New Food Vs. Old Food - Showdown

[marc999]

I am trying to get 'Willow' to try out some new wet cat food. (Holistic Select Chicken Pate - Holistic Select Grain Free Chicken Pate Cat Food Review).

Although she ate a little out of my fingers (I pretend to eat some too, it works ), she has yet to eat some from her dinner plate.
So I'm going to try leaving out 1/2 a can of her usual fare - Fancy Feast pates(Chicken Pate/Beef flavor feast, Liver&Chicken, Creamy Delights) based on the advice below.

I came across this helpful post which I'm sure many of you have come across in your internet travels.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"Q: If my cat rejects a food, should I keep offering it to her or try something else?


A: It depends on how it was offered. If the old food was taken away and only the new food was offered, then try it again side by side with her old food. I’ve seen cases where a cat rejected a new food when it was offered alone, but when it was offered next to her regular food, then she tried it.

Usually cats will start eating a new food within a day or two if it’s a food they will like. If it’s a food you want to switch them to, once they've started eating the new food, just put more of the new food out and less of the old food. That way they still have the safety of their old food, but you’re using their hunger drive to get them to eat more of the new food.

Reference: How to Deal With a Cat That’s a Picky Eater

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

What do you guys/gals think, or what do you do? I haven't tried the topper trick yet, (sprinkle cheese/tuna juice?) but am open to suggestions.

 

[kashmir64]

When I try a new food, either wet or dry, I mix it. First 10%/90% for a couple of days, then 20/80 for a couple of days and so on until it's just the new food. By the time it's just the new, they are eating it without noticing a difference.

 

[marc999]

Well that's easy enough, ok I'll try that. I don't know why I didn't think of mixing the 2 wets together.

Yesterday, I tried the new wet food along with a couple chunks of the old wet food side by side. She had only eaten the old wet food, by the time I got home.

 

[marc999]

Well - I tried mixing the 2 wet foods together and she accepted it, eating out of my hand.
I spent the better part of the a full day with her yesterday and she ate almost all of her food.
She definitely seems to eat more when I'm around and considerably less when I'm out.

 

[kashmir64]

Well - I tried mixing the 2 wet foods together and she accepted it, eating out of my hand.
I spent the better part of the a full day with her yesterday and she ate almost all of her food.
She definitely seems to eat more when I'm around and considerably less when I'm out.

 

[marc999]

Well I spoke too soon.

Here we are Thursday and in my quest to alter her wet food brand of choice, she's lately now not thrilled about wet food, period.
Unless I hand feed her small chunks of Fancy Feast pate or the newer Holistic Cat Chicken pate, she'd rather just eat her newer dry food.

So, apparently she's enjoying her new GO!: Lamb & Wild Boar dry a little too much, the poor wet food is being left out.

Cats....lol

 

[Kflowers]

once when we had no cat food (it only happened once) and no money for any, and the only people food we had was pancake mix and milk. We made pancakes and offered. No sale. We left them on the kitchen counter. In the morning most of the pancakes were gone. I don't know if they just gave up or what. We borrowed some money and they got lunch.

So you might try leaving the new food in a nice china bowl on the counter, away from the edge. Or in the sink if you're worried she'll knock it over.

 

[marc999]

Yeah, I've tried newer/older dishes, placing them in slightly different places.
She's not a big jumper but perhaps on top of a chair might peak her curiosity.

I even ordered a couple things from Amazon recently, some food puzzle mats. We'll see.

 

[daftcat75]

Hungry cats will eat. Reduce her dry portion if you want her to eat the wet. You don't have to starve her into eating it, and in fact, you shouldn't sharply reduce her food anyway. But a little hunger will go a long way into giving the wet food another go.

Although, sometimes you just have to honor the cat's preference. No trick in the book would ever get Krista to eat lamb and wild boar. She's just not a red meat gal. With Krista, any food she eats a few bites of, even if she only eats a few bites, is one I keep offering. Sometimes she tries it and waits to see how it treats her before she would eat more of it. Smart girl. I think she's been through enough IBD pain to know be more cautious than usual of new foods.

 

[Kflowers]

With all respect daftcat75 in my personal experience not all hungry cats will eat. Or perhaps mine weren't hungry.

SG will not eat wet food, period. Okay, I caved after 24 hours, but then I did have one who hid and basically starved herself to death. I didn't know as much then as now, I didn't realize there was a time limit for not eating. We had little money. She was missing her previous owners possibly, the bastards abandoned her and possibly she was sick too.

 

[daftcat75]

...and possibly she was sick too.

That says a lot right there.

Sick cats are rarely hungry. Don't ever starve a sick cat.

I'm not suggesting the OP starves the cat. But if nothing else is going on but some pickiness, a little hunger can relieve some pickiness. And if it doesn't, restore the dry portion back to normal. Give it a couple of days. The cat won't get fatty liver if it eats reduced calories for a couple of days.

But there is also the very real possiblity that as much as you would like her to eat that food, she may never like it. At some point, you have to honor that and try again with a different food.

 

[kashmir64]

So, apparently she's enjoying her new GO!: Lamb & Wild Boar dry a little too much, the poor wet food is being left out.

Samai is that way. She will only eat a bite or two of canned and then won't touch it. Since she drinks plenty of water, I just make sure the dry is of higher quality and let it go at that.