Rotation of wet food

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newkittyowner

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Do you feed the dry food on schedule? If you don't, I recommend that you do, so you can watch out for how much they are eating.

My babies are 18 months old, and I used to free feed grain-free dry as well as wet kitten food twice daily. When they turned a year old, I transitioned to two meals of wet only. They were pickier when it came to wet food, as kittens, but they now eat pretty much most of the wet food I give them. They are always hungry and gobble up everything I give them and want more lol!

The boy is a bit picky when it comes to treats, but that's not that difficult to deal with. When I switched them over to adult cat food, I tried out quite a few brands and flavors to see what they preferred.

I think it's important for your kitty to first get used to eating mostly wet food while making sure they are eating enough of the dry, so that they would not be starving themselves if they don't like the wet you give them. Have you tried out different kinda of dry food? I've only fed my Taste of the Wild, and luckily, they loved it from the start. Some pet stores give out samples.

I know some cats are just picky and stubborn about what they eat. I think it's trial and error like you said. It will probably take you a while to figure out the best combination.

One trick I have used before when mine were being picky was to sprinkle some fish flakes as topping to make the food smellier and more appetizing. Some people have done that with fortiflora and Parmesan cheese. Maybe you can experiment with some topping options :) the bonito flakes work on my cats like a charm every time.
Thanks for responding. They have been on a schedule yes. I would feed about 8am wet food 1/4 wet food split into two for each of them then I would give half a cup of dry. They were on vet food. The dry was out all day but they didn't get anymore until the evening. So the half was for the day. Then I would do the same in the evening. If they still had dry in the evening then I would wait until it was empty to give the next serving.
I have read a lot about toppings on food but then wouldn't they expect those all the time or do you gradually stop putting them on and then they would still eat the wet once there is no topping?
Off to get more sleep before I feed the cats and my four year old wakes will write more later! Thanks
 
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newkittyowner

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So I just fed them and one took a bite and then walked away and the picky one ate a bit. So I though for the one not as picky I would try a different flavor it's beef and chicken. She ate a bit of that but not as much as she did of her old. Now there are two plates with different flavors. If they don't go back to it in a while I take it up as they don't touch it once it starts to dry out and I know to not leave it out too long.
The picky one however did eat dry food when I put it out which was good to see she was eating. Would rather wet stuff but at least she ate a tiny wet and some dry. Oh My! May be I have to try fancy feast again, low grade but I think they both ate it. But knowing them they wi decide to not eat it. If they turn their nose up at wellness again I might I can take it back to pet smart.
Another option is to just try them with the adult brand of the vet kind but I know the ingredient e are horrible for them but they have to eat and may be being on vet stuff for their first year if life is all now they will eat! So frustrating !
So the none picky one( becoming picky since switching) went back and nibbled on wet but only problem there is two wet out different flavor and she sniffed one and sniffed ate ate the other and I can't remember which it witch so I know what to try later! Silly me! She then ate some hard. May be I am just confusing them trying all these different brands? I may be should have stuck to what they knew. This morning the dry food was just about empty so someone ate!
I just tried the less picky one with a vet canned wet food it's kitten as we had some left and I had stopped feeding as they are one and she gobbled it up! It's crap ingredients but I may see if I can get adult in that just so at least one cat gets one sort of wet. Bad but its better than all those kibbles!
 
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nycats

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That's good that at least the non picky one eats some wet. I hear fancy feast is not bad if you stick to the classic pâté kinds. If the picky one likes that, too, you might want to use that to at least get him to start eating more wet.

For my cats, I found it that they became less picky after they were a bit older and also after I switched to all wet. Now they pretty much gobble up anything. Before, they used to not eat some brands/flavor at all.

Toppings actually helps to get them to eat the food. You don't have to use a lot (just a sprinkle), so they last a while. In my case, I used it when they didn't want certain brand (when they were pickier). My boy cat is very cautious and smells the food before trying it out. If he doesn't like the smell, he doesn't even try it. So the topping helped to get him to taste the food. Once he realized it didn't taste bad, he ate it.
 
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I went our before their evening meal and picked up some fancy feast chicken pâté and some in a sliced (only a couple sliced) as they have never had anything but pâté. I put down the chicken pâté and they gobbled it but not all of it so I will start with a little as I know what amount they will eat. Later the rest was gone but I imagine the not do picky one ate the test. They had had it before but I was switching stuff so they didn't have it again.
I will keep to this one for a bit and see. Not sure if I should try the sliced yet. Or other flavors as they seem to like chicken.
Also my hubby was shocked I paid over 2 bucks for a can of cat food, wellness brand. He does not want me to continue buying any canned cat food at that price. Explaining that it will pay off in the long run for their health has not changed his mind so far.

Where can I buy toppings?
 
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nycats

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It's great that they like fancy feast. Maybe you can keep them on the pâtés to get them used to eating more wet food. It might get easier for them to try different brands.

Toppings are available online or at pet stores. You can probably call them and find out if they carry them. My cats really like the bonito flakes.
 
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newkittyowner

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It's great that they like fancy feast. Maybe you can keep them on the pâtés to get them used to eating more wet food. It might get easier for them to try different brands.

Toppings are available online or at pet stores. You can probably call them and find out if they carry them. My cats really like the bonito flakes.
Thank you, I just hope they like it for awhile as I have tried other brands and they seem to like ti but the next time I feed it to them they sniff and walk away like it's poison and they ahve never had it before! They sure like to keep me on my toes. I just want to fin something I can stick with for awhile. They had the vet stuff for most of a year of their life and one of them would have kept eating it but it was worse than than the fancy feast ingredients! The other decided about a month ago that he didn't even like the vet stuff anymore so has been eating mostly just dry which I know isn't good! . 

If I get the toppers l am guessing then it's something okay to put on their food all the time. I imagine they will get use to it and only like food with toppers on, do you mix them in as well or sprinkle on top or both?  I am going to keep with the pate fancy feast for a bit and see how they do first. I have had a few cats as a child and never have I had a picky cat. They just ate Whiskas and lived to be quite old for a cat! So this is all new to me. Also makes it harder as we have two and I have never had two before.
 
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newkittyowner

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So fancy feast continues to be okay for them. They each get half a can morning and half at night. I would give more but the picky one will not even eat a half can morning or nigh but will eat some both times. The less picky one eats some then goes back later and eats more. The picky one goes back to it but sniffs then goes to hard food . Less picky still likes hard too. I would be willing to put less hard down but I fear the picky one would just hold out until I put it there as she doesn't seem to go back to the wet. I don't want to starve them to get them to eat more hard food. How does one do it all with wet if they won't go back to wet or is it only those that have cats that eat it all that don't give hard food?
Thanks!
At least the hard food is better quality. I know hard not good but its not vet brand anymore but higher quality and meat number one on ingredient list.
 
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nycats

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It's great that they continue to eat the fancy feast. At least you know that's one that you can work with. You can try the topping and see if it entices the picky one to eat more. For me, I usually just use it for times when they suddenly don't want to eat their food. Works like a charm! You could also crush the hard food and sprinkle on top of the wet food to use as topping, if they really love the hard food. If you are feeding wet and hard at the same time, try only feeding wet food for morning. Picky one might hold out for hard food, and we don't want to starve him to the point of getting sick, so you can probably feed him dry at night. There is really good information about this on Catinfo.org. Look under "Tips for Transitioning - Getting dry food addicts to eat canned food".

I was fortunate enough that my cats never really got addicted to dry food. It must be so difficult to deal with! I have to say though, that mine grew less picky after I got them on all wet, scheduled diet. They are hungry at meal times and gobble up everything. Good luck!
 
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It's great that they continue to eat the fancy feast. At least you know that's one that you can work with. You can try the topping and see if it entices the picky one to eat more. For me, I usually just use it for times when they suddenly don't want to eat their food. Works like a charm! You could also crush the hard food and sprinkle on top of the wet food to use as topping, if they really love the hard food. If you are feeding wet and hard at the same time, try only feeding wet food for morning. Picky one might hold out for hard food, and we don't want to starve him to the point of getting sick, so you can probably feed him dry at night. There is really good information about this on Catinfo.org. Look under "Tips for Transitioning - Getting dry food addicts to eat canned food".

I was fortunate enough that my cats never really got addicted to dry food. It must be so difficult to deal with! I have to say though, that mine grew less picky after I got them on all wet, scheduled diet. They are hungry at meal times and gobble up everything. Good luck!
Thank you this is helpful

Only thing I worry about is they like to sometimes in the afternoon go to the hard food for a nibble. They never gorge themselves on the hard food. But if my picky one only eats a bit of wet then wants hard food then I worry if I don't feed hard until the night time she will wait until then to eat and that isn't good. Yes she eats a bit of wet food in the morning and night but she will sniff the wet later but not eat it. Just a little wet all day isn't much all day. I worry that once I do put down the hard she will be starving and eat most of it. RIght now they get wet and then once they walk away from the wet I put down the hard ( unless I have to go out then both are out at the same time). Then about 5 or 6 pm they get wet again. I usually wait until I go to bed to put out more dry. They don't starve but more wet is want I want them to eat. But I can't make them or starve them. 
 
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They haven't eaten much wet this evening for supper so a few hours later they kept looking in their dry bowel which was empty and I caved and gave them 1/4 cup between them and they nibbles a little but not much. Is this a bad thing to cave in? I just worry that if they are not eating much wet stuff in a meal they will be hungry. I tried crumbling the hard stuff in their wet and they sniffed and walked away. Oh now one has gone back to eat more hard stuff. I fear they will not eat much wet but at least they eat some. I guess I shouldn't put much out as I just keep wasting more and more.

This is tough and taking a lot of energy!
 

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They haven't eaten much wet this evening for supper so a few hours later they kept looking in their dry bowel which was empty and I caved and gave them 1/4 cup between them and they nibbles a little but not much. Is this a bad thing to cave in? I just worry that if they are not eating much wet stuff in a meal they will be hungry. I tried crumbling the hard stuff in their wet and they sniffed and walked away. Oh now one has gone back to eat more hard stuff. I fear they will not eat much wet but at least they eat some. I guess I shouldn't put much out as I just keep wasting more and more.

This is tough and taking a lot of energy!
One step forward, two steps back .. Sometimes this is the way of it.


You did the right thing, as your kitties do need to eat. The important thing is that you have got them eating some wet food and that is good progress!

A little trick that seems to work for my female when she walks away from her wet food at times, is to give it a stir or mound it up with a spoon. For some reason this brings her back to it, and she continues eating. Don't be afraid to try these sorts of things, as you may hit on something that works for you.
 

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A little trick that seems to work for my female when she walks away from her wet food at times, is to give it a stir or mound it up with a spoon. For some reason this brings her back to it, and she continues eating. Don't be afraid to try these sorts of things, as you may hit on something that works for you.
I've done this many a time, too! Sometimes I just "flip" the food over with a fork if it's not too wet. Or add a little water, stir, and reshape -- that one often works. When I was weaning our cats off dry food, I'd sometimes sprinkle a little of that on the wet food, too.

Good luck!
 
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newkittyowner

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One step forward, two steps back .. Sometimes this is the way of it.


You did the right thing, as your kitties do need to eat. The important thing is that you have got them eating some wet food and that is good progress!

A little trick that seems to work for my female when she walks away from her wet food at times, is to give it a stir or mound it up with a spoon. For some reason this brings her back to it, and she continues eating. Don't be afraid to try these sorts of things, as you may hit on something that works for you.
Thanks for the suggestions however I have tried stirring and mounding of the food. I have even warmed it up more, added water and crumbled the hard stuff on top. Of course I have not done these things all at once. I tried  each at different times. No luck they sniff and walk away, sniff their hard stuff bowel and if it's got food nibble. They still have wet food out but they have not touch it since I first put it out just after 5pm. I know I shouldn't leave it probably that long but I was just hoping they would go back to it. Since we had them at three months they ate wet food 1/4 can split between them and again at night . Then one became pick and didn't eat it anymore, temperature change of it helped for a bit then back to picky. The other one use to gobble up wet but because i changed it from the vet kitten canned food to other stuff she doesn't like it as much. I know the vet stuff isn't good but I was willing to go get the adult stuff if they would eat but hubby won't let me spend over two bucks for a can. I bought wellness brand but it's too expensive and they were not eating much of that either so it's a waste of money. I will keep trying with the fancy feast and look into toppers. 

Thanks for reading even if I might have repeated from previous posts of mine. I just really love my fur babies :)
 
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Hi there

Well they ate a bit of the wet at breakfast time but not a lot and wanted dry food. Well they sniffed just now and walked away so I crumbled a temptation cat treat which they love on top and they gobbled up the wet food. They don't usually get these treats every day but when I go to the cupboard where they are kept they meow for them. When they do get them they get one chicken and one beef each, once a day.  Even the picky one ate it. Is it okay to do this? I am guessing it would be like the toppers or same idea? Not sure it if will work long term but it worked this morning! There is still some left one one plate but that is the one that didn't have the crumble because once I crumbled on one both were eating it off one plate and then the less picky one went over to the one that had no treat crumble and started eating that but left some.  
 
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It is definitely ok to use a couple crumbled temptations treats as a topper, when trying to transition cats over to wet food!


When we were trying to get our male kitten to eat more wet food, his favorite topper was freeze-dried chicken treats. We found the most budget friendly brand was Simply Nourish freeze-dried chicken treats for dogs. They are fine to give to cats, because the only ingredient is chicken....exactly the same as the brands of freeze-dried chicken treats made for cats. The Simply Nourish brand is found only at PetSmart. We'd use half a treat (they're large), and they crumble easily with your fingers over the wet food.

The vet at www.catinfo.org even recommends using a pinch or two of parmesan cheese on occasion, for really picky cats.

You can use whatever "bribe" is necessary to get them eating more wet food, as long as it's an appropriate food for cats. Just don't use so much as to cause an unwanted weight gain or nutritional imbalance...which, with a few temptation treats, you're not even close to doing.
 

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Hi there

Well they ate a bit of the wet at breakfast time but not a lot and wanted dry food. Well they sniffed just now and walked away so I crumbled a temptation cat treat which they love on top and they gobbled up the wet food. They don't usually get these treats every day but when I go to the cupboard where they are kept they meow for them. When they do get them they get one chicken and one beef each, once a day.  Even the picky one ate it. Is it okay to do this? I am guessing it would be like the toppers or same idea? Not sure it if will work long term but it worked this morning! There is still some left one one plate but that is the one that didn't have the crumble because once I crumbled on one both were eating it off one plate and then the less picky one went over to the one that had no treat crumble and started eating that but left some.  
Perfect!  
   That's exactly the kind of trick that can be helpful at this stage. Once your cats are eating wet food regularly, you won't need to use treats.
 
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nycats

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That's great news! Yes, that's how toppings work. If temptations work, you don't even have to go searching! :D
 
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That's great news! Yes, that's how toppings work. If temptations work, you don't even have to go searching! :D
Thanks,

I tried later with some that was still left. I put crumbled treat in it and sniff, sniff and wouldn't touch it.  Even pilled it up and stirred it, no go. So I am beginning to wonder if they just don't like it once it's been out a few minutes and they want fresh out of the can every time? That isn't going to happen cause i am not free feeding wet. I can't hang around all the time. 

I read a post here about toppings and someone said I think if I am correct that they are not a good idea as they add calories. Although these temptation treats are only two calories. I will see what they do tonight. Usually they eat some wet when first put down but not enough to just do a wet diet. 
 

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You can certainly go overboard with toppers, and the calories in that case would matter.  If I'm not mistaken, your two cats are about a year old? Are they at healthy weights now, and not total couch potatoes? If yes to both of those questions, then adding an additional 8-10 calories per day (4-5 temptations) should not have an impact.  If the cats were much older &/or sedentary, then you might want to give the added calories closer consideration. If you are concerned, or need to manage their weights, then the simple solution would be to reduce the amount of dry food they are getting each day by an amount equal amount of calories..... in your scenario, I'm guessing it would be one teaspoon less per day, of dry food, if even that.

And with the exception of a few sticklers, you can wean your cats off the toppers eventually, if you'd like to. But definitely wait until they've reached a point where they've been consistently eating their wet meals for at least several weeks, if not a bit longer than that. And then, reduce the amount of topper very slowly, over a period of a few weeks.
 

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Thanks,

I tried later with some that was still left. I put crumbled treat in it and sniff, sniff and wouldn't touch it.  Even pilled it up and stirred it, no go. So I am beginning to wonder if they just don't like it once it's been out a few minutes and they want fresh out of the can every time? That isn't going to happen cause i am not free feeding wet. I can't hang around all the time. 

I read a post here about toppings and someone said I think if I am correct that they are not a good idea as they add calories. Although these temptation treats are only two calories. I will see what they do tonight. Usually they eat some wet when first put down but not enough to just do a wet diet. 
I wouldn't worry too much about using a small amount of treats. There are calories in everything and the key is moderation. Your cats are young and so their metabolisms should be working efficiently. As you obviously have some very savvy kitties when it comes to food, if a small amount of crushed treats can help to keep them eating the wet food, then this is a reasonable solution for the short term.
 
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