'catkins diet'

so my Ziggy weighed in at 17 lbs at his yearly check up a few weeks ago. he doesn't have diabetes but my vet recommended the 'catkins' diet for me to prevent more weight gain and eventually getting diabetes.

he gave me a list of wet food that I should serve him and I can NOT get him to eat it. when he was younger my previous vet recommended dry food only for dental health, he is 4 now and has been on dry food only his whole life. its almost like a fight to get him to eat the wet food and I feel like I am starving him or something because he'll sit in front of his full bowl of wet food just howling and meowing all morning.

can I get some advice on some alternative ways I can help Ziggy lose a few pounds?? I like the idea of introducing wet food into both of my cats diets, we recently moved from Florida to California where it is so dry and it will keep them better hydrated but I hate to see my cats getting so upset and starving themselves before they'll take a bite of the wet food.

any help or food recommendations would be GREAT! thank you!

First off - do not let your cat starve - even a few days eating less than 1/2 of what they should eat can make the VERY ill, with Hepatic Lipidosis. As my vet said when discussing my Bugsy's weight "I rather have a fat cat than a cat with HL any day"...
He told me to put him on a food for diabetic cats, called Purina DM (kibbles) - it apparently helps cats to lose weight, as it controls insulin throughout the day, preventing hunger pangs, making them eat less... It is a high protein, low carb, high fiber food...

Bugsy can't have it, as he is sensitive to chicken, giving him violent diarrhea...

He is on a high protein low carb dry food (Orijen), and I started to add fiber into his wet food to keep him full.
Good luck!!!
Again, your cat needs to eat!!!!! Make sure he eats at least 150 calories a day (at the very least); studies suggest this is the safest minimum to keep HL at bay.

What food was he eating before?
Possibly a grain-free dry food might be an alternative? You can moisten it to add water content. If he won't eat it moistened you could try adding very little water at first and then slowly increasing how much water is added so he can slowly get used to it.

Another possibility is to try freeze-dried food that you moisten with water.

Originally Posted by Nekochan

What food was he eating before?
Possibly a grain-free dry food might be an alternative? You can moisten it to add water content. If he won't eat it moistened you could try adding very little water at first and then slowly increasing how much water is added so he can slowly get used to it.

Another possibility is to try freeze-dried food that you moisten with water.

Click to expand...

Add water ONLY if kitty will eat immediately - within 15-30 minutes, otherwise you risk a bacterial problem...

Have you tried different flavors/textures of canned food? I know some of mine are picky like that. I know fish isn't the best, but if he'll eat fish flavors, that could be something to look into. Try different ones. Experiment with pate, chunky, sliced, etc textures, as well. Also you can try feeding it at different temperatures. Some cats like it warmed up for a few seconds in the microwave, some like straight from the fridge. If kibble IS ultimately what he will only eat, then I'd go with a high quality grain free such as Innova EVO, Orijen, etc.

Don't starve him! If he's never eaten wet food before, he likely doesn't even recognize it as food. You need to go slowly when switching cats to a new food. I would keep giving him his usual dry, but offer a little wet food at mealtimes too. Present it as a treat, not something he "has to" eat. With any luck, he will try it eventually, decide he likes it, and be willing to eat more. You can gradually reduce the amount of dry so he's hungrier for the wet food.

If that doesn't work, maybe a high protein, grain free dry food would suit him better. It can help him lose weight as long as he doesn't eat too much (grain free dry tends to be high calorie).