Kitten will only eat wet food. please help!!

[sarahann31190]

I have been reading a lot of controversy on wet vs dry food.
I have always raised my cats on dry only, with wet as a treat.
Don't they need dry food to help their teeth?
Does wet food have as much nutrition as dry?

Please help me, I need to find something she will eat.

Also, she doesn't eat very much at a time, maybe 1-3 tbs. She is only 2.5 pounds, so is that normal?

Thank you so much!!

 

[rosiemac]

I give mine both wet and dry but it's good quality.

How old is she?, because like babies they need food more than twice a day

 

[cat person]

Originally Posted by Sarahann31190

I have been reading a lot of controversy on wet vs dry food.
I have always raised my cats on dry only, with wet as a treat.
Don't they need dry food to help their teeth?
Does wet food have as much nutrition as dry?

Please help me, I need to find something she will eat.

Also, she doesn't eat very much at a time, maybe 1-3 tbs. She is only 2.5 pounds, so is that normal?

Thank you so much!!

Three of my four cats are fed a mixed diet of commercial wet/canned and commercial dry food mixed together once or twice a day. Along with commercial dry food. The other is fed commercial dry and a mouse a day.

Originally Posted by Sarahann31190

Don't they need dry food to help their teeth?

Not really no, IMHO.

Originally Posted by Sarahann31190

Does wet food have as much nutrition as dry?

Some wet foods do, yes

. Some wet foods do not. It depends on the quality of wet and dry food in question.

Originally Posted by Sarahann31190

I have been reading a lot of controversy on wet vs dry food.

You will get a lot of that on this site. Just do what is best for your cat, your budget, and what your veterinarian advises.

Originally Posted by Sarahann31190

Also, she doesn't eat very much at a time, maybe 1-3 tbs. She is only 2.5 pounds, so is that normal?

Please take the kitten to a licensed veterinarian you trust. I will say I always left dry food out for my cats when they where kittens.

 

[ducman69]

A quality wet food can be even more healthy than a cheap dry food, although dollar for dollar you tend to be able to afford a higher quality dry since canning is a very expensive process. Cost aside though, the best canned is likely the best commercial food health wise you can get so there is no reason for concern.

No, you do not need dry for dental health. You can feed dry treats daily like Greenies or use gels or water treatments or other options for dental cleaning. So while, yes, as a whole there are studies that show cats on mixed diets had less incidence of dental disease, its by no means necessary, and there is no rush on a kitten either way.

Wet food contains just as much nutrition, but its just much less dense as its around 80% water. So if feeding just wet, its fine to feed small amounts, but it needs to be many times a day (3+). You can leave the food out up to two hours before having to throw it away if your home is low humidity and cool, as I know some cats are nibblers.

So I'd still leave dry out for kittens, as Wesley and Buttercup had, but it wouldn't bother me in the least if they didn't eat it as long as they are eating enough wet food.

 

[sarahann31190]

Originally Posted by Rosiemac

I give mine both wet and dry but it's good quality.

How old is she?, because like babies they need food more than twice a day

She is about 3 months old. And she sure lets me know when she's hungry! She is just like a child.

Thank you all for your input! It has helped a lot.

 

[stephanietx]

She should have access to food 24/7. If possible, feed her wet food 2 or 3 times a day and leave dry food out for her 24/7.

 

[minka]

If your cat is only a 2.5lb kitten, it is perfectly fine for her to only eat a few tbs at a time.
And you are lucky!! You will see a lot of threads here are cat owners frustrated because their cats are addicted to dry and they can't get them to even look at wet food!!

Wet food is IMHO much better for cats than dry and if you buy brands like Evo, Innova, Wellness, Natural Balance or any other premium brand, your cat will be happy and health for years to come.