Hi!!!!My cat was a abandoned cat that i found outside.It was tamed,and i 'adopted' him.We feed him tuna and wet food.We got dry food one day,and let our cat try some,but our mom said only a little,since it might get attach to it.My big bro didnt listen,and fed him more.Whisker,my cat,got used to dry food,that he really wont eat wet food as much,and i'm very concerned.What should i do?
Welcome to The Cat Site.
It is good of you to want to feed the best food possible to your cat. You're right that wet food is better than dry food. I would try different kinds of wet cat food. You can try using the dry food as a "topper" on the wet food, but because of the different ways cats metabolize wet versus dry food, you shouldn't leave out the combination long.
Here is an article about transitioning cats to a different food.
And I would ask your brother to quit feeding your cat. And show him some of these articles.
Good luck and let us know how it goes.
Hello and welcome to TCS. A wet diet is good for cats - your mom is right, as often they don't get enough moisture if they eat only dry. You can often get them to like something by mixing the two foods together for a while, getting him used to the taste and gradually stopping the one you don't want him to eat. By the way, human tuna is not good for cats, except very occasionally as a treat, and then make sure it is the 100% natural kind, in water, no salt and no oil. Tuna cat food is fine.
In addition, there are other drawbacks to feeding fish:
-Fish is high in both magnesium & phosphorus, and may cause UTIs or kidney disorders due to the high mineral content
-Fish only ingredients may cause vitamin K synthesis deficiency, which is necessary for blood clotting. Lack of vitamin K may cause excessive bleeding.
-Fish is has a high potential to cause allergies due to high levels of histamine.
-Some cats are allergic to fish (one of the top 3 in food allergens in cats)
-Fish from the Pacific Ocean has concerns due to possible radiation toxicity levels from the Fukushima nuclear plant.
-PCBs, pesticides, other toxins are commonly found in farmed salmon.
-Your cat may become "fish heads"; fish addicts who will eat no other protein besides fish.
Knowing this, feeding fish is fine if it's not a regular meal, day after day. Feeding it once a week, for example is fine.
Don't get confused between feeding home-made fish meals and catfood fish:
Form the article mentioned here:
'Feeding a homemade diet based solely on fish is dangerous for cats, and fish should be incorporated into a homemade diet very carefully and in moderation.
As for processed canned food, good manufacturing practices should ensure that there’s enough thiamine and vitamin E added to the mix to ensure that the cat gets a balanced diet. As long as you buy good quality canned food, the flavor should not matter.'
Many canned catfood fish flavours are actually largely based on chicken, with fish flavours added in the processing. Not saying this is good practice, but it happens.
@]jennyranson[/@]s raises a good:nod: point that is applicable to all foods: read labels carefully. Ritz was a fish addict. When I was trying to wean her off of fish, I would buy a canned food that said Beef or chicken, only to discover when I got home and read the label more carefully that while beef may be the first ingredient listed, fish was next. This caution is particularly important if your cat has a true allergy, versus dislike or sensitivity, to, for example, chicken. Is the liver, kidney from chicken or some other protein. As an aside, I transitioned Ritz to prey model raw, and she doesn't care for fish at all.