She's Mad At Me For Not Giving Her Dry Food.

GGG

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Just need to talk it out

Skye has ALWAYS preferred dry food over wet food ( she purred like crazy and loud when she ate dry food).
It's always a challenge to get her to eat wet food, like really... a challenge!
I've cut down the dry and increased the wet food, it worked the first few days then back to refusing wet food again.... I Stoped leaving dry food overnight so she'll be hungry in the morning ( that idea didn't last long )I've decided to stop feeding her dry food completely and keeping her on wet food ONLY, again... worked for a few days and now back to not wanting to eat wet. Now she's mad at me... she attacks my feet and won't let me hold her( I really want to cry)when she sees me putting food down she stays back and doesn't get exited ( she use to run to her dish and wait while I'm serving her food) now she won't meaw at me for food and when I go close to her to try to even hand feed her she runs away. YES, she's healthy ( vet approval). It's 10:34 a.m I tried giving her 2 different types of wet food and she trys to burry it then she walks away. I know she wants to eat, I feel like given in and giving her what she wants but I don't think it's a good idea, but I don't want her to starve herself and she's very stubborn... if she doesn't like something SHE WILL NOT TOUCH IT ( gosh I thought I was stubborn) I wish she could understand human vocabulary so I can explain to her why wet is better than dry ( I still talk to her about it) now she's sleeping in condo.
I hate to keep talking about this issue to the vet because they say " she doesn't need wet food, give her what she likes, dry food isn't bad, you can give her wet food just as a treat once in a while... I'm sure you guys heard that before too) I can't keep paying for vets appointments to keep hearing the same thing., that she's healthy and beautiful and all of the above mentioned.

Thank you for hearing me out
G.
 

Kflowers

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This may not be true for your girl, but it is worth trying a different manufacturer, maybe.

I would go for the highest protein you can find and consider the calories.

It just occurred to me that your girl may not like the soup/gravey effect in wet food. Some people don't like soupy food. Maybe if you drained the wet food, then set it on Paper towels to drain a bit more before you gave it to her. I know you want her to get the WET part, but a gradual approach might help.

You might need to try a different brand of wet food. That is a brand made by a different manufacturer. I have the feeling that most of the food in any manufacturer's line is similar in taste. This is just a feeling from the smell, the appearance and my cats reaction to them over the years. As always YMMV. So if you were giving her Whiskers and she didn't like it, giving her Sheba wouldn't be that different just more expensive, and I wouldn't expect her to like it. The same would be true of giving her Fancy Feast then substituting Friskies, same manufacturer.
 

lisahe

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I have to be quick here but just wanted to say that what worked to switch our cats over was a long fade on the dry food: it took a month or two, which gave plenty of time to figure out what wet foods the cats liked most, that would keep them eating. They always liked wet food but they also held out for dry food so there was definitely a challenge! Some cats take months.

Also, how many wet meals have you been feeding her a day? A cat who's used to free feeding dry food may demand more than two meals a day.

What K Kflowers says about textures is so true: our cats used to much prefer shreds. But now they prefer pates. It's worth trying out a lot of different textures!

Good luck!
 
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GGG

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This may not be true for your girl, but it is worth trying a different manufacturer, maybe.

I would go for the highest protein you can find and consider the calories.

It just occurred to me that your girl may not like the soup/gravey effect in wet food. Some people don't like soupy food. Maybe if you drained the wet food, then set it on Paper towels to drain a bit more before you gave it to her. I know you want her to get the WET part, but a gradual approach might help.

You might need to try a different brand of wet food. That is a brand made by a different manufacturer. I have the feeling that most of the food in any manufacturer's line is similar in taste. This is just a feeling from the smell, the appearance and my cats reaction to them over the years. As always YMMV. So if you were giving her Whiskers and she didn't like it, giving her Sheba wouldn't be that different just more expensive, and I wouldn't expect her to like it. The same would be true of giving her Fancy Feast then substituting Friskies, same manufacturer.
Thank you for your help.
I've tried MANY different brands and textures, she ate the soupy foods not the pates she is on good brands ( this is why it's driving me crazy ) the only ones she eats are Almo Nature complete, weruva, cat in the kitchen, tiki cat. I even tried the vet stuff wish is very pricey but I didn't care as long as she was eating. The dry food she had was Purina veterinarian diet Essential care for kitten ( sold at vet office only)then I switched her to instinct by nature variety ( it supposed to be a very good quality)and she loves that stuff.
All the sheaper brands like wiskas, fancy feast, friskies, special kitty she won't touch.
I can't find sheba where I live....
I am literly crying right now... I swear I tried every brand in pet smat and pet valu ( I know it Sounds like I'm exaggerating but I'm not ) at the store I am known as the picky cat lady...
But I am going to try what you suggested, I still have hope... Thank you
I don't mind her eating a good dry food part of her diet but she likes it too much that's why I wanted her to be on wet only
 

Kflowers

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Whiskers and Sheba are both made by Mars Coporation so probably aren't really that different.

Sweet Gum won't eat dry, well, maybe two bites after 24 hours of not eating. She gets Fromm dry. We were fortunate that the dog we had when she was a kitten taught her to drink 'like a dog' rather than a cat.

Your kitty, what is her name?, might just dislike the wetness, any wetness. some cats just won't eat wet food. It doesn't mean you've failed or that you aren't doing your best for your kitty. If I were you, I'd concentrate on water bowls and fountains.

There are some beautiful fountains out there, flowing from several feet down to ledge to ledge. You can make steps by the ledges to let her sit on them and drink the running water. There are also pragmatic hygienic good fountains that make a cozy little place for kitty to drink. Just place it so she can view the room while she's drinking.

Again, you are not a bad kitty parent and your kitty loves you even if she doesn't like wet food.
 
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GGG

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I'm leterly crying now.... I finally got her to eat half a can of Almo nature, she drank the juice first...
She has a water fountain wich she uses fairly during the day.
Sorry, her name is Skye
She's 9 months old now.
It's my first time having a kitty, even though she's been with us for a while, every change in her is something new for me to learn.
How many calories would she need a day?
How would I calculate the daily calories for wet food diet only and wet and dry diet?
Thank you for your help and kind words
 

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KarenKat

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Don’t stress, dry food is not the end of the world. It sounds like you have tried everything, and believe me we have been working to get Gohan on wet food for almost a year. We found a few he started to like (Lotus Pate and Life’s Abundance) but he would only eat 1/4 of a 3oz can. He starts licking his lips like he’s got Pate stuck in his teeth, might be the texture for him.

He has been eating Natural Balance plateful pouches, the only food he has ever finished. I’m sure he’ll stop at some point soon and we will be back on dry food alone. Cats, amiright!?

If there are any wet treats or meat scraps she might like, give that a try. I know we want to feed our cat as healthy as we can, but it’s also not healthy for you or her to be so stressed daily over mealtime. Take her grumpiness as a sign to relax and don’t be so worried. There is more to loving and caring for a kitty than the mythical “perfect food”. Even Jackson Galaxy couldn’t switch his cat over to wet food from dry, sometimes it’s up to the cat.

Also, Skye is so beautiful! I usually calculate 20-25 kcal per pound depending on activity, so I would calculate how much she is eating in both dry and wet and have the total be what she weighs multiplied by 20 or 25.
 

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GGG

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Don’t stress, dry food is not the end of the world. It sounds like you have tried everything, and believe me we have been working to get Gohan on wet food for almost a year. We found a few he started to like (Lotus Pate and Life’s Abundance) but he would only eat 1/4 of a 3oz can. He starts licking his lips like he’s got Pate stuck in his teeth, might be the texture for him.

He has been eating Natural Balance plateful pouches, the only food he has ever finished. I’m sure he’ll stop at some point soon and we will be back on dry food alone. Cats, amiright!?

If there are any wet treats or meat scraps she might like, give that a try. I know we want to feed our cat as healthy as we can, but it’s also not healthy for you or her to be so stressed daily over mealtime. Take her grumpiness as a sign to relax and don’t be so worried. There is more to loving and caring for a kitty than the mythical “perfect food”. Even Jackson Galaxy couldn’t switch his cat over to wet food from dry, sometimes it’s up to the cat.

Also, Skye is so beautiful! I usually calculate 20-25 kcal per pound depending on activity, so I would calculate how much she is eating in both dry and wet and have the total be what she weighs multiplied by 20 or 25.
You're very kind! Thank you
We love our Skye , she's a perfect addition to our family
 

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I'm leterly crying now.... I finally got her to eat half a can of Almo nature, she drank the juice first...
She has a water fountain wich she uses fairly during the day.
Sorry, her name is Skye
She's 9 months old now.
It's my first time having a kitty, even though she's been with us for a while, every change in her is something new for me to learn.
How many calories would she need a day?
How would I calculate the daily calories for wet food diet only and wet and dry diet?
Thank you for your help and kind words

Gosh, she's a beautiful cat! If feeding wet is this much of a problem, feed her the wet she will eat and dry. Many cats have lived long and healthy lives on dry food. Revisit the wet food issue every couple months and you might find she changes her mind. You could buy about 50 lbs of dry food and then watch how fast she changes to wet. It usually works when you buy a carton of their favorite wet that they never want it again. Cat food bought in large quantities tastes different to cats. Or something.
 
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GGG

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Gosh, she's a beautiful cat! If feeding wet is this much of a problem, feed her the wet she will eat and dry. Many cats have lived long and healthy lives on dry food. Revisit the wet food issue every couple months and you might find she changes her mind. You could buy about 50 lbs of dry food and then watch how fast she changes to wet. It usually works when you buy a carton of their favorite wet that they never want it again. Cat food bought in large quantities tastes different to cats. Or something.
Thank you
 

lisahe

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I forgot that Skye is still a kitten! KarenKat KarenKat is right: feeding her dry food now is not the end of the word. What's most important -- since she's still growing -- is that she eat plenty of calories. The more protein you can get into her the better, so if she'll eat a dry food like Dr. Elsey's, that's good. ( Furballsmom Furballsmom is it you who feeds Dr. E's? Or maybe it's duckpond duckpond ? Or both of you?!)

Since Skye seems to like the soupy foods, keep buying her those and feed them to her, too, if she'll keep eating them. There are lots of pouch foods available -- maybe she'll even like one that's low in carbs?! The more you can steer her toward low carbs and high protein, the better but, really, keeping her eating is most important! There's no need to push things.

And KarenKat is right about stress: cats pick up on it easily. Ireland and I have constant battles about her food, too, and I'm sure she knows exactly when she's irritating me most!

And, if all else fails, I love A ailish 's advice. Skye will totally switch to wet food immediately if you buy a truckload of her favorite kibble! :p
 
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GGG

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Thank you all
I forgot that Skye is still a kitten! KarenKat KarenKat is right: feeding her dry food now is not the end of the word. What's most important -- since she's still growing -- is that she eat plenty of calories. The more protein you can get into her the better, so if she'll eat a dry food like Dr. Elsey's, that's good. ( Furballsmom Furballsmom is it you who feeds Dr. E's? Or maybe it's duckpond duckpond ? Or both of you?!)

Since Skye seems to like the soupy foods, keep buying her those and feed them to her, too, if she'll keep eating them. There are lots of pouch foods available -- maybe she'll even like one that's low in carbs?! The more you can steer her toward low carbs and high protein, the better but, really, keeping her eating is most important! There's no need to push things.

And KarenKat is right about stress: cats pick up on it easily. Ireland and I have constant battles about her food, too, and I'm sure she knows exactly when she's irritating me most!

And, if all else fails, I love A ailish 's advice. Skye will totally switch to wet food immediately if you buy a truckload
I forgot that Skye is still a kitten! KarenKat KarenKat is right: feeding her dry food now is not the end of the word. What's most important -- since she's still growing -- is that she eat plenty of calories. The more protein you can get into her the better, so if she'll eat a dry food like Dr. Elsey's, that's good. ( Furballsmom Furballsmom is it you who feeds Dr. E's? Or maybe it's duckpond duckpond ? Or both of you?!)

Since Skye seems to like the soupy foods, keep buying her those and feed them to her, too, if she'll keep eating them. There are lots of pouch foods available -- maybe she'll even like one that's low in carbs?! The more you can steer her toward low carbs and high protein, the better but, really, keeping her eating is most important! There's no need to push things.

And KarenKat is right about stress: cats pick up on it easily. Ireland and I have constant battles about her food, too, and I'm sure she knows exactly when she's irritating me most!

And, if all else fails, I love A ailish 's advice. Skye will totally switch to wet food immediately if you buy a truckload of her favorite kibble! :p
Thank you all for your advice and support.
Well, I gave in and gave her some kibble (instinct by nature variety, someone suggested that one to me a little while ago and it seems pretty good 81% of animal protein, no grain) I got Skye to eat a 3 oz can of wet food and gave her some kibble, now she's back meawing at me to set beside her while she eats and she's playing a lot .
Unfortunately Dr. Elsey is not available in Canada( at least where we live) I will keep TRYING my hardest to keep most of her diet wet food even if it means to give her some kibble to keep her happy. I don't think she was too happy that she Wasn't getting her kibbles. I rather her eating both foods, being healthy and happy too.
Thank you all again for easing things on me and helping my day go smoother. I really appreciate it!
:vibes::rock:
 

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Do you have access to Merrick? They have quite a variety of kibble including with raw included in the mix, and limited ingredients and/ or grain free, I don't recall just now...
 
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GGG

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Do you have access to Merrick? They have quite a variety of kibble including with raw included in the mix, and limited ingredients and/ or grain free, I don't recall just now...
I would think so because I've seen Merrick wet food ( which Skye didn't like) I'll check the 2 local pet stores we have.
Thanks
 

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She is a beautiful cat!

I feed my guys two wet meals a day, and dry is out most of the time. 3 of mine are good with mostly wet, and supplement with dry.

My little white girl is a different story. For 2 or 3 years she would not touch wet, no matter how hard i tried. And i tried hard. Our vet finally said, you are going to make her sick, the stress over the food on her is not good. And not eating enough is not good. Feed her the best dry you can, that she enjoys. Be it Purina, Merrick, Instinct, which is a good dry, or any other brand. You want to reduce the food related stress, and make sure she is getting enough nutrition. So thats what i did. I tried several different brands of dry, we ended up with Dr. Elseys chicken as the fav. However they do like Merrick, some of the Purina pro plan dry foods, and a few others. Buy small bags of dry that you like the ingredients of, and let her decide which one she likes.

I kept offering my girl wet, once or twice a day, and then low and behold, one day she ate it. :) She will only eat Almo nature salmon and apple for wet, but she does like it, and most days she will eat a whole can for breakfast, then munch her dry the rest of the day. For dry she will only eat dr. elseys chicken. I do worry that if i cant get these two foods it will be very hard on her. So i keep stocked up, and pray they dont discontinue or change them!

What my vet, and i agree on is that wet is very good for a cat, but not all cats will eat wet, no matter how much we want them to. :dunno: If they fixate on dry, feed them dry, and keep offering the wet. Stress over food, or anything really, or just not eating well, can be more harmful than eating dry.
 
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