Cats stopped eating wet food

[Robyn5678]

Ugh. My 3 cats have pretty much all but stopped eating wet food the past few weeks

At one point they would eat 3-4 cans a day (total, not each). They are a year and a half and very active and on the smaller side.

i Had some dry food so I gave that to them and they seem to prefer it. I have several brands and flavors of the wet food that they have inhaled up until now.

the dry food they are eating is iams urinary health and they are drinking plenty of water so I’m not really worried about that

I offer them a plate of wet food in the morning and they do eat some, but not what they used too. I limit how much dry food they get (if any at all) but they still aren’t eating the wet any better.

I have some of the applaws toppers which aren’t balanced nutrition per their label and sometimes that helps them to eat the wet better. Maybe they are used to those as some are fish.

now that I think about it, it kind of coincided with when I put my other cat to sleep. Tho they didn’t really interact with her much as she hated them.

I dunno. Finicky cats

 

[Furballsmom]

it kind of coincided with when I put my other cat to sleep.

It's a big change even if she didn't like them.

Hang in there with this

 

[BluOnyx]

Try adding nutritional yeast to the food. It has a yeasty cheese flavor. A lot of vegans use it as a cheese substitute but it can be used for cats and dogs to encourage them to eat. Most cats seem to go crazy for it. I have not tried it but I am considering it. I just have to see if it is okay for my one cat due to health reasons.

 

[mrsgreenjeens]

Or you can even crush some of the kibble to use as a topper. Or continue using the Applaws topper. I use toppers with almost every single meal, just because my cats are picky, and it seems the older they get, the pickier they become. And because variety is nice, I use a variety of toppers.

 

[maggie101]

I have the same problem like many others do.my cats eat wet but once I started giving them freeze dried treats they want it always in their food. So I have to mix it in. Of course,one of my cats picks out the crunchy part and leaves the rest! I give her fortiflora because she is ill. Loves the flavor so she is back to eating canned

 

[Robyn5678]

Try adding nutritional yeast to the food. It has a yeasty cheese flavor.

I’ve been hearing a lot about that yeast lately. I’ll have to look into it.

 

[Robyn5678]

Or you can even crush some of the kibble to use as a topper. Or continue using the Applaws topper. I use toppers with almost every single meal, just because my cats are picky, and it seems the older they get, the pickier they become. And because variety is nice, I use a variety of toppers.

Of course the applaws toppers they really like are the ones that have pieces of fish in them. Since I hear conflicting info about fish, I try to limit it to a few days a week

 

[Mac and Cats]

Any luck with getting your kitties to eat the wet food? I have the same problem with my 1 year old. I regret ever introducing him to dry food. I've been somewhat successful in reducing his dry food amount by putting a few kibbles on top of his wet food when he won't eat it. It's taken a few weeks to reduce the kibble amount, but we are getting there!

 

[cmshap]

I started a similar thread somewhat recently.

Wet/dry food ratio and pooping issues

My cat Willy ate dry food exclusively in the beginning of his life, but it was prescription food and recommended by my vet. He always had gastrointestinal issues and has vomited a lot throughout his life. I switched him to wet food (over time, gradually) in the last few years, and it almost...

thecatsite.com

I took some of the suggestions in the thread, like giving a small quantity of dry food as a treat only after he ate some of the wet (I need him to eat both wet food and dry to keep his digestive system happy).

I also had to change the flavor/brand of wet food many, many times before he settles on one he likes. Also, he has sometimes just decided that the wet food he previously liked is no longer acceptable. I think a rotation of flavors/brands is required for many cats. I have family with cats who report the same thing... they have to switch the kind of wet food randomly when their cats decide they no longer want it.

It's interesting that dry food seems to be addictive to many cats. I equate it to things like potato chips that we eat (not that it's junk food... I only give my cat good quality dry). But it seems to be addictive to some cats in a way that wet food is not.

 

[Robyn5678]

They are mostly getting tractor supply 4 health 3.5 oz pate. Keep in mind this is for 3 young cats.

what I’ve been doing is giving them a container of wet food in the morning. They wake me up at 4am, so they get that then I go back to bed. If that’s totally gone by the time I get up, they may get another. If they didn’t touch it, I’ll add an applaws topper.

depending how starved and dramatic they act, they will get another half to full container again around 9-10. I put out 1/2 cup dry food from 11am-1pm. Whatever they don’t eat of dry gets taken away.

some days they get another thing of wet food around 2 or 3. And then they get a final feeding at 8 or 9pm. Most of the time it’s just wet, sometimes I’ll give a little dry too.

I find feeding them multiple times a day and helped cut down on puking.

 

[cmshap]

I've mentioned this in other threads, but this is how I handle preserving uneaten wet food. And it has helped to get Willy to give it another try later.

I only use a very shallow plate for the wet food (like a small, normal human plate). If he doesn't finish it, I wrap it up and put it in the fridge.

Then later, I microwave it in 5-second increments, checking the temperature with my fingers before serving, so it's warm, but not hot.

In fact, heating the wet food to begin with might encourage more eating. That has helped with Willy in the past.

 

[cmshap]

I've mentioned this in other threads, but this is how I handle preserving uneaten wet food. And it has helped to get Willy to give it another try later.

I only use a very shallow plate for the wet food (like a small, normal human plate). If he doesn't finish it, I wrap it up and put it in the fridge.

Then later, I microwave it in 5-second increments, checking the temperature with my fingers before serving, so it's warm, but not hot.

In fact, heating the wet food to begin with might encourage more eating. That has helped with Willy in the past.

To add to the above...

If there are occasions where he left wet food out, and I didn't get to it soon enough so it started to dry out, I just sprinkle water over it before reheating it in the microwave.

 

[Kflowers]

Remember when you change "brands" of cat food you may still be buying food from the same manufacturer, which means there is a good chance it's basically the same food with a different label. That means if the cats didn't like something about it under one name they probably won't like the version with a different label. Just make a note of who the manufacturer is when you want to change from one cat food to another.

 

[lisahe]

Remember when you change "brands" of cat food you may still be buying food from the same manufacturer, which means there is a good chance it's basically the same food with a different label. That means if the cats didn't like something about it under one name they probably won't like the version with a different label. Just make a note of who the manufacturer is when you want to change from one cat food to another.

This is so true! We've found that all the "perfect portions" foods are very similar.

 

[cmshap]

Remember when you change "brands" of cat food you may still be buying food from the same manufacturer, which means there is a good chance it's basically the same food with a different label.

I am aware that is true, but some cats are picky for reasons I don't think we entirely understand. "Basically the same" can still mean slightly different smells/textures that one particular cat may favor or reject.

My cat was super-picky about wet food and I had to try many different labels/flavors/textures. And then change them again when he stopped showing interest.

I'm currently having great success with Sheba (he accepts multiple flavors and textures of Sheba). I don't know much about how Sheba food is made, but I do know it is my cat's favorite, and he is healthier when eating mostly wet food (75% wet, 25% dry).

"Healthier" meaning his digestive system. He used to vomit a lot, like every day. Since getting him on a mostly wet diet, he rarely vomits. So for me, it was entirely about finding whatever kind he would readily eat. (And some cursory searches just to know that the kind I was feeding him wasn't considered unhealthy.)

 

[lisahe]

I am aware that is true, but some cats are picky for reasons I don't think we entirely understand. "Basically the same" can still mean slightly different smells/textures that one particular cat may favor or reject.

My cat was super-picky about wet food and I had to try many different labels/flavors/textures. And then change them again when he stopped showing interest.

I'm currently having great success with Sheba (he accepts multiple flavors and textures of Sheba). I don't know much about how Sheba food is made, but I do know it is my cat's favorite, and he is healthier when eating mostly wet food (75% wet, 25% dry).

"Healthier" meaning his digestive system. He used to vomit a lot, like every day. Since getting him on a mostly wet diet, he rarely vomits. So for me, it was entirely about finding whatever kind he would readily eat. (And some cursory searches just to know that the kind I was feeding him wasn't considered unhealthy.)

Cats are definitely choosy for reasons we'll never understand.

That said, to build on what I mentioned above, our cats seem to accept Iams food in "perfect portions" as well as they accept Sheba. Nutro is a bit dicier, though. Sheba works surprisingly well for our cat with stomach issues. I'm not happy about the tapioca (I'm concerned that it might eventually inflame Edwina's gut so only feed one meal of it a day, about 2/3 of a "perfect" portion) though at least the carbs aren't too high, under 5% dry matter, according to Q&A on Chewy. The phosphorus is also not the worst, under 1.5% dry matter, again according to Chewy Q&A. Not what our vet would consider kidney-friendly but not awful either. To me, those considerations seem relatively minor compared with "rarely vomits," a challenge we also deal with.

 

[cmshap]

To me, those considerations seem relatively minor compared with "rarely vomits," a challenge we also deal with.

Yeah, that's my thinking as well. Willy vomited a lot throughout most of his life, and so at this point, it is all about minimizing the worst of his health issues. So I am not personally really delving into ingredients as much.

I just basically do a Google search to make sure the food I'm giving him isn't considered unhealthy by the majority of the cat community. Since Sheba is mostly rated fairly well, I don't fret about the details.

If I was starting over with a new kitten, who didn't have the same kind of digestive problems as Willy, I would be more discerning. And, in fact, after Willy passes, I plan to get another cat, so I may be doing just that.

Willy is a senior, around age 10 at the moment. I just want to give him his best years near the end of his life. So if he loves Sheba, that's what he will get, until he decides he wants something else.

I should note that he doesn't have any major health issues yet, aside from the digestive issues, and some respiratory issues that are being well-managed with meds. So for me, it's all about finding the food he loves to eat that also minimizes his vomiting.

 

[Robyn5678]

For anyone mentioning vomitting, have you tried feeding smaller portions more often? That seems to have helped mine.

Example, Instead of feeding them 2 cans in the am and 2 in the pm, I do one at a time, 4 times a day

 

[cmshap]

For anyone mentioning vomitting, have you tried feeding smaller portions more often? That seems to have helped mine.

Example, Instead of feeding them 2 cans in the am and 2 in the pm, I do one at a time, 4 times a day

Yes, and in fact, I identified the pace of his eating as a common cause of his vomiting early on. He was a very fast eater after I rescued him, probably because he went through an experience of almost starving to death.

Willy's fast eating often caused vomiting. I found that feeding him smaller portions that were spaced out was better for him.

But he still continued to vomit more than what should be normal. Switching to mostly wet food really helped the most. And finding the right kind of wet food helped even more.

 

[lisahe]

Yes, and in fact, I identified the pace of his eating as a common cause of his vomiting early on. He was a very fast eater after I rescued him, probably because he went through an experience of almost starving to death.

Willy's fast eating often caused vomiting. I found that feeding him smaller portions that were spaced out was better for him.

But he still continued to vomit more than what should be normal. Switching to mostly wet food really helped the most. And finding the right kind of wet food helped even more.

It's pretty much the same here, though we were already feeding almost exclusively wet food. Sorting out individual ingredients that caused vomiting helped a lot. Then Edwina's vomiting got much worse last year and (long story short) she had to have stomach surgery; we'll never know what caused her problem but (again, long story short) I'm leaning toward the parasite theory. Even biopsies couldn't give us a definitive answer. In any case, it's definitely worth talking with your vet about nematodes if you just can't figure out what's causing your cat to vomit.

Oh, raising dishes helps a lot in preventing regurgitation!