Do your cats get bored with canned food?

I know alot of people use a rotation of food. But does your cat get bored of eating canned food? Or just eat less some days?  I just recenlty started giving them canned food on a regular basis. A couple will eat anything and any time. But the others its varies. I was giving it to them once a day, every other day. (Sheba) Mostly chicken and turkey. Trying not to give them fish to often.  I gave beef one day but one turned her nose up. So next time i had to give it to the othe cats. She had chicken again. One day i gave them Nutrish wasnt a big hit by most. Yesterday merrick was pretty well liked. 

Just the other day i decided to give them 3 meals.I give them half their dry at 7:30 and take the bowls up about 11:30am. Then at 3:30pm I give them each about 1 ounce of canned.  Then the other half of their dry at 10:30 pm. Im not around(in the am) to see who ate and who didnt. So i have to wait till I am back to take up the bowls. They dont all eat as soon as i put the dry down in the am. So I leave it out.  They have always been free fed so they eat small meals. At different times. I hate to take the food away if not everyone has eaten. 

I guess what I am asking is whats a good feeding schedule with multiple cats? Feeding dry and canned. 

I dont know if maybe a different flavor every days(7 per week) would help. Or they just arent hungry enough at that time. I know in the past they were more excited to eat the canned because they hadnt had it in awhile. Today was 3rd day in a row. Not a treat anymore. 

Right now I give 7 cats, 2 1/2 cups dry shared(484 calories per cup) per day  and an ounce of canned each(30-35 calories per ounce) per day. 

They range from 9 pounds to 16 pounds(boys and girls) So their appetites vary. 

3 times a day is a good schedule.  And 7:30, 3:30 and 10:30 sounds just about perfect to me.  The only problem is, if you want them to actually be on a "schedule", then you will need  to pick up those bowls before you leave the house in the morning, AND I don't know if you are leaving the bowls down thru the night or not, but if so, again,, if you want them to be on a "schedule", you would need to pick them up before going to bed.

Have you read the thread on how to get your cats on scheduled feedings?  I'm on a device right now that I can't copy and paste, but if you go to "Articles" at the top of the page, then Select "Cat Health", under "Nutrition" there is an article "Transitioning Free-Fed Kibble Kitties To Timed Meals".  There are other articles there too, like transitioning them to canned, what's the best type of food, etc.

As to whether or not they get bored with canned, every cat is different.  Some will eat the same exact food their entire life.  Others seem to like something different at every meal.  I have one that really seems to like only one thing at a time.  He doesn't like change.  BUT, after awhile he starts hesitating at meal time, then I know I need to start looking for another food.  And not just any food, because he's very hard to please .  But, back to the same food...he might eat the same one for months on end and if I try to sneak anything new onto his plate, he looks at me like I'm trying to poison him and tries to bury it and walks away .  Then I have another cat who prefers a different can every meal .  Then I have another cat who only eats raw, so he gets a variety of different meats.  (the other two used to eat raw, but decided they didn't like it anymore )  NONE of mine eat kibble.

I read the article. I am doing some of what it is saying. The problem with pulling food at my bed time is not everybody has eaten. I give them measured food at my bedtime. Its usally gone by morning. Sometimes a bit is left.  When i feed them the canned feeding. All the cats are their waiting. But when I put down the dry only some of the are. Like in the am, some are still sleeping. They eat and then the others eat after.  

How do you deal with cats not eating when the food is put down? That would work if they all ate at once. But with 6, it varies. They need to be watched to see that they don't eat out of the others bowls. Thats one reason i don't like multiple bowls. they want to eat out of the others after they ate some of theirs.

Sometimes even with the canned food( all the same type) they don't eat all theirs but go to the others plates to eat off of theirs. Sometimes the other cat(s) are done sometimes still eating. 

I hate not knowing how much they are each eating. If I can get them to eat from just their own bowl/plate ate each feeding. Mostly dry. 

I dont want to strave them by taking away the food at night if they only ate a small bit of it. They eat 3:30. Then at 10:30, they arent always hungry or real hungry. 

I have changed from a chicken and rice food to a grain free. But with 1 1/4 cups(dived by 6) dry and an ounce of canned. I would think by 10:30pm they would be hungry.   Add in not knowing if they are not hungry or just not that into the new grain free food. Or the canned i fed that day. Like yesterday half of them didnt finish their plates. Each got about an ounce of Sheba. When i first fed Sheba they licked the plates clean. Now the more i give them canned food they are not as into it.

Thats why free feeding is so much easier. LOL But I have at least one who need to loose a couple pounds. 

Yes, it's a dilemma for certain.  I had an overweight cat too, when I used to free feed and they ate from the same bowl (s).  I only had 4 cats at that time, but managed to convert them to scheduled feedings, each with their own bowl.  Another member, @LDG  (she actually WROTE that article ) managed to do it with 7 cats, so I KNOW it can be done.  Granted, it takes time and patience, but it CAN be done.  But first, I would say you really need to assign each cat their own bowl and their own eating place.  They can be right next to each other probably, except possible for your little piggy .  He may need to be assigned to a room with a door to keep him away from the others .  What I did was set down one on one side of the kitchen floor, one across the floor from him, one on the counter, and one on the table.  They were separated enough that they each knew their spot, yet I could keep an eye on them.  Some people use their cat trees to "assign" eating positions. 

So, I think you mentioned they all come when you feed canned?  Maybe that's the trick for the morning meal!  Pop the top on the canned food, holler whatever your key words are when you normally serve up their canned food, and listen for them to come running   IF you don't have any key words when you serve that canned food meal now, then you need to develop something.  All I have to do is say "who's hungry", and they hear me wherever they are.  BTW, it's ok if they don't show up for breakfast, as long as they show up for lunch.  Going that amount of time (from 7:30 to 3:30) shouldn't hurt them.  They'll learn fairly quickly to show up the next time, especially if it's for a food they like (hopefully canned)  Another BTW, my cats don't like Sheba.  Don't know why .  But if you are needing to keep your food budget low, even Friskies PATES are ok, and Fancy Feast CLASSICS.  You can usually pick those up for fairly inexpensive.  And depending on where you live, someone said the other day you can get Hounds and Gatos for $1.99 per 13 oz can!  That is a GREAT food, and a GREAT price.  I would say Hounds and Gatos is one of the best foods out there

I thought about feeding in the am. But figured giving them dry, canned then dry would be a good schedule. Then some don't seem to hungry in the am. I don't want to waste food. But seeing I don't know hoe much food they ate that night and when. 7:30-3:30. But what if they didnt eat at 7:30? and like at night? I put food down at 10:30 and go to bed. 

if I am taking the dry food up after say 30 minutes. There would be food left and most likey some cats that didnt get anything to eat. Not to mention eat enough for their calorie intake. Right now if they eat evenly dry/wet food they each would get 233 caolirs per day. 

I am in the process of trying different grain free canned foods. (kitten/cat # 7) does better on grain free. And found out its better and usually less carbs. So we are feeding everyone GF.  I have found some good deals online. I don't have a petsmart or petco near me. I ned to figure out which brands to stick with. So far they have had merrick. Todays menu is BFF. 

I am hoping giving them a lower carb dry food and giving them some canned food in place of some dry. Would help those lose a little. We recently started, so time will tell. I am also hoping that because the dry food carbs in like 33. That canned with carbs in the 20's is better then the dry. I know most say that is high for canned. At least for starters I don't want to drastically lower the carbs. 

On that note... I want to make sure I am figure carbs correctly. I know some people say no to add fiber or ash. Others yes. Then when figuring carbs in dry food I add, protein fat, fiber, mositure and ash. Subtract that from 100 to get carbs % ..correct? There current dry is ..
The Tuna and Chicken BFF was a big hit today. They ate everything off their plates. I think it was one the flavor or that it was thinner. I remember the first time i gave them the sheba tuna/whitefish. It is a thinner pate. They ate it right up. I was thinking its either the texture is easy to eat faster or the flavor. Or a little of both lol 

Now I have a question about the lower calories foods. Other then being able to feed more, so the cat feels full longer. If they need X amount of calories per day. Is there a benefit? It may cost more then feeding less of something with more calories. It might be good to give a less calorie canned when also free feeding dry as less calories instead of the higher canned. But will the lower calorie canned keep them feeling full. HMM 

My kitten is 7 months old, and I give him both dry and wet food. The dry food is out there all the time so he can graze, but he's always excited to get canned food. I feed him wet food 2 times a day, a total of 3 oz. I'm slowly trying to give him more wet food, and I don't think he's complaining. 

The dry food is Wellness Core, but for wet food, I get different grain-free cans and pouches. The only wet food he doesn't like is anything with turkey in it. I have no idea why. But he likes everything else. 

Momof3:

You're almost correct in figuring carbs .  What you need to do first, though, is convert the Guaranteed Analysis figures from the packaging to Dry Matter Basis before doing your calculation.  So using the figures you provided above, and presuming Ash to be about 8% since it wasn't provided, the carbs would actually be around 28% vs 33.  Better, but still not good.   Here is an article that explains the whole thing, complete with a carb calculator   http://www.thecatsite.com/a/how-to-compare-cat-foods-calculate-carbs-dry-matter-basis

Grain free is good, but low carb is best.  No need to ease into it either. 

As far as if your cats that are sleeping in for the morning meal, I reiterate that if they miss that morning meal, it won't hurt them as you are training them to get on a schedule.  I'll bet they won't miss too many of those morning meals once you stop leaving food out...that's the idea of scheduling the meals.  If they can't free feed, they will be hungry and come to the table for their food at meal time. 

Now as far as how much to feed, whether it is lower calorie or whatever, maybe this article will help:  http://www.thecatsite.com/a/how-much-food-should-i-feed-my-cat  We have all kinds of articles that may be of help to you.  If you click on Articles at the top of the page, then click on Cat Health, under Nutrition they are located there. We've even got articles on how to encourage your cat to drink more (that one isn't under Nutrition, however )

How would you calculate the following? 

Protein(min) - 9%, Fat(min) - 11%, Fibre(max) - 1.5%, Moisture(max) - 78%, Ash(max) -3%

I went over the calculations and low and behold, there's no carbohydrates at all? LOL, something is wrong with these numbers above...

I also used the DMB calculator after manually calculating, same result. 

I'm over 100% before even figuring out carbohydrates.  

Did their Guaranteed Analysis department fudge or make-up numbers, or am I missing something?

Yup, this is why some people argue that the GA numbers are meaningless because of the min/max reporting. Clearly those numbers don't add up. Unfortunately, I think those are the only numbers the manufacturers are required to report.

No, that's where it gets tricky.  See where it says Protein (min), Fat (max) , Ash (max).  That means that have a MINIMUM of that amount of protein, and a Maximum amount of the stated amount of Fat and Ash and that's how the numbers can actually add up to more than 100 % and then your carbs don't work out.   I, personally, am always a little suspect of the ones who do this.   To figure out the carbs on this one, I guess you'd have to call the company and tell you wish to know the number of carbs on a Dry Matter Basis 

Well, there we go then...and Fat is at least 11% (MIN).  

Hmm, well in case anyone is interested, that is Wild Calling Lamb (dog)  - good luck trying to figure out any of their canned food.  I tried Beef, Buffalo, Duck as well...same result.  

I may just send that email.  You're right, it seems a little wonky to me, considering other companies are able or willing to provide the information. 

For my own math reference I pulled a can of fancy feast classic chicken,  and wellness turkey to try out - no problem.  Albeit, wellness is on the high side of carbs. 

Mod note:  This and the following 5 posts have been merged from another thread..

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I have recently started putting my 7 cats on a schedule. 3 times a day is what i want to shoot for. I just started this week and as I think its getting better. Will they ever be to a point of eating more at each meal?  They each have their own bowls and they are doing better at eating out of just their bowl. 

But they don't eat more then 1/8 cup per meal.  Twice a day and then 1 ounce of canned inbetween. Most of them walk away even before finishing the whole ounce of food.  But since monitoring their feedings. Do cats like to leave some food and not eat all of it? I am thinking of giving them more as they might eat more. 

I keep reading about fatty liver disease and how little would a cat have to eat before this happens? Right now if they eat 1/8 cup twice and an ounce of food. Their calories are about 150. Not enough

Anyone have success getting nibblers to eat more less often?

I feel so bad. they were so hungry this morning. they all ate. I gave everyone 1/4 of a cup. Some only ate 1/8 and left 1/8 of a cup. Some a little more. I left the extra out for awhile. A coupkle came back for more. The bad news is a I had a couple who puked. They rarely ever throw up, if at all. I have one who does some times.  This schedule thing is so not working.  Any suggestions? 

Did they throw up because they ate too fast?  (you can usually tell because what they throw up is almost completely undigested food).    Did we discuss your feeding them more CANNED food and decreasing the kibble?  There are a couple of transitioning to scheduled feedings threads going on right now so it's getting hard to keep them straight (for me )  Or even just increasing the canned food and keeping the kibble the same.  Also, since YOU have more than one thread on this subject, can you tell us in THIS thread, what canned foods and which kibble are you feeding.  150 calories per day could be ok...2 of my cats eat less than that every day, only the 13 pound guy eats more, so ...

I think I'm going to ask a Moderator to combine your threads so we have all the info we need in one place  

Have you seen the tips and tricks to transitioning here: http://www.thecatsite.com/a/transitioning-free-fed-kibble-kitties-to-timed-meals

mrsgreenjeens said:

 
Did they throw up because they ate too fast?  (you can usually tell because what they throw up is almost completely undigested food).    Did we discuss your feeding them more CANNED food and decreasing the kibble?  There are a couple of transitioning to scheduled feedings threads going on right now so it's getting hard to keep them straight (for me

)  Or even just increasing the canned food and keeping the kibble the same.  Also, since YOU have more than one thread on this subject, can you tell us in THIS thread, what canned foods and which kibble are you feeding.  150 calories per day could be ok...2 of my cats eat less than that every day, only the 13 pound guy eats more, so ...

I think I'm going to ask a Moderator to combine your threads to we have all the info we need in one place

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I assume its from eating to fast. Its undigested food and thrown up minutes after eating. They were all doing so good. Even the one that usually throws up. 

I really have thought about feeding wet, but with 7 it can be expensive, I really would rather not feed food with by products. The kitten we took in had a problem with diarrhea when eating Nutrisorce chicken and rice. Did better on Pure Vita chicken.  

Canned food has much lower calorie count. Each need 1, 5-6 oz can or 2 small ones. I just bought a bunch of cat food online, I was able to get Daves for .13 an ounce. But even at that. It would cost  $136 a month.  Dry was about $60 with 6 cats. 

The canned food i have coming wold last  only 25 days and cost $168.  So depending on sales as to wether I can keep buying it cheap enough. 

Pure vita for dry and canned started out with sheba and i am buying different kinds to see what they like best. 

vball91 said:

 
Have you seen the tips and tricks to transitioning here: http://www.thecatsite.com/a/transitioning-free-fed-kibble-kitties-to-timed-meals

Click to expand...

Yes

Yes, when comparing dry to canned, dry is DEFINITELY less expensive, probably even if you were to serve up a pretty high quality dry against Friskies canned .  But in the long run, many of us believe that canned is still better.

I know you said you don't like by-products, but it really depends on the by-products.  They are not all the same.  If you read some of the articles in the "sticky" at the top of the Nutrition page, one of them mentions that if the percentage of ash in the canned food is fairly low (I'd say less than 3%), and the food has meat by-products in it, it is still a decent food, as in Fancy Feast.  But you still need to look at the other ingredients too.  Not all Fancy Feasts are created equally.  Only the CLASSIC line is grain free and low in carbs.  And oddly enough, Fancy Feast CLASSICs" do not contain Carrageenan, yet many of the top "premium"  brands DO, and many folks are opposed to feeding Carrageenan. 

Ok, NOW I'm really going to throw a monkey wrench in here for you to think about.  You can actually feed cheaper and healthier and know exactly what you are feeding your furkids if you feed them raw or homecooked food .  I won't kid you, it's a lot more work than just opening up a bag or can of food, but it's worth it.  OMG, my black cats are so shiny and soft...one of mine looks like black velvet, and the other, the longer haired one, last time we were at the Vet's for their annual check-up, she couldn't keep her hands out of his fur .  But that's just the outside benefit.  The real benefit, I'm hoping, is that feeding this way will keep them healthy and let them live long, long lives.   Anyway, I found this chart that shows food cost comparisons for you, since I know money is an issue:  Be sure to read all the way down to the bottom, because it compares all kinds of foods, from kibble to canned to commercial raw.  I don't think it actually discusses buying food from the grocery store, but that's what I do now, and so does the writer of the article, who happens to also be the woman who wrote the transitioning to scheduled feeding times article.  Here's the article:  http://catcentric.org/nutrition-and...y-cat-or-i-can-afford-to-feed-commercial-raw/

Also, IF you're interested, we have an entire forum devoted to raw and homecooked foods.  

In the meantime, what happened last night?  Did you try giving them some canned before bedtime?  How do they like the Daves food?  I think it should be much more filling than the BFF, which I saw in one of your posts you were using.  BFF doesn't have much fat in it, so I wouldn't think it would be as satisfying as some other foods.  What else did you order via the internet besides Daves?

OK, I'm sorry, I'm a little dense. :anon:

Is any food being left out for them them to free feed on at this point? Are they only being fed meals now?

It's really best to transition slowly - their systems have to go through an adjustment period. They're not used to hunger pangs, and their bodies produce acid in anticipation of food that isn't coming. So it's best to feed as MANY small meals as possible and at first, leave a measured amount of kibble out overnight. Work on whittling down the number of meals by dropping one at a time: increase the amount of food at the other meals by the amount at the one meal dropped - and when they're eating most of the food at meal time, THEN pull the free fed kibble that's left out at night.

If there's no food left out overnight, the regurgitation in the morning may be due to bile build up. Their bodies are not used to going that long without food. If there's bile in their stomach, it makes them nauseous and their stomachs are irritated. The food is undigested because it's coming right back up.

A few thoughts.

If they're eating 150 calories each (roughly) - they are not at risk for fatty liver. As mrsgreenjeens pointed out, that is often the amount of calories needed to maintain a healthy weight in an adult cat that isn't very active.

To determine if the regurgitation in the morning is from eating too fast or from bile build-up you can either put the food up on a stool, put the kibble on plates to slow them down, and/or put a ball in the bowl so they have to work around it to get at the kibble.

OR

Give them 5 or 6 pieces of kibble about 10 minutes before you feed the meal. If they've got bile build-up, either this will absorb it, and they'll be able to eat the meal without regurgitating, or they'll throw that up, and then be able to eat the meal and keep it down.

...But their bodies do have to adjust to the "not nibbling."

So....how's the transition coming along?