Need advice on wet food alternatives

flmickey90

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Do you have a Tractor Supply near you. They carry a food called 4 Health. The cashier said that the company that makes that premium food can't remember what it's called wild something or another makes the 4 health for Tractor SuppLy. I find the canned food by 4 health to have a lot of gravy. Can't remember the types I bought  not the pate.
I feed my cat the 4health dry food and she likes that.  She's VERY picky and when I was trying to see what others she may like not long after I got her, she only liked the the chicken flavor and have been feeding her the Friskies kind.  In the last week, she's started turning her nose up to it and either not eating it, or just having a few bites and is then done.  So I've been reading all the input everyone has given here and in a few other posts and trying to figure out what to do (as well as asking around to friends and other sites).  A few that I've read from others elsewhere is that she could be bored with what have been giving her and just not interested and have been given some of the same types that have been mentioned here and elsewhere.  Some have also said to maybe take a break from the wet food and then try again.  But my thing is that she's so picky, like mentioned, I'm not sure what to try and get her and am afraid of wasting money if she's not going to try them.  When I had tried before, she wanted NOTHING to do with gravy and only liked the chicken pate kind and I had been giving her the Friskies Indoor Chicken pate.  But with looking at some comments and reviews about that is that some kitties have gotten sick from it.  Others had mentioned that it has looked different and had a different smell.  I didn't really notice to much of a difference on the smell, but it kind of did look a bit different and it didn't have as much of the juices at the bottom of the can like it had in the past. Those comments/reviews I had read have been very recent on it.  Does it make sense that I am concerned, but not overly concerned.  She's still eating her dry kibble, drinking water and using the box.  Haven't noticed anything odd after she's used the box (blood in either poop or pee or anything else in them).  I had gone and got a different brand of pate but the same flavor and she turned her nose to that as well  She's been in a routine with having her moist food twice a day and she seems a bit off now because I quit giving it to her since she really wanted nothing to do with it.  She's been following me around a bit more than usual and almost seems a bit restless, but she's still playful.  Just recently, we've FINALLY got screens in our apartment after 3 years and have had her just close to 2 years now (got her close to the end of October 2 years ago) and not sure if it's could also be because of that as she's also skittish around new people and goes to hide when we get company and kind of gets startled now since the sounds are a bit louder now with the windows open.  Should I be more concerned than I am or not, especially since she's still eating her kibble and drinking water.
 

bonepicker

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Don't let her stop canned food you might not get her back to it! Dry only is not good for health. Pickup some merrick duck pate or nutro natural choice chunky chicken loaf ( it is pate) cats cannot resist it. They make the num num noise while eating it! Also iif she likes nutro and merrick she will like rabbit by nature variety by instinct. Duck, rabbit and chicken are my girls favorites.
 
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chromium blues

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Some shredded foods puree nicely in a mini food processor: I seem to recall that Weruva's Cats in the Kitchen Fowl Ball makes a pretty good mush. You could add water or chicken broth (preferably homemade, unsalted) to thin it down more. I processed a lot of foods when our senior cat was very old and ill and didn't want to eat. Not everything processes well (beef shreds, for example) and I'm sure every processor works a little differently but it's worth a try. Good luck!
Fancy Feast pates work well (except for a couple of the fish ones for some reason). One can of food, one third can hot water, and a few seconds in the blender. It comes out about the consistency of baby food. Merrick pates and Performatrin pates work, too, but you have to tweak the water a bit.
 

flmickey90

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Don't let her stop canned food you might not get her back to it! Dry only is not good for health. Pickup some merrick duck pate or nutro natural choice chunky chicken loaf ( it is pate) cats cannot resist it.
Thanks.  I had to look up Nutro to see if that was the kind I had gotten the other day to have her try and that was the one she turned her nose up to as well and it was the same flavor as I've gotten before (I've looked up quite a bit of kinds and couldn't remember what it looked like).  Merrick isn't sold at any stores in my town directly and I have to go to a different town to get that and even the 4Health kind and I don't always get down to the areas where their sold to often (every couple of weeks mainly is when I am down there and they're not all that far from me).  I was just down there today, but had forgotten the list I had written down to look for.  I'm wanting to continue with it, but just unsure on what to do since she's not wanting the same flavor even if it's a different brand from the kind I've gotten before and not sure if she'll now try any other kind because she didn't want anything to do with them in the past.  Have you or anyone else have had the issue of them only liking one flavor and then just not wanting it anymore and not liking any other flavors in the past?
 

bonepicker

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No I alternate daily for one week at a time, flavors and brands. This helps in event of recall or shortage or recipe change. It also prevents boredom and fussiness on the cats part. Sometimes just a tweak at the processing plant makes it unappealing to cat. If you go to another store and buy a can or two she will probably eat it, it will have a different lot number.
 
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flmickey90

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Didn't think of that about the lot number.  Know that should change it up with her, but like mentioned before with her being picky, I was always in limbo of always trying something different with her to give her the variety but never knew how she's go for it.  I just feel like I'm in the whole learning mode again because she's the first cat I've had since 1988.  The different apartments I've lived in have never allowed pets and now I'm in one that does and I'm so out of the loop.  This has been the first time I've had something that's made me wonder what to do because of how she was when I first got her.  Of course I was VERY concerned when I first got her with things she did, but never thought of keeping up with maybe switching things around to get her used to something different on the moist food.  Now I just feel stuck and a bit wondering and a bit confused (and not sure if I should be to worried) as I know she's still eating at least, but doesn't have the moist food to go along with the dry.  Of course I've had people say, "DRY ONLY" or "MOIST ONLY" and I've thought that also by doing BOTH together it would be good for them with what have looked at instead of just one or the other.    
 

flmickey90

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Try to get her back on the moist, dry only will lead to expensive vet bills as she ages.
I'm definitely going to try and do that.  Thanks so much for all the input.  Know how things seem so much different now than when I had them growing up.  When had cats when growing up, didn't have all the knowledge then like we can have now and can look things up (And also from getting input from others).  Have more ways of getting help and info that I'm glad to have now as I'm getting back into having them, which I have missed so much having one!
 

2cats4me

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I know you said you tried mashing the chunks and adding water, but have you tried adding water to the pate kind? That makes a more uniform soup
I finally got my cats to eat Pate and this is the only way they will eat it ..
 

bonepicker

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I'm definitely going to try and do that.  Thanks so much for all the input.  Know how things seem so much different now than when I had them growing up.  When had cats when growing up, didn't have all the knowledge then like we can have now and can look things up (And also from getting input from others).  Have more ways of getting help and info that I'm glad to have now as I'm getting back into having them, which I have missed so much having one!
Post a picture!
 

flmickey90

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This is how she looked in the few weeks after I first got her.  I can't remember how long I had her when I took this of her as she pretty much hid for a number of days before   I could get her out of hiding.  She's still a nervous and a bit skittish when getting company and goes to hide; and also a bit unsure of the outside sounds now that we've finally have screens in the house (was about 2 years after getting her that we finally got screens) and the outside noises are a bit louder than since we weren't able to open the windows and not sure how she was before she was before I got her with the noises and people visiting.  I had just brushed her so that's why her fluff isn't really out as much.  Her eyes just seem so lost, nervous, scared in this one

 

mnm

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wow... you sure have done something right..she's beautiful in that first pic especially...and I can almost see her saying "umm..nope...not gonna eat that" :)
 

flmickey90

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wow... you sure have done something right..she's beautiful in that first pic especially...and I can almost see her saying "umm..nope...not gonna eat that"
That's funny you say that ... I usually eat in my room watching tv and she'll lay in that area on my bed watching me eat.  LOL  She will get some human food, but we limit how much we give her and how often it's done.  She likes ranch dressing, cheese, bacon, toast with honey and a few things I know I'm forgetting right off hand.  It's not all the time she'll have what she's come to like from what's mentioned.  And no worries, the toast is NOT an all the time thing.  It's very very rarely!!  
 

bonepicker

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This is my kitty that's turning her nose up to the food.  Here's a few of my favorites of her.
 







This is how she looked in the few weeks after I first got her.  I can't remember how long I had her when I took this of her as she pretty much hid for a number of days before  I could get her out of hiding.  She's still a nervous and a bit skittish when getting company and goes to hide; and also a bit unsure of the outside sounds now that we've finally have screens in the house (was about 2 years after getting her that we finally got screens) and the outside noises are a bit louder than since we weren't able to open the windows and not sure how she was before she was before I got her with the noises and people visiting.  I had just brushed her so that's why her fluff isn't really out as much.  Her eyes just seem so lost, nervous, scared in this one


What a ravishing beauty she is, beautiful markings, you must be very proud.
 

mnm

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neither of my kitties ever showed any interest in human food. I actually tried to get Minnie to eat cheese and cream cheese in hopes to hide a pill in it..but nope.
 
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