# Trying to make some healthy kitties



## thenakedorchid (Sep 15, 2010)

Hi! I found this forum because I'm looking for help in transitioning my new cat, a recent adoptee, to a canned food diet, and then eventually a raw meaty bones diet. I also plan to transition another cat who I'm adopting this weekend. They both came to me grown, so I have a challenge ahead of me.

I tried to feed my cat, Sabrina, a tiny bit of wet food today underneath her dry food. She wouldn't touch it. She still wouldn't touch it after I poured a new bowl of dry without any wet food at all. She's sitting on my bed now, hungry and all martyred and stuff. I've got a drama queen on my hands. I know I can't let her go long without eating. Does anyone else have suggestions for extremely finicky cats? It was a really small smidgeon of wet food, really... and now she's boycotted eating for god knows how long.

My precious, sweet Ellie-cat died some four months ago due to a degenerative neurological disease at a relatively young age (between 8-10). I tried several times during the years to transition her, but she wasn't having it, either. I don't want that to happen to Sabrina! Or the new one coming this weekend.


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## Susan (Mar 29, 2010)

I recently transitioned my two cats from dry to wet, after trying for four months without success. The approach I used was based on tips outlined in an article I read. I described what worked for me in an earlier response to another member in connection with a somewhat similar issue. Below is the link to that thread (my post on pg 2 of the thread also contains a link to the article). I don't know if this approach will work for you, but it worked for me. 

http://www.catforum.com/forum/38-he...y-grain-free-minced-pate-cat-food-brands.html


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## Ummm (Jul 16, 2010)

I'd just try different brand/texture, in a separate bowl/plate from the dry, until you find one she likes!

When we got our first cat, his foster mum gave us a can of wet food (eagle pack holistic) and he won't eat it, but ate the dry food fine. Then I tried different ones, like the fancy feast poach, wellness poach, wellness canned, and he'd eat them without problem, sometimes even eating the wet food BEFORE the dry (he seems to like the pate less). So he probably just didn't like the eagle pack for some reasons.

I've also gavin him some plain boiled chicken and he really likes that! Gave him the broth the chicken was boiled in (no salt) and he licked it all.

So try different brand, different protein, different texture (gravy, pate, chucks etc) and hopefully you'd find one she'd like!


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## thenakedorchid (Sep 15, 2010)

Thanks for your answers! Susan, I've pretty much pulled the "wet or nothing" tonight, since Sabrina is refusing to eat. I've already transitioned her to scheduled feedings, only two a day. We'll see how she does tomorrow morning, I'm sure she'll be very hungry. 



> b) Once they are used to being fed dry food on a schedule, you then offer them the wet food and, if they don’t eat it, too bad until next time. The hope is that hunger will eventually get the better of them.


How long is too long to wait for hunger to get the best of them? The last thing I want is for her to develop hepatic lipidosis. It's tempting to try this approach, but I'm afraid of her getting sick.


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## Susan (Mar 29, 2010)

The article says it’s best not to let them go without food longer than 24 hours, although I would imagine that would depend on the weight of the cat, how much it normally eats, age, overall health, etc. That is, I think you’d want to more careful with an overweight cat or a cat that normally eats a lot, etc. Abby is very tiny, weighs only 7.5 lbs, and when she was eating dry, she only ate about ¼ cup per day. She’s also very young (15 months) and in excellent health. On Day 1, Abby went without food for a full 24 hours, before I broke down and gave her dry. I gave her ¼ cup, and she only ate half of it, despite not having eaten all day. On Day 2, she went another day (perhaps 20 hours). I didn’t want to give in again (seemed to defeat the purpose), and despite not having eaten, she was still very active and not showing any other negative signs. So I started trying to finger feed her, and she finally started to accept the wet (of course at that point she’d had less than ¼ cup of dry in 48 hours). Once I got her to at least start accepting the wet from my finger, she got a little better each time. Long story short, I don’t think I’d let Sabrina go hungry for more than 24 hours. But each time you feed her, try a new “trick”, whether it’s finger feeding, sprinkling kibble pepper on top of the food, or any other the other tricks noted in the article. Hopefully, one or more of them will work for you. Good luck!


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## thenakedorchid (Sep 15, 2010)

I tried to continue this in the Nutrition forum, since I've already made my three posts here in the places I was told to do so... but my posting priviledges seem to still be limited. 

I don't know what to do with this cat. She has now gone 24 hrs without eating. She won't eat anything anymore! Not even her usual dry kibble. Talk about going on strike.


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## Susan (Mar 29, 2010)

A few questions: Has Sabrina eaten since you posted a few hours ago? Is she still active and does she appear to be in good health otherwise? How old is she and how much does she weigh? Has she had a very recent vet check-up and was she in good health?

I can't help you with your posting problems, although you should be able to post anywhere now. Hopefully, a mod will come along and fix the problem if it still exists.


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## thenakedorchid (Sep 15, 2010)

Thanks for replying, Susan!As of now Sabrina still hasn't eaten. She's 2.5 yrs old and about 10 lbs. She has been behaving normally other than not eating, still playing once in awhile. She is acting a bit reproachful, however; not being quite as cuddly as she was before I attempted the transition. I brought her to the vet for an exam this past Monday and she's healthy.


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## Susan (Mar 29, 2010)

I'm sorry to hear that, although it's good to hear she's still active and in good health otherwise. They can be stubborn, can't they! I am, however, surprised that she's even refusing the dry food that she was previously eating. I'm not sure what you've tried so far, but a few suggestions (pick whichever you haven't already tried or whichever makes most sense to you): (a) finger feeding while sitting beside her bowl, (b) perhaps try giving her a treat or two with your hand close to the feeding bowl...if she gets something in her stomach it might remind her she's hungry and she might turn her attention to the food bowl close by, (c) try warming the food a little bit since that will make it a bit more "smelly", which might entice her, (d) leave some dry food down for awhile and see if she goes to it of her own accord, (e) put a few treats on top of the dry to see if that gets her started, (f) put some tuna water on the wet and see if that gets her interest (no salt/onion in the tuna water), (g) try giving her some "people" food (shredded chicken, deli turkey or similar)...not as a regular diet but just to get her eating something and, hopefully, picking up her interest in food, or (h) any of the suggestions noted in the article that you haven't already tried. Keep us posted.


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## marie73 (Jul 12, 2006)

Welcome!

You should be able to post anywhere now.


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## thenakedorchid (Sep 15, 2010)

She finally ate something! I fed her dry food tonight because it had been about 36 hours since she last ate. She gulped it down in a hurry. Tomorrow I'll try some more tricks with the wet food, thanks for referring me to that article. Now I'm just going to need some moral support throughout the process because I can tell she's going to be a stinker and I'm going to need help with not giving up. I just added her pic to my siggy, isn't she pretty!


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## Susan (Mar 29, 2010)

Sabrina is indeed very pretty and, it would appear, quite the drama queen! I'm really happy to hear that she finally ate something. I also had to break down and give my drama queen (Abby) her beloved dry kibble on Day 1, but by Day 2 she gave in and started to eat the wet. So, don't lose hope! Keep trying some of the different tricks to get her to eat the wet and, hopefully, you'll soon find one that will work for her.


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## OctoberinMaine (Sep 12, 2006)

When I transitioned Murphy to wet food, I made the mistake of thinking that once he sniffed it, turned up his nose, and walked away, that meant he wasn't havin' it. I later figured out that if I just left it there, he'd come back later and eat it. He just needed a proper introduction that included a good, long waiting time.


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