Trying to feed more canned food - How to wean off kibble?

[itty bitty kitt]

I'm trying to have my cat eat more canned food in his diet instead of kibble. He's had some hairball troubles and in the past has experienced a UTI/kidney stones once. In general I'm hoping to feed him only canned food and use kibbles as training treats or a light snack. Trouble is, he's a complete kibble junkie. There are days he only eats one of two bites of his canned food  and doesn't eat anything until he gets his kibble. Although it's not bad food, I've been told and have been reading how canned food is a healthier choice. I've been reading this article: http://www.catinfo.org/ and am determined to try and wean him off kibble.I usually try to mix some kibble in his canned food which seems to help a little, but it seems he looses interest quickly. He seems very fickle about his canned food.

Kibble he eats: Blue Buffalo Indoor Cat Formula - Chicken and Rice flavor ( meal) and Hill's Prescription Diet - T/D ( food toppers/dental treats)

Canned Food he eats: Nutro Max, ACTR1UM Holistic Pet Food and sometimes Wellness. However he seems to have the same reaction to all of them: One Day he enjoys it and the other he could care less. I'm trying to consider other healthy, but relatively cheap canned food brands. Surprisingly he HATES Buffalo Blue canned food, Arcana and I think he even rejected Taste the wild. Unfortunately, his favorite to-die-for canned food is Fancy Feast Elegant Medley's ( horrible stuff). My mom gives it to him as his occasional junk food/ Mcdonald's treat.

Canned food I want to try: Felidae, Chicken Soup for the Cat Lover's soul, Holistic Select and Natural Balance. Ideally, I need a brand that will cost less than $1 each with my current financial situation with my husband.

At some point I would love to introduce him to raw feeding. This will have to wait until I move back to the states as my parents do not agree with the idea of raw meat.

Starting tomorrow, I've requested for my mother to allow me to be the only one responsible for feeding my cat. In the past, it's been a war of food control. I'd feed small portions and she'd add more while I'm not looking and visa versa with me decreasing the amount. Let's hope I can keep some consistent control for at-least a week so I can make proper observations.

Anyone has any tips on how to encourage their cat to eat more canned food?  If anyone has had any experience with these brands: Felidae, Chicken Soup for the Cat Lover's soul, Holistic Select and Natural Balance please let me know how they have worked for you and if you'd recommend them. How much are each canned food? Reason I ask if because I have not encountered them at any pet store yet but I've found places to look. However I know Canada vs US prices will differ (I currently live in Canada with my parents but will be returning to North Carolina with my husband later this year) so price estimates will be helpful!

 

 

[ldg]

Well, several of us are transitioning our cats to raw food, and the tricks we've been using would be the same for transitioning to canned. :nod:

For the most die-hard kibble addict, what one member did was not MIX the kibble and wet, but start putting the kibble on a plate, not a bowl. Put less than a teaspoon of wet food on the same plate, and coat that little lump in some kind of powder - something he loves. Crushed kibble, parmesan cheese - some cats love yogurt - or any meat dehydrated treats you can get (powdered beef liver works really well for my cats). Having it served with the kibble gets him used to the smell, gets him thinking of it as food, and coating it with something he loves will get him at least licking at it with each meal.

See how things go - but the idea is to slowly increase the amount of wet food, decrease the amount of kibble, and with time, reduce the amount of "topper" needed to get him eating the wet food. :nod:

Now... if there is a canned food he loves and reliably eats, like the Fancy Feast, you can feed him only that instead of kibble. Then slowly add a VERY small amount of the food you want him to eat to that Fancy Feast, and just very gradually increasing the amount of the food you want him eating and reducing the amount of Fancy Feast in the serving.

Good luck!!!!

 

[mrsgreenjeens]

I am just now converting my 4 cats from kibble to canned, and it's a challenge, that's for sure.  What I've done is pulled up all their kibble (I used to free feed), and now 3 times a day I set out food for them.  I start out with canned food, and if they eat it, great.  If they don't, then I set out their kibble.  I only leave the bowls out for about 1/2 hour, and if they don't eat, then they're a little hungry, but then the next meal the chances are they might eat better.  It only took a couple of meals before they realized they'd better eat something when the food was presented. 

Now the catch is that they MUST eat something within a reasonable amount of time or they can get very ill and not be able to eat, so you have to monitor them to make sure they don't go too long without food. 

It's been 6 days since I started the conversion to canned, and now I find that if they won't eat the wet that I put out, they get turned off and also won't eat the dry

.  So....then I open another can of wet (completely different brand and flavor) and have to track them down one at a time and hold the bowl in front of them to get their interest.  (I find that on this 2nd try, it has to be a fish flavor).  Usually I can bring them back around this way and they'll eat at least some.

You mentioned you are in Canada, and I don't know if there are Petco stores up there or not, but I have found that Soulistic (sold only at Petco  or online) is the brand of choice around here.  I have tried all the expensive brands, then the middle of the road brands, down to the cheapest brands.  Soulistic is the winner, hands down.  (I have been trying to just supplement wet for years, that's how I know!)  Weruva and Tiki Cat are supposedly made by the same company...maybe you have them up there (although it's more expensive, I think)

 

[hobo08]

I am switching Hobo to an all wet diet from an all dry diet. I give a different brand of canned food everyday with of course different protein sources. He still gets kibble either morning or evening just because I still have dry food left. He is very picky on some wet foods. So far though it is going well.

 

[just mike]

I have 4 cats.  I free feed kibble but I've been lucky in that regard.  I try to keep them on the Waltham Center for Pet Nutrition's guidelines.  80% wet to 20% dry.  My cats do not over feed on the kibble so I know pretty much how much each one is eating.  I don't know if you are going to give your cat dry in the future.  Maybe a small meal of it a couple of times a day would help with the transition.  You can even get one of the automatic feeders to dispense it at different times.  I would start by mixing some of the wet with a little dry to see the cat's reaction.  Then I would reduce the amount of kibble and increase the amount of wet until all he gets is the wet 2 or 3 times a day.  Personally I would still feed some kibble.  Regardless of the opinions you may have about kibble it does offer nutritional benefits as well as oral health benefits (some brands).  But that is a choice only you can make

Edited:

You did not say why your cat was on the prescription kibble?  Oral health issues maybe?  My cats get Nutro Natual Choice and Nutro Max wet along with several other premium brands for a change of texture and taste for them.  Their kibble is strictly Nutro Max Indoor Roasted Chicken.  It is the only kibble they will eat and all 4 of them like it