Gizmo is MAD!

My vet wants me to put Gizmo on a diet of 75% canned food, 25% dry, to help her lose weight (she needs to lose at least 5 pounds). Gizmo has never eaten anything but dry food, and won't even eat people food, like chicken, steak, etc. So, I bought a bunch of different flavors of Nutro cans, split one in half, and offered it to both girls (Sasha could lose some weight, too). Sasha was VERY impressed, and gobbled hers right down. Gizmo, on the other hand, was not impressed. She went straight to the dry food, and ate that. The next day, Gizmo was so mad and upset over the canned food, that she refused to eat the dry food too! Sasha wasn't eating the dry either, but that's because she was too happy with the canned. Gizmo went a day and a half without touching the dry food. She finally ate it this morning. Last night, I told her "You have to try the canned food. It's good for you!" So I dipped my finger in the juice and wiped it on her lips. She licked it off, but didn't go for the food. She gave me a vibe like "If you do that again, I'll murder you in your sleep!" LOL!
Any ideas on how to convince Miss Gizmo that she really needs to eat the canned food? I can't get her to exercise (she's completely disinterested in toys and things like that), but I'm afraid if I don't get this weight off her, she's going to die. My vet is very concerned about her weight. I tried giving her measured food twice a day (1/4 cup of Nutro Complete Care morning and night), but she gained a pound in the past year doing that.

Amber

I don't have an answer, but good luck!

If she won't take the change gradually, how do you feel about stopping dry food altogether for the next few days?
OR to make her exercise, let her hunt for the dry food. Put a path of the 25% dry food bits (2-3 feet apart) and let her pick it up. Even better, make her run a bit with you holding the treats.
Of course, ask the vet if this is okay.
Good luck!

I actually wouldn't recommend stopping the dry food, since she has already told you that she will go on a hunger strike if you make her mad. You could try getting one of those toys that they have to bat around to get the food out. You can also try mixing in a little bit of the wet food with the dry food, and increase the amount of wet food very slowly. Finally, do you have a kitty harness? You might be able to teach Gizmo to go for walks outside. Most cats start off by flopping on the ground or eating grass, but some learn to walk pretty well.

I have to go to the vet's office today to pick up heartworm meds for the dogs anyways, so I'll ask some questions there.
I do have a kitty harness that she wears when we go to the vet, but the reason it works so well at the vet is because she won't move with it on. She's also petrified of being outside, beyond sitting on the top step leading into the dogs' yard. Gizmo is a pretty difficult cat, she's 4 years old, part Siamese (looks like a big, fat, lilac point with some tiger striping on her head and legs), and a really bad attitude, for no reason we can figure out. She just woke up like this one day, we've had her since she was abandoned at 5 weeks old. She makes us suffer when she's not happy. At the moment, I'm sporting two bad scratches from right by my eye, to my ear, because she wasn't happy about having her nails clipped this morning. I'm just lucky she got my with the paw that was already done. I'm so worried about her weight, and totally kicking myself for not doing something about it 3 years ago when she started getting fat.
I haven't seen the toys that make them work for kibble, for cats. I have seen some football-shaped ones made for dogs, though. Would something like that work with a cat? I've seen some sized for small dogs, about 5" long. My luck, she'd make Sasha get the food out and then eat it herself!
I'll talk to my vet this afternoon.

Amber