Cat protesting against healthier food. Worried!

I recently changed my cats' food from a commerical brand cat food to Natural Balance Pea and Duck formula. I supplement with vitamins, tuna, or canned food once or twice a week, and home made food with turkey/venison, rice, cottage cheese, eggs, cabbage/spinach/carrots (a mix I feed my dogs) another one or two days a week. One of my cats has transitioned well, loves the vitamins, and although he is not eating as much dry food as usual seems to be doing well and adjusting. My other can is not adjusting well. He's overweight, but surprisingly picky after the change. He barely eats the dry, runs away from the vitamins, and doesn't care for the home made food. If I put out canned food, parmesan sprinkles, or tuna he voraciously eats it. But I am trying to convert him to a healthier alternative. It's been almost 3 weeks and he has lost a noticeable amount of weight, no vomiting, not as much stool as usual in the litter box, and he's been active, friendly, and in a good disposition as usual. I am planning on trying EVO dry food or Solid Gold cat food next. But, I am worried. Should I be nervous about Feline Hepatic Lipidosis?? Any other suggestions on persuading my little man to eat the goods?

LuvYa2216 said:

I recently changed my cats' food from a commerical brand cat food to Natural Balance Pea and Duck formula. I supplement with vitamins, tuna, or canned food once or twice a week, and home made food with turkey/venison, rice, cottage cheese, eggs, cabbage/spinach/carrots (a mix I feed my dogs) another one or two days a week. One of my cats has transitioned well, loves the vitamins, and although he is not eating as much dry food as usual seems to be doing well and adjusting. My other can is not adjusting well. He's overweight, but surprisingly picky after the change. He barely eats the dry, runs away from the vitamins, and doesn't care for the home made food. If I put out canned food, parmesan sprinkles, or tuna he voraciously eats it. But I am trying to convert him to a healthier alternative. It's been almost 3 weeks and he has lost a noticeable amount of weight, no vomiting, not as much stool as usual in the litter box, and he's been active, friendly, and in a good disposition as usual. I am planning on trying EVO dry food or Solid Gold cat food next. But, I am worried. Should I be nervous about Feline Hepatic Lipidosis?? Any other suggestions on persuading my little man to eat the goods?

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 WHENEVER YOU DRASTICALLY CHANGE A CAT'S FOOD YOU SHOULD DO SO UNDER VET SUPERVISION.

As to whether or not you should worry about FHL, I don't think anyone here can tell you that as loss of appetite IS the biggest symptom.  I would go see the vet ASAP.

Sounds like there is a lot going on with this little guys diet.  I think less really is more.  Why are you feeding so many different things?  I would cut out the tuna, rice, cottage cheese, eggs, cabbage etc. that you are giving him once a week 1) so he can focus on his NB and 2) because they aren't necessary for cats and some, like rice, are harmful.

Dogs have different needs than cats, therefore unless you are feeding a true raw diet or a 100 or 95% formula canned, I can't imagine the homemade food that was good for your dogs will be good for your cats.

Also, I'm not sure what brand you were feeding before but your cats will eat different amounts of different foods, so it's imperative to READ the labels.  Foods have different amounts of calories, so of course, a cat may eat less or more depending on the caloric level of the food.  Why are you feeding vitamins with the NB?

Also wet food is just about always healthier than dry food so if one of your cats is not taking to dry food but is to wet food good for him!  If you can afford it, i would feed the wet.  Canned food certainly is the healthier alternative out of all the food types you mentioned.

What is your end goal?  To get them on all dry?  50-50?  If you want to try another dry, there are at least a dozen grain free to pick from.  Before switching again though I would take your cat to a professional.   Some of what you say, DOES sound serious and beyond the help of a message board.  

Lily came to me with the crappiest food on the market (my worst nightmare). And
immediately I wanted to get her off of this crappy food. Thinking that my cats
do really good with switching their canned food all the time I thought that Lily
would be okay with a sudden switch of food as well. Big mistake for me to think
that!!!! I made an immediate switch from the crap canned food to trying every
higher quality grain free canned food on the market and the only one she would
touch was one step up ~ "Fancy Feast Classic" flavors. The only way I could get
her to eat more of the canned food was I had to feed her off my finger or scoop
the canned food up with a spoon and place it on her towel. She wouldn't eat it
off the plate. At first she seemed to like the fancy feast. But that too was
snubbed (which now I think was due to nausea/upset tummy/diarrhea). She
immediately started having diarrhea and it took about 3 months for it to get
under control.

In the early days when she came to me Lily broke her tooth on her dry food so
the tooth had to be pulled by the vet. Because of this I immediately stopped the
dry food.

The switch became easier when I was given the tip of crushing up some of the dry
food and sprinkling it on top of her canned food. I bought a pill crusher (can be bought in the pharmacy section at
Walmart). This was an awesome suggestion. Lily loved that she was able to get
her fix of her dry food.

But the number one tip that made the switch to completely higher quality canned
food was to get a small glass bowl. place the canned food into the bowl. Boil
water...add a tiny bit of the boiled water into the canned food., Place the bowl
into the boiling water and let it sit for 5 or so minutes then place onto the
plate and mix really well. At one point I was heating her canned food in the
microwave but felt bad by doing this because microwaving loses so much of the
nutrients in the food. So, I didn't want to warm her food this way any longer.
And running the canned food under a hot tap was not getting it hot enough for
Lily's liking. Hands down this glass bowl trick has been the best thing that
could happen. I also have learned that Lily loves her food really hot (go
figure) LOL! So what I did was very slowly started adding the new canned food
into the crappy canned food, heating it up on the stove and giving this to her.
Very very slowly adding the new higher quality food and decreasing the old (I
settled on using Blue Wilderness because it does not have much of a smell.
Thinking that it would be harder for her to detect in the crappy food since it
stunk so much). If Lily would reject her food once I increased the amount then I
would go back to the previous ratio for a bit longer. At times this was a back
and forth game but it worked in the end. Played on my patience but we made it.
Now I know I went about introducing a new brand of canned food to her all wrong.
But at the time I did not know. I thought if I placed a new food in front of her
she should chow down right away but now know she is a picky cat and used to her
one type of food she was fed her entire life. It is really hard for some cats to
realize the value of higher quality food. Especially if they have been fed junk
food their entire lives. Why would they want to switch to healthier food when
junk food tastes so much better?!?

I slowly learned that any kind of change for Lily needs to be done really slow
and not rushed. Once I started to understand this the transition seemed to
become easier (now that she could transition at her own pace).

I know that most people are stuck on even getting their kitty to touch canned
food. If you haven't already check out (www.catinfo.org)

"Transitioning Feline Dry Food Addicts to Canned Food"
http://www.catinfo.org/docs/Tips%20for%20Transitioning%20PDF%201-14-11.pdf

I also have permission to cross post the following information from the FLUTD
yahoo group. It is compilation of tips and tricks the moderator has compiled
over the years that I feel could benefit people on the switch from dry food to
canned food.

NOTE: Never try to "starve" your cat into eating wet food/new food. Cats eat by smell and
many will simply refuse to eat which puts your cat at serious risk for hepatic
lipidosis (liver failure). So, go sloooowly...and proceed with tons of patience!
Remember, not all of the tricks will work for all cats. There may be tons of
trial and error - but well worth it !!! I AM GOING TO THROW OUT SOME IDEAS AND
COMMENTS IN CAPITAL LETTERS FOR FURTHER TIPS BELOW......


1/ Flavors & texture: Many cats are very sensitive to flavor &
texture. Try different kinds (chunky-meat, pate-style) plus different
flavors. We went thro' at least 25 in this house before we found one
that my cat (I think accidently) licked off my finger. Some cats
prefer poultry, others beefy, even others seafood. Seafood is a
possibility *as long as* your cat is not sensitive to it......TWO OF MY CATS DO
NOT LIKE THEIR CANNED FOOD MUSHY OR TOO WATERY. SO, I CHUNK THE PATE FOOD AND
ADD A SMALL AMOUNT OF WATER AROUND THE FOOD. I DO NOT STIR THE WATER INTO THE
FOOD. LILY WILL NOT EAT HER CANNED FOOD THIS WAY. SHE WANTS HER CANNED FOOD &
WATER MIXED TO A MUSHY CONSISTANCY BUT NOT TOO SOUPY. I HAVE HEARD OF PEOPLE
THROWING THE CANNED FOOD INTO A BLENDER OR FOOD PROCESSOR (WITH A TOUCH OF
WATER) AND THEIR CATS LIKE IT THAT TYPE OF CONSISTANCY.

2/ Heat/temperature: Many cats are sensitive to the temperature of
the food (because it affects the smell). Try warming up the food ever
so slightly........WHAT WORKED REALLY WELL FOR ME IS BOILING WATER, THEN TAKING
A SMALL GLASS BOWL AND PLACE THE CANNED FOOD INTO THE BOWL. THEN PUT SOME OF THE
BOILING WATER INTO THE GLASS BOWL. PLACE THE GLASS BOWL INTO THE BOILING WATER.
LET IT SIT FOR 5 MINUTES OR SO. PLACE THE CONTENTS OF BOWL ONTO PLATE. MUSH UP
TO CATS DESIRED CONSISTANCY AND SERVE. LILY WILL NOT EAT OFF THE PLATE UNTIL THE
TEMPERATURE IS TO HER LIKING. YOU COULD HOLD THE PLATE UNDER REALLY HOT WATER
UNTIL THE PLATE BECOMES HOT. THEN SPREAD THE FOOD ONTO THE PLATE. THE PLATE
WILL COOL DOWN TO ROOM TEMPERATURE AS THE FOOD WARMS UP TO ROOM TEMPERATURE.
TAKES APPROXIMATELY 3 MINUTES. DON'T BE AFRAID TO TRY DIFFERENT
TEMPERATURES...EACH CAT IS DIFFERENT....

3/ Different plates/bowls: Some cats are sensitive to their serving
style! If you're using a bowl, try a plate. If you're using plastic,
try ceramic or glass. Mine eat on white ceramic only (who knows why!)......SOME
CATS MAY PREFER STAINLESS STEEL. ELEVATE THE DISHES. IF THE CAT WILL NOT COME TO
THE PLATE THEN BRING THE PLATE TO THE CAT. THIS MAY MEAN THAT CAT DOES NOT EAT
IN THE KITCHEN BUT WHO CARES IF THEY WILL EAT WHERE THEY WANT? THIS HELPED WHEN
I MADE THE SWITCH FROM CANNED FOOD TO RAW. STARTED FEEDING MY CATS WHEREVER THEY
WOULD EAT. EVENTUALLY THEY CAME BACK TO THE KITCHEN BUT I STILL DO FEED THEM
WHEREVER THEY FEEL LIKE EATING THAT DAY. SOME CATS MAY ASSOCIATE A BOWL WITH DRY
FOOD. SOME CATS MAY WANT THE BOWL/PLATE SWITCHED UP AT EACH FEEDING/DAY?

4/ Finger-feeding: Some cats will eat off your finger even if they
won't eat out of a bowl. Sometimes you can get this started by
putting a teeny amount of wet on their paw/mouth so that they lick it
off (*as long as it doesn't upset them*). We finger-fed our girls for
2 months before they touched food in a bowl.....ALSO YOU COULD FEED THEN OFF OF
A SPOON. I LIKE TO USE ONE OF THOSE TONGUE STICKS THAT THE DOCTORS USE TO LOOK
AT YOUR TONSILS WITH (LOOKS LIKE A POPSICLE STICK BUT BIGGER)



5/ Syringe-feeding: Again, another trick just to get your cat used to
the taste of wet. Only try this if you're sure it won't upset your
cat. If your cat is used to getting water syringed, it can be a
starting point......REMEMBER ~ THIS DOES NOT HAVE TO BE DONE ALL DAY. AND DOES
NOT HAVE TO BE HUGE AMOUNTS. START OFF WITH TINY AMOUNTS LIKE ONCE A DAY TO GET
THE CAT USED TO THE TASTE OF CANNED FOOD. YOU MAY HAVE TO WARM IT BEFORE YOU
PLACE IT INTO THE SYRINGE.


6/ Broth-soups: Yet another trick. If your cat likes broth, then try
putting a *touch* of canned food in there (whiz it in the blender)
and feed it to them.......PLEASE MAKE SURE THERE IS NO ONION OR GARLIC IN THE
BROTH


7/ Getting them slightly hungry: NOTE/ By this I DON'T mean starving.
I just mean that if you free-feed your cats kibble it's likely they
will never be hungry or interested enough to eat wet. So, start
feeding the kibble at fixed times, and maybe feed a little less
kibble at night, so they wake up in the morning asking for food.
Then, try some wet 1st thing in the morning when they're most hungry......TRICK
THEM INTO EATING...DROP A TINY AMOUNT OF CANNED FOOD ONTO THE FLOOR AND CONTINUE
ON YOUR WAY. LETTING THEM THINK THAT IT IS NO BIG DEAL. IF YOUR CAT IS ANYTHING
LIKE MINE THEY HAVE TO CHECK OUT AND EAT MOST ANYTHING I ACCIDENTALLY DROP ONTO
THE FLOOR. IF THEY FALL FOR THIS THEN PRAISE THEM FOR EATING THE DROPPED FOOD.


8/ Reward-based eating: This is kind of like "clicker-training" if
you've ever seen it. The idea is to reward your cat for doing the
right thing (eating wet). Try to think of something your cat is
absolutely crazy about (e.g. a treat, playing, bruising, catnip etc).
Then, whenever your cat licks a bit of wet, reward the behavior. You
need to go slow...maybe just one lick, one reward the 1st day...then
2 licks, one reward the 2nd day. Also, you need to be COMPLETELY
consistent. Do it each time, every time. For my cat it was brushing.
I would brush her whenever she ate ANY wet. After ~2 weeks she
figured out the connection. It helped tremendously w/ the transition!
I still brush her after every meal today......PRAISE YOUR KITTY FOR EVERY LITTLE
STEP THEY ACCOMPLISH

9/ Kibble-mix: Mix a DROP of the wet into kibble, then increase
slowly drop-by-drop every-day. If two drops doesn't work, go back to
one drop. It's a very slow, deliberate introduction.

10/ Kibble-dip or kibble-sandwich: In the morning when your cats are
most hungry dip a piece of kibble into a teeny amount of wet and feed
it one by one. You can also "sandwich" 2 pieces of kibble around some
wet.......MAKE TINY TREAT SIZE BALLS ROLLED IN DRY FOOD DUST. TRY FOOLING THE
CAT INTO THINKING THEY ARE GETTING A TREAT AT SPECIFIC TIMES OF THE DAY. THEN
INCORPORATE THE "TREAT" INTO THE CATS FEEDING TIME SLOWLY.


11/ Special toppings: There's several toppings that can help w/
transition. Normally your cats need to have at least "some" exposure
to wet before this works (using the tricks above). Smelly cheeses
(blue cheese, parmesan), bonita flakes (as long as your cat is OK w/
fish), freeze-dried treats (e.g. Halo Liv-a-littles), raw-tops (e.g.
Wysong Call of the Wild). Use any taste, or smell that your cat
loves.....CATNIP, BABY MEAT FOOD CAN ALSO BE USED. TO CRUSH THE DRY FOOD INTO
DUST YOU CAN USE A PILL CRUSHER, SMALL COFFEE GRINDER OR MORTAR & PESTAL AND
SPRINKLE ONTO THE CANNED FOOD. DECREASING THE NEED FOR THE TOPPING OVER TIME.
AND INCREASING THE CANNED FOOD.


12/ Intent: OK, this is gonna sound a little crazy, but intent can be
a critical part of the transition. For anyone who's ever worked w/
animals you know that they can "sense" your emotions & intent (horse-
riders and dog-trainers know all about this...). So, the intent you
have when you feed your cats can "rub off" & make a difference to how
they perceive the food. Whenever I feed my cats wet I make a big deal
out of the whole thing...I start talking to them about the food
("wow, what a delicious meal", "wish I could eat this myself", "yum,
yum" etc.). The more excited I get, the more excited my cats get.
Then, I also make a big deal out of serving them, and an even bigger
deal out of praising them when they're done. My hubby used to think I
was crazy doing all this (but even he had to admit it worked in the
end). This is a little tricky if you've never done it before, and it
will take time to get your mind adjusted & your cats connected, but
give it a try! Can't hurt!.......COMMUNICATE COMMUNICATE COMMUNICATE ~ THEY ARE
GETTING EXTRA SPECIAL ATTENTION ~ WHICH MOST CATS LOVE. LET YOUR KITTIES KNOW
WHAT YOU ARE TRYING TO ACCOMPLISH. AND TELL THEM IT WOULD MAKE YOU VERY HAPPY IF
THEY WOULD COOPERATE. REMIND THEM EVERY DAY THAT THE LITTLE STEPS THEY ARE
TAKING MAKE YOU VERY HAPPY!!!!



And finally...don't give up. It can be a trying transition, but I
believe anyone can transition with enough patience & time. Some days
you'll go backwards, but as long as you're going (gently) forwards
over time, you'll get there in the end.
 

I wouldn't give your cat too much cottage cheese, rice, or other veggies. If you give vitamins, do so on the day you give the home-made mix as by itself, it won't have enough taurine, and is probably short on other vitamins as well.

Get a baby scale to give him weekly weigh-ins. As long as he isn't losing more than 2% each week, then the amount he is eating is fine. If he's not eating enough, you will just have to feed him more wet food so he is not at risk of fatty liver disease.

Tuna is okay in small amounts, but I wouldn't give it as a whole meal either.

Denali also gave some very good tips. :nod: