No matter what don't let your cat go without food longer than 24 hours. I would give him dry again to get something in him. Some cats refuse wet. This happened to my oldest cat who would rather die then eat wet so she eats dry.

Yes a cat should be eating 1 5.5 can per day, that's not a lot of food. It should be split over two meals.

I would take your cat to the vet just in case

 

No matter what don't let your cat go without food longer than 24 hours.

I would take your cat to the vet just in case

He doesn't go completely without, he just licks it and never takes any bites. I'd say he eats 1/10 of the food by licking, so it's not very much.

The food says to feed him two cans a day.

 

Go back to dry if he likes it better. He needs to be eating as well as before. If you had been eating one thing all your life and were suddenly changed to a differant food, I'm sure you would loose weight rapidly too if it disgusted you so much that you only ate 1/10 of the normal amount you used to eat.

Don't worry about what others think you should do but do whats best for your cat!

Hope he feels better soon!

 

Thanks for the well wishes. I've decided to get my vet involved. I'm just too worried about his liver.

 

A cat that eats dry is healthier than a cat that is starving. That's how I look at it.

My cat won't eat wet either and I tried to get her to for months. I'm content with her eating a high protein/low carb grain-free dry food now.

 

I have heard of some kitties that will only eat Friskies kibbles and nothing else. So, a bad kibble is still better than starving.

got back from the vet. His liver is fine, but he's suffering from renal failure. I didn't switch him to wet in time to prevent it. I'm so upset I can't put it into words.

So sorry to hear that, how about trying a tsp of wet into his usual kibbles 1st, then gradually increasing wet?

 

Just got back from the vet. His liver is fine, but he's suffering from renal failure. I didn't switch him to wet in time to prevent it. I'm so upset I can't put it into words.

 

I'm so sorry

 

I'm sorry to hear your kitty has renal failure That's always hard thing to hear, and even more so when you're not expecting it.
Even though there isn't a cure, there are things you can do to slow down the progression of the disease, so you could still have plenty of time left with your kitty.
Cats who have CRF (chronic renal failure) have a harder time staying hydrated, so keep trying with the wet food. In later stages, subQ fluids can be administered at home and can help keep your kitty hydrated and feeling better.

Is it possible your cat just doesn't like the BG? Have you tried other brands? Even a non premium brand, which many cats find more tempting, is better than dry and may help you switch over. Typically, cat's with CRF should eat a diet low in phosphorous. There is a link to a chart floating around here somewhere that gives nutritional values of a whole bunch of foods, including phosphorus levels, which should be useful to you.
As for amount of food, it depends on the food (quality and calorie count) and your cat, but I usually find that the recommended amount on the can is far more than needed. My cats maintain a healthy weight eating about 6 oz each per day (and they are both about 14 lbs). That's half of what the can suggests.

Sending good thoughts your way.

 

Yes, I'm going to try the other two brands that I found that have only animal protein. Hopefully he'll like one of them. I just can't shake the feeling that I did this to him by my ignorance that wet food was better.

 

Saydee, I'm sorry to hear about your cat's diagnosis and I'll throw my hat in the ring along with the "bad kibble > dead cat" crowd.

Please don't beat yourself up about this. You did the best you could with the information you had. Now you know more. You can honor his life by improving when you have the opportunity. In the meantime, your kitty knows he's loved and has a warm, safe, home, a comfy lap to snuggle on and a human who provides all that. That's what matters right here and right now.

 

I'm in the same boat as you, my friend. When I adopted Sophie 1 and a half years ago, the vet told me to put her on a dry food. Now, everything I read says dry food is bad, and to do a high protein wet food. Well, too late! Sophie is a little princess and is stuck in her ways. She refuses any type of canned wet food. She even refuses tuna and whole milk.

I wish the vet or rescue organization told me to feed her a canned wet food way back then, because now Sophie refuses to change her eating habits.

What makes this even more crucial for Sophie is that, starting a week ago, Sophie has stopped drinking water completely(after a year and a half of drinking a lot of water, everyday!). I wish she would eat a canned wet food, it would save me a lot of money, stress and frustration.

 

CatHelp, sometimes if you put water sources where your cat likes to hang out, they'll drink more. There's probably a reason, and I don't know what it is, but they prefer water that is far away from their food source. It might help trigger her thirst drive a little.