# Cat will only eat wet food if I feed him by hand?



## sara_michelle (Jan 17, 2012)

I have been trying to transition my cats to wet food (from ToTW dry) because I have been reading about how much better it is for them. I bought them Trader Joe's wet originally, and my one cat Nori would eat it, but my other cat Watson would go without food just to avoid it. 

I wanted to try something non-pate style to see if Watson would like it better, and I got a Fancy Feast grilled variety pack from Costco (I liked that the first few ingredients were real meat). Nori will of course eat it right away (she would eat anything), but Watson won't.

The only way I can even get him to try it is to put a couple pieces of dry in front of him, and then a piece of wet, and he'll eat. But he completely ignores it in his bowl, even if it's mostly dry and just a little wet. He seems to prefer the beef flavor, so that is what I have been trying. I even put his food on a plate because I heard that can help, and he still won't eat it. By the end of the day his bowl is mostly gone, but I think that is Nori stealing his food (she's slightly overweight and will seriously eat anything she can get her paws on).

Any words of advice on what to do here? Nori is the one with the health problems (chronic diarrhea, overweight) so that was my main reason for switching to wet. Watson seems great on ToTW, but I am considering switching to NB L.I.D. Pea & Duck or something similar. Would it be that terrible to continue him on a high-quality wet if he seems to do well and actually will eat it? He was getting noticeably thinner when trying to switch to TJ's wet, and I was afraid of the health complications of him ignoring his food. I don't want to switch to wet just for the water content if he stops eating.


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## sara_michelle (Jan 17, 2012)

I meant "continue on a high-quality *dry*" but it wouldn't let me edit. whoops


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## sara_michelle (Jan 17, 2012)

Sorry I keep commenting on my own post, but I have an update that just happened -

I got Nori a bowl of Fancy Feast beef and Watson a bowl of ToTW. Watson was sitting on the counter, so just to see I put the bowl of FF in front of him. He ignored it, but then I picked up the bowl and held it in front of him, and he started licking all over the food and even ate some of it. He seems to eat it just fine when I am almost literally hand feeding it to him, but as soon as it gets set down anywhere he seems to ignore it. Is this normal cat behavior at all?


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## Zilla (Oct 29, 2012)

No offense but why do you wanna switch to Natural Balance LID Duck and Green Pea??? One.... It's more expensive than TOTW and two the first ingredient is peas..... Lower quality than TOTW and its more expensive.... May wanna think twice about that. 

And have you tried a canned brand like Soulistic?? It's only at Petco and its made by Weruva. It's grain free and on the cheap side. Better than fancy feast. The "in gravy" varieties are like shredded real meat so my cats tend to favor them more. They like the chicken n pumpkin one the best. Maybe you could try that. 


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## sara_michelle (Jan 17, 2012)

Ah, I appreciate your input Zilla. I was just interested in that formula because I saw it recommended in another post. I guess lots of people have personal opinions, and I need to do what I feel good about feeding my cats.

I will consider trying that, may I ask how much a month it is? I am into spending more for good canned food, but my husband isn't totally convinced - that's why we landed on Trader Joe's and Fancy Feast. With one cat it would be easier, but with two it gets a bit more expensive, especially when one isn't really eating it and it gets "wasted" at times.

Thank you for your help


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## sara_michelle (Jan 17, 2012)

Also, Zilla, do you think if Watson really refuses the canned food, that it would be that bad to continue him on a high-quality dry food diet? My vet says he's one of the healthiest cats she has seen, and he has been on dry food since I got him.


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## Nan (Oct 11, 2010)

After you feed him a little by hand, drop some on the floor near his dish. Sometimes, that makes it interesting enough to eat. After he's eaten if off the floor and he decides it tastes OK then maybe he'll go for it in the dish.


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## Luvmyfurbabies (Jun 25, 2012)

What kind of cat is Watson? ( breed ). I have a flat faced Persian and when he was a baby he would only eat his wet food when I spoon fed it to him. The lady I adopted him from told me that he's like that and doesn't want to get his face dirty. His face is flat o it is harder for him o eat than my other two cats. She told me to mound it up like a volcano and he would eat from the top down and then mound it up again when it ot too short. Sounds silly, I know, but it's what I have to do to get him to eat his food. He's better at it now, but I still have to be right there to scoop it up ion a nice sized mound.


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## sara_michelle (Jan 17, 2012)

Luvmyfurbabies -

It is unclear what breed Watson is, we adopted him from the humane society. He is DMH with tabby-like stripes. Our vet told us he has unique coloring for a male cat. He was the furriest one in his litter. Here is a photo of him (and Nori) - his face isn't very flat.


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## sara_michelle (Jan 17, 2012)

Nan -

He will eat wet food if I drop it on the floor, but then he won't go forward and eat out of the bowl. Fussy kitty.


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## Lucas718 (Feb 19, 2012)

I'd try giving it to him on a plate and see if that makes a difference. He may not like sticking his face in the bowl. 


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## sara_michelle (Jan 17, 2012)

Lucas718 -

I tried to feed it to him on a plate, and he refused to eat it. I mixed a little warm water in with his food today, and he lapped the water but he won't eat the actual bits of food. He's always been like that, Nori will eat a little tuna or chicken or whatever, and Watson refuses to eat any "fresh" food


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## Zilla (Oct 29, 2012)

Well I can't tell you how much a month it is but for an 8 pack of 5.5 oz cans it's only 11 dollars. So it's cheap.

And yes you have probably seen Natural Balance LID mentioned on here for cats with allergies to certain proteins. But if your cat doesn't have an allergy then there's no reason to down grade his food to one where the first ingredient is peas and not a real meat ingredient... And also pay more money for that. It doesn't make sense. Just trying to help .... :| 


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## sara_michelle (Jan 17, 2012)

Zilla - 

I think I may be confused on how much food to feed my cats if I give them canned. 
In my mind, I would give them each a full 5.5 Oz. can a day (split between a morning meal and an evening meal) That means an 8 pack divided by two cans a day would only last 4 days ... which would be about $82.50 a month. Is this right, or would giving them each 5.5 Oz. a day be way too much?


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## scottd (Jun 28, 2011)

If he will eat wet food at all, you should continue to work with him on it. He'll eventually eat from a dish. Dry food is not good for cats and I refuse to recommend it. Dry food contributes to urinary problems such as blockages.

If you kitty isn't allergic to any specific proteins, you really don't need to feed him a LID diet.

If you want cheaper foods, I suggest buying the 13oz cans of EVO 95% and 12.5oz cans of Wellness (regular, grain-free varieties) in cases (12 cans at a time). These are good and shouldn't cost much. 

The amount of food you need to feed him depends on the food. Different foods contain different amounts of calories. For an adult cat that's normal weight, I would say 20-25 calories per pound is appropriate but it varies. 5.5oz isn't unheard of. He may need more or less though. Kittens will eat 2-3x than an adult cat because they're still growing.


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## 3furbabies (Dec 7, 2011)

My oldest cat doesn't eat wet at all and lately the only way she has been eating her dry is scattered on the couch. I really don't want to keep that habit out but she has gotten really fussy. I've started to feed her in the dish several times a day and if she doesn't eat then she doesn't eat. That said, she would rather starve than eat wet so if your is that fussy on wet then maybe keep him on the dry.


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## Zilla (Oct 29, 2012)

Nope that calculation is right. Seems expensive I know but they are a lot cheaper than the big brands like Blue and Wellness. Lets try this. I buy Evo in 13.2 oz cans. So one can would last you a day. Half a can split in half for the two cats morning and night... They come in packs of 12 that cost 22 dollars. So if I'm doing the math right that's 55 dollars a month for two cats. The only problem is you can't find Evo in petco or petsmart. You have to find it in a locally owned shop that carries it or you can order it online like I do. I order mine from chewy.com ... They have a flat rate shipping of only 4.95 if you order under 49 dollars. Over that its free. Usually I order more than that every time so I never have to pay shipping... They also don't charge sales tax and are generally cheaper than in store prices. So ordering from them for me is worth it. My stuff gets to me in only 3-4 days and I live in kansas. It comes from PA so if you live closer to there I'm sure it would be less. Here's a link to the EVO canned. http://www.chewy.com/cat/wet-food-389/evo

As far as Watsons pickiness. I think it's just gonna take time.... You just gotta keep trying. 

If 55 a month sounds still to much I can recommend something else too. My cats also get something called Honest Kitchen Prowl. It's a dehydrated raw food that comes in a powder form. You portion out your powder for the meal then add warm water and mix. It's kind of like an oatmeal consistency. My cats love it and its basically like making your own wet food without paying the high price that come along with cans. It comes in 2 or 4 pound boxes. A 4 pound box of powder is actually equal to 12 pounds of food. Looking on my box right now it says a 4 pound box lasts around 64 days for one cat. So 32 days for two cats. A 4 pound box costs 41 dollars. So 41 dollars a month. Does that sound better? Since this food is the next best thing next to raw it's extremely healthy but it doesn't have a heavy price. Here's a link to it on chewy http://www.chewy.com/cat/honest-kitchen-prowl-dehydrated/dp/35023

You can get a sample box if you want directly off The Honest Kitchen website. http://www.thehonestkitchen.com/products/prowl/

If switching to complete wet is to much you can always try to go 50/50..... TOTW and Honest Kitchen Prowl would last a long time! It's better than no wet at all!  


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## rightsaidfed (May 31, 2012)

sara_michelle said:


> Zilla -
> 
> I think I may be confused on how much food to feed my cats if I give them canned.
> In my mind, I would give them each a full 5.5 Oz. can a day (split between a morning meal and an evening meal) That means an 8 pack divided by two cans a day would only last 4 days ... which would be about $82.50 a month. Is this right, or would giving them each 5.5 Oz. a day be way too much?


This is about right give or take an ounce or so depending on your individual cats. That is on the cheap side for the higher quality brands. Trader Joes is often praised because it is medium quality but priced much lower. Fancy feast in my opinion has a low-mid price but is maybe just barely above low quality depending on the variety. 

You can only do the best you can with the money you have to spend. It's been repeated here before that a lower quality wet is usually preferable to a higher quality dry. 

I only have 1 cat. I spend around $15-$20 a month on wet food because he gets ToTW dry as a supplement. For me, this is because I live alone and work weird hours - I'm not always around to feed his wet at an appropriate time. I make sure he gets at least one wet meal per day and I leave out a little dry when I go to work. 

I'd say strike a balance between the best feed you can afford to feed and the frequency at which you feed it. Just because you can't go ALL wet doesn't mean you shouldn't try to give some. It's better than none!

As far as Watson goes, there have already been some good suggestions. Some cats are harder to switch than others. 


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## Zilla (Oct 29, 2012)

To add to Scottds post. Regular grain free wellness is on chewy.com also. A 12 pack of 12.5 oz cans costs 28.99. So not as cheap as EVO but still pretty reasonable. You could buy some of the wellness sometimes for variety if you want. I don't think you can find the big cans in stores or at least I've never seen them. So you would have to order like I have to for the Evo. Evo does have a good selection though. They have turkey & chicken, beef, duck, and venison varieties. Here's a link to the wellness http://www.chewy.com/cat/wellness-chicken-formula-canned-cat/dp/30195


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## sara_michelle (Jan 17, 2012)

I appreciate all of your responses. I will try a trial size of the Honest Kitchen Prowl and see how the cats like it. I think the cost of it is definitely doable in our household. 
I just gave Watson some of his dry ToTW cat food but I put a little hot water in the bowl to wet it, and he is eating it just fine. I have heard this helped some people transition, so hopefully this will help him!


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## Zilla (Oct 29, 2012)

Yea that could help too! Let me know how the Honest Kitchen works out! 


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## 3gatos (Nov 28, 2012)

Have you considered the Stella and Chewy's Freeze dried? My cats LOVE that stuff and (in my store) the 12oz bag is about $24 for the feline freeze dried. You add water to the patties and it is supposed to feed like canned food. 

I don't know what the difference is between the 'cat only' formulas and the 'dog only' formulas, but from what I can tell, they are the same as far as the food goes. I think the dog has patties and the cat has little kibble like bits instead. The dog freeze dried even has added taurine. And it's the same price for a 16 oz bag. So, if you aren't too hung up on 'dog vs. cat' food, that might be an option as well.


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## Zilla (Oct 29, 2012)

Woweeee that stuff is 24 dollars where you are?? It's 20 here and I thought that was steep enough for only a 12 oz bag.... I watched a video on it once. Excellent food but the maker is not shy about putting a huge price tag on it.... 


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## 3gatos (Nov 28, 2012)

Yeah, qwerty just dropped the price, I think its $21 now, I haven't been able to be keeping up with my prices lately since its getting close to christmas, we are getting crazy busy. And I'm going to school. Not a good combination, lol


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## sara_michelle (Jan 17, 2012)

Hi, I just wanted to give a quick update. I ordered a sample box of Honest Kitchen, and Watson ignored it like usual :-/ The weird thing was Nori also refused to eat it, and she is a vacuum. Nori is also not touching her Fancy Feast much anymore. Both kitties are still gaga over ToTW (after they refuse to eat for 12+ hours I give them some dry as recommended per transition web-sites). I'm thinking I might just transition them to a better quality dry food in the end. I feel as though it is more important for them to eat in general than to eat the best food out there at the moment. Watson is especially looking very thin, and I am concerned about potentional health problems with that (fatty liver disease, etc.) I appreciate all of your advice and recommendations, and I will post an update if I ever find a wet food that my cats will eat.


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## Zilla (Oct 29, 2012)

Did you try putting a tiny bit of honest kitchen and then putting some kibble right next to it in the bowl.... Or some on top? And was it watery when you gave it to them or more pasty?? Cuz mine won't eat it if its to watery 


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## 3gatos (Nov 28, 2012)

I've also heard people heating up the honest kitchen in the micro wave for a few seconds. Apparently that brings out the flavor. My cats didn't like it either though, and they eat everything!


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## Zilla (Oct 29, 2012)

Well as long as you use warm water that should bring out the flavors.... You can't use cold or I would imagine that wouldn't taste very good lol 


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## sara_michelle (Jan 17, 2012)

Hi Zilla, I put warm water on the Honest Kitchen and it was still warm when I gave it to them. It was more of a paste-like consistency. Neither cat would eat it after a little while, so I put some dry food on top. They still would not eat it, so I took a piece of kibble and put a dab of HK on it and tried to give it to Watson which has worked in the past with wet food, and he wouldn't eat it. Nori would lick a little off my finger, but not much and she still wouldn't touch the bowl. It's disappointing, I was hoping this would be the one. If Nori doesn't like it, then I'm not hopeful for it haha.


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## Zilla (Oct 29, 2012)

Well if it makes you feel better it took mine more than once of me trying for them to get used to it and actually like it  but I guess there is pickier cats out there then my piglets lol 


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