Cat who doesn't eat dry food

kazy

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My friend is thinking about adopting a cat who only eats wet food.
Is it possible to make him eat dry again?

Reason is for the convenience. She wants to feed both wet and dry.
When she is out for a day or two, she can leave dry food out for her cat.

I guess this cat used to eat dry food.
But whey he suffered from URI, owner gave most stinky wet food. Ever since, cat only eats wet and don't even touch dry.

Do you think my friend adopt this cat???
Or, she should wait for the one who eats dry?

Thanks for your help!
 

stephenq

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I vote she gets a cat sitter to come in and feed her cat wet food when she's away. And no, i don't think she should adopt this cat unless she's going to feed him what he wants as opposed to what SHE wants. The cat is going to unhappy and then she's going to be unhappy too because he's going to want wet food, and .....i could go on.......
 

heidiann

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I agree...

I believe wet food is better for the cat anyways.

We just switched our 4 to all wet and will have to have someone come in twice a day to feed them while we're at the lake this summer on the weekends.

Maybe she has a family member or neighbor or someone who can do it? I used to care for neighbor's cats when I was younger.
 

sharky

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second the cat sitter

wet is truly better for health
 

courtney_ou

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patchy BARELY eats dry food and will only eat certain kinds of wet food. if that kitty is anything like patchy, that person will have her hands full. ive seen patchy go nearly 2 days without eating because she didnt like the flavor/the fact it was canned not packs/the brand, etc

"they'll eat when theyre hungry" apparently doesnt apply to cats
 

goldenkitty45

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IMO if the cat's problem with UTI was caused mainly by dry food, then its wrong to adopt the cat and make him eat dry just for convenience of the owner.

Besides, its better for a cat to be eating both wet and dry.
 
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kazy

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Wet is better for kitty anyway.


Someone told me that dry food is better for their teeth.
Thus cats should eat some dry food.
Is that true?
 

callista

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Yeah, a bit of crunching helps the teeth. There are crunchy treats you can give for that, though. Or you could just brush the cat's teeth.
 

ktlynn

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Originally Posted by Kazy

Someone told me that dry food is better for their teeth.
Thus cats should eat some dry food.
Is that true?
No, not true. It's like the dentist telling you to eat hard biscuits to clean your teeth! They won't.

Years ago, dry cat food manufacturers used to claim dry food was good for teeth. They don't do that anymore because it's untrue. The other myth is that wet food causes tooth decay. It doesn't.

BTW, I agree with all the comments previous posters have made regarding the original question about making the cat eat dry food. And I second the opinion that cats should never be left alone for a day or two. They are a responsibility and need attention. If your friend is frequently away from home and can't or won't get a catsitter, she should rethink adopting a cat.
 

kittylover77

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If it is a no-kill shelter, and your friend thinks feeding wet food only is a problem, let the kitty go and find another.
If it IS a kill shelter, I'd adopt the baby and try to work around his issues.
Wet food is best for kitties, but dry food that is premium is not bad either.
There are foods like Nutro Max that are good for UTI issues. You can also buy a feeder that keeps wet food cold and dispenses it at proper times.
 

mzjazz2u

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I would not put a cat on dry food that has had a history of URI's. That stinky wet food is probably a lot better for the cat. And just as with children, sometimes you just have to drop the convenience factor.
 

yiplong

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Cats can be picky eaters, and if they don't see their food, they can voluntarily starve themselves. I don't think your friend should take this kitty if he's not ready to feed wet. There are plenty of cats at the shelter to pick from, he should have no trouble finding another cat that eats dry.
 

courtney_ou

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no freaking lie. last nite i went to feed patchy and she had her back turned when i put her freah food down. she totally refused to eat it and cried for more for an hour just because she didnt see me set it down and thought it was old. if the friend isnt prepared to love and get bossed around by a diva kitty then he needs to get a different one. personally, i love it
 
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kazy

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Yeah, I am definitely telling her to pass.

The cat is not at shelter.
Someone she knows is looking for new home. I don't know the detail situation of current owner.
I wonder shelter wonâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]t like having cat like that…. Would she be in a “kill†list????
I should tell my friend to relay the info to the catâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]s owner.

Courtney_ou, how did your cat ended up so picky? Was she always like that from the beginning?
Or, you ended up spoiling your baby?
 

yosemite

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Originally Posted by Kazy

Wet is better for kitty anyway.


Someone told me that dry food is better for their teeth.
Thus cats should eat some dry food.
Is that true?
Dry food does nothing for their teeth. Cats don't "chew" per se, their jaws only go up and down, not side to side, and they usually swallow the pieces whole. Even if they do break the piece, they break it with the tip of the tooth so it really does nothing to clean the teeth at the gum line where it is needed.

If this kitty has a history of UTI, then he should be left on wet food and your friend should probably find a cat that already eats dry food.
 

courtney_ou

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Courtney_ou, how did your cat ended up so picky? Was she always like that from the beginning?
Or, you ended up spoiling your baby?
[/quote]

i dunno how she got like that! ive only had her 2 yrs; shes 10. the vet thought she mightve been a show kitty b/c of some of her actions and stances (shes supposed to be a full wegie. she was abandoned and i adopted her from petsmart) i wondered if her pickiness maybe had to do with her food allergies (she refuses to eat prescription food too) i really wish i had a video camera to record some of the things she does. last nite when she wouldnt eat the food i gave her b/c she wasnt paying attn, she started YOWLING at my mom the second she walked in the door. my mom told her she had to pee 1st but that didnt stop her (it will chloe) and i heard mom say, "HEY that wasnt nice!" mom told me that patchy had punched her in the leg while she was tinkling
i guess she wasnt going fast enough for patchy. the funny thing about it was when patchy yowls for food, it sounds just like shes saying, "NOW!" and her big fluffy tail shimmies in rage hahaha

patchy is the one shown snoozing on the couch
 

kittyl0ve4

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Monster is picky about his food too. he doesnt care about the dry food, hell eat any brand, but when it comes to wet, he will only eat Fancy Feast. i kno it isnt a good brand, despite the fact that i had always thought it was a good brand. before i was educated on the fact that it is really "junk", i started him on FF(from the start) & when i was told it isnt very good, i tried several different kinds of the "better" wet food, but he wouldnt touch it, even though i knew he was hungry. finally, i went and bought FF again, & for some reason he loves it. i buy the Elegant Medley's line. Mittens though, she'll eat whatever is given to her.
 

sakura

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A very high quality wet food combined with a water fountain might not be bad, but I'd still rather the cat eat wet food and have a pet sitter care for it.
 
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