Why did my cat stop eating dry food?

[Catlover952000]

I have two cats that are brothers they are
one and a half years old. They have always had 1/8 cup of dry food each in the morning and then for dinner 3 oz. each wet food. The brand for wet and dry is Merrick. No food is out during the day. There was never a problem until now.

About two weeks ago one of them stopped eating dry food in the morning. He looks at it then walks away. I tried buying another bag just in case, although the bag was fresh he doesn’t want to eat it. He always liked it.
I tried another type of dry food but he didn’t want that one either. I don’t want him to only eat wet food for both meals.
He’s only eating the 3oz. wet only in the evening as usual.
He’s active and acting totally normal. But I feel it’s not enough food.
Do you know why this is happening?
Do you have and ideas on how he can begin to eat the dry food again?

 

[Azazel]

Can you try giving him wet food in the morning instead? Dry food is generally not good for cats anyway, so he'd be better off if you just gave him all wet.

If he will eat the wet instead then he's probably just sick of the dry. If he won't eat anything in the morning I would take him to the vet.

 

[Maria Bayote]

Cats are carnivorous and your cat is better off without a dry food or kibbles, if he so decides to walk away from it. You can encourage him to increase the amount of wet food intake daily instead.

 

[FeebysOwner]

Although, I am not opposed to dry food (Feeby had dry only for the first decade of her life), is there a reason you want them to have dry as well as wet? Cost, perhaps? Anyway, you could try mixing some dry with the wet and see if he would eat the combined food. Or, buy some of the toppers that are on the market to add to the dry and try it that way.

 

[kittyluv387]

It's a good thing if he only wants wet. I would check his teeth though.

 

[Azazel]

It's a good thing if he only wants wet. I would check his teeth though.

Good point. It may be that his teeth are hurting him.

 

[Catlover952000]

Can you try giving him wet food in the morning instead? Dry food is generally not good for cats anyway, so he'd be better off if you just gave him all wet.

If he will eat the wet instead then he's probably just sick of the dry. If he won't eat anything in the morning I would take him to the vet.

Im going to take him to the vet this Friday. Maybe it could be his teeth,I’ll have them checked. He’s only a year and a half old but it’s better to have them checked.
This morning he came up to the bowl and sniffed and put his head into the bowl. I thought he would eat but then he walked away. His brother loves the dry in the morning.
Maybe he just prefers the wet. I’m not sure.
Last evening I put a few pieces of the dry food into the wet food. He ate all the wet except the part with the kibbles in it. I took out the kibble pieces and then he ate the rest of the wet food.
I hope it’s a teeth issue and I can address it for him.
The thing is both brothers like to be near each other always even when eating.
His brother looks forward to the kibble in the morning. If I start giving this cat wet in the morning then the other cat will probably not be happy. I don’t know how I can give one wet and the other the dry.

 

[Catlover952000]

Although, I am not opposed to dry food (Feeby had dry only for the first decade of her life), is there a reason you want them to have dry as well as wet? Cost, perhaps? Anyway, you could try mixing some dry with the wet and see if he would eat the combined food. Or, buy some of the toppers that are on the market to add to the dry and try it that way.

I’m not familiar with the toppers to put onto the kibble. What is that?

 

[Catlover952000]

Although, I am not opposed to dry food (Feeby had dry only for the first decade of her life), is there a reason you want them to have dry as well as wet? Cost, perhaps? Anyway, you could try mixing some dry with the wet and see if he would eat the combined food. Or, buy some of the toppers that are on the market to add to the dry and try it that way.

The cost is somewhat of a factor. I liked the idea of the morning the kibble and evening the wet food. I’m also worried how I will handle his brother that enjoys having the kibble in the morning. If I give this one the wet It will throw things off. It could start a problem. They like to eat near each other.

 

[FeebysOwner]

I’m not familiar with the toppers to put onto the kibble. What is that?

Just one dry and one wet version of a few types that are available, depending on what you are looking for -

 

[kittyluv387]

Im going to take him to the vet this Friday. Maybe it could be his teeth,I’ll have them checked. He’s only a year and a half old but it’s better to have them checked.
This morning he came up to the bowl and sniffed and put his head into the bowl. I thought he would eat but then he walked away. His brother loves the dry in the morning.
Maybe he just prefers the wet. I’m not sure.
Last evening I put a few pieces of the dry food into the wet food. He ate all the wet except the part with the kibbles in it. I took out the kibble pieces and then he ate the rest of the wet food.
I hope it’s a teeth issue and I can address it for him.
The thing is both brothers like to be near each other always even when eating.
His brother looks forward to the kibble in the morning. If I start giving this cat wet in the morning then the other cat will probably not be happy. I don’t know how I can give one wet and the other the dry.

If he really does just prefer the wet this is a good time to transition the other kitty too!

 

[Catlover952000]

Just one dry and one wet version of a few types that are available, depending on what you are looking for -

Thank you for this information. I will see what the vet says. But I might consider trying this. Or I’ll be switching both cats to the wet food.

 

[Catlover952000]

If he really does just prefer the wet this is a good time to transition the other kitty too!

Yes I’ll wait to see if he’s ok with his teeth. If he’s healthy then Im starting to think I might have to switch them both to the wet.
I can’t see having one cat on wet food and the other dry.

 

[aliceneko]

We were advised dental dry by the vet because Toffee and Fudge's teeth need improving (it seems to have worked), but we still give them wet food for dinner/breakfast and the rest of their food is dry. I notice that when we feed them dry food, they drink from their water bowl a lot more, so perhaps your cat is thirsty?

 

[jefferd18]

Can he still smell his dry food?

 

[jen]

I hope it’s a teeth issue and I can address it for him.

A teeth issue is going to be MUCH more costly then a simple dislike of dry food. Dental cleanings can be hundreds, and if extractions are needed, more.

We were advised dental dry by the vet because Toffee and Fudge's teeth need improving (it seems to have worked), but we still give them wet food for dinner/breakfast and the rest of their food is dry. I notice that when we feed them dry food, they drink from their water bowl a lot more, so perhaps your cat is thirsty?

Gah such outdated advice. Dry food does nothing for teeth, just like canned doesn't rot teeth, another myth. I wish vets would stop saying this. The only thing that could help is if it is a very large kibble they really have to chew up. Most kibble they bite once and swallow. It just doesn't work that way.

 

[Catlover952000]

I wanted to update you all on my kitty. I took him to the vet back on January 10th.
I explained to the vet that he stopped eating dry food and only is eating 3 oz of wet food at dinner for the last 8 weeks now.
. She checked his teeth and his weight and everything is normal and fine. The vet said he’s very healthy. The cat has found the amount of food that he’s happy with. She said continue to feed him the 3 oz of wet food. He’s ok. He will be two years old in April.
His brother is the same age but he still wants his 1/8 of a cup of dry in the morning and then he has 3oz of wet at night.

 

[Azazel]

I wanted to update you all on my kitty. I took him to the vet back on January 10th.
I explained to the vet that he stopped eating dry food and only is eating 3 oz of wet food at dinner for the last 8 weeks now.
. She checked his teeth and his weight and everything is normal and fine. The vet said he’s very healthy. The cat has found the amount of food that he’s happy with. She said continue to feed him the 3 oz of wet food. He’s ok. He will be two years old in April.
His brother is the same age but he still wants his 1/8 of a cup of dry in the morning and then he has 3oz of wet at night.

I'm sorry but that seems strange to me. 3oz of food is very little and I don't think it's enough calories to sustain an adult cat unless they are very small. Have you tried feeding wet food in the morning too or offering more than 3 oz of wet food?

 

[FeebysOwner]

Hi. Thanks for the update. But, I am curious what weight is proper for your cat. As A Azazel said, 3 oz is a very, very small amount for any cat - of most any size. Let's just say your 3 oz can contains 100 calories, at a rate of 20-25 calories per pound being the 'norm', one can a day would sustain a cat that weighs between 4 and 5 pounds.

Did you try any of the suggestions you received in all of the posts above to see if you could get this little guy to eat more?

 

[IndyJones]

Do you feed wet in a different bowl than the dry? If so maybe the dry bowl is too small for him and his whiskers are touching the sides. Some cats don't like deep or small bowls for that reason. Try a desert plate or a shallow dog bowl.