Issues with switching to wet

[Jess041]

Sorry this is long..

So for the past 3 or so weeks, I've been trying to switch to wet. Brief history: Lexi got crystals in her urine because of dry food almost a year ago, vet told us to switch to another dry food for Urinary Tract Health. So she was on Purina ONE for Urinary Tract Health and she was doing great on it. I wanted to switch to wet, but I was too afraid she would get sick again. I got Sam over a month ago, his previous owner warned me that some foods made him throw up, which of course, Lexi's did. Instead of finding another dry food that wouldn't make him sick, I decided to finally switch to wet.

I also have to explain a little about Lexi. When she was a kitten, I free fed. She's never been the kind of cat that's sat down and eaten all her food at once. She'll come and get a few bites here and there throughout the day. And she NEVER eats all of it. Even if I portion out her food according to her age and weight, her bowl is never empty. She's a petite cat at 8 lbs, so shes' not overweight from free feeding. I've tried taking the bowl away after an hour, but it doesn't make her eat any more. When I tried to give her wet food, she would take a few "licks", and that was about it. It ultimately went to waste, I just gave up and fed dry.

I decided early on that I wanted to try EVO first. I bought a case (24 5.5 oz cans) of the 95% turkey and chicken. Sam loves it, hasn't thrown up since. Lexi will come up, take a few "licks" and leave. She'll come back every once in a while, but I'm always cleaning out over half of her bowl. I feed once in the morning before work (about 7am) and once when I get home (about 6pm). She's eating less than 2 oz. a day. I've tried putting dry food on top, she just eats the dry. I've tried mixing it in, she just picks out the dry. I've tried strategically placing her favorite treats in the food, she just picks them out. Well, she does eat a little bit of the wet, but mostly dry. I've also tried experimenting with different foods. So far I've tried different flavors of Blue Buffalo and Wellness. It's always the same results. The whole, taking the food away and making her hungry so she has to eat thing isn't working... I've resorted to giving her a little bit of dry food after she's eaten some wet because I'm afraid she's just going to starve herself. I really want to try the Wellness sliced/minced/cubed food, but they've been out of it the past couple times I've gone to the store. I think maybe she just doesn't like pate, and wants something she can actually bite into.

I don't think she's a (complete) dry food junkie, because even though she's more willing to eat the dry food, it's not like she's just gobbling it up. Maybe she's just trying to watch her figure? I have no idea. So I'm looking for advice on how to get this stubborn little cat to eat, because she's slowly losing weight. Also any suggestions on good wet food that I can try. The last thing I want to do is give up and let her eat dry and continue feeding Sam wet.

[Susan]

I had a very difficult time transitioning my two cats to wet food, but I finally succeeded. Here is a link to a prior post I prepared, explaining what I did. My prior post also contains a link to a very helpful article written by a vet, which you might also want to read. I know how frustrating transitioning stubborn cats can be. Good luck!

Need Suggestions for Healthy Grain Free Minced (Pate?) Cat Food Brands

[Jess041]

Thanks for the article Susan!

I found a natural pet food store near my work. I went in, told my story, and the lady suggested a food called Tiki Cat. Anyone heard of it? They sell it on Petfooddirect. I don't know if it's the best cat food, the name doesn't make it sound "premium" lol. But the good news is, Lexi really liked it. The lady also suggested feeding her in a "no-no" spot. Basically, somewhere she's not supposed to be like the counters or table. Unfortunately, Lexi doesn't really have no-no spots. I actually feed her on the bar (not where a prepare food) so Sam doesn't eat her food. I know this may sound funny, but I ended up feeding her on the couch next to me. I started by hand feeding her so she would think I was presenting her with treats, then I just let her do her own thing. Even though she didn't eat all 3 oz., she got about 2 before she stopped eating. Definitely progress! I don't want to exaggerate, but I think it might have been the longest amount of time I've seen her stay at the bowl and eat!

[scottd]

The ingredients look okay but I'm not an expert.

Petropics - Tiki Cat, Tiki Dog, Tiki Bird, Tiki FurBalls - For the Pets We Love

Click on the flavor to view ingredients.

[Jess041]

Yeah I looked at them before I even got home and gave it to her. I'm no expert either, but if they're selling it at a natural pet food store... it must be okay. Not all of the flavors are grain free; some are on rice. I picked up a variety pack last night after the successful dinner feeding and I don't think any of them are on rice.