How do I get my cat to eat better wet food?

Question

My question seems to be the reverse of some others... I just adopted a fantastic 1.5 year old feline from an animal shelter. He was fed a combination of friskies and/or 9lives wet food at the shelter. I am agasint these products as they contain terrible ingredients; however my cat won't eat the Nutro or Wellness wet foods that I've bought.

Should I try mixing some friskies or 9lives into the other wet foods and wean him off that way? I'd hate to do that as I'd prefer him to not eat any of that stuff... but if I have to...

Answer 1

Have you tried out the different flavors of Wellness?  There are a few my cats don't care for, but a few they love.

There are other good brands you can try out; Chicken Soup, Merricks, Fromms and Felidae are all good.  I buy a few selections from different brands; my kitties prefer variety.

If he still won't try the newer better stuff, the mixing & gradual weaning may be your best bet.  Though if the kitty gets hungry enough, he won't be quite so picky...

Answer 2

Yes, I'd try it.  Just spread some across the top and mix some in too if you have to.

Here are my other tips; perhaps something will work for you.

1.  Although you don't want to feed fishy foods more than 2-3 times per week (http://www.littlebigcat.com/index.php?ac... ), you might want to get a few. The stronger smell may be more appealing, and perhaps you could use it as a topping on other foods as well.

2. Buy as many varieties as you can. Get different brands and different flavors. Also try different textures - some prefer mushy food, others prefer ones that are chunkier.  You just never know what's going to appeal to a cat.

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.

7. You can run the food (in a container of course) under hot or warm water or even nuke it for a few seconds to bring it to "mouse body temperature." This may also release the scent and that may draw the cat in.

Answer 3

cat eat wut they like. just test stuff out

Answer 4

wean

Answer 5

Figuring how to feed a cat depends on the age, activity level and health status of your cat. I will address your concern by giving you advise base on the assumption that your cat is generally healthy and have no special dietary or medical needs.

If you have been feeding your cat dry food around the clock with a food dispenser, the first thing to do is to stop slowly. Kibble addict resist changes and it's not a good way to cut them off dry immediately. They are used to the smell of dry kibble - where food manufacturer trick their senses with addictive coating to entice them to eat. Also, your cat is used to the crunchy texture of dry kibbles and will resist eating wet.

What you need to do is a gradual transition - introduce her to wet food slowly. Start off with a mixture of what she is eating now and mix it with the wet food.

If your cats eat both wet and dry, you can eliminate the dry almost immediately. On the other hand, if they are kibble addicts, you need to go slow. Feed more times, less quantity because kibble addicts are used to having food around 24/7 (if you free fed).

A normal healthy and active adult weighing at about 6-8lbs would need about 6oz of wet food a day. For kibble addicts, you need to upped the number of feedings at the beginning but each time, serve only a smaller portion. Since they are used to eating all the time, you can try feeding them up to 6 times a day. This is just a very extreme recommendation because once your cat has established a wet food appetite, you can greatly reduced the number of feeding and increase the quantity.

Once you got your cat to eating wet food, you can now feed either 2-3 times a day. Always monitor your cat's reaction to the food. If after four weeks or so, you find that your cat seems to have grown a little more chubbier, reduce and the opposite is correct if she seems to be hungry at all times.

Sometimes, when switching to all wet using scheduled and portion control feeding method cat owners feel bad when they see their cats begging for more food. Resist the temptation to give in. Cats can very well go a few long hours without eating. Stick to your routine. But never starve a cat into eating.

The decision to switch to wet food is the correct one and I am glad that you have taken a step forward in ensuring your cat gets all the proper nutrition and species appropriate food.

Answer 6

I have 8 cats and I have to change their diets sometimes due to a cat with an illness ( i have all 8 bowls out so they can eat at any time).  No matter what you do, you have to slowly change their diet.  

I have a large food bin.  I used to feed them science diet.  But one cat can't seem to stomach it.  To slowly get them to eat a new food, I started mixing 1/4 IAMS with the science diet...as it slowly ran low, I added 1/2 to 1/2 of each...right now I am at the tail end...3/4 Iams and 1/4 science diet.  

It is tough since those cheap foods have a lot of taste!  I know, when I get samples, I used them as treats.

And as you know some cats are finicky...but with a lot of patience and plenty of cat food....you should be able to get them to the good food.  There is a bland food that all the cats I have seem to like by Science diet.  You can get it at the vet only.  Maybe you can ask to try a can to the dry food.  even my most finicky devoured it!

good Luck