Cats favoring dry food more and more...

My 1 yr old and 9 month old both get wet and dry food. I've noticed a decrease in the lack of interest in their wet food more and more. If it's Fancy Feast, which I supplement higher quality brands with due to cost, they're all over it. There's a few random high quality wet foods they do particularly like, like Whole Earth Farms Tuna & Whitefish, or Blue Buffalo Duck & Potato. But even those they'll only eat for so long and then lose interest. For example, they liked Instinct's Lamb flavor. LOVED it. Now they won't touch it.... I don't get it and it's frustrating because I don't want them eating wholly dry food since it's not that great for them. I'm wondering if there is something in the dry that's getting them addicted to it? I've been using Science Diet kitten formula and Solid Gold kitten, which I want them to be on till my 9 month old is fully grown (he's too lanky and needs to put on more fluff!) What can I do to encourage them to eat more wet food...?

I feed wet only on timed feedings and feed dry only as occasional treat or if I leave overnight. Dry is not that good for them in my opinion. I also rotate 10 different flavors so no boredom occurs.

Like kids and junk food, you know what they will pick, so don't give them a choice!

I couldn't agree more with Bonepicker: variety is absolutely key (our cats get picky about any canned foods I feed them more than once a week!) and many cats will take the dry food if given the choice, meaning it can be best to just take away that choice. We weaned our cats off dry food in a month of two, gradually reducing it until it was nothing. And then forgotten. There's nothing wrong with feeding a lot of Fancy Feast Classics, by the way: their pates are very decent, low-carb food!

Also, yes, there is something in dry food that makes cats eat it: animal digest. (Purina writes here that it increases palatability)

Thanks for the advice guys. I try to make sure they get different flavors each new can I open. Thing is, they don't eat much wet food in any one sitting, so it has to go in the fridge afterward and then they get it next meal till it's gone. By next meal, they've lost interest. Maybe I'll try getting just the 3 oz cans ONLY so there isn't as much left overs, if any. 

I've been free feeding the dry food during the night mostly cause of my 9 month old. He has always been lanky to where his sides look pinched in. The vet said it was normal for some cats, especially males, cause the nutrients go more towards the bones and muscles rather than fluff. They had free feed dry food during the day as well and I tried pulling that at one point, but I noticed my 9 month old started looking lankier again, so I reintroduced the free feed dry food during the day. Now they're back to no dry food during the day as of a few weeks ago to encourage them to eat more wet food. 

I guess I'll have to cut down the dry food they get at night time. I just don't want to see my 9 month old get too lanky and I'm worried it might happen again. I'm also worried that my 1 year old will just eat all the dry food and then be picky about the wet food. I guess it's time I really try to switch them to meal time only??? And pull up the uneaten food??

Jahzara said:

 
Thanks for the advice guys. I try to make sure they get different flavors each new can I open. Thing is, they don't eat much wet food in any one sitting, so it has to go in the fridge afterward and then they get it next meal till it's gone. By next meal, they've lost interest. Maybe I'll try getting just the 3 oz cans ONLY so there isn't as much left overs, if any. 

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I have two kitties as well, and this is why I only buy the 3 oz. cans (unless there is a crazy deal on the larger cans!).  They split a can at each meal when we're feeding canned (we feed four meals a day).

Jahzara said:

 
I guess I'll have to cut down the dry food they get at night time. I just don't want to see my 9 month old get too lanky and I'm worried it might happen again. I'm also worried that my 1 year old will just eat all the dry food and then be picky about the wet food. I guess it's time I really try to switch them to meal time only??? And pull up the uneaten food??

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How many meals do you feed each day?  I would have at least three meals a day, and let your growing boy eat as much as he wants at each feeding.  This way you can also monitor how much food your older kitty is eating.

dorimon said:

 
I have two kitties as well, and this is why I only buy the 3 oz. cans (unless there is a crazy deal on the larger cans!).  They split a can at each meal when we're feeding canned (we feed four meals a day).

How many meals do you feed each day?  I have at least three meals a day, and let your growing boy eat as much as he wants at each feeding.  This way you can also monitor how much food your older kitty is eating.

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All great advice, and I particularly like the suggestion of feeding at least three meals a day. That goes a long, long way keeping our cats happy and eating well!

They get 3 meals a day, 2 wet and 1 with dry, which would be left out for free feed during the night. They were getting 4, with an extra dry food feeding in the afternoon, but I cut that out a couple weeks ago to encourage them to eat their wet food at dinner time.

I think the strategy I tried last night might work. I gave them their dry food, but only gave them half of what they're used to. During the day, they were picky again with the wet food, so they were ravenous at the dry feed time. By morning, I gave them the left overs in the fridge they'd snubbed the day before and they finished it all up! Then I opened a 5.5 oz can for dinner and there was only 1/4 of it left! They have never eaten that much of a 5.5er!

I think I've just been giving them -too- much dry food! I've actually been giving them what they should have without any wet food as part of their diet. Since they're in the latter stages of their growing, they probably didn't need as much food as I was giving them. 

Here's to hoping this strategy sticks!

I'm glad they ate their leftovers! It can take some time and effort to figure out cats' eating habits, particularly when they're still so young. Using what I think of as "managed hunger" can be a very good thing. (The catinfo.org site mentions this; you can just search "hunger" on this long page.)

Our two cats continued eating a lot until they were at least two -- as long as young cats continue to be very active and burn off the calories (ours certainly did!) it's fine to keep feeding them as much as they claim to need.