Refusing to finish wet food

TardisDance

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After finding some wet foods my cat Sango is willing to eat, I have tried to dial back the dry food on my timed feeding to 2 portions adding to a 1/4 cup total at 4:30 am and 10 pm. I am giving her a 1/2 of a 2.8 oz can of Weruva stew in the morning and another half at about 5 pm.

When I was giving her 3 portions of dry (3/8 cup) she was eating about 95% of it. I had only been giving one wet food feed of a 1/2 can at this point for dinner. She would go back about 3 times and slowly eat through it. I have been trying to pile it back up because she just won't eat flattened food. I had started giving 2 wet meals late last week and she was eating most of the wet.

Now that I reduced the dry, I can see she's purposely rationing her dry food and only eating a tiny bit of the wet. She might have a bit or two but is now wasting more wet food. She won't even finish her breakfast and I've been adding a bit of dry to the top to encourage her. I put her dinner down next to her breakfast and again, she just eats a tiny bit and waits out until her 10 pm dry feed. She might eat some at late night night/early am.

I've only reduced the dry food for 2 days now. I'm not sure if this is normal. I'm worried I'm going too fast and have put 3 dry feeds back on the automatic feeder.

Edit: As soon as I gave a manual feed of dry food, she immediately went to eat her wet food. Cat psychology is screwing with me.
 
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FeebysOwner

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Hi. Not sure I totally follow. Did the wet food routine/amount change when you reduced the dry? Was she eating all the wet food before you reduced the dry? Was the entire schedule changed? I guess understanding exactly what her schedule and what she was eating before the change might help to identify any issues associated with the change.

I do know that Feeby - be it dry or canned food - will not eat the tiny bit left in her dish, regardless. She is the opposite, in that she weaned herself off of dry when I started giving her canned. And, with the canned I have to pile it back up because she flattens it out. If I don't she won't eat it. So, I re-scoop it up multiple times, and still she refuses to eat that little bit that is ultimately left - although, as you mentioned there are occasions she might eat it late at night. While she is totally off of dry now, there is dry left out for her, and on the rare occasions when she eats some, it is only a few morsels because all I leave out is 1/8 of a cup, so that means she can't eat much and be able to leave some behind.
 
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TardisDance

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Well I must have been the dumb ape, because last week when I started giving her wet food 2x, she still had 3/8 cup dry total. When I reduced it to 1/4 cup, that's when she starting not eating her wet. She must have thought I was starving her and needs to know there's dry food available before she touches her wet food. She immediately ate her wet when I put more dry food down.
 
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TardisDance

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I was warned from the shelter that she’s a bit of a hoarder on her food. She came from a hoarding situation, so I think it’s a food insecurity thing. I adopted her about a year ago. I thought after a year she was past this, but maybe not. She has occasional constipation so I’m worried and hope she at least like some wet food.
 

maggie101

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I was warned from the shelter that she’s a bit of a hoarder on her food. She came from a hoarding situation, so I think it’s a food insecurity thing. I adopted her about a year ago. I thought after a year she was past this, but maybe not. She has occasional constipation so I’m worried and hope she at least like some wet food.
Constipation may be from the dry food. My cat Maggie is very difficult to feed in the morning. She eats only canned and goes back 3x til she is satisfied so her plate is not always finished.feeding her at 6am then 8:30 has helped. A lot of work but worth it. Takes half hour to feed her in the morning!
 
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TardisDance

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I agree, it's the dry food, but I haven't gotten
her to really like any wet foods. I've been trying on and off with wet food for about a year now. I think she likes some of the Weruva stews. She didn't care for BFF. She hates pates but then leaves the meaty bits in gravies LOL. The stews are the best I've gotten her with eating meat. If all else fails, she will eat Friskies Lil Soups, so it's not a lost cause yet.
 

maggie101

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I agree, it's the dry food, but I haven't gotten
her to really like any wet foods. I've been trying on and off with wet food for about a year now. I think she likes some of the Weruva stews. She didn't care for BFF. She hates pates but then leaves the meaty bits in gravies LOL. The stews are the best I've gotten her with eating meat. If all else fails, she will eat Friskies Lil Soups, so it's not a lost cause yet.
Maggie's food is high protein,fat,low carb by simply nourish chicken morsals for kittens. No more pate. Only canned with meat
 
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TardisDance

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She doesn’t seem to be a fan of chicken by itself for whatever reason, but I have heard of trying kitten food on adults since it's more palatable. I may try some Fancy Fesst kitten food on her even though it's a pate. When I last tried wet food, I did get her to eat 2/3 of a can of Wellness Complete Chicken & Salmon (a pate) before she decided she hated it. I think she likes Stewlander (Duck & Salmon) and Stew's Clues (Turkey, Chicken, Salmon) so far. I hope she doesn't tire of it.
 

maggie101

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Only pate she will eat is fancy feast turkey &giblets or hound and gatos lamb. Maybe because it's more dense?
 
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