested that as I haven't read the other answers, but you're right.  The cat would probably not drink it.  Not all hate citrus but I wouldn't bother.