Wet Food Necessary?

[Ghoulofnagoya]

Hi!
So Levi and I have been in Japan where he ate a diet of dry kibble and in morning gets a soup broth ( he hates any sort of chunk ) We just moved a few days ago to the usa and I have tried many different types of cat food from : in gravy, patte, mousse and even bone broth but he refuses. Is wet food necessary? He now eats a serving of Wellness brand chicken for infoor cats in morning and serving at night.

What do you think and if important what else can I try?

 

[jen]

Someone will be around with suggestions of things you can try to entice them to eat canned food. Often when they mostly live on dry it is hard to get them onto a healthier canned food when they are older. But keep trying! It is very important. Cats are strict carnivores. All the fillers in dry food are just carbs and starches and sugars which can block males, lead to obesity, diabetes, renal failure... So it really is a good idea to get as much canned (or raw if you are feeling adventurous) into their diet as possible.

 

[furmonster mom]

Wet food really is important. And I'm not sure I would count soup broth as a quality substitution. For one thing, soup broths are usually high in salt. And for another, they are often seasoned with things that are actually toxic to a cat's system (onion & garlic).

Keep trying to get him to eat the wet food.
We recently took in a kitty who turned her nose up at wet food. I was just very persistent. I put her in one of the bathrooms with just the wet food, and she got up to 30 minutes to eat it. I would check in on her every 7-10 minutes. If she ate at least a quarter, I'd put a few kibbles on top to get her to eat some more. Gradually, I made it a half meal before kibble topping, then 3/4... until she would eat all the wet without kibble.
She hasn't had kibble in almost a month now. It took time and patience, though.
We are also currently transitioning her to raw, and she is making that transition very easily.

 

[Maria Bayote]

It is necessary. My Barley used to prefer dry food, and after a lot of persistence on my part, now he is craving for wet food more than the kibbles which I occasionally give them now.

The Benefits of Canned Cat Food

 

[GalaxyGirl]

For male cats yes. Or they get urinary crystals which blocks the urethra which is not only painful but is very expensive to have treated. Many people try bonito flakes ok the food to get their cats to eat the wet food. Also there’s a vet that walks you through how to get a tuff cat to transition. I’ll find the link and send it.

 

[tabbytom]

I agree with the above posters replies. Yes, wet food is necessary as they are full of proteins and nutrients and moisture. Dry food are full of carbohydrates and bad for your cat if they do not drink water.

 

[She's a witch]

My cats eat pate smashed with a fork with water added to the tick gravy consistency. Maybe that’s something yours would eat?
I also moved to US and it took few months for us to find a wet food consistency that they would accept and like, so with a bit of patience and try out hopefully you’ll find something they like. Good luck!

 

[lisahe]

Maybe the easiest thing to start with would be some watered down pate food? Something like Sheba pate or BFF's "Play" pates are pretty soft to start with and you could mix in a little more water. Since Levi likes kibble, you could sprinkle a little on top to entice him. That works for a lot of cats!

I, too, am very much in favor of wet foods: our previous cat was kibble-dependent and I'm sure that contributed to her health problems, which included weight gain, mild kidney disease, and digestive problems. (To be fair, she did live to be at least 17 but I wish I'd know then that kibble is so loaded with non-meat ingredients that cats don't process well!)

 

[FelisCatus]

I wish this was more common knowledge for people who have cats.

Yes, wet food is a requirement.

No, dry food is not sufficient or good for them and should be banned.

 

[Ghoulofnagoya]

I want to just note that the Japanese broth soup was made for cats so no garlic or bad things! It was a legit Japanese company ( Mon Perite) that is purina in USA.

As I read your responses I feel like I should keep using trial and error. I have yet to try all the brands. I tried bone broths, Tiki cat, Sheba... so now I will try other companies wet foods.

 

[Ghoulofnagoya]

I wish this was more common knowledge for people who have cats.

Yes, wet food is a requirement.

No, dry food is not sufficient or good for them and should be banned.

Dry food is actually bad? As in should stop giving it all together?

 

[verna davies]

I have just successful ( fingers crossed as I say this) got my cat to eat wet food. He would eat maybe half a sachet a day, the rest was dry. I bought bonito flakes and sprinkled a little on top of wet food in gravy that I mashed with a folk. He eat every bit and asked for more. This has worked for several days. I would transition over a period of a week. Beware, the bonito flakes have a very strong fishy smell.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B0023V5LNU/?tag=

 

[FelisCatus]

Dry food is actually bad? As in should stop giving it all together?

Yes, unless there is a medical condition that requires it.

Cats are pure carnivores. They only need meat. Dry food is just carbs, starch and sugar.

As mentioned above, dry food leads to urinary blockage, diabetes, kidney issues and being overweight (which increases the risk of heart conditions, etc).

It would be like humans eating nothing but chips, pizza and cookies all day every day. Then wondering why they weigh 300 pounds and have diabetes along with a failing heart.

 

[kittyluv387]

Yes dry food is actually horrible. It dehydrates cats severely. Should not be used unless you really don't have the budget for wet. And of course if you have a kibble addict you still need to feed that addict.

Check out this veterinarian's site about cat food.

Catinfo.org

 

[war&wisdom]

Try mixing the dry and wet together for a while (and it really might take a while). My boy gets finicky about wet food, but he's always enticed by a sprinkling of kibble.

Also, honestly, even though Fancy Feast is not the greatest food in the world, as my vet says, any wet brand is better than any dry brand. It's kitty crack for most cats.

For the record, I feed mainly wet but can't afford to feed that exclusively. (I also have long work hours and leave the kitties with some kibble so that they're not ravenous for 10-12 hours.)

 

[mizzely]

If your cat is reluctant to eat wet foods, I would first find a low carb dry food while you work on it

Dry Food Comparison Chart | Zero Carb and Grain Free Cat Food

Reach out to companies to see if they will send samples.

A food your kitty might like is Caru. It's a soup style food that my cat loves! It's too expensive for me to feed exclusively, but I've also had good luck mixing pates with kitten formula to make a smoother, lockable pate. Tiki Cat makes a mousse that is also really good, but low in calories.

My other trick is sprinkling freeze dried food on top. Lydia is partial to the Wysong Quail!

 

[Rosepud]

A good dry food is Dr. Elsey's clean protein, as for wet food have you tried mixing pate with bone broth maybe to get a soupier inbetween that might be more similar to what they're used to?

 

[Ghoulofnagoya]

Update: Today I bought 5 different brands of wet food for him and he refused to eat UNTIL I took a nap and he ended up eating alot of the “ fancy feast” brand so think I will keep trying to feed him that.

I had no idea that kibble was so bad for cats. I guess I will give him small amount of kibble while I go to school and work then feed him wet food at night.

 

[verna davies]

I'm glad you found something he likes. A little dry will be fine, something to nibble on when you cant feed him wet. Have you tried Sheba as a backup incase he gets fed up with fancy feasts.

 

[Uncled]

Fancy Feast classic pate style is all I feed, I have black male cats that are litter mates, they also get on occasion Aldi canned catfood