Finding canned foods my cat will eat? (He now hates his former favorite)

[treeclimber]

Recently my cat (who has gut dysbiosis/SIBO) has had exactly one canned food that he was willing to eat (Tiki Cat tuna & mackerel shreds in consumme), but this week he suddenly decided he hates it and doesn’t want to eat it anymore.

He acts like he's hungry, pesters me to feed him, and chews on things to get my attention. When I feed him he sniffs the food, makes a paw motion like he’s burying it with imaginary dirt, and walks away. He will then continue to beg for food (even when I already have 2-3 different food options put out for him in different bowls).

He is hungry - as a last resort I can give him a dry food he likes and he will wolf it down like he’s starving - but I want him to be on a wet food diet because it’s healthier and because dry food gives him diarrhea. He’a been on a mostly wet food diet for most of his life, so wet food isn’t new/weird to him.

Before he started rejecting the Tiki Cat tuna & mackerel I was still offering him other foods to try to find multiple things he would eat (no success). When he started rejecting the tuna & mackerel I increased the rate of offering other foods (mostly seafood) - he rejected most of them, including canned tuna meant for humans (which used to be his favorite thing ever). I think he may have decided to hate seafood in general for now.

Finally I tried his other favorite meat (turkey), and this afternoon he was willing to eat some Wellness “Turkey chunks in ample gravy”, but I don’t know yet if he’ll eat it regularly. Even if he does I will dread the day when he decides to start rejecting that too (especially if he hasn’t decided to un-hate tuna by then).

I need to find more canned food options that he will eat.

Hill’s A/D seems to have a reputation for being super-palatable and tempting to cats, but it’s a prescription-only food. Are there any non-prescription canned foods with a similar reputation for being irresistible to cats?

Or if not, then are there any canned foods that are likely to appeal to my cat in particular?

His food preferences seem to be:

• Prefers chunks or shreds over pates, as long as the chunks/shreds aren’t too big (if they’re too big he won’t eat). Less enthusiastic about pate but occasionally shows interest.
• Likes it when there is a lot of watery meat juice or gravy that’s thin enough he can lap it up (but doesn’t like it if I mix water into a pate to make it gravy-like)
• Used to love anything turkey or tuna, used to be OK with chicken and some seafood, and has hated salmon for years.
• Was not fed beef in the past because it grosses me out. I tried giving it to him recently but he wasn’t interested.
• Showed more interest in a pork and lamb pate then he did in lamb without pork, but has never tried an all-pork food (they seem to be rare)

We are also working with our vet on the medical side of this (tried Zofran and Cerenia, didn’t see a huge difference, also still working on the underlying medical problem), but in the meantime he still needs to eat. Does anyone have any suggestions for foods he might eat?

 

[Timewarpcat]

I have never found a solution other than to feed them what they will eat.

 

[treeclimber]

I have never found a solution other than to feed them what they will eat.

That's what I'm trying to figure out - what he will eat.

I keep taking shots in the dark and guessing wrong. Hoping others who have tried a lot of cat foods will have some suggestions.

Half the time as soon as I open the can and look at the texture of the food I know he's not going to eat it (eg. Weruva’s "shreds" are too long, the "chunks" in the Fussie Cat tuna were so big he rejected it even when he loved tuna, the gravy in some foods is too glue-like to make a puddle for him to lap up). A lot of brands don't have much information online about what their food actually looks like, you can only find pictures showing the outside of the can.

 

[mysterylover]

Have you tried Lotus Just Juicy? It is shredded with juice - not gooey. I can usually cut the shreds up to smaller pieces. I do find the smaller cans are more consistent. They have chicken, turkey, venison, pork, and a fish one. I will say that they are inconsistent with the amount of "juice" in the cans. Some have quite a bit with smaller shreds, while some have more meat with less liquid. I don't know where you live, but I will say that their foods are usually only carried at more private pet food stores. Chewy carries them, as well as K9 Cuisine. My cats like them all, but they have recently started having issues with foods with sunflower seed oil giving loose stools, so they eat the Just Juicy chicken more.

It's tough when they refuse a food they have always loved. I just went through this with one of my cats - only she was refusing the shredded Just Juicy. She literally went and hid during feeding. I kept trying stuff and eventually figured out that the shreds were being rejected. I found one food she would eat, but it gave her severe constipation. After a vet visit, it turns out she has tooth resorption, so her refusing chewy foods is likely due to discomfort when chewing. She is scheduled for surgery/extractions at the end of the month, but with fewer teeth in her future, pate will likely be her new norm. Right now, she is eating mostly Lotus Turkey pate with water added and mashed up, which she is fine with.

Merrick Backcountry pouches have smaller bits with gravy, but the gravy is thicker, so that might not appeal to your cat. It has guar gum, which I think makes the gravy stickier - not sure if there are ingredients that might not be good for your kitty with the SIBO either.

Good luck! My kitchen looks like a canned cat food store from buying cans to "try." I do think cats get bored from eating the same thing all the time, so I am constantly trying to find something that they will like but will not upset their digestion - and this new situation with my female cat and her teeth makes it more of a challenge. Hopefully, others will have suggestions!

 

[treeclimber]

Have you tried Lotus Just Juicy?

Not yet - thank you!! That one sounds great!

It's tough when they refuse a food they have always loved. I just went through this with one of my cats - only she was refusing the shredded Just Juicy. She literally went and hid during feeding. I kept trying stuff and eventually figured out that the shreds were being rejected. I found one food she would eat, but it gave her severe constipation. After a vet visit, it turns out she has tooth resorption, so her refusing chewy foods is likely due to discomfort when chewing. She is scheduled for surgery/extractions at the end of the month, but with fewer teeth in her future, pate will likely be her new norm. Right now, she is eating mostly Lotus Turkey pate with water added and mashed up, which she is fine with.

I’m glad you were able to figure out what was bothering her. Wishing her much comfort and food enjoyment after the surgery!!

Merrick Backcountry pouches have smaller bits with gravy, but the gravy is thicker, so that might not appeal to your cat. It has guar gum, which I think makes the gravy stickier - not sure if there are ingredients that might not be good for your kitty with the SIBO either.

Thanks, I’ll look into it!

I’m not being very selective about ingredients right now - not eating is worse for him than any ingredient, so anything that gets him to eat is on the menu. (Even, as a last resort, the dry food that gives him diarrhea.)

Will any of the gravy run off the food and make a puddle next to the food, or is it so sticky that it all stays on the food?

 

[Furballsmom]

Will any of the gravy run off the food and make a puddle next to the food,

I think some of the Fancy Feast varieties have thinner gravy. You could try a cat safe broth (The Honest Kitchen has some) and add that if adding just water doesn't work.

 

[Timewarpcat]

I have been adding nutritional yeast as a sprinkle, and that seems to help a lot. For now.

 

[mrsgreenjeens]

Have you tried rabbit? Neither of my cats like it, but most cats seem to.

I have an extremely picky cat, and currently he is eating Sheba Cuts Trout flavor. It's mainly chicken but he won't eat their Chicken Cuts yet will eat this. Go figure. I don't actually mix it with water, but I do put some water in the bowl, then just dump the Sheba into the water to it is sort of surrounded by the water. This way my little guy gets plenty of liquid with his meal since I don't think he drinks enough.

Have you tried some of the Soulistic cans of pouches. They are sold at Petco (it's their own brand) and are manufacture by the same company that does Weruva. I don't think they have any pork, but they do have a few lamb varieties. and turkey.

 

[arr]

My cats have never turned down a can of Friskies. They love all the pate flavors. Poultry Platter pate has chicken as the first ingredient instead of by products. I’m not opposed to by products but meat is a nice touch. If you have an Aldi nearby, my cats really like their canned foods too. You can choose from turkey, chicken, beef, and a couple seafood flavors, some in 5.5 ounce cans and some in 3 ounce cans.

 

[lisahe]

I have an extremely picky cat, and currently he is eating Sheba Cuts Trout flavor. It's mainly chicken but he won't eat their Chicken Cuts yet will eat this. Go figure. I don't actually mix it with water, but I do put some water in the bowl, then just dump the Sheba into the water to it is sort of surrounded by the water. This way my little guy gets plenty of liquid with his meal since I don't think he drinks enough.

Our cats love Sheba, though I only feed them pates. They love other Perfect Portion-packaged pates, too, from Nutro and Iams. The ingredients are pretty similar for all three brands and they smell similarly, well, unappetizing to me but (apparently) delicious to the cats. I don't like that they have tapioca but they're still apparently pretty low-carb. We also add extra water.

They've also been happy about Mouser and Rawz lately. Oh and they'd eat Chewy's Tiny Tiger turkey and giblets every day of the week, they love that stuff.

These are all pates. Then again, our cats used to much, much prefer shreds and chunks... and now they've both gone over to the dark side of pates.

FWIW, T treeclimber , I used Hill's a/d to give the cats their Panacur crystals a few months ago. They both lapped up the medicine quickly every time. I think part of the trick to a/d, beyond smelliness, is that it's so soft, light, and, well, lappable. I think that watering down all the their regular wet foods is part of why they like pates so much these days. The Perfect Portions foods I mentioned are particularly light to begin with so adding a little extra water makes them all the delectable, at least for these two. They're due for more Panacur, though, and I'm going to spring for another can of a/d!

 

[Morpheus1967]

I think some of the Fancy Feast varieties have thinner gravy. You could try a cat safe broth (The Honest Kitchen has some) and add that if adding just water doesn't work.

This. I mix in the occasional Fancy Feast Gravy Lovers. Thinner gravy, smaller chunks. Beef, chicken, turkey all available.