Struggling with my cats transition from kibble only to wet food only

[Cheekiezsheek]

I’m trying to switch my 1 year old male cat over to a home cooked diet. To start the process I switched him off his kibble and have been doing wet only for a week now. I’ve been feeding him farmina kibble so I switched him over to farmina wet (it has whole bits of meat so it’s very similar to a home cooked meal) . The transition was a bit cold turkey though he had had the wet food prior to transition. I had tried to switch him off slowly before but not with a lot of success.

He’s taken to it pretty well in the sense of no upset tummies (a tad softer stools not by a lot) and he eats. My dilemma though is he’s always been a grazer and always eats very small portions at a time. With kibble you can leave it out and he will eat what he needs through out the day. You can’t do this with wet, so getting him to eat his two cans of food a day has been a struggle. I’ve been dividing up his food into 4 to 6 meals a day. But even then I’ve still to meet his goal of two cans. Some days are better then others depending on the flavors of the food. Due to this I’m considering going back to kibble for a bit and trying again. At the same time I’m thinking of waiting it out and keep trying.

Any advice or tips would be greatly appreciated

 

[Furballsmom]

Hi!
I leave canned food out for up to 12 hours. Depending on how hot your house gets, you could try a dish under the food bowl that has ice in it

 

[Beholder]

I often leave wet food out overnight. You don't really have to worry too much about bacteria or it "spoiling" because of the high amount of processing it has undergone, unless your cat already has some kind of autoimmune disease they may compromise their immune system. Some cats will not eat wet food after it's been out too long while others don't seem to have a problem. With my own cats I've found that if they're hungry enough, they'll eat it regardless, even if they pretend to be picky at first. As mentioned above though you can also get a cooling bowl that will keep it fresh longer, although if your cat doesn't like cold food this might be an issue.

If he's already consuming wet okay, I suggest not going back to kibble. Some cats will start to hold out (not eat their wet food) if they think there's a chance they could get kibble or something else they want more instead.

I also wanted to add as a side that my cat Morty has always been a grazer as well and after switching him to wet he never ate the entire two cans. On a good day he would one 5.5oz can and somehow still remained normal to slightly overweight. Obviously this would depend case by case, but unless you start seeing your cat loose a significant amount of weight (1-2 pounds if not overweight) I would not worry so much.

 

[Cheekiezsheek]

I often leave wet food out overnight. You don't really have to worry too much about bacteria or it "spoiling" because of the high amount of processing it has undergone, unless your cat already has some kind of autoimmune disease they may compromise their immune system. Some cats will not eat wet food after it's been out too long while others don't seem to have a problem. With my own cats I've found that if they're hungry enough, they'll eat it regardless, even if they pretend to be picky at first. As mentioned above though you can also get a cooling bowl that will keep it fresh longer, although if your cat doesn't like cold food this might be an issue.

If he's already consuming wet okay, I suggest not going back to kibble. Some cats will start to hold out (not eat their wet food) if they think there's a chance they could get kibble or something else they want more instead.

I also wanted to add as a side that my cat Morty has always been a grazer as well and after switching him to wet he never ate the entire two cans. On a good day he would one 5.5oz can and somehow still remained normal to slightly overweight. Obviously this would depend case by case, but unless you start seeing your cat loose a significant amount of weight (1-2 pounds if not overweight) I would not worry so much.

Thank you I really appreciate the advice! I do leave his wet food over night at times and sometimes he eats it during the night and sometimes he doesn’t touch it at all. With a canned food I’m not super worried about bacteria more that he just doesn’t really eat it after it’s been left out. In trying to switch to homemade you can’t leave out a homemade meal for more than two hours as it doesn’t have any sort of heavy processing or preservatives.

He definitely hasn’t been a huge eater so seeing him not eat all his kibble was pretty normal. So him not eating his full two cans isn’t all the time wouldn’t have surprised me but sometimes I’m able to get him to eat one 2.8 oz can if I’m lucky. The best so far was one and a half 2.8 oz can. He is a tiny guy only 7 pounds and at a healthy weight but I definitely feel that 2 even 1 pound would make him a bit underweight.

 

[Beholder]

Thank you I really appreciate the advice! I do leave his wet food over night at times and sometimes he eats it during the night and sometimes he doesn’t touch it at all. With a canned food I’m not super worried about bacteria more that he just doesn’t really eat it after it’s been left out. In trying to switch to homemade you can’t leave out a homemade meal for more than two hours as it doesn’t have any sort of heavy processing or preservatives.

He definitely hasn’t been a huge eater so seeing him not eat all his kibble was pretty normal. So him not eating his full two cans isn’t all the time wouldn’t have surprised me but sometimes I’m able to get him to eat one 2.8 oz can if I’m lucky. The best so far was one and a half 2.8 oz can. He is a tiny guy only 7 pounds and at a healthy weight but I definitely feel that 2 even 1 pound would make him a bit underweight.

When it comes to homemade cooked, there really isn't really a set limit on how much time to leave to food out. Obviously, the less time the better, but remember that cats in the wild often play with their raw food for days at a time, eating many small meals. Their stomachs have the ability to handle bacteria that ours cannot. (With the exception of immunocompromised cats.) So when it comes to cooked food, definitely do whatever you feel the most comfortable with, but don't assume it must be eaten or tossed within two hours. I'm well aware that if you were to google this it may say for example, only 2 hours for cooked and 30 min. for raw. These numbers are estimated based on potential bacteria levels in a worst case scenario (compromised cat). I know many people on here leave their raw food out for an hour or two with no problems, but again this will depend on various factors like the cat, climate, and what you're comfortable with. Also keep in mind that cooking a meat is a form of heavily processing it, hence why supplementation is necessary to add after cooking it, like E-Z or Alnutrin.

I didn't realize you were feeding the small cans. For a young cat that is not very much food. When he doesn't eat much are you giving him extra treats or dry food? I'm just trying to see if maybe he's holding out knowing if he doesn't eat the wet he might get something more. If you're not adding anything else I suggest you slow down the transition. You definitely do not need to go completely back to all dry, but maybe start with 75% dry and 25% wet. Try and mix them together as well. Another good idea is a meal topper. There are manywet meal toppers that are formulated like treats as well as dry meal toppers. I know a lot of people have had luck with the Stella & Chewy's topper. It's a bit expensive but it goes a long way.

Also, are you feeding him one flavor of wet food or a variety? Sometimes cats don't like eating the same flavor all the time, so they will stop eating it after a while. One of my more finicky boys needs a seven flavor/brand rotation when he's been on full wet. I know this sounds a bit extreme, but for him if he had the same brand or flavor 2 days in a row he'd stop eating it.

 

[Cheekiezsheek]

When it comes to homemade cooked, there really isn't really a set limit on how much time to leave to food out. Obviously, the less time the better, but remember that cats in the wild often play with their raw food for days at a time, eating many small meals. Their stomachs have the ability to handle bacteria that ours cannot. (With the exception of immunocompromised cats.) So when it comes to cooked food, definitely do whatever you feel the most comfortable with, but don't assume it must be eaten or tossed within two hours. I'm well aware that if you were to google this it may say for example, only 2 hours for cooked and 30 min. for raw. These numbers are estimated based on potential bacteria levels in a worst case scenario (compromised cat). I know many people on here leave their raw food out for an hour or two with no problems, but again this will depend on various factors like the cat, climate, and what you're comfortable with. Also keep in mind that cooking a meat is a form of heavily processing it, hence why supplementation is necessary to add after cooking it, like E-Z or Alnutrin.

I didn't realize you were feeding the small cans. For a young cat that is not very much food. When he doesn't eat much are you giving him extra treats or dry food? I'm just trying to see if maybe he's holding out knowing if he doesn't eat the wet he might get something more. If you're not adding anything else I suggest you slow down the transition. You definitely do not need to go completely back to all dry, but maybe start with 75% dry and 25% wet. Try and mix them together as well. Another good idea is a meal topper. There are manywet meal toppers that are formulated like treats as well as dry meal toppers. I know a lot of people have had luck with the Stella & Chewy's topper. It's a bit expensive but it goes a long way.

Also, are you feeding him one flavor of wet food or a variety? Sometimes cats don't like eating the same flavor all the time, so they will stop eating it after a while. One of my more finicky boys needs a seven flavor/brand rotation when he's been on full wet. I know this sounds a bit extreme, but for him if he had the same brand or flavor 2 days in a row he'd stop eating it.

Staring today I have been adding a spoonful or so of kibble to his wet food mixed in and it seems to be doing the trick and he isn’t just picking out the kibble.
The whole week I only offered wet food no treats or kibble so yeah that’s why I did feel like he really wasn’t eating a lot. I’ve been feeding a variety of flavors and he does eat less with some flavors than others.
I’d like to avoid him getting used to wet food or homemade food being out for long periods of time as in the warmer months there are a lot of flies that get into the house .

 

[Beholder]

Staring today I have been adding a spoonful or so of kibble to his wet food mixed in and it seems to be doing the trick and he isn’t just picking out the kibble.
The whole week I only offered wet food no treats or kibble so yeah that’s why I did feel like he really wasn’t eating a lot. I’ve been feeding a variety of flavors and he does eat less with some flavors than others.
I’d like to avoid him getting used to wet food or homemade food being out for long periods of time as in the warmer months there are a lot of flies that get into the house .

That's understandable. I wouldn't want to deal with flies or the smell of old food in the summer months either! Anyway, I would just focus for now on getting him to make the transition to wet. So if this means a spoon of dry or even a little more for the time being, that's perfectly fine--especially considering how little he was eating when it was only wet. Once you're able to fully switch him over then try a get to a schedule. Depending on how much time you're able to be at home, a lot of people start with 4-6 times a day and then work their way down, taking the food away when it's no longer time to eat (usually after about 30min.). Eventually the cat will learn to eat his meals in a reasonable amount of time. Although, definitely wait to do this until he is eating more. Also, if you're you're ever noticing that he begins to eat very little of the dry as well I would suggest that would be the time to get the vet involved.

I know there are tons of other really helpful links and past forums for this issue, but I don't know them off the top of my head. Hopefully someone more experienced can come in soon a provide you with a few of them.

 

[Cheekiezsheek]

That's understandable. I wouldn't want to deal with flies or the smell of old food in the summer months either! Anyway, I would just focus for now on getting him to make the transition to wet. So if this means a spoon of dry or even a little more for the time being, that's perfectly fine--especially considering how little he was eating when it was only wet. Once you're able to fully switch him over then try a get to a schedule. Depending on how much time you're able to be at home, a lot of people start with 4-6 times a day and then work their way down, taking the food away when it's no longer time to eat (usually after about 30min.). Eventually the cat will learn to eat his meals in a reasonable amount of time. Although, definitely wait to do this until he is eating more. Also, if you're you're ever noticing that he begins to eat very little of the dry as well I would suggest that would be the time to get the vet involved.

I know there are tons of other really helpful links and past forums for this issue, but I don't know them off the top of my head. Hopefully someone more experienced can come in soon a provide you with a few of them.

Thank you so much I really do appreciate the advice!
ill definitely continue to transition a bit more slowly and hopefully get him on home cooked soon. He’s such a picky little guy a pain in the butt as well but I love him lol

 

[Furballsmom]

Hi! I'm not sure if these are the links you were thinking of B Beholder

Hopefully there's something that's of use to you in these Cheekiezsheek

Transitioning Your Cat From Kibble To A New Type Of Food – TheCatSite Articles

Transitioning Free-fed Kibble Kitties To Timed Meals – TheCatSite Articles

Homemade & Raw Food For Cats – A Collection of Guides – TheCatSite Articles

 

[MissClouseau]

There are already good tips here so let me add something different. One, consider insects about leaving wet food outside. It doesn't have to be a problem (it's not for some users here), but if you live in an old building like me with some wall cracks impossible to fill, wet food outside will attract far more insects than dry food can. Secondly, I don't believe wet-only works well for every cat.

I try to feed my Hima two cans a day + dry food in between. She only eats half a can at most at once so she has 4 wet food meals. She also doesn't like two cans being the same food. So it's 2 different wet foods in total.

Good dry foods can be easier to digest. My girl for example gets gassy with wet food. I handfeed her because of this but because I can right now (if I don't, she doesn't even finish half a can and later avoids eating the food as she associates it with tummy ache.) She also avoids wet food as much as possible if she has dental issues, and sometimes when she has tummy ache. She still gets at least 70% of her daily calories from wet food, sometimes more, sometimes less. But if she didn't have dry food as an option she would have digestive problems more frequently and/or she would lose weight.

 

[Cheekiezsheek]

There are already good tips here so let me add something different. One, consider insects about leaving wet food outside. It doesn't have to be a problem (it's not for some users here), but if you live in an old building like me with some wall cracks impossible to fill, wet food outside will attract far more insects than dry food can. Secondly, I don't believe wet-only works well for every cat.

I try to feed my Hima two cans a day + dry food in between. She only eats half a can at most at once so she has 4 wet food meals. She also doesn't like two cans being the same food. So it's 2 different wet foods in total.

Good dry foods can be easier to digest. My girl for example gets gassy with wet food. I handfeed her because of this but because I can right now (if I don't, she doesn't even finish half a can and later avoids eating the food as she associates it with tummy ache.) She also avoids wet food as much as possible if she has dental issues, and sometimes when she has tummy ache. She still gets at least 70% of her daily calories from wet food, sometimes more, sometimes less. But if she didn't have dry food as an option she would have digestive problems more frequently and/or she would lose weight.

Flys and ants a big problem for me in the summer months even dry food really attracts them. It’s one of the reasons I’m hoping my little guy will learn to eat more at meal times.

Ive been feeding a high quality kibble for awhile now that he’s done pretty well on. I’ve got nothing against a high quality high protein kibble. I personally do want him to eat more wet or home cooked. I just personally would like to try all wet then hopefully home cooked, as I personally do like the idea of knowing exactly what he eats and being less paranoid about recalls (though the brand I feed has yet to have one).
Thank you so much for the advice though I really do appreciate it