Help! Junk Food Kitties

Dexter & Sadie are addicted to their current food. They are Junk Food Junkies.

Have you used any tips or tricks, that worked for you, when you introduced a new food to your kitties?

I am aware that it does not matter how good a food is, if they will not eat it. I am convinced that once they withdraw from the unhealthy additives that are used to make cats prefer a lesser quality food...they will learn to love the healther canned food that I want to feed them.

All tips & tricks gladly accepted.

I don't know what it is in those brightly coloured red and pink morsels of the lesser quality brands that intrigue cats...Maybe animal fat? but you are right, they do love them....I am lucky that my cat isn't picky (or my new stray I willl likely keep...see Strays and Ferals post) ..
But I know that some cats will eat pure fancy feast over the good stuff...
Good Luck with that!

What have you tried??? then maybe I can figure out what they like and give some ideas.. with mine it was aslow process with one ... Zoey my baby on the other hand only like healthy foods..

Well, hunger makes the best seasoning! If you free feed, you could switch to sceduled feedings. If already on a schedule, just always put down the new food first, and give them some time to try it. Then give them the old stuff after 10 minutes. That way every time they come for a meal, they are smelling the new stuff on an empty stomach.

Or maybe if you mix it with the current food, then just increase the amount of new to old over time? Good luck making the change!

Please post what they are hooked on and what you have tried to switch them to?

The food that my kitties are currently eating is not usually considered junk food but they are are fixated on it. I want to change their diet to only canned food. They currently eat Nutro Complete Care Weight Mgmt. dry/free fed ... plus 1 pouch (wet food) of the same brand morning & evening.

My goal is to eventually feed them only canned food. Innova is my choice. My plan is to get them off of the pouches first. Then after they have adjusted to that change, slowly reduce the dry food until they are on only canned. This is going to be a very gradual process because I do not want to upset their tummys or fail.

Yesterday I put a small amount of Innova into an empty bowl. They sniffed it then walked away with no interest shown. Then I mixed 1 pouch with Innova ... that did not work, they turned their noses up at the mix.

This morning I had a small success. I placed 1/2 teaspoon under 1/2 of a pouch for each kitty. After about 10 minutes they both ate it all.

I have not free fed them their dry food all afternoon...soon, I will give them their evening pouch meal, the same as this morning, 1/2 teaspoon under 1/2 pouch. If they eat it, then I will allow them to free feed dry food tonight, as I have been doing. If this plan works I will reduce the ratio of pouch to Innova very slowly. If they do not eat the pouch food with Innova this evening, I will add another post to this thread in the morning, asking for more help.

Another problem is ... because they have been free fed dry kibble all of their lives ... they eat small meals during a 24 hr. period. I have no idea how to change that to large enough canned food meals to sustain their health. I will need to address this issure as I begin to reduce the dry food from their diet. Your feedback on how to feed enough canned food to sustain health will be appreciated too.
Thanks so much.

Originally Posted by Pat & Alix

Please post what they are hooked on

and what you have tried to switch them to?

Click to expand...

well wet is usually easier to switch ... you may need to try a different brand... eagle pack seems to get my oldest attention...

As for dry I did it by slowly giving less and less till she got a bowl of wet when the other ate her dry..

Sorry this will be short, heading out to grill If I were finally switching my guys over, as I want to do someday, I would look at their weights, if just right or sl. plump build, and the recommended amt. to feed as per the brand I was feeding...then divide that up into 3 feedings if I could per day (at the least am, pm and late eve) adjusting the amt. up or down a bit depending on if they need to gain or lose a bit.

I currently feed the same dry as you

Thanks eveyone, for your feedback.
This evening, Sadie ate her pouch food with a whole teaspoon of Innova. Dexter ate his pouch food & left almost all of the Innova. Then...Sadie ate the rest of Dexter's food.
I don't think that Sadie will be a problem. Dexter might be more of a challenge.

A special thanks to Pat & Alix...
Once the babies are off of dry food, feeding the kitties 3 times a day sounds like it could be a workable plan. I will continue to use this thread, to post how we are progressing with our transition.

Sounds like it is going well so far.

Originally Posted by Beckiboo

Well, hunger makes the best seasoning!

Click to expand...

Boy, I wish it was that easy for me!! I'm trying to get my girl cat to eat more wet food. But all she'll eat is a few mouthfuls, and then only at her first meal in the morning, and only if it's a freshly opened can. She won't eat leftover food, even if I warm it up first. She won't eat any more than a few mouthfuls, leaving whatever is left in her bowl, no matter how long I let it sit. She's such a skinny little girl that I don't want her to skip meals, so after about 20 minutes of waiting for her to eat more, I eventually take away the wet and fill up her bowl with dry. It doesn't do any good to not give her any more. I've tried that a couple times.

The dry food I use is Felidae, and a variety of premium wet foods.

I just started so I don't know yet, if I will have a problem like you are with your kitty but please, don't give up. Keep posting here about what you are trying & how it is working & maybe, we will learn how to get our fixated kittys off of dry food. I know that we are not the only ones going through this challenge.

Originally Posted by coaster

Boy, I wish it was that easy for me!! I'm trying to get my girl cat to eat more wet food. But all she'll eat is a few mouthfuls, and then only at her first meal in the morning, and only if it's a freshly opened can. She won't eat leftover food, even if I warm it up first. She won't eat any more than a few mouthfuls, leaving whatever is left in her bowl, no matter how long I let it sit. She's such a skinny little girl that I don't want her to skip meals, so after about 20 minutes of waiting for her to eat more, I eventually take away the wet and fill up her bowl with dry. It doesn't do any good to not give her any more. I've tried that a couple times.

The dry food I use is Felidae, and a variety of premium wet foods.

Click to expand...

An Update...both Dexter & Sadie are well into their transition from dry to wet food. So far their digestive systems are doing OK. I am also changing their wet food from weight control pouch chunks to regular canned food with a higher fat content. I have stopped free feeding their dry food. Tonight they ate only canned Innova mixed in with their pouch food all chopped up fine & mixed together. I think I won't be long until Dexter & Sadie are eating only high quality canned food.
I will update this post when I know more. I am excited about positive changes I am making in their diets.

XO-

I am just curious... Nutro is a pretty good brand (it's what my boys have been eating since they were babies). How come you are switching?

Hi Gatinha...
Are you feeding your boys dry Nutro or canned? Cats are true carnivores. They need meat to survive. Unfortunally...dry food, including Nutro, contains unneeded carbohydrates, fillers, coatings, & many other things that, over time, can reduce our cat's life span. I am not an expert on this subject, but I do know that an all canned diet is by far a better choice than dry kibbles. I imagine that Nutro's canned food is much better than their dry but there are premium canned foods that I think are better choices. My kitties have been eating dry Nutro most of their lives. They have been eating the pouches too & they are healthy but they will be 5 years old soon so I wanted to get them off of the dry & in the process learned about other options for canned food that I prefer...that is why I am switching. Nutrition for our kitties is a facinating subject.