My feral, who has been coming to the house every day for 12 years, has all of a sudden stopped eating wet food. He eats the dry but picks through the wet. I've tried all brands but he's not interested. He was eating Fussy Cat for a long time then stopped. I tried others but nope. I put canned tuna on top and he picked that off and left the canned. I can't afford to keep buying different brands and have him ignore them. He love the Delectables that come in a pouch but they are meant as a treat that he gets in the evening. Any suggestions?
-
Too many ads? Join our community of cat lovers now to reduce ads by 90%! Click here to join for free!
Cat has stopped eating wet food
- Thread starter zcb
- Start Date
My guess is that he is getting fed somewhere else. I would stop trying to feed wet and leave out the dry he likes.
- Thread Starter Thread Starter
- #3
It's possible that he has an issue with his mouth. I know it sounds counter productive, but others here have said that when their cats have gone off wet food, they found they had dental problems. You'd think they would then prefer the wet food, but not always. With dry food, they don't usually chew it anyway, and it may be easier for them to pick up with their tongues and swallow rather than try to lick, lick, lick.
If it's not possible to get him to the Vet for a check-up, then I'd suggest just feed him the dry food. But I'd really dry to get him seen.
If it's not possible to get him to the Vet for a check-up, then I'd suggest just feed him the dry food. But I'd really dry to get him seen.
I'd say let him eat the dry if that is what he is currently willing to eat. See if you can watch him and see if he is eating the dry food whole, rather than chewing it. The canned tuna could be enticing enough that he is willing to eat it as opposed to the canned food.
What textures of canned food have you fed him - pates? If not, try those. There are also cat foods that are mousse textured, nutritionally complete, that you could offer him instead of chunky style canned foods. Either the pates, or the mousse, might be enough of a change and easier to eat.
What textures of canned food have you fed him - pates? If not, try those. There are also cat foods that are mousse textured, nutritionally complete, that you could offer him instead of chunky style canned foods. Either the pates, or the mousse, might be enough of a change and easier to eat.
- Thread Starter Thread Starter
- #6
I'm now giving him pate and he just eats some of it. I mixed the pate with water to make a slurry and he only ate part of that. He will eat the shredded chicken that's in a "stew" treat but won't eat chicken otherwise. I have seen him chewing so I don't think it's his teeth. He has the whitest teeth I've ever seen on a cat. I don't want him to get used to canned tuna because then he for sure refuse other canned foods that are good for him. Thanks for the replies. Maybe he's just being picky like so many cats are.
At 12 yo (or older?), there are any number of health issues that might have arisen - besides teeth - that can affect a cat's appetite. Sometimes, they will eat 'treats' or some human food (like tuna) just because it is more appealing to them, and the flavor will override things like feeling nauseous due to the yummy taste. So, just keep that in mind.
As far as the pates, are you adding water for any particular reason? Did you try them without adding so much water? Too much water can dilute the taste and make them less appealing. Have you tried the tuna pates?
Also, there are some non-complete cat foods that are nothing but tuna, such as Reveal or Applaws. I think they are more expensive, but probably not as bad as human canned tuna. There is a supplement that can be added to these types of food that make them nutritionally complete for a cat. The simplest one I know of to use is EZ Complete. It can be added to most any flavors, except some chicken versions due to the conflict in calcium. The folks at EZ Complete are more than happy to advise you on how to use their supplement with various foods if you want to reach out to them for assistance. Over half of my cat's diet is baby food meat, so I have used EZ Complete - and, their help - to make these food complete for her.
Lastly, I've included a list of tuna canned cat foods that maybe you can try. If you have some local pet stores, you can pick up single cans to try so you are not buying any more until you know he will eat some of them.
Tuna Fillet | Limited Ingredient Canned Cat Food | Reveal (revealpetfood.com)
Applaws Natural Wet Cat Food Tuna Fillet in Broth 2.47oz Can - Applaws US
EZComplete Premix Information (foodfurlife.com)
The 7 Best Tuna Cat Food Formulas - Cats.com
As far as the pates, are you adding water for any particular reason? Did you try them without adding so much water? Too much water can dilute the taste and make them less appealing. Have you tried the tuna pates?
Also, there are some non-complete cat foods that are nothing but tuna, such as Reveal or Applaws. I think they are more expensive, but probably not as bad as human canned tuna. There is a supplement that can be added to these types of food that make them nutritionally complete for a cat. The simplest one I know of to use is EZ Complete. It can be added to most any flavors, except some chicken versions due to the conflict in calcium. The folks at EZ Complete are more than happy to advise you on how to use their supplement with various foods if you want to reach out to them for assistance. Over half of my cat's diet is baby food meat, so I have used EZ Complete - and, their help - to make these food complete for her.
Lastly, I've included a list of tuna canned cat foods that maybe you can try. If you have some local pet stores, you can pick up single cans to try so you are not buying any more until you know he will eat some of them.
Tuna Fillet | Limited Ingredient Canned Cat Food | Reveal (revealpetfood.com)
Applaws Natural Wet Cat Food Tuna Fillet in Broth 2.47oz Can - Applaws US
EZComplete Premix Information (foodfurlife.com)
The 7 Best Tuna Cat Food Formulas - Cats.com
- Thread Starter Thread Starter
- #9
Thanks everyone for your help. He used to eat Reveal and loved it but one day stopped eating it and won't touch it now. After that he loved Wellness Core for about a month then, nope. I tried pate alone and he didn't like it so I added some water to make it more like the treat he loves in the early evening but nope to that too. My other cat love Tikki Cat so I tried that. He ate for about a week then, nope. I have tried "trapping" him on several occasions with no success. He sees the trap and will stop coming to the house until it's removed. Longest time was one week. I caved, not him.
I really imagine that he has a health issue and over time he associates the foods with him not feeling well, and then stops eating them. There isn't much you can do about it under your circumstances. At this juncture, give him whatever he will eat, and just watch over him. If that is dry food, that is better than nothing.
There is a 'probiotic' called Forti Flora, but it is really mostly nothing but a flavor enhancer. You can try that with some of the wet foods that you think he might eat, but I suspect, over time, that will lose its appeal too. If you haven't tried to add the Delectables to other foods, to see if he will eat them when mixed together, that might be something else to try. There are a ton of similar products on the market. Here are some of them -
6 Lickable Cat Treats Your Kitty Will Ask For Again and Again - DodoWell - The Dodo
You might set up an area - no traps - to entice him to stay in a place nearby you. If he gets to feeling particularly unwell, he could resort to staying there and that might help you with options for trapping him.
There is a 'probiotic' called Forti Flora, but it is really mostly nothing but a flavor enhancer. You can try that with some of the wet foods that you think he might eat, but I suspect, over time, that will lose its appeal too. If you haven't tried to add the Delectables to other foods, to see if he will eat them when mixed together, that might be something else to try. There are a ton of similar products on the market. Here are some of them -
6 Lickable Cat Treats Your Kitty Will Ask For Again and Again - DodoWell - The Dodo
You might set up an area - no traps - to entice him to stay in a place nearby you. If he gets to feeling particularly unwell, he could resort to staying there and that might help you with options for trapping him.
