kitties won't eat refrigerated food

Hello all,

Not sure if this was supposed to go in nutrition or the behavior forum.

Anyway, I have two cats, 4 1/2 months and 7 months.  They will eat wet food if it is a fresh can and just opened.  They do not finish a can in one sitting, so I refrigerate any leftovers.  They will not eat the cold leftovers, no matter what I have tried.  I tired microwaving, warming the bowl, mixing the cold food with some food from a fresh can.  They won't eat it.  I tried leaving the food in their bowl so it comes to room temperature, but usually the food just gets too old and I have to throw it away.  So now I have multiple opened cans in the fridge which I can't get them to eat.  Anyone have any helpful advice?  Tired of throwing away half eaten cans.

Are you using large cans (5.5 oz. or larger)? If so, would it be possible to buy small 3 oz. cans so that you can finish a can at one feeding? They are more expensive per ounce, but it would probably come out to be the same with the amount of food you are throwing in the trash right now. I guess it depends on what you are feeding them, too, because not all brands come in a smaller size.

I'm actually using the 3 oz cans, but they don't eat very much in one sitting, so I usually still don't get through an entire can for one meal.  I sometimes do use the 5.5 oz cans, and those things are in the fridge forever until I can get through them!  Sometimes I can sneak a little cold food into some fresh food, and they won't notice.  But that still really takes me forever to get through a can.  I love them, but they drive me batty sometimes.  :-)

Do you free feed them dry?

Racky said:

 
I'm actually using the 3 oz cans, but they don't eat very much in one sitting, so I usually still don't get through an entire can for one meal.  I sometimes do use the 5.5 oz cans, and those things are in the fridge forever until I can get through them!  Sometimes I can sneak a little cold food into some fresh food, and they won't notice.  But that still really takes me forever to get through a can.  I love them, but they drive me batty sometimes.  :-)

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I'm sorry this is off topic. But it seems one 3 oz. can divided up between two kittens is not enough for one meal.  I'm concerned they are not getting enough calories if they are not eating anything else.

I was concerned about the same thing.  But yes, they are being free-fed dry (in response to another poster).  I know I shouldn't be doing that, and do have plans to change that.  So since they are being free-fed dry, they are getting more than just the 1 can of wet.  When I feed them wet, I will place the wet food dish on top of the dry food dish, so they have no choice but to eat the wet (because I really want them to eat as much wet as possible).  They will definitely eat the wet, but not if it's refrigerated.  I do wonder if they are getting enough calories, but I assume they will eat when they are hungry if dry is left out all the time?

Sorry - guess I am getting off topic.  New kitty mom and trying to get it right!

Perhaps one option could be taking away the dry food 1.5 hours before feeding them wet food? On the one hand, we definitely can't starve our kittens to make them eat; on the other hand, a 1.5 hour wait time between a buffet and a meal is probably not an issue for bile or fatty liver. 

Disclaimer: Also a new kitten mom and new cat-mom in general! So feel free to point out why this is a terrible idea.

Hi Racky,

I've heard that sometimes it helps to take the left overs and put them in a glass container (such as those pyrex ones with plastic lids) to prevent the refrigerated food from getting a "tinny" smell/taste to it. I guess you could try that and see how it works for your sensitive kitties. My kittens are perfectly fine with cold refrigerated foods, though, so I guess I'm lucky. I usually add some hot water mine to make it less chilled, however.

Your kittens are still young, but the earlier you start feeding them more wet  while decreasing kibble access, the more likely they'll take to eating canned. I'd try scheduled feedings if possible. Kitties are not grazers,(like herbivores) so it's really not necessary to leave kibble out 24/7. Try limiting their kibble intake to only a handful during the day while you're out working or outside your home and feed canned in the morning, after you get home, and again before bed, to see if it helps. Also, buying wet foods in different brands, textures, and proteins will help prevent finickiness and allergies from forming, as well. Sometimes it takes a while to find their ultimate favorite foods in canned. Hang in there! 

Hoping for the best in your kitten's welfare. Please keep us posted, too! 

I agree, swap to scheduled meals. Free feeding dry is why they won't eat enough wet, they're too full on dry! The earlier in life you make the swap to scheduled meals (I never leave food out 24/7, even for tiny kittens) the easier they will take to the change.

i would suggest adding a little water before microwaving. the refrigerator and microwave will dry out the food. plus the may lick up all the gravy the first go round. 

EmandJee said:

 
Hi Racky,

I've heard that sometimes it helps to take the left overs and put them in a glass container (such as those pyrex ones with plastic lids) to prevent the refrigerated food from getting a "tinny" smell/taste to it. I guess you could try that and see how it works for your sensitive kitties. My kittens are perfectly fine with cold refrigerated foods, though, so I guess I'm lucky. I usually add some hot water mine to make it less chilled, however.

Your kittens are still young, but the earlier you start feeding them more wet  while decreasing kibble access, the more likely they'll take to eating canned. I'd try scheduled feedings if possible. Kitties are not grazers,(like herbivores) so it's really not necessary to leave kibble out 24/7. Try limiting their kibble intake to only a handful during the day while you're out working or outside your home and feed canned in the morning, after you get home, and again before bed, to see if it helps. Also, buying wet foods in different brands, textures, and proteins will help prevent finickiness and allergies from forming, as well. Sometimes it takes a while to find their ultimate favorite foods in canned. Hang in there! 

Hoping for the best in your kitten's welfare. Please keep us posted, too! 

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That's a good idea about putting the leftovers in a glass bowl.  I didn't think that they may not like the "tinny" taste.  I know I can't stand that taste!

I keep reading that kittens should have as much food as they want.  So I guess that's why I keep leaving the dry out all the time.  I worry that if I don't leave any dry out, they won't be getting enough food while they are still young and growing.  If it's better to stop with dry 24/7, then I will start to phase it out now.

It does make sense that they may be too full from dry to eat the wet.

Just curious - just how much should they be eating?  I really have no idea.  I tried asking my vet, but she is a proponent of dry only, so I really couldn't get a good idea of how much wet food they should be eating in one sitting or on a daily basis.  Sorry....I guess this thread turned into a different topic then what I had first intended!

Racky said:

 
That's a good idea about putting the leftovers in a glass bowl.  I didn't think that they may not like the "tinny" taste.  I know I can't stand that taste!

I keep reading that kittens should have as much food as they want.  So I guess that's why I keep leaving the dry out all the time.  I worry that if I don't leave any dry out, they won't be getting enough food while they are still young and growing.  If it's better to stop with dry 24/7, then I will start to phase it out now.

It does make sense that they may be too full from dry to eat the wet.

Just curious - just how much should they be eating?  I really have no idea.  I tried asking my vet, but she is a proponent of dry only, so I really couldn't get a good idea of how much wet food they should be eating in one sitting or on a daily basis.  Sorry....I guess this thread turned into a different topic then what I had first intended!

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Currently, I leave wet food out for an hour, and then don't provide food for about two hours. My kittens came from their foster mom free-fed wet, so that seemed to me to be the best balance between meal times and making sure they get enough to eat while I slowly train them to eat at meal times. (The 1 hour with food is in the process of being slowly shortened.) Sometimes they eat a lot, sometimes they don't eat much (or any), but I generally try to make sure that - during the hour they can have food - there's always a little bit extra leftover, to make sure they're eating as much as they want. Even if one of them misses a meal time, I know they won't be hungry for long enough to do any harm. Their first day was probably the most difficult, as they were used to grazing and didn't eat enough during the one hour for the first three meals (ie: in the morning.) They learned pretty quickly after that. Based on that, I'd recommend taking away the free-fed dry completely, and making wet readily available from the get-go. Also, adding a little hot or warm water to the canned food seemingly keeps it good for longer - it doesn't get gross or crusty, and my cats still eat it.

Also, I think there really is no idea as to how much kittens should eat a day. My two kittens ate 6oz together one day, and then 9oz the next, and today they're looking at somewhere around 7oz. It really is a guessing game. 

Racky said:

Just curious - just how much should they be eating?  I really have no idea.  I tried asking my vet, but she is a proponent of dry only, so I really couldn't get a good idea of how much wet food they should be eating in one sitting or on a daily basis.  Sorry....I guess this thread turned into a different topic then what I had first intended!

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Oh gosh, what a strange thing, to only advise giving kitties dry food?  Sigh.

Ok as for amount, well it's safe to say to feed growing kitties as much as they'll eat (which is vague, I know!). But let's see, when my kittens were about 4-5 months old, I fed them about 3, sometimes 4 times a day, and they'd usually eat about 1 1/2 --2 cans of a 5.5 oz between the both of them, depending on the food. But they did get some kibble, but it was minimal, maybe 1/4 cup per day of high quality grain-free food between the both of them again. (I didn't want kibble addicts, lol). Anyway, the thing was, I didn't really measure, but gave about 1/3 of a 5.5 oz can (to each kitty) mixed it in with some hot water if chilled, and served them. If they looked hungry for more, I'd add about a teaspoonful more with some more water again until they'd stop eating and start grooming themselves. After a while, you get used to how much they eat (make sure you can watch who eats what!) and get a feel for the right portions. A good guideline to know is that a high energy cat will definitely require more food, so if you see one eating more than the other, their metabolism is also another factor, other than their growth rate. 

Just be aware: kittens on wet will definitely use the box more, as they intake more water from their food. You won't see them hang around the water bowl much unless they've just consumed some kibble.

Hope this helps somewhat, let us know how it goes!