Adult Cat Refuses To Eat Dry Food

[OmnomsZombies]

We recently adopted a cat, she is about 3 years old according to the rescue. I bought her dry food and wet food when I got her. She was eating dry food at the rescue, but they said wet as a treat wouldn't be an issue. I gave her some, and now she absolutely refuses to eat dry food. I feed her 3 single serve containers a day, but she's always hungry and begging for more food. I'm worried that without dry food, the wet food not only doesn't sit on her tummy too long, but also I'm concerned about the dental aspects of only eating wet food. She won't eat any of the treats we've gotten her either. Naturally, my first though, as a mother, is to take the wet food away, and only present her with the dry. She'll eat it if she gets hungry enough. Is this an okay approach?

Side note: I've also presented her with a mix of wet and dry, for short periods of time, and she spits all the dry bits on the floor.

 

[jcat]

It's a myth that dry cat food cleans cats' teeth: Does Dry Food Clean the Teeth? | Little Big Cat

Given that a lot of cats don't drink enough, their bodies aren't able to process all the carbohydrates in kibble, and the fact that wet food resembles their natural prey more closely than dry does, it's preferable for her to refuse dry food rather than wet.

Shelters feed dry or a combination of wet and dry for financial reasons, not because it's healthier.

 

[OmnomsZombies]

So, this is perfectly okay for her then? I don't care about the costs of the food. I just want to make sure she's healthy.

 

[orange&white]

An all-wet diet is much healthier for her. Kibble requires heavy carbohydrate content to manufacture. It won't dry or stick together without vegetable flours. (It's essentially like bread dough with a bit of meat added, then cooked to death and sprayed with fats and vitamins.) Carbohydrates are extremely difficult for cats to digest. Most cats will be fine for 10 years or more on kibble, then their kidneys or urinary tracts tend to slowly give out from a life of strain processing carbs.

You are correct that wet food won't sit him her tummy very long. This is a good thing! Cats have very short digestive tracts and food should move through quickly (better to get hairballs going out the correct end of the cat).

 

[OmnomsZombies]

Okay. And with 1.3 oz servings, how many would be too much for 1 day? I don't want her to go hungry, but I don't want her I've eating either. Thank you for being so helpful, btw.

 

[jcat]

It depends on the food itself and the size of the cat. There should be a feeding guide on the can or the producer's website. Generally you can get by with a little less than suggested if the cat's spayed and adult, but her activity level will play a role.

 

[orange&white]

It depends on how much she weighs and her activity level. I would give her as much food as she wants to eat for a week to see how much she eats on her own. Most cats self-regulate and won't overeat, especially when they are young. Some cats will overeat, particularly after spaying and as they get older (and lazier).

I'd develop a "baseline" amount of food by just letting her eat, then watch her weight to make sure she isn't getting too heavy over time.

 

[lalagimp]

The smaller cans and containers don't work for me. I feed a a 5.5 oz can per day. It's around 200 calories. My 10 lb girl eats one but she shares it with the other girl, and then the other side of their feeding dish has low carb dry. The boys are on homemade raw and Stew gets 5 oz and Tom gets about 6 1/2 right now, but they are bigger guys: 12 and 13 lbs.

The dental health thing is totally a myth with dry food. Amalie gets build up pretty hard and has dental disease. Stewart ate dry food up until last year and his teeth are beautiful, but Tommy and Yue got their dental cleanings this year because they needed them. Boys started wet food in December, girls maybe last month?

if I'm rambling sorry I woke up way too early today.

 

[orange&white]

if I'm rambling sorry I woke up way too early today.

Made perfect sense to me.

I think cat dental health is more related to individual genetics than the food. But that's just a personal observation. You can have two cats on the same diet; one has crappy teeth and the other has beautiful choppers.

 

[LTS3]

What brand of canned food are you feeding? Many canned foods are pretty low in calories so while 3 cans may seem like a lot, it's has less calories than a cup of dry food. 3oz cans and pouches typically have less than 100 calories each while 5.5 oz cans have around 150 or so. Cats who don't get enough calories daily will constantly be hungry and meow and even dig in the trash can or surf your counters for anything to eat. I suggest feeding more cans for now. Many people feed based on how many calories their cat needs daily. The general rule is 20 to 25 calories per pound of ideal body weight daily. Some cats may need more or less calories.

If your cat doesn't eat dry food, then don't feed it

 

[PushPurrCatPaws]

Okay. And with 1.3 oz servings, how many would be too much for 1 day? I don't want her to go hungry, but I don't want her I've eating either. Thank you for being so helpful, btw.

If you look on the cans, how many kcal does the can say? As mentioned in the thread here, one of the goals is to aim for a certain amount of calories per day. (Look for "kcal" on the can)

I feed my cat 1-2 ounces of canned food per meal, and about 4 meals per day. She is two, so we've moved down from the 200-260 kcal per day that she was given as a kitten, to approx. 170-190 kcal per day.

I've always envisioned that an ounce of food approximates the size of a little mouse... so I like to think of each meal (size-wise) as me serving my cat one or two so-called "mice" per meal -- lol.

 

[lisahe]

I think cat dental health is more related to individual genetics than the food. But that's just a personal observation. You can have two cats on the same diet; one has crappy teeth and the other has beautiful choppers.

Yes to genetics for tooth problems: our vet told us Siamese (and mixes) have a tendency for dental problems. And our two both had to have their teeth cleaned at the tender age of two. Even though they're littermates, one seems more prone to problems than the other. They now get their teeth brushed every day... and love it. And I love that they haven't had to have their teeth cleaned in the last couple of years.

As for the food, a definite yes to feeding all wet: your cat knows what's good for her, O OmnomsZombies ! As far as the begging goes, one thing to keep in mind with many shelter cats is that, depending on where they came from, they may have considerable food anxiety. Strays who had to hunt for food or underfed cats (some from hoarding situations, even minor ones, as ours were) may feel uncertain about where their next meal is coming from, so they gorge themselves if given the chance. If your cat is feeling insecure about her food, that may level off with time. Insecurity has always been an issue with one of our cats but feeding timed, set meals has done a lot to keep her from begging and overeating. It's very good that you're giving your cat three small feedings a day.

There are lots of decent low-priced canned foods: pates from brands like Friskies, Sheba, and Fancy Feast are pretty decent, and I've seen mentions of store brands that are high-protein, low-carb and very reasonably priced. As orange&white mentioned, it's good to avoid carby ingredients because cats' bodies don't digest them well, so avoiding ingredients like potato or glutens (wheat or corn) is a good idea. Though some people avoid byproducts, I'd much sooner feed byproducts than potato or wheat! Calorie counts really can vary a lot depending on cat size and activity level: our small (7-8 pounds) cats were still eating well over 200 calories a day each long after they turned 2 but they've always been very active, though that varies a little with the seasons.

 

[Dusti]

We recently adopted a cat, she is about 3 years old according to the rescue. I bought her dry food and wet food when I got her. She was eating dry food at the rescue, but they said wet as a treat wouldn't be an issue. I gave her some, and now she absolutely refuses to eat dry food. I feed her 3 single serve containers a day, but she's always hungry and begging for more food. I'm worried that without dry food, the wet food not only doesn't sit on her tummy too long, but also I'm concerned about the dental aspects of only eating wet food. She won't eat any of the treats we've gotten her either. Naturally, my first though, as a mother, is to take the wet food away, and only present her with the dry. She'll eat it if she gets hungry enough. Is this an okay approach?

Side note: I've also presented her with a mix of wet and dry, for short periods of time, and she spits all the dry bits on the floor.

Hello there!
I have three cats age 19, 5 and 4 and I have always left a small bowl of dry down. One only likes temptations catnip flavored dry treats, and eats Fancy feast wet. my 19 year old liked dry food up until age 10 now she only eats wet and an occasional dry treat. My other young boy eats only dry (blue buffalo) and licks the gravy off the wet. So you see cats are all different and have their own likes and dislikes like we do! You should feed 2-4 small meals daily or just am and pm. Get her on a schedule but leave a small bowl of dry ( try BB) my guy was finicky til I tried that, down for snacking in between... if she's hungry she will eat.