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wet food leftover ??

post #1 of 14
10/2/11 at 7:44am
Thread Starter 
I have recently had to start giving my 19 year old female tabby, Sassy, some wet food. She has never really liked wet food, but is getting a little thin and the vet recommended it. She still has all of her teeth, and she prefers dry food. She will eat about 1/3 of the can and then I have to refrigerate the rest.
Problem...she won't eat the cold food. Can I warm it a little in the microwave?
Thanks for your advice!
Sierra
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post #2 of 14
10/2/11 at 7:58am
yes you can microwave it but make sure you stir it after so not hot spots are in it to burn your babys mouth or nose.
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post #3 of 14
10/2/11 at 9:11am
It is actually probably not ideal to give a cat food straight out of the fridge: if you have set feeding times, I'd suggest taking the food out of the fridge before serving it at room temperature, if you can.

If money isn't a problem, you can get little 3.5oz cans, which are very convenient but not usually the most cost-efficient solution.
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post #4 of 14
10/2/11 at 9:53am
Yes, by all means warm it up. I often would add a bit of hot water and mix it into the cold food. It warmed the food and also added more water which is good for kitties since they often don't drink enough water.

I personally wouldn't leave it out on a counter to warm up as the bacteria would grow while it is warming up.
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post #5 of 14
10/2/11 at 10:56pm
Yup, cold food = YUCK!!! You can squish it onto a plate and put seran wrap over it, so when its time to serve you can just pour some hot water on it to warm it up. Otherwise, I believe nuking is OK as long as its the absolute bare minimum amount of time to bring it up to room temperature, and as mentioned stir it well after. Microwaving food too long though apparently destroys the taurine in the meat though.
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post #6 of 14
10/3/11 at 6:09am
Quote:
Originally Posted by rewboss View Post
It is actually probably not ideal to give a cat food straight out of the fridge: if you have set feeding times, I'd suggest taking the food out of the fridge before serving it at room temperature, if you can.

If money isn't a problem, you can get little 3.5oz cans, which are very convenient but not usually the most cost-efficient solution.
why isn't it ideal?

is it weird my kitten loves cold food? lol...
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post #7 of 14
10/3/11 at 6:33am
Quote:
Originally Posted by KittehTime View Post
why isn't it ideal?
Might upset a cat's stomach. It won't necessarily do so, but if Sierra_K's Sassy refuses to eat food right out of the fridge, that's at least one less potential cause of feline discomfort to worry about.
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post #8 of 14
10/3/11 at 6:43am
Quote:
Originally Posted by KittehTime View Post
why isn't it ideal?

is it weird my kitten loves cold food? lol...
Only because many cats won't eat it cold. If your cat does, no problem. Cats are very smell oriented so the food does not smell very strong when cold, hence warming it up.

My daughter won't eat cooked potatoes but loves them raw - all personal preference.
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post #9 of 14
10/3/11 at 7:53am
Don't warm cat food in the mircrowave, it will kill the nutrients.

Warm the food by first running hot water over the dish (use glass dishes) leave a small amount of water in the dish

Put a small amount of wet food in the hot dish and mix with the water. Test the temp with the back of your finger. If it is still cold place the dish of food into another dish of hot water, let it sit for a few minutes, then stir it around. Test the temp again with the back of your finger. It should feel just warm against your skin.

All my cats get their food warmed this way, every day. I do have one cat who prefers her food at room temperature rather than warmed up
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post #10 of 14
10/3/11 at 9:06am
Had the same problem until recently. My cat would turn her nose up at the premium wet food I gave her. When I switched to the cheap 3-for-a-dollar brand, she'd gobble it up, but I noticed she was getting thin and sickly as a result.

I stumbled onto a solution that is working extremely well. So well in fact that my cat has gone from ignoring her premium wet food to "asking" for it several times a day.

All I do is add freeze dried treats; shrimp, tuna, chicken breast...they're offered in a variety of flavors and is reasonably priced. It's made all the difference in the world.

For the record, I refrigerate opened cans and she eats her food cold. Doesn't matter one bit, but I guess it would depend on your cat.
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post #11 of 14
10/3/11 at 12:01pm
Oh wow, ok...I didn't know that.

Good to know tho, for future reference.
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post #12 of 14
10/4/11 at 8:18am
Thread Starter 
Thanks for all of your replies. I have tried Otto's warm water method and Sassy is eating better. She doesn't eat much at one time, so I have tried 3 times a day and that is helping. She seems to be having a better appetite.
I love this forum! Thanks for your help and concern.
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post #13 of 14
10/4/11 at 11:00am
Maggie hates cold or warm food, it has to be room temp. Which is a pain in the rear because she hates wet food for the most part. Sh will eat maybe a small spoonfull before turning her nose up at it.

Millie on the other had, she's a mooch and will try to eat anything...cold or hot LOL
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post #14 of 14
10/4/11 at 8:14pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Sierra_K View Post
Thanks for all of your replies. I have tried Otto's warm water method and Sassy is eating better. She doesn't eat much at one time, so I have tried 3 times a day and that is helping. She seems to be having a better appetite.
I love this forum! Thanks for your help and concern.

I'm glad Sassy is enjoying her food more. I have always found that reluctant eaters do much better with smaller meals more often. There seems to be something overwhelming about a large quantity of food to a kitty who doesn't have a big appetite.

Especially when a cat is sick. Ootay, always a light eater, wouldn't go near a dish if the dish had more than a teaspoon of food in it after she started getting all her senior kitty illnesses. And even with that small amount, she always, ALWAYS left a little. She was like that her whole life though, leaving some. If I put two kibbles in a dish, she would leave one. (I know because one time my sister was fascinated when I told her that, and she insisted I show her)

However, when she was older and it was critical that she eat as much as possible, when she left and walked away from her dish, I would pick the dish up, fluff the food up and take it to her and put it in front of her again.

Tolly and Queen Eva have a limit of 1.5 oz in one serving, but prefer .75 oz.

Mazy and Jennie do not have any such requirement but since I keep them on the same schedule, they get the same type of meals served them.

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