Multi-cat house switching to canned food - one is being picky

I am sure there are various threads dedicated to a stubborn eater, but each cat and household is unique and I would like an opinion on my cat's situation.

As the title states, I have a multi-cat house, two neutered adult males (just over a year old) and a male kitten (he's just 3 months old).

My adults were on an all kibble diet, I'd fill up the bowl before leaving the house and not fill it later. They only ever ate canned food as a treat. My boyfriend and I were not in the best economic situation so I wasn't able or even thinking of the ideal situation for my babies. Fortunately, I am not in a situation where I can seriously think about their diet - I've been trying to gather as much information from varying sources about what is optimal for their welfare and I am taking baby steps - my ultimate goal is to make their food myself, but I want to be sure I know the best way to do so and ensure they will eat it!
A week and a half ago I started their switch to 100% canned food. I started with Natural Balance - reduced calorie chicken, salmon and duck as well as the indoor formula of chicken, salmon and duck. I'm not a huge fan of their formulas with the pea, rice and potato use but it's difficult to find an ideal commercial food - particularly when I still have a budget to be wary of but it's a brand my parents used for their dog so a good start.
They responded well but generally held preference for the reduced calorie formula, my assumption there is that the higher moisture content was of a more appealing texture to them. Percy, the stubborn star of this thread never really ate an amount I thought was appropriate, but he never begged for food and seemed content. I partially cooked some chicken breast for the cats and cut it into small pieces - large enough where they needed to chew. The kitten (Link) was enamored with it, Pippin (the other adult) was very interested but it seemed like I had to teach him how to eat it by hand feeding him and cutting the pieces smaller. Percy appeared to be disgusted and he ran away as soon as he saw it.
I tried mixing in some chicken with their can food the next day and Percy was fine with it  then - but it was mashed.

After the cats went through their week supply/trial of can food I bought different flavours - I want them to experience different protein sources and after some more reading I am aiming to stay away from fish sources for the most part. I bought a turkey and venison formula.
The first time I put it out, Link was very happy and ate his serving as usual, Pippin was hesitant but eventually ate it and seemed content. Percy completely refused it and ran away as if I presented him with something offensive and inedible. Percy did not eat at either serving times and so I broke down and gave him some dry kibble independently. When I went shopping for the new cans I also picked up Nature's Variety raw bites (the frozen package). As mentioned, I want to make my cat's food eventually so I want to try them on commercial raw to see how they respond.
I tried serving a small portion of the raw bites at one point - Link loved it, he truly eats anything you give him and loves every bite. Pippin sniffed and walked away, unfortunately and Percy was, again, disgusted. This whole week Percy has refused the canned food - I have tried Parmesan cheese, warming the food slightly, feeding him in different rooms. He will not eat the canned food for some reason and thusly everyday I have ended up giving him kibble - and I can't help but feel like he sees the pattern and therefore will not concede.
It is also worth noting that Pippin has progressively been eating less of the canned food and I have been having to give him small amounts of kibble as well.

One of the times I put out some raw bites (to no particular cat, just in hopes someone besides Link may try it), Percy actually came and ate a few bites on his own accord - he hasn't even tried it since, to my dismay. Today I mixed a few dollops of wet food into Percy's portion of the kibble and he did actually eat it (after some hesitation and avoidance).

I did remember, however, that there was an old bag of kibble in the shoe closet and I did indeed notice one night that Percy had been opening the closet and eating it - Pippin had been joining him. I disposed of the bag the day after, we have a small bag of kibble upstairs and I've tried my best to keep it away but it appears Percy is still gathering food. I put it out of reach now and hope the smell doesn't encourage anyone.


I want a second opinion on what course of action I should take with Percy. I know he doesn't hate the canned food and he will eat it - is it flavour preference or a realization he can manipulate me? Are there any other tips people can provide to encourage him to eat the canned food?

I am very worried, I don't even know how much food is appropriate for the adults because they seem content with much less than is recommended by the can and I'm not sure how their intake measures up calorie wise. Pippin is a Ragdoll/Manx, 13.5lbs but the last time he saw a vet I was told he is very slightly overweight so trying to control that. Percy is a Siamese/Manx cross, 10lbs and he appears to be a very healthy weight (hard for me to tell when looking at charts because he has a pouch, the kind of excess skin Pixie Bobs tend to have excess of). I do have a scale and I am monitoring them very closely. 
(**I am not sure if this is relevant, but I am living in Canada so some products may not be available to me or there are shipping fees to consider otherwise.)

Don't make your own food.
In my opinion, premium dry is the way to go, with occasional fish oil and probiotics.
My f1 jc hybrid was weaned on Raw chicken with a balancing supplement/vitamin called Oasis felineT.
My 5 pound hybrid is literally eating 3 big chicken drum sticks or 3 big chicken wings a day, with supplementation.
Also, I learned that antibiotic free chicken is necessary because antibiotic fed chicken may contain resistant or super bugs.
Personally I feed my cats, (except f1 jc hybrid, ) Orijens. Orijens is very expensive, but is so dense in nutrition, that the 15lb bag lasts literally 2.5 to 3 times longer than Science Diet lasted. (With the same 3 dry food eating cats)
Orijens first 10 or more ingredients are locally rendered fresh meats (80%) and there are no grains (grains make fatty cats IMO)
So, if your on a budget, then drop that make yer own idea. Human grade fresh chicken is much too expensive.
Sincerely, Alex

Canned food can cause dental problems if fed primarily, after 7 months of age.

It says on the bag, how much food they require.
Just go to chewy online and get Acana dry or Orijens dry and d int look back, except for to thank me.
I'm on a fixed income, so $63- is Crazy for a bag of Orijens dry, but I took the leap of faith. At first it was new, so they did eat a bit more than they needed, like a treat. But as soon as it's no longer new, they literally won't need or eat as much. My 5 year old moma nancy lost her bulb like belly.
My 2 year old Arya tabby gained some healthy weight and my 7 month f5 Savannah Mr. STRINGER Bell loves it and is growing like an active weed.
I can understand how $63 sounds totally crazy, but all your cats will dig it and it's literally the bomb.
No I don't work for them.
I am labeled as homebound, due to medical problems. (Physical)

beachboygemini said:

Canned food can cause dental problems if fed primarily, after 7 months of age.

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Can you provide a source for that? The majority of the reading that I've done, indicates that dry food has little positive effect on the teeth, unless it's a prescription dental diet.

Ultimately from my research, I came to the conclusion that the only reliable method for dental health was regular tooth brushing and period check ups.

I thus settled on a 100% canned food diet and I brush both of my cats' teeth every day, as well as use a daily dental spray and see the vet as needed.

That way, my kitties get the bladder and kidney benefits of canned foods and I don't have to worry about dental problems one way or another.

wet food is much better for cats! even the cheapest wet is better than the best dry. this is a great site for cat nutrition:

http://www.catinfo.org/

dry food leads to obesity, kidney disease, diabetes, heart disease etc...

Ultimately you have to decide how you want to feed your cats. All wet? wet and dry? There are some cats that just will not eat wet food. I know you said you think your picky one is just holding out for kibble, and likely that's true.So if you want him to eat wet you're going to have to give him some tough love. If he only wants to eat certain flavors then feed him those flavors (as long as its not all fish flavors, or whatever). I have a cat that was on kibble all his life until about 8 months ago and he's 13. He refuses ALL wet food. I mean all, literally i tried every single brand out there. In the end he'll eat homemade raw, but not wet. 

I'm not a kibble-hater, but i do think if you're going to feed kibble it needs to be high quality. I agree with the others that Orijen is an excellent choice. I feed Orijen cat & kitten mixed with Ziwipeak to 6 of my cats. It's mostly a snack in between raw/wet meals. Some of my cats eat wet, some eat raw, some eat only certain brands/flavors of wet. I think when you make the choice to feed better food sometimes it becomes a little more work, but it can be worth it. 

I'm not interested in feeding my cats dry food, I grew up with cats and I have witnessed bladder crystals first hand - it is absolutely horrible. I know it to be much healthier even if it is just due to the moisture content from first hand experience - my barrier from starting this earlier was work constraints and not feeling I could manage it as well as cost (I dislike the grocery brands personally because they just smell off to me, so I'd rather buy even the second step up).
I'm looking for tips on helping transition a very stubborn cat, I will be buying the original food that he seemed fine eating in hopes the issue is there. Thank you, Crazy4strays for addressing what my concern was!

I read some other threads and found someone recommend different plating or even feeding on the floor - I tried the floor first and Percy was receptive and ate a decent amount for the first time, he will also eat it if it's in the can so I am feeling better about that and tomorrow I will be buying the original formula he seemed to like. 

Ozymandias said:

 
I'm not interested in feeding my cats dry food, I grew up with cats and I have witnessed bladder crystals first hand - it is absolutely horrible. I know it to be much healthier even if it is just due to the moisture content from first hand experience - my barrier from starting this earlier was work constraints and not feeling I could manage it as well as cost (I dislike the grocery brands personally because they just smell off to me, so I'd rather buy even the second step up).
I'm looking for tips on helping transition a very stubborn cat, I will be buying the original food that he seemed fine eating in hopes the issue is there. Thank you, Crazy4strays for addressing what my concern was!

I read some other threads and found someone recommend different plating or even feeding on the floor - I tried the floor first and Percy was receptive and ate a decent amount for the first time, he will also eat it if it's in the can so I am feeling better about that and tomorrow I will be buying the original formula he seemed to like. 

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Well your post said you were feeding kibble exclusively, and if you didn't want to feed ANY kibble anymore you should have been more clear about that from the beginning, which is why you got so many comments about just continuing to feed a higher quality kibble. As you stated yourself, there are lots and lots of threads dedicated to tricks and tips for switching cats to all wet food. I suggest you search the threads for more tips. I do suggest you consider that there are some cats that will just refuse to eat wet food as their primary diet, especially older cats that have been on kibble their entire life. In the end you want your cat to eat, and if he just wont eat canned for as his primary diet then feeding some kibble isn't going to be the end of the world. Many of us have been in your position, so excited to switch our cats to a higher quality food like homemade raw, or whatever, only to meet resistance from our babies. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't, and sometimes you have to compromise with your cat.

Good luck. 

Do you have Tractor Supply stores in Canada?

I thought the 4Health food at the Tractor Supply was a very good food. It's very reasonably priced and has everything good in it, and no grain or by-products. HOWEVER, I had two different cats vomit it up. So I no longer use it.​

The 4 Health grain free brand definitely is good. I don't think that I've seen vegetable fillers of any type listed on the label. I have one picky cat who won't eat it, but the others eat it fine.