The switch to wet food has gone from success to a royal pain

For the longest time my two cats were free fed Pure Vita grain-free dry cat food.  About 2 months or so ago I decided to switch them to Blue Buffalo Tempting Tuna Grill wet food (the pate). Immediately both cats were all about it, couldn't get enough of it.  I'd feed them early in the morning and then again at night.  They also began drinking less water, peeing less, their coats became nice and silky instead dry and shedding all the time.  One of them was no longer spending all of his time looking/laying around like a bloated pig all day long ..... he started become active and moving around a lot more.  He lost at least 5-6 lbs (was up to 20 lbs at one point).  Oh and not having to deal with the gorging and throwing up food from eating too fast has also been a plus.

Meanwhile my sister's cat was still on the Purevita.  About 3 weeks ago she switched her cat's food up to Blue Buffalo salmon flavored dry food.   Suddenly my cats are being a pain in the backside about the wet food.  The younger one is constantly thumbing his nose at me when I try to feed him.  He'll give me a stupid look, scratch around the plate, then walk away.  I've literally had to go as long as possible during the day without putting any food out, just to get him to eat it.  He's constantly trying to get into my sister's room where her cat's bowl is.  The other one is also starting to eat less of the wet food and I've found him attempting to get to my sister's cat's food as well.

This whole thing has become one giant irritation and my patience is growing thin ..... especially for wasting expensive wet food.  Obviously I'm not a professional or a vet, but I could tell that the dry food was just not good for my older cat ..... hence him finally shedding some weight and becoming more active once he got off it.  I absolutely do not want to switch them back.

Anyone have any recommendations?

Maybe try a different flavor? I'd be pretty sick of eating one flavor by now. And, yeah, a lot of cats will eat the same kibble for years without complaint, but with canned they want more variety. . . :lol3:.

Willowy said:

Maybe try a different flavor? I'd be pretty sick of eating one flavor by now. And, yeah, a lot of cats will eat the same kibble for years without complaint, but with canned they want more variety. . . :lol3:.

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Different flavors and/or brands are probably what they want. Jamie refuses to eat the same food more than twice a week, so he gets several flavors of several brands to keep things interesting. I stack a week's worth of cans at a time, so I don't even have to worry about remembering what the cats have eaten for every meal the past two or three days.

Willowy said:

Maybe try a different flavor? I'd be pretty sick of eating one flavor by now. And, yeah, a lot of cats will eat the same kibble for years without complaint, but with canned they want more variety. . .

.

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I bought the turkey and chicken pate one for them a couple days ago ..... the older one ate it, but the stubborn one wouldn't touch it.

Well, I guess try a few more? If they like fish, maybe try a chicken and fish flavor, something different but not too different. You don't have to stick with the same brand.

Yeah, what the others are saying   My cats are on a 90% wet to 10% dry ratio.  I feed mainly the Nutro brands of wet, Max Cat and Nutro Natural Choice.  But I've learned they soon tire of the same old day in day out with their wet food.  So, I buy a lot of different brands, flavors and textures and they are quite happy with that.  Every now and then I'll come across a brand they just won't eat.  I have 4 cats so I know when all 4 of them turn their noses up at it not to buy the brand again.  I'm careful about the textures I buy as well.  One day they might get a pate', the next a chunk in gravy.  I think the 2 kinds they might never get tired of though are the venison and duck chunks in gravy from Nutro Max Cat.  They love those 2 in particularly.

Don't give up!  Keep mixing it up and I'm guessing your kitties will soon be on the all wet diet you want them to be on!
 

Is there anyway for your sister to feed on a schedule so she doesn't have a bowl of kibbles on the open 24x7 around? I know it is in her room, but kitties noses are vary sensitive.... Having kibbles in a plate make it harder for them to want wet IMHO - they will want the kibbles.
Also, ask her to put the kibble bag inside of an airtight container so they can't smell it.

Meanwhile, along with feeding other brands and flavors, try warming up the food for a few seconds on the microwave before serving. 8-10 seconds, mixing it well so you don't have hot spots.

Adding a little warm water and making it a little soupy also helps.
Good luck!