How do you get your cat onto a different wet food?

bluebo

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My cat is sooooo stubborn when it comes to diet switches. I have my cat on Healthwise dry and I give him one 3 oz can of Fancy Feast pâté every day... now he is even refusing to eat Fancy Feast! What do I do?
It seems the only thing he will consistently eat is dry food but if he does eat only dry, he gets seriously constipated.... I feel like I am at my wits end :(
Please help!
 

Willowy

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My cats didn't consistently eat all their canned food until I took the dry food away entirely. Have you tried that yet? Give it a week-long trial period of no dry food at all to see if he'd eat enough? Kibble is just so addictive. . .they'll hold out for it if they think you'll give in.

Do you feed the dry food as a timed meal or is it out all the time?
 
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bluebo

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Usually I free feed kibble from about 8-9 am until 3 pm. Then I feed the can of wet at about 8pm. If he finishes the wet food then I will put the kibble down the same evening but if not I put it down from 8-9am the next morning like I said before...
I will try taking the kibble away entirely but what if he refuses to eat? Isn't there some issue that they can get if they don't eat for over 12 hours??
 

Willowy

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Usually it doesn't affect them as soon as 12 hours! It can be as little as 24 hours if the cat is really fat or is already sickly, usually longer than that though. But 12 hours is pretty safe. . .and hunger is good for the appetite :D.
 
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bluebo

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Usually it doesn't affect them as soon as 12 hours! It can be as little as 24 hours if the cat is really fat or is already sickly, usually longer than that though. But 12 hours is pretty safe. . .and hunger is good for the appetite :D.
Well, Bo is a healthy weight. He isn't at all overweight much less obese. He finally took a few licks after I mixed warm water into it. Possible success? Will he ever just dive right into it rather then just take a few finicky licks? I'm just finding this process so tedious. Kibble is so much easier because he actually likes it., but I know my kids prefer McDonalds over broccoli so I know that isn't the best way of viewing things...
 

kittylover23

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Well, Bo is a healthy weight. He isn't at all overweight much less obese. He finally took a few licks after I mixed warm water into it. Possible success? Will he ever just dive right into it rather then just take a few finicky licks? I'm just finding this process so tedious. Kibble is so much easier because he actually likes it., but I know my kids prefer over broccoli so I know that isn't the best way of viewing things...
He should, hopefully (fingers crossed) get used to eating wet food and look forward to it. This is what happened (eventually) with my kibble addict, Cookie, when I switched her over to wet food. She ended up forgetting kibbles completely, actually. :lol3: She eats Nature's Variety raw now (with the occasional other brand of raw food added in, if I can find it) and one time I gave her a little bowl of kibble as a snack, and she just sniffed it and walked away. :clap: Guess after eating REAL food she came to her senses and realized "kibble is GROSS!".
 
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bluebo

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He should, hopefully (fingers crossed) get used to eating wet food and look forward to it. This is what happened (eventually) with my kibble addict, Cookie, when I switched her over to wet food. She ended up forgetting kibbles completely, actually. :lol3: She eats Nature's Variety raw now (with the occasional other brand of raw food added in, if I can find it) and one time I gave her a little bowl of kibble as a snack, and she just sniffed it and walked away. :clap: Guess after eating REAL food she came to her senses and realized "kibble is GROSS!".
Unfortunately I have tried EVERYTHING. Not just for short periods of time but for a long term period. I have even tried raw ... no go.
My boy will be on a primarily kibble diet. I am going to try Tiki cat food and possibly ziwipeak dehydrated food. We shall see how it goes... *sigh*
I've been wasting far too much money on attempting to force wet on the guy when he will NOT eat it...
 
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bluebo

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I am going to be buying some Ziwipeak dehydrated raw in about a week (a local groomer is getting in the store for me). Hopefully I will have some luck with that!
 

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just a heads-up---none of my kitties really like Ziwipeak. Because I have so many cats, I consider them to be a pretty good representation of the general cat population :lol3:. Some will eat it. . .but not enthusiastically. But they ALL love Stella and Chewy's freeze-dried. Like, breaking into the cabinet love it. So, of course all cats are individuals so I don't know what your kitty will like, just letting you know what my pack o' cats say on the subject :tongue2:.
 

mrsgreenjeens

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None, and I mean NONE of my cats, like Tiki Cat, and my cats usually go for the fish flavors.  I had to take all my Tiki Cat cans and give them to the local rescue place.  And I've heard mixed reviews on the Ziwipeak air dried.  But mine, and many others do like the Stella and Chewy's.  Mine much prefer it dry vs rehydrated. 

Also, have you tried Soulistic canned?  When we first stopped feeding kibbles, we were feeding Soulistic canned.  They liked almost all of the flavors.  I think it's strictly a Petco brand, and it's fairly inexpensive, PLUS it's grain free (a nice benefit).  Many cats are very particular about the type of wet food (pate vs chunks vs slices, etc.)   I still can't figure out, though, why mine don't like Tiki Cat, except that it seems a little dry.  And we tried a couple of different flavors.  They didn't like BFF either, which are also fish flavors. 

What mine DO like now, and I swear mine are the pickiest cats in the universe, is Weruva Mediterranean Feast and Weruva Mediterranean Harvest.  That's it.  Just those two canned foods. (Lucky for me they eat raw most of the time now)

Oh, and when I transitions them from kibble to wet, first I set up 30 minutes 3 times a day when they got their kibble.  Then I replaced one meal with canned.  If they didn't eat the canned, they didn't eat.  Then I replaced another meal with canned.  If they didn't eat, they didn't eat.  (I didn't do this all in one day...I would wait a day or two before replacing another meal.  Plus I had found a canned they liked before even starting the process)  Then I worked up to no kibble at all.  They kind of need to be hungry to get them to eat if they are picky, and if stated above, if they are healthy, going 24 hours shouldn't hurt them.  And you can try toppers, like a little bit of crushed kibble, or dried fish flakes, crushed treats, even parmesan cheese from the green shaker can thing. 

Hope this helps.
 
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bluebo

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just a heads-up---none of my kitties really like Ziwipeak. Because I have so many cats, I consider them to be a pretty good representation of the general cat population :lol3:. Some will eat it. . .but not enthusiastically. But they ALL love Stella and Chewy's freeze-dried. Like, breaking into the cabinet love it. So, of course all cats are individuals so I don't know what your kitty will like, just letting you know what my pack o' cats say on the subject :tongue2:.
I dont have access to Stella and Chewies (I live in Canada and don't buy online). I would love to try it but I can't get to it!
 

Willowy

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Do they have ANY freeze-dried brands at the shops you go to? My cats have loved all of the brands/flavors I've tried. I guess air-dried just doesn't have the same appeal :lol3:.
 

otto

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You have to be very very very patient, and expect to spend a lot of time at it. There was a time when Mazy wouldn't even go near her regular food if I so much as put a sliver of raw meat next to it. Not even in the same dish! That was many months ago. Now she will eat her Rad Cat raw without even any garnish, and is even eating slivers of thigh meat.

There are some tricks you can try. I agree with stopping with the dry food. No more dish of kibble left out. Instead, use the kibble as a garnish for the canned food. Crush it into powder, so he's still getting the smell and taste of it, but not the actual kibble, and dust the canned food with the kibble powder. If he eats half and leaves it, dust some more, and keep dusting until he eats it all up.

Gradually, try using something besides crushed kibble dust. Many people have luck with Forti Flora. My Mazy cat goes crazy over Vets-Best hair ball relief, crushed and dusted over the food. PureBites treats (pure freeze dried chicken) also can be an incentive.

You are doing the right thing, getting your boy on a canned diet. Hang in there, it may take months, let it take however long it takes. It will happen.

By the way, how old is he? How much exercise is he getting? Cats, as predators have a built in schedule. hunt, eat, wash, sleep. Get him on a feeding schedule of three times a day. PLAY with him, before you feed him. A 15 minute session of stalk, pounce and chase, plus some leaping and running, will help him work up an appetite. My Queen Eva has an iffy appetite, I have learned to play with her before her meals.
 
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