8 Month Old Kibble Addict Transitioning For Kitten To Adult Food

[Moka]

I have a kitten who is 8 months old. Salem had a rough start and was abandoned at 3 weeks by her mother. She was put on milk replacer until 5 weeks. I adopted her at 4 1/2 weeks and with in a few days, started her on a gruel (fancy feast kitten + formula). At 7 weeks she was completely off formula and on canned kitten food. Here is where I made the mistake of giving her Purina kitten chow. Salem went nuts for it and started to refuse the canned fancy feast. I know how bad dry food is compared to wet, but I was just glad that she was eating as she was so skinny when I got her. So, I did not force the issue. I tried to make the best of it and mixed Crave kitten dry food in with the Purina kitten chow. I kept increasing the Crave until it made up maybe 80%. Salem stayed on the kitten food until she was 6 months. The whole time I was trying different wet foods with no success. I am low income and here I was throwing away plate after plate of untouched wet food. Salem will not even eat home cooked chicken or fish. I mean what cat turns down a piece of turkey or salmon? Anyways, I now realize that Salem is a kibble addict. She is the first cat that I have ever had that does not get excited by the sound of a can opening. I have been playing with her dry adult kibble and I wanted to see what people here think of it. Now, I absolutely am going to try my best to get Salem on a wet diet. But, first I wanted her to at least be on a healthier dry diet as a baseline. I am betting that this is going to be a battle to get her to eat her wet. So, any advice for that would be appreciated as well. I know I will have to stop free feeding her. But, for now I just want to get her on a healthier dry that is not just meat flavored cornmeal. Once, she accepts the new grain free stuff, I will the process of weaning her off the dry.
So, here is what I have come up with for Salem's adult diet. This is a compromise between what she is willing to eat, what I can afford and what is not complete junk.

Crave Chicken Adult Grain-Free Dry Cat Food ($12.99 for 4 lbs) = 45%

Crave Chicken & Salmon Indoor Adult Grain-Free Dry Cat Food ($12.99 for 4 lbs) = 45%


Purina Cat Chow Complete Dry Cat Food = 10%

The Crave chicken is basically the same as the crave chicken kitten food with a few nutritional differences. The Crave chicken and salmon indoors is lower fat and calories. Salem is not exactly fat yet. But, she could get there very easily so I figured the indoor formula might help a little. The Purina garbage is because Salem won't eat the crave without it mixed in. She REALLY likes the junk food.
So, what do you guys think about this mix? I know dry is bad so please don't tear into me about that. I am hoping once Salem has completely accepted this mix, I will be able to start looking for a wet food that she likes and that I can afford. But, if it comes down to her refusing ALL wet food, then I will have to be a bit tougher with her. Salem is so stubborn that she would rather go hunger than eat wet food. Any advice is welcome! I just want what is best for my little one. If there is a different dry food out there that you think would be better or have a wet food recommendation, that is also welcome.
Sorry for if this post is too long. I did not know if any of Salem's history was relevant or not. I did include the ingredients and the Guaranteed Analysis of the dry foods below in case that might be of some help.

Crave with Protein from Chicken Adult Grain-Free Dry Cat Food
Ingredients: Chicken, Chicken Meal, Pea Protein, Split Peas, Chicken Fat (preserved with Mixed Tocopherols), Tapioca, Fish Meal, Dried Plain Beet Pulp, Potato Protein, Dehydrated Alfalfa Meal, Natural Flavor, Potassium Chloride, Choline Chloride, DL-Methionine, Salt, Mixed Tocopherols and Citric Acid (preservatives), Taurine, Zinc Sulfate, Vitamin E Supplement, L-Ascorbyl-2-Polyphosphate (source of Vitamin C), Iron Amino Acid Chelate, Yucca Schidigera Extract, Vitamin B12 Supplement, Copper Amino Acid Chelate, Niacin Supplement, Manganese Amino Acid Chelate, Biotin, Riboflavin Supplement (Vitamin B2), D-Calcium Pantothenate, Thiamine Mononitrate (Vitamin B1), Vitamin A Supplement, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride (Vitamin B6), Sodium Selenite, Vitamin D3 Supplement, Potassium Iodide, Folic Acid, Rosemary Extract.
Guaranteed Analysis:
Crude Protein: 40.0% min
Crude Fat: 18.0% min
Crude Fiber: 4.0% max
Moisture: 10.0% max
Taurine: 0.16% min.
Omega - 6 Fatty Acids: 3.0% Min.
Caloric Content: 3788 kcal/kg, 402 kcal/cup

Crave with Protein from Chicken & Salmon Indoor Adult Grain-Free Dry Cat Food
Ingredients: Chicken, Chicken Meal, Pea Protein, Split Peas, Chicken Fat (preserved with Mixed Tocopherols), Tapioca, Dried Plain Beet Pulp, Potato Protein, Salmon Meal, Dehydrated Alfalfa Meal, Natural Flavor, Flaxseed, Potassium Chloride, Choline Chloride, DL-Methionine, Salt, Mixed Tocopherols and Citric Acid (preservatives), Taurine, Zinc Sulfate, Vitamin E Supplement, L-Ascorbyl-2-Polyphosphate (source of Vitamin C), Iron Amino Acid Chelate, Yucca Schidigera Extract, Vitamin B12 Supplement, Copper Amino Acid Chelate, Niacin Supplement, Manganese Amino Acid Chelate, Biotin, Riboflavin Supplement (Vitamin B2), D-Calcium Pantothenate, Thiamine Mononitrate (Vitamin B1), Vitamin A Supplement, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride (Vitamin B6), Sodium Selenite, Vitamin D3 Supplement, Potassium Iodide, Folic Acid, Rosemary Extract.
Guaranteed Analysis:
Crude Protein: 40.0% min.
Crude Fat: 16.0% max
Crude Fiber: 6.0% max
Moisture: 10.0% max
Taurine: 0.16 min.
Omega - 6 Fatty Acids: 3.0% min.
Caloric Content: 3677 kcal/kg, 379 kcal/cup

Purina Cat Chow Complete Dry Cat Food
Ingredients: Poultry By-Product Meal, Corn Meal, Corn Gluten Meal, Ground Whole Wheat, Brewers Rice, Soy Flour, Animal Fat Preserved with Mixed-Tocopherols, Fish Meal, Animal Liver Flavor, Meat and Bone Meal, Phosphoric Acid, Salt, Calcium Carbonate, Choline Chloride, Potassium Chloride, Taurine, Zinc Sulfate, Ferrous Sulfate, Manganese Sulfate, Vitamin E Supplement, Red 40, Niacin, Yellow 5, Blue 2, Vitamin A Supplement, Calcium Pantothenate, Copper Sulfate, Thiamine Mononitrate, Riboflavin Supplement, Vitamin B12 Supplement, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride, Folic Acid, Vitamin D3 Supplement, Calcium Iodate, Biotin, Menadione Sodium Bisulfite Complex (Source of Vitamin K Activity), Sodium Selenite. K-4501.
Guaranteed Analysis:
Crude Protein: 32.0% min
Crude Fat: 13.0% min
Crude Fiber: 3.0% max
Moisture: 12.0% max
Linoleic Acid: 1.25 min
Arachidonic Acid: 0.03% min
Calcium (CA): 1.1% min
Phosphorus: 0.9% min
Selenium (SE): 0.30 mg/kg min
Vitamin A: 10,000 IU/kg min
Vitamin E: 70 IU/kg min
Taurine: 0.15% min
Omega - 6 Fatty Acids: 1.25% min
Caloric Content: 3,880 kcal/kg, 413 kcal/cup

 

[RajaNMizu]

This is what worked for Mizu. I adopted Mizu at 4 months and by about 6 months, she was completely ignoring her wet meals in favor of her dry food which was being free fed. I started measuring the amount of dry she was eating and offering it twice a day (rather than filling the bowl anytime it was empty). Once I had an idea of how much she was consuming, I began to reduce it slowly. I also began to offer wet food when she would have the biggest appetite (such as morning when the last dry feeding was the previous night). I tried a wide variety of different wet foods and styles but bonita fish flakes really helped. Putting a topper on her wet food that she loved really increased her interest. Eventually she developed a taste for wet food and didn't need the topper each time. I calculated her calories for her wet food intake and was able to adjust the amount of dry food to make up the difference. Mizu is now 1 year and 3 months. 2/3rds of her calories are wet and a 1/3 of her calories are from dry.

 

[lisahe]

We did something similar to RajaNMizu when we took our cats off dry food -- they did already eat wet food but they definitely preferred dry, waiting it out at first when we started taking it away. I just used the dry food as a topper for the wet food... and I gradually decreased it until we all forgot.

Good luck with Salem, Moka , I hope she'll start eating wet food again! Maybe there's a formerly favorite Fancy Feast flavor that would tempt her? Or Friskies? I also remember that our previous cat loved Trader Joe's canned foods -- they were reasonably priced, too.

 

[daftcat75]

Ask your vet about FortiFlora. It's a probiotic but many cats love the taste. Supposedly it's the same taste that makes kibble so attractive. You could use the FortiFlora as a topper to make the wet more attractive. Freeze-dried treats like turkey liver can be powdered up and also used as a topper bribe.

 

[sabrinah]

I can't afford to feed all raw so I feed half dry, and if my cat is particularly fond of a dry food I give her she'll shun her raw and scarf the dry. She's old, not a kitten, so it's not the end of the world if she skips a meal. My method is on the tougher side, so I don't know that you would want to try it on a kitten unless nothing else works.

When my cat tries to put herself on a dry-only diet the rule becomes no dry until you eat all your raw. She usually goes on a hunger strike for a hot minute but hunger wins out in a day or two and she eats her raw. The second her plate is clean I give her dry. Within a couple feeding she catches on, and then even when I put raw and dry down at the same time she'll eat the raw before she touches the dry. When I gave her American Journey dry for the first time it was like a drug and she wanted nothing else.

 

[Moka]

This is what worked for Mizu. I adopted Mizu at 4 months and by about 6 months, she was completely ignoring her wet meals in favor of her dry food which was being free fed. I started measuring the amount of dry she was eating and offering it twice a day (rather than filling the bowl anytime it was empty). Once I had an idea of how much she was consuming, I began to reduce it slowly. I also began to offer wet food when she would have the biggest appetite (such as morning when the last dry feeding was the previous night). I tried a wide variety of different wet foods and styles but bonita fish flakes really helped. Putting a topper on her wet food that she loved really increased her interest. Eventually she developed a taste for wet food and didn't need the topper each time. I calculated her calories for her wet food intake and was able to adjust the amount of dry food to make up the difference. Mizu is now 1 year and 3 months. 2/3rds of her calories are wet and a 1/3 of her calories are from dry.

Thanks! I like your method as it is more "gentle". It is slow enough that a cat might not even notice the change at first. I bet if I tried a more aggressive, you eat this or nothing approach, Salem would dig in her heels. She probably would out last me and I would give in with the dry.

 

[Moka]

Ask your vet about FortiFlora. It's a probiotic but many cats love the taste. Supposedly it's the same taste that makes kibble so attractive. You could use the FortiFlora as a topper to make the wet more attractive. Freeze-dried treats like turkey liver can be powdered up and also used as a topper bribe.

Thanks for the advice! I was actually looking at freeze dried treats online just last night. I think it was Purebites brand. I have never bought any freeze dried treats before. What do you think about Purebite?

 

[Moka]

I can't afford to feed all raw so I feed half dry, and if my cat is particularly fond of a dry food I give her she'll shun her raw and scarf the dry. She's old, not a kitten, so it's not the end of the world if she skips a meal. My method is on the tougher side, so I don't know that you would want to try it on a kitten unless nothing else works.

When my cat tries to put herself on a dry-only diet the rule becomes no dry until you eat all your raw. She usually goes on a hunger strike for a hot minute but hunger wins out in a day or two and she eats her raw. The second her plate is clean I give her dry. Within a couple feeding she catches on, and then even when I put raw and dry down at the same time she'll eat the raw before she touches the dry. When I gave her American Journey dry for the first time it was like a drug and she wanted nothing else.

What is it about dry kibble that cats find so addictive?! I was thinking about switching out the Crave dry for American Journey dry. It is a little cheaper, but I can't tell if it is any better for Salem. Did you like the brand or do you think that it is too appealing? My idea long term goal would be to get Salem completely off dry. But, between my limited finances and Salem's love for dry, I think a realistic goal would be to get her eating mainly wet with a high quality dry as a filler to round out her meals. I like your feeding philosophy. Kitty gets the dessert only after eating her "vegetables".

 

[RajaNMizu]

What is it about dry kibble that cats find so addictive?

Most kibble is sprayed with a digestive enzyme that makes it extremely attractive to cats to eat.

 

[daftcat75]

Animal digest. It can be the product of enzymatic action. Or heat or chemical reactions. Animal digest isn’t the enzyme but the end product of a process that turns animal tissue into flavoring. This same ingredient is in FortiFlora making it a game changer for bribing kibble addicts to eat wet food.

 

[sabrinah]

Did you like the brand or do you think that it is too appealing?

It's irritatingly appealing but it's manageable. I think it's worth it to feed because my senior kitty likes it and the price is great.

 

[HPeters]

At 8 months your kitty should still be on kitten food until shes a year old as kitten has she is still growing

 

[Moka]

At 8 months your kitty should still be on kitten food until shes a year old as kitten has she is still growing

I considered this for quite a while. I did not want to stunt Salem's growth, especially when she had such a rough start. But, when Salem started to get extra "fluffy" and she was already twice the size of her mom, I figured she would benefit from a less nutritionally dense food. I monitored her during the transition and she never lost any weight, her coat stayed shiny and she still had endless energy. I really think each kitten has their own individual needs and the whole "one year on kitten food" thing might be more of a guideline and not a steadfast rule.

 

[Moka]

It's irritatingly appealing but it's manageable. I think it's worth it to feed because my senior kitty likes it and the price is great.

Well, I just ordered a bag of dry american journey. Thank you for your opinion of the brand. I was looking at this brand before you mention it, but was not sure about the quality or about buying a food only available online. I think going just by the ingredients, it is a little better than Crave and it is defiantly cheaper. So, we will give it a try. If Salem takes to it, that is one small step towards a better diet. Now, all we have left is to climb the mountain that is wet food.

 

[oonawingedwolf]

My cat did wonderful on American Journey, he is now on an all canned diet. I hope your Salem likes it!