OT : Transitioning cats to all wet food

August

August

Cathlete
Cat people! I need your help!

Sorry this is compleeeeeetely off topic, and I know the Haters Check-In community are laughing at me, but I don't care. Laugh all you want! You're cats eat wet or else they go hunting and eat mice and moles! The most fresh meat my guys get is an occasional unlucky fruit fly.



I have 4 indoor-only cats who turned 1 year old today. They have eaten wet and dry since coming to live with me 10 months ago.

After much research, I've found that I want to switch them to an all-wet diet. And then possibly on to a raw diet.

I've read cat nutrition and cat info, and how to transition your cats to all wet.

But I must be missing some important link somewhere, for cryin' out loud! x(

Has anyone successfully switched their kibble addicts to an all-wet (or raw) diet? Could you please tell me the Deep Dark Cat Secret that nobody has told me in the almost 2 months I've been trying and throwing away tons of wet food?


1) We eat 3 meals a day (no more free-feeding)
2) We eat grain-free Wellness and Innova Evo wet (but we'll only eat it when it is accompanied by a side order of dry)
3) We eat grain-free Evo dry and Wysong w/grains dry

At each meal, I put out a tbsp of dry and the appropriate amount of wet, and I almost always throw at least half of the wet I put out (I leave the wet out a number of hours hoping they might snack on it...sometimes they take a couple licks but nothing to write home about).

Any advice?

By the way, my guys don't like any human food. I've tried putting bribes on the wet but they tend to eat less wet if I put stuff on it (even dry crumbs).

Sorry for the long post completely void of exercise. Wait. I did Muscle Max today. Does that count? :D
 
My vet recommended to me to feed dry Science Diet or Iams. He said it's much better for thier teeth. Moist tends to cause tooth decay faster whereas dry helps to knock the tarter off thier teeth. Also he said that dry could encourage them to drink more water which may help to avoid FUS by flushing thier urinary tract.
So thats what i do.
If you want to them to eat wet only then maybe the logical thing to do is feed wet only. It sounds like you are giving them both wet and dry and they are choosing dry. Maybe they enjoy the dry better???
My pets would come running if i opened up a can of food so I know they enjoy moist but they do well on the dry so thats what they get and it's more convenient too.

hth
Tami
 
Tami, I just wanted to say that my vet recommends canned food. Dry food really doesn't clean the teeth unless it is specially formulated for that purpose, and my cat became dehydrated on dry food -- he didn't take in near enough fluids and became dehydrated, and started forming stones.

August, this might seem like a dumb question, but do you stir and mix the dry and wet foods together? My Johnny won't eat his pumpkin puree unless it is thoroughly mixed in with his canned food, and then he'll scarf it down. :p
 
Hi August,

I also transitioned Chance to wet food several years ago at my vets recommendation with great results. I know some recommend mixing wet w/ dry for a while, but I just put down a bowl of all wet on day one and he didn't look back. :)

I started with Wellness canned, but now use a variety of premium foods - Merrick, Innova, Eagle Pack, California Natural - and occasionally just give him half a can of Jack mackerel or salmon.

Just a note - Iams does NOT have a great reputation in the quality department.

Have you tried warming the wet food a little? My vet recommended that some cats don't like it cold...silly prima donnas. :D
 
August-
You are so freakin' funny! You crack me up! :D

Anyhoo, back to the cat talk. I have tried (unsuccessfully--like you) to get my cats to eat wet food. I only feed them organic, grain free dry food and every evening give them a little wet food. They won't touch it. They graze on their dry food all day (I don't have specific "feeding times") so maybe they're not hungry when I put out the wet food. I don't know. I have a ten year old male cat and a 10 month old female cat. The male won't touch the wet food but the female will eat a few bites and then walk away.

So, basically I'm in the same boat as you. I don't have any advice. Just kind of felt like talking about my cats. I think I've crossed the line to being an official crazy cat lady. I even gave my mother a Mother's Day card "from the cats". Yep. That's right. I'm THAT lady. I'm way too young to be this pathetic....;)

Allison

http://www.picturetrail.com/allisonj90
 
I don't know about it but I'm curious too. I've tried cooking her food before and she wouldn't touch it. She is on vet food now to loose weight. it doesn't seem to be working? I'm using a measured scoop too. They have canned and I thought about trying that instead of dry. Its really expensive though and I wonder if there isn't something better I can get at petsmart or something? But she is overweight and I can't have her gaining. The food shes on is the purina overweight managment dry food.
I've also thought about raw but I have no idea how to get there either. right now our vet is weighing her and using this food.
here is one website I was reading on for raw: http://www.felinefuture.com/
They sell something to mix with the raw meat. They say to make large batches and freeze them in portion sizes.
 
I'm surprised your cats don't like the wet food. Maybe try a different brand? And definitely mix it well with the dry. Or how about trying one meal per day (if you usually feed two) as just wet?

(FYI: it's not necessary to label threads here as "OT," since NOTHING IS OFF-TOPIC in the "Open Discussion" forum.;-) )


>Just a note - Iams does NOT have a great reputation in the
>quality department.

Nor in the humane treatment of animals they test their food on.



I definitely agree wet food is better than dry (and if you feed dry, try adding some water to it). Cats don't have a strong thirst mechanism, and if only given dry food, they might not get enough fluids, which in time leads to kidney problems. Also, most dry foods (including Science Diet and IAMS) are highly processed, so it's like them eating processed foods all the time. They are also high in grains, which cats don't need at all (but which are cheaper than real cat-appropriate food).
 
Hi Jess,

My vet recommended wet food SPECIFICALLY because Chance was fat. Basically the dry foods contain a lot fillers (usually grain-based) that don't provide much nutrition value to a cat.

Chance dropped the weight very quickly when he switched him to all wet (went from over 17lbs to a very svelte 14lbs), and he didn't act hungry all the time like he did when fed dry.

Also, he has no problem with tartar build-up on his teeth.
 
What led me to feed dry at my Vets recommendation was when he was 4 years old I took him in for vaccinations (I know, I know vaccinations are a terrible thing, but I'm old school and it must be done) Dr. M did an oral exam and literally reached in with his fingers and pulled out a tooth. He recommended switching over to dry and brushing the teeth too which I try to do at least occasionally. He recommended Science or Iams.
I switched him to Science diet (as I had tried Iams for dog and my dog seemed to like it ok, I did not for reasons I won't go into here) We've never had a problem since. He's 18 now.:+

It had been drilled into me for decades to not feed our pets people food. It wasn't until I worked for an emergency vet clinic I saw first hand as to why that makes sense.

Do what works for you. I

Tami
 
I had to switch my cat to dry food after she was continually getting bladder infections on dry food. The vet stated that some cats can't handle all dry food, especially the cheap dry stuff I was using. I switched to Science Diet canned food and she is a much happier cat. I do keep a little bit of dry out, but she barely touches it and prefers the canned.

Monica
 
We've had our cats for more than 5 years now. We only give them dry food. It cleans their teeth and they are very healthy. Our vet says they look fantastic and "how are you doing this?". I tell him and he says to continue whatever I'm doing because they are in great health, great teeth and great spirits.

Janie

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The idea is to die young as late as possible.
 
well I'm thinking of switching to the vets wet food.. but they say its the same stuff. It has like 50% protein which is more than the grocery store brands. I dunno what to do right now. I just bought the $37 bag of dry food that we need to use up atleast. what brands of wet food are recommended?
I'd imagine if you only gave them the option of wet they'd eat eventually then get used to it?
 
That article ^^^^ was great! Thanks for the link and thanks for sharing! Most of what was mentioned in there is exactly why I don't feed any dry food and canned organic food sparingly.

It is not easy!!! My kitty Nemo is Mr. Finicky. He WANTS dry food, the main problem, he is an outside cat and just goes to the neighbors who keep feeding him dry food - UGGGHHH. I understand that most commercial dry foods have artificial flavors and flavor enhancers which makes it irresistable to cats, basically McD for kitties.

For the transistion I had to keep him locked up in the house, gave him a little bit at a time, two or three times a day, I would take away anything he hadn't eaten within 5 minutes. He also doesn't like anything that comes out of the fridge, I put the correct portion in Foodsaver bags and throw it in boiling water for a minute or so. I also sprinkle a little bit of Halo Pets Dinner Party or Wysong Call of the Wild on top. He is improving but it is still a struggle, especially with my neighbors continuing to feed him kibble.

I hope it works out for you! Just be patient.

I hope no one takes offense but I just have to say that the dry food supposedly cleaning the dog's or cat's teeth REALLY is a myth that even vets buy into. Aside from the fact that this would require that the food is actually chewed for a while. If we take the same reasoning (that chewing the dry food cleans the teeth) and apply it to humans, just give the kids a handful of cereal or we chew on a few potato chips or a piece of toast and we can throw out our tooth brushes and floss. In fact, I don't know about you but whenever I eat cereal, I have a lot of "stuff" stuck between my teeth.
 
LOL.

Thanks for the responses. Sorry, I didn't mean to make this a "is wet or dry" better thread.

:)

From all the info I have read, I have personally come to the conclusion that wet or raw is the healthiest way to go. I think if your cats are indoor/outdoor cats, they're probably getting lots of yummy raw on their own, which of course is THE most natural food (over dry or canned or pre-made raw). :9

But mine are indoor and only eat what I put out.

Unless I only put out wet! LMAO.

> this might seem like a dumb question, but do you stir and mix the dry and wet foods together?

Michele, the Royalty doesn't like it mixed in. Go figure.

>but I just put down a bowl of all wet on day one and he didn't look back.

Gayle, you lucky woman! Oh, and yes, I do warm up anything that's been in the fridge by adding in a little hot water, or taking it out of the fridge an hour in advance.


If anyone comes across this thread with an more ideas on how to help me transition my guys to wet, I'd sure love to know!



~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

And for those of you who would like to find a better wet :

http://www.catinfo.org/commercialcannedfoods.htm#HIGH_QUALITY,_GRAIN-FREE_CANNED_FOODS


And for those of you who would like to find a healthier dry (no grains, as cats don't need/shouldn't eat them) : Innova Evo dry, Nature's Varieyt Instinct dry, Wellness Core dry


** From what I've read, cats are obligate carnivores. This means that they don't need and cannot process carbohydrates. Because there is a high % of carbs in dry food (in particular), many cats become overweight. If your kitty needs to lose some weight, you might switch her to wet food (wet foods have less grains than dry, or even better yet, get a grain-free wet), or if you feel dry is the better way, you might look for a grain-free dry to help your kitty lose weight and stay healthier.


ETA : Carola, we were posting at the same time! Thank you for telling me how you are doing your transition! I've heard great things about that Wysong product. I wish I could get it where I live!! LOL about your clever kitty going around and "hunting" other people's dry! LMAO! That bugger!
 
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