Cat: I Want Freshly Opened Wet Food Or Nothing!

CatLoverOnWheels

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So, my cat has somehow got me to open packets of wet food almost every time even though she still has perfectly moist and edible wet food in her bowl which she usually keeps for snacks to go back later. So, I give her a bit more, sometimes she finishes the bowl and sometimes she just leaves a bit for later.

Is there anything I can do because I can't keep opening fresh packets and get her to eat more of her dry food. Also, should i resign to the fact that she's got me wrapped around her paw :rolleyes:
 

FeebysOwner

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Hi. You can try to moisten the dry with a little bit with water, and see if she will accept it that way. Giving her less wet food at one time as susanm9006 susanm9006 suggested might help too. If you are worried about her not eating enough, then the dry with some water added along side the wet might help out overall.
 

IronHippo

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Sheba Perfect Portions worked for Radish--he has a light appetite compared to Marple, who will eat his leftovers if we aren't watching, and seems more inclined to snacking than eating meals. He finishes the half pack in one sitting with no leftovers. Maybe she'll finish a half pack of the Sheba?

You could also just ignore her since it sounds like she still eats her leftovers, and eventually she should learn she isn't going to get more fresh food! But I know that's hard to do!
 
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CatLoverOnWheels

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I would give her less at the first meal, pick up her dish and put any leftovers away and give her those when she begs for food again.

Hi. You can try to moisten the dry with a little bit with water, and see if she will accept it that way. Giving her less wet food at one time as susanm9006 susanm9006 suggested might help too. If you are worried about her not eating enough, then the dry with some water added along side the wet might help out overall.

Sheba Perfect Portions worked for Radish--he has a light appetite compared to Marple, who will eat his leftovers if we aren't watching, and seems more inclined to snacking than eating meals. He finishes the half pack in one sitting with no leftovers. Maybe she'll finish a half pack of the Sheba?

You could also just ignore her since it sounds like she still eats her leftovers, and eventually she should learn she isn't going to get more fresh food! But I know that's hard to do!

Thanks for taking the time to respond!

I usually give her to half to 2/3rds of a packet at a time so she gets 200g a day/2 100g packets of felix as good it looks, it's the only thing she'll finish.. She gets it 4x a day at 6 am, 12-2pm,6-7pm and then lastly at 11/12 at night. She usually eats her left overs in the next hour or two. So I could put it away after an hour and wet her dry food? She'll eat it when I'm away but not so much when I'm home since I think she's realised the routine happens when I'm home.

Plus ignoring might be a good idea because she starts getting all affectionate and 'pet me, pet me!' if I don't give it to her fast enough. I don't know if that's a tactic of hers or a want for attention
 

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I understand that many times cats are asking for affection when we think they are asking for food. Perhaps, except for her set times of eating, when she is affection and 'pet me' pet her first and play a little and see if that is what she wants. Though, honestly, mine were always up for a snack.
 

mizzely

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I have a cat that also expects a refresh whenever I get to the kitchen lol. I pick up her bowl and "fluff" it up with some warm water or top it with freeze dried food and then she's fine!
 

Maria Bayote

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My cats probably see me as a walking cat food dispenser, as each time I walk in they automatically run to the kitchen and expect to be served. What I do is equally divide one sachet of Felix Fish Selection or Friskies Canned Food to the both of them, as usually they do not eat their part in one sitting, and both refuse to eat whatever left-over they have until it gets dry.

However, it does not take long before they ask to be fed again, although they have a constant supply of dry kibbles just in case.

So, my suggestion is you just feed your baby half of the packet content, and reseal. In case she asks for "fresh" food, she will see you "opening" that (same) packet and thinks its a new one.
 

Kflowers

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In the great outside, cats make a number of small kills every day. A mouse isn't that filling. They are keyed to ask for food any time the option comes up. I think walking in the kitchen, where they are fed, clicks into 'stalking prey'. So, walking in the kitchen is the same for them as when you open the freeze and consider that carton of ice cream. Maybe you have some this time, maybe you wait for later. Either way is okay.
 
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CatLoverOnWheels

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In the great outside, cats make a number of small kills every day. A mouse isn't that filling. They are keyed to ask for food any time the option comes up. I think walking in the kitchen, where they are fed, clicks into 'stalking prey'. So, walking in the kitchen is the same for them as when you open the freeze and consider that carton of ice cream. Maybe you have some this time, maybe you wait for later. Either way is okay.
That's a nice way of looking at it
 

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I used to think that Krista never wanted leftovers. But it turns out, for Krista, it’s mostly a temperature thing. Since I also feed her raw, I needed a way to thaw the raw without letting it get too old in the fridge. I took a candy thermometer into the kitchen sink water stream and measured out 100F (approximate mouse body temperature) and marked that off on my kitchen sink (two halves of a sticker—line up the halves to get 100F.) You don’t have to go to that length yourself. I can tell you that most people like their bath water 102-105. Run the sink water slightly cooler than you like your bath water. Now take your leftovers and place them in a baggie and seal that up. Run it under the warm water until the food has been brought up to mouse temperature. Then plate and serve. Now even my fussy Krista will eat leftovers as long as I bring them back up to body temperature. You might be tempted to microwave the food. Don’t do this! Not only does it destroy nutrients but it produces hot spots that your cat can burn his tongue on.
 

LadyLondonderry

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I have a cat that also expects a refresh whenever I get to the kitchen lol. I pick up her bowl and "fluff" it up with some warm water or top it with freeze dried food and then she's fine!
I do this with Sylvie too. She usually leaves a small amount of wet food in the dish, pushed toward the back of it. I have to "smush" it together and move it toward the front so that she'll eat it, and I've gotten in the habit of adding a spoonful of warm water to give it a smoother consistency that's closer to when it was fresh out of the can.

I also add a couple of teaspoons of warm water (either from the tap or heated to around 100F in my digital tea kettle) when I serve her the second half of a 5.5-ounce can that's been in the refrigerator. It's just enough to take the chill off it.
 

sdkfjlasdf

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I have no choice but to use 3oz cans with Aquaria :( Some things you can try are microwaving the food after it's been in the fridge, leaving it there for a couple of hours (if it's wet food), and also not buying 6oz cans like I did.
 

Kflowers

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after you take the food out of the fridge spread it on a plate. Then put the plate on top of a bowl with warm to hot water in it for a few minutes. Lock the cat out of the kitchen while you do this, or put the bowl and plate in the oven(do not turn the oven on) or in a cabinet. This is to keep the cat from turning over the bowl of hot water and getting scalded.
 
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