Cat hooked on Wet Food

[yosemite]

Originally Posted by zoeysmom

The poster has stated that he/she wants his/her cat to eat dry. He/she knows that there are benefits of wet food, but would like to feed dry, for whatever reason. I think that should be his/her choice. It's not like the cat is being fed arsenic - or even the lowest quality food possible (no, SD is not the best, as has already been stated). Telling a pet owner what to feed their pet is sort of like telling a parent what to feed their child. You won't go into a McDonalds and tell a parent to order them a salad, would you?

Yes, the OP asked for advice. But, he/she asked for advice on how to switch a cat from wet to dry. I think informing the poster that there are benefits to wet is fine, as is letting them know that SD is not the greatest food in the world. But telling the poster what he/she should be feeding their cat and judging him/her for making an decision that does not agree with your opinion seems unfair.

Sorry, I don't have any advice on weaning a cat off wet food. I can't get mine to eat more than a few nibbles of wet!

Originally Posted by zoeysmom

Violet, you put that very fairly!

If the cat was switched to wet food on suggestion by a vet, than it seems sensible to me that the vet should be consulted before switching back to dry food! Perhaps the cat will need to stay on wet food to prevent constipation, or perhaps they can find other ways to manage the constipation (laxative, increased water intake, a certain kind of dry food). While I don't think WE have the right to tell someone what food to feed their cat, I do think that the VET does.

For the record, I am trying to feed my cats both wet and dry. Wet because I know there are benefits, but dry because I can't be home to feed them as often as needed. Wet also costs a lot more. Also, I want the cats eating kibble to make it easier to go on vacations (I can leave kibble out for them, but I can't have someone come and feed them wet 2-3 times a day if that's all they are eating). Getting them to eat enough wet is a whole other issue.

My point is that I can see both sides of the "argument." If I was home all day and didn't ever expect to leave them alone for a weekend, I would probably put them on an all wet diet. That said, I can completely understand a person wanting to wean their cat off wet if they refuse to eat dry food. For most people, convenience and cost MUST be a consideration. I know that if cats were cared for only by people who were able/willing to feed the highest quality wet food, at the cost of convenience and financial feasibility, there would be a lot more cats without homes.

I had to go back and re-read each post to make sure I hadn't missed anything. I could not find any post where someone told the OP what to feed his cat. I did, however, see plenty of posts indicating that wet food was a better diet than all dry food. That was given as information and advice which is what this forum is all about.

You are correct in suggesting a vet needs to be the one to advise this person since the cat has already had medical issues.

I think it is important that we read posts carefully and try not to put our own interpretations on responses.

 

[meowers]

I always thought that if a cat gets hungry enough they'll eat whats there, but I guess maybe not? This is my first indoor only cat, and this site is really helping me (Thank you). About wet food, I think the extra moisture is very important and my cat just started getting it once a day about two weeks ago. We leave dry food out all day too, and she isn't too demanding about it yet. I feed her SD, but am thinking about switching since I hear so much negative about it. If a cat is ok with getting some wet food only at morning or night (like I do) that sounds great to me.

 

[zoeysmom]

I'm glad this site is helping you, Meowers! I have learned a lot from it as well. If your cat will eat one or two wet meals a day as well as dry food, that is great! You are right about SD...most here will agree that, in most cases, there are much better foods you could feed for the same price. There are a lot of threads about quality foods at all different price ranges!

 

[momofmany]

Originally Posted by rubbadub9202

Thanks for your quick replies...
I'm aware that wet food is better FOR him, as a said before, but that isn't my question.

Again, as I posted above:
"He has gotten very commanding, and a little obsessive over his wet food...
...My question is, will it be okay to ween him off of his wet food? Also, how do I do it? I've tried, but he just won't eat his food if it is dry, even though he's eaten nothing but dry food for 11 years."

THANKS AGAIN for your replies!!!

I think people have difficulty with the question because they are having the same reaction that I'm having: why try to do this when wet is better for him?

Most threads we see in here are about how to get a cat off of dry and onto wet. If your cat is 12 years old, this is a time in his life where wet is more important than dry for a lot of reasons: easier on their digestive system, easier to slip in meds that many older cats seem to need, good prevention for diseases like CRF, great if your cat starts to loose their teeth. A good quality wet food might cost more, but it also might save a lot of medical cost in the long run.

Anyone who has had to convert a cat from dry to wet is envious of you right now. I wish my 13 year old toothless cat with an auto-immune disease would be so easy.