Slowly transitioning to wet food only - but now diarrhea?

[aurorabee]

My tortie has always eaten wet food, about 2-3 times per day. But she definitely prefers dry kibble. I've heard that wet only diet is better so have been slowly trying to transition her to wet only. She is still getting some dry at night at this point. However, for the first time in her life she has diarrhea. She has always had perfectly formed, immaculate poops that would be the envy of anyone (my poor other cat struggled with soft poops). She is also grouchier with the diarrhea because she is a very thick coated long hair and it gets messy back there.

She just had her wellness check and her teeth were in great shape, to my surprise, as my cats have always had dental issues. She is slightly overweight.

And further to this she is very specific about which wet food she will eat. I even special ordered Tiki After Dark and Feline Natural because we have limited options where I live. Completely rejected. Other more available brands I have tried that she has rejected: Nutro grain free wet food, Crave portions, Pure balance.
She only seems to like pâté, and only certain flavours such as Fancy Feast 'cod sole and shrimp', IAMS chicken and most of Whiskas seafood pâté.
She will actively reject a wet food if it has the Fortiflora sprinkled on top too.

I'm not sure if I should keep this up or go back to before with 3x wet food and some dry...she seemed happier before.

 

[mrsgreenjeens]

It's possible the fish is what is bothering her mainly, and of the brands she's eating, only the FF (if it's the CLASSICS line, which i think it probably is since she only likes pate, would be considered a decent food in my humble opinion (doesn't have a lot of fillers and gums, etc).

It's hard to advise, but if she doesn't seem happy as is, and she's having issues, then I don't see any problem with going back to what you were doing before. Feeding wet food a couple times a day is not bad at all. Some people feed only dry food for their cat's entire life and have no issues. Others feed only wet and have issues, so there really is no way of knowing which way is best. For me, I TRY to feed only wet. but I've got a very picky cat and sometimes he refuses it so I have to feed him freeze dried raw instead. I try to make up for it by adding extra filtered water to his next wet meal. The objective really is just to make sure they are well hydrated.

 

[nycats]

I agree with mrsgreenjeens on fish. Does she eat the FF Classic Pate? It's incredibly hard to switch kibble lovers to wet food only, but it can be done. You just have to be prepared to take it very slow. I suggest adjusting the ratio of dry and wet, very very slowly, and try experimenting with some food toppings. Different brands make enticing toppings such as bonito flakes (my cats' favorite), freeze dried (instinct has a good one), and I've also used freeze dried raw and crumbled on top of wet food to use as toppers. Good luck! And I think it's so great you are looking out for your kitty's well being