Switching Cats To New, Healthier Food?

EveAndHerThieves

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I had to pick up some more prescription food for Clyde today. they were running a sale of buy one bag and get another bag of any cat food in the store of equal size for free. I couldn't not say no. It's Science Diet, suggested by my vet who's seen my cats and knows their needs.

Here's the rub. I grew up poor, only now just getting on my feet. As a result they've been eating Friskies cat food. Free fed. (I know, I know. I've heard it all before. I did what I could to keep them alive, now I'm getting them into shape.) My cats are also partly wild, due to me not really introducing them right. They HATE being around each other and will fight, hence the free feeding.

The real problem? They hate healthy food. With a passion. A burning passion. Fiddle, Wolfie, and Spoon will eat Clyde's prescription food because they know they shouldn't. When I put it in their food dish... They avoid it. I put half a cup mixed in with three cups of Friskies. They ate around the health food. They picked every crumb of the junk food off the floor, dish, chair. They wouldn't touch the Science Diet I tried last time. I tried canned cat food, it wouldn't fill them up and I can't afford it. They also weren't too fond of it. They prefer kibble. (Anything 'mush' they see as a treat.)

After a few days of this I decided to see just how much they hated the science diet. I let them eat the Friskies, then didn't refill their dish. I left the Science Diet. They starved themselves for three days. They'd beg at my feet, whine, fight. But they wouldn't eat it. Socks finally got smart and knocked over the food bucket. They all piled in like they were dying. I gave up, they've been on Friskies ever since.

So. How can I switch them to a healthier food if they refuse to eat it? I tried Blue catfood as well. Same results. Mixing it in with tuna won't work. I've tried covering it in that food paste stuff they love. Nope.They lick the paste off and leave the kibble. Blending it into powder and feeding it to them mixed in tuna? That kind of worked. But I can't afford to feed them tuna every single day either.

Suggestions? All nine of them are being stubborn. Once I get them eating a healthier brand I'll go to a set feeding time and adjust food for each one. But first I have to get them eating.

The good news is Clyde, who's on a special diet, HATES the Friskies. If he runs out for 20 minutes he will starve himself before he will touch the friskies. Opposite problem, but not one I care to correct. He's a good boy.
 

Furballsmom

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Oh, cats, and the pet food industry. Us owners are really in between that proverbial rock and a hard spot.

Socks finally got smart and knocked over the food bucket. They all piled in like they were dying. I gave up, they've been on Friskies ever since.
:dizzycat:

You could take a look at Walmart, tractor supply and grocery store/supermarkets, there are foods available that are decent and not super expensive including canned.

The pet food guide will give you a little info, and the article might help as well.

Transitioning Your Cat From Kibble To A New Type Of Food (canned, Raw, Or Homemade)

Pet Food Guide
 
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EveAndHerThieves

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I'll see if I can get it to work. They're fussy. I'm wondering if adjusting them to meal times or new food first is best. They mostly live outside - by their choice - and don't always hear meal times. Sometimes I hate having nine cats.

Socks knocking over the bucket isn't that impressive until you realize this bucket is one of those white storage ones that holds over 12 pounds of cat food. And it was nearly full. With the lid on. To this day I have NO idea how she got it over. She only weighs six pounds.
 

Furballsmom

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LOL, dang THAT would have been a great video!

Maybe, new food first...yeah, you're right, I don't know...
 
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EveAndHerThieves

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So I've heard. The only reason I have it is because my old cat needs it for kidney care. They had a buy one get one free, so I grabbed a bag to see if I can get cats to change food. If it doesn't work than I didn't spend anything. If it does I will buy better food for them all.
 

happilyretired

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My personal philosophy (which may be unpopular) is to let them eat what they want. When I had my first cat, I was very inexperienced. She ate Fancy Feast wet and always had dry available (but preferred wet). She was never ill and lived to almost 20.

Then I had a male cat, knew more, and tried to get him to eat 'better' wet food. No matter the brand, he refused. He only wanted Fancy Feast. When he developed CRF, he would not eat ANY of the suggested foods, and my wise vet said the priority was for him to eat, regardless of the food. So he, too, lived on Fancy Feast--and actually lasted another 8 years.

I've had two more cats and each time I've tried to get them to eat 'better' food, and they refuse. So I give them what they'll eat, although it's always wet food.
 

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My personal philosophy (which may be unpopular) is to let them eat what they want. When I had my first cat, I was very inexperienced. She ate Fancy Feast wet and always had dry available (but preferred wet). She was never ill and lived to almost 20.

Then I had a male cat, knew more, and tried to get him to eat 'better' wet food. No matter the brand, he refused. He only wanted Fancy Feast. When he developed CRF, he would not eat ANY of the suggested foods, and my wise vet said the priority was for him to eat, regardless of the food. So he, too, lived on Fancy Feast--and actually lasted another 8 years.

I've had two more cats and each time I've tried to get them to eat 'better' food, and they refuse. So I give them what they'll eat, although it's always wet food.
Our cats are the ultimate judges. Whatever foods we might judge best, we can only feed them what they will accept!
 

1 bruce 1

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My personal philosophy (which may be unpopular) is to let them eat what they want. When I had my first cat, I was very inexperienced. She ate Fancy Feast wet and always had dry available (but preferred wet). She was never ill and lived to almost 20.

Then I had a male cat, knew more, and tried to get him to eat 'better' wet food. No matter the brand, he refused. He only wanted Fancy Feast. When he developed CRF, he would not eat ANY of the suggested foods, and my wise vet said the priority was for him to eat, regardless of the food. So he, too, lived on Fancy Feast--and actually lasted another 8 years.

I've had two more cats and each time I've tried to get them to eat 'better' food, and they refuse. So I give them what they'll eat, although it's always wet food.

:yeah:
We tried an Rx diet for a dog. The dog that would eat rugs, pocket lint, shoes, pillows, anything, he wouldn't touch it.
Science Diet IMO can sometimes be good, but the ingredients and fillers and stuff makes me question the price tag. Is it just because it's "prescription?"
The original K/D diet was made by a vet for a guy with a service dog in kidney failure. The dog got balanced, cooked meals of real food for kidney problems, sealed up in an old fashioned canner. That seems to be a really sad difference from what Hill's K/D is today. :(
 

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The original K/D diet was made by a vet for a guy with a service dog in kidney failure. The dog got balanced, cooked meals of real food for kidney problems, sealed up in an old fashioned canner. That seems to be a really sad difference from what Hill's K/D is today. :(
Same with Purina DM. The vet who originally created DM no longer recommends it because Purina has drastically changed the formula over the years to where it is nothing close to the original. It's full of cheap ingredients and fillers now and contains too many carbs for a diabetic cat.

So I've heard. The only reason I have it is because my old cat needs it for kidney care.
Would something else work for the kidney issues? If it's low phosphorus you need, this web site has a list of suitable commercial foods that are better in quality than Science Diet: Tanya's Comprehensive Guide to Feline Chronic Kidney Disease- Canned Food Data USA
 
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EveAndHerThieves

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Now I feel like an idiot. It's only the free bag that's science diet. Which is okay because the cats are avoiding it like the plague.
I've heard horror stories about Purina so I also try to avoid that. I don't even buy the canned stuff for treats.

I'm going to go nuts switching these guys over. I hid a tiny, tiny bit of the kibble in their dish. They ate all around it, and ignored it. So I took up the advice of the link and did it again with a little less food. They ignored it again. I tried putting it through the blender and putting it in tuna. Brand new can, they won't touch it. They are the most STUCK UP things I have ever met.
I may have to see if we can meet in the middle. I'm trying to switch them over to a set eating time instead. We're at day two and... Yeah. I'm going via the article, but since they show up at random times not all of them are getting fed. This is resulting in LOTS of tripping. I've been tripped down the stairs, doing wash, going to bed. Seriously, it's NOT THAT BAD GUYS.
The only real reason I'd like to switch them is that Spoon and Kira hack up hairballs a LOT. And Wolfie has taken up doing it as well. (They're all long haired, brushed daily). They've also developed HORRIBLE chin zits/scabs I'd like to manage.
And they're fat. Let's face it, they're very fat. Beckie can't get over the fence without thinking hard about it because the weight of her belly will prevent her from stopping. We've made all the Garfield jokes about her we can. We're out of weight jokes, fat jokes, bowling ball jokes. It's time for something new.
I was a bit over zealous because Rue and Beck have been getting along and thought I'd change the world. My cats on the other hand... They now hate me. Which isn't unusual, but they've taken up standing around the room in semi circle and glaring at me. It's a bit freaky.
When I adopt a new hairball I'm never letting them taste Friskies cat food. It's addictive.

Weirdly, they WILL eat Clyde's food. Fiddle tries to get up onto the fridge to eat it, Spoon sniffs for spilled food, and Wolfie waits until Clyde is done and steals it. *Scratches head*

And no, they won't eat the generic non prescription version the vet suggested.


--------

Clyde's is a prescription brand. It literally just says "C/D Prescription diet" on it. It's a white bag with an orange label. He's using it for kidney stones, failing kidneys, a recurring UTI/bladder infection, and being old. He's also prone to getting stocked up in the pluming. Gotta love old men.
Oddly enough he won't touch Friskies unless he's been out of food for a few hours and wants to get a response faster, or happens to be in the basement. He prefers his food, and it seems to make him happier.


--------

I can't be the only one who has pets SO set in their ways. Maybe I'm just a weak willed human. I don't know.
 

Furballsmom

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I can't be the only one who has pets SO set in their ways. Maybe I'm just a weak willed human. I don't know.
You're not, I promise.

My 13-year old boy used to be a Purina product eater, and when they made a big change to their Fancy Feast formulas earlier this year which caused him to become reluctant about eating some flavors etc etc, he actually lost weight while I desperately increased my efforts (begun a couple years previous due to elevated liver numbers) to get him onto a different food and 100% away from Purina products (because of the menadione and its possible effects on the liver).

In any case, not a good thing. We compromised, sort of (FF is the only Purina product allowed in the house/on his plates now plus some purina one true instinct cans), and he's at least stable weight-wise now. There are a number of other pouch/canned foods in the pantry. Some of them he'll even eat now and then.

Have you tried plain pumpkin for the hairballs?

I don't know if there's anything that will help here;
Feline Acne
 
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Furballsmom

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Oh, take a look at Caru, and also Life's Abundance - this is only through Lifes Abundance website but they allow small quantity orders, and also Almo Complete.
I've read the Tractor supply has a kitchen select line that's sometimes palatable to cats that are stubborn :)
 
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Willowy

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I've heard horror stories about Purina so I also try to avoid that.
Friskies is made by Purina. . .

I recommend trying Purina ONE. It's better quality than Friskies dry food, has meat as the first ingredient, and no artificial coloring. And most cats seem to like it. Purina Beyond is also worth a try.

And try Friskies canned food. The big 13-oz cans are around a dollar. If you can get them on 50/50 canned/dry, I'd call that a success :D.

Cheap food is really fattening; all that corn makes nice fat cows AND cats :/. If you can get them on a higher-protein food I think you'll see an improvement. Even if you can't do set mealtimes or restrict their intake.

And, yeah, cats are all set in their ways. If you make any changes they have to be slow and gradual. Dang cats!
 
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