Wet food transition issues and weight loss

May & Mingau

May & Mingau

Member Since 2026
Hi everyone,

I’m struggling to transition my cats from dry food to wet food, especially my diabetic cat.

I have 3 cats total, and all of them have been eating dry food their whole lives. I’m trying to switch them to wet food (mainly for my diabetic cat, who also needs to gain weight), but they are not eating enough wet food.

They do eat wet food, but only very small amounts (about 1/3 of a pouch or less per meal, and 1 pouch per day). If I offer a small portion (like a spoon), they will finish it, but if I serve more, they stop eating quickly and walk away. They strongly prefer licking smooth textures (like blended wet food or Churu-type consistency) and completely ignore chunks, just lick around them. If I mix dry food into the wet food, they still don’t eat it properly.

If I offer dry food, they eat properly.

I've tried blending the wet food into a smooth texture, adding warm water, using Churu as a topper, feeding multiple times a day, but they still don't eat enough.

The problem is that Mingau needs to increase his calorie intake and gain weight, since he was hospitalized last week with pancreatitis and lost fat and muscle. I can't let him without eating properly. Any tips specifically for diabetic cats who need to gain weight but resist wet food?

Any advice would be really appreciated. I feel like they are willing to eat, but not enough to meet their daily needs.

Thank you!
 
May & Mingau said:
Hi everyone,

I’m struggling to transition my cats from dry food to wet food, especially my diabetic cat.

I have 3 cats total, and all of them have been eating dry food their whole lives. I’m trying to switch them to wet food (mainly for my diabetic cat, who also needs to gain weight), but they are not eating enough wet food.

They do eat wet food, but only very small amounts (about 1/3 of a pouch or less per meal, and 1 pouch per day). If I offer a small portion (like a spoon), they will finish it, but if I serve more, they stop eating quickly and walk away. They strongly prefer licking smooth textures (like blended wet food or Churu-type consistency) and completely ignore chunks, just lick around them. If I mix dry food into the wet food, they still don’t eat it properly.

If I offer dry food, they eat properly.

I've tried blending the wet food into a smooth texture, adding warm water, using Churu as a topper, feeding multiple times a day, but they still don't eat enough.

The problem is that Mingau needs to increase his calorie intake and gain weight, since he was hospitalized last week with pancreatitis and lost fat and muscle. I can't let him without eating properly. Any tips specifically for diabetic cats who need to gain weight but resist wet food?

Any advice would be really appreciated. I feel like they are willing to eat, but not enough to meet their daily needs.

Thank you!
Click to expand...
Yes I remember Mingau, well to successfully transition her to the wet food is simple, it looks like all your cats are kibbles and gravy junkies, all cats are, but the transition works this way, whatever amount of food you normally feed, remove 2tsps, replace them with the wet food, repeat for every meal removing more and more of the dry to the wet, are your cats on a schedule? since Mingau needs to eat between 3-4 small meals or snacks during the day, pls the two main meals before each shot, she will be full, I feed my cats 1/2 can (small cans of Fancy Feast) in each meal, and they are big cats, one is a1/2 Main Coon, They were kibble junkies too. have you switched them all to 0-10% carbs? and not grazing? that's what Mingau needs to eat.it should take about a full week before they are eating all wet, our cats know that we will bend, and satisfy them, but you can't, when you see you are determined, they will get the schedule very quick, and eat what you give, when and what, because they will be hungry, and your job will be done
 
CORKY said:
Yes I remember Mingau, well to successfully transition her to the wet food is simple, it looks like all your cats are kibbles and gravy junkies, all cats are, but the transition works this way, whatever amount of food you normally feed, remove 2tsps, replace them with the wet food, repeat for every meal removing more and more of the dry to the wet, are your cats on a schedule? since Mingau needs to eat between 3-4 small meals or snacks during the day, pls the two main meals before each shot, she will be full, I feed my cats 1/2 can (small cans of Fancy Feast) in each meal, and they are big cats, one is a1/2 Main Coon, They were kibble junkies too. have you switched them all to 0-10% carbs? and not grazing? that's what Mingau needs to eat.it should take about a full week before they are eating all wet, our cats know that we will bend, and satisfy them, but you can't, when you see you are determined, they will get the schedule very quick, and eat what you give, when and what, because they will be hungry, and your job will be done
Click to expand...

That's exactly what I've been doing for a while, but they still only lick the gravy and eat the dry food, leaving the rest behind. I remove the food, and at the next meal they do the same thing again. If I offer only wet food, they don’t eat enough and keep asking for dry food.

They are on a feeding schedule for more than a year already, usually 3 times a day. I am trying to make this transition specifically to get below 10% carbs.

My main concern, is Mingau losing more weight during the transition, since he refuses to eat enough. I was already trying to transitioning before his pancreatitis episode, but he stopped eating completely, and during hospitalization he went back to eating only dry food.

Right now, he looks very thin (his abdomen is quite sunken), so I’m not sure it’s safe to let him get too hungry in order to force the transition. I’m concerned that he could lose more weight or even stop eating again.

squeem3 said:
Have you tried the tips here? Transitioning your cat from dry to wet food
Click to expand...

Yes, I was following that article before his pancreatitis episode. But the recommendations there rely on letting the cat feel hungry to encourage eating wet food, and it even mentions that most cats lose weight during the process.

In my case, he has already lost significant weight, so I’m worried about pushing hunger too much and making things worse.
 
in the bowl, place 1/2 of the dry you are used to feeding, replace it with the low carb, but if it has gravy, then is not 10% or less gravies are high carbs,
it should be pates, mix the other half with the pate well enough that every kibble ha the pate, they might not eat it all, but slowly you will continue to remove more dry for the pate, they will eat, they will be hungry by the 3rd or pre shot feeding, keep trying don't give up, they want you to give up
 
CORKY said:
in the bowl, place 1/2 of the dry you are used to feeding, replace it with the low carb, but if it has gravy, then is not 10% or less gravies are high carbs,
it should be pates, mix the other half with the pate well enough that every kibble ha the pate, they might not eat it all, but slowly you will continue to remove more dry for the pate, they will eat, they will be hungry by the 3rd or pre shot feeding, keep trying don't give up, they want you to give up
Click to expand...
I'm following this approach, but they are still eating much less overall. They leave a significant amount of food in the bowl, they're not eating all the kcal they need, even after going 12 hours without eating. I'm still trying, but can't believe it's this hard to make them understand that they're carnivores.
Yesterday, Mingau refused to eat anything at all, so I had to give him mirtazapine, and then his appetite came back. He's very thin right now, I'll try to upload a photo later.
Also, his vet just ignored me when I said that his BG was high, so I'm trying to readjust his insulin dose by myself. Any help with that would be greatly appreciated.
 
The MIRATZ is to be 3-5 days exchanging ears every day I will tag a member that can assist you with dosing as well
 
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He's currently taking oral mirtazapine 2mg tablets, one tablet every 48 hours, as recommended by his vet.

On March 26th, he weighed 10.7 pounds. Now he is 9.6 pounds, so he has already lost a noticeable amount of weight in a short period.
 
186160.jpg
 
I thought you were using the MIRATZ in gel form that is applied on the inner fold of the ear, I know this one works almost immediately, is he feeding several small snack or meals during the day? Even though he’s not hungry? Is he eating a little bit? He does look thin, and Ketones when Ketones present food is the best medicine, one of the factor for high BGs are Ketones
 
I'm trying to feed him 3 to 4 times a day, twice in the morning and twice at night. He acts like he is hungry and asks for food, but when I offer it, he still only eats small amounts. I'm buying other canned foods to see if there's one that he likes more. Unfortunately I can't find canned Fancy feast here in Brazil.

Maybe it's not obvious in the photo, but he's really thin. His abdomen looks very sunken and I can clearly see his spine.
 
May & Mingau said:
I'm trying to feed him 3 to 4 times a day, twice in the morning and twice at night. He acts like he is hungry and asks for food, but when I offer it, he still only eats small amounts. I'm buying other canned foods to see if there's one that he likes more. Unfortunately I can't find canned Fancy feast here in Brazil.

Maybe it's not obvious in the photo, but he's really thin. His abdomen looks very sunken and I can clearly see his spine.
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Well, here’s most likely hungry and Ketones play a big part, let me tag a couple of member if they are available they can give you a wider input
@Wendy&Neko
@Christie & Maverick
ketones are present, very high BGs losing weight, could you help Mingau’s mom May with answers
 
CORKY said:
Well, here’s most likely hungry and Ketones play a big part, let me tag a couple of member if they are available they can give you a wider input
@Wendy&Neko
@Christie & Maverick
ketones are present, very high BGs losing weight, could you help Mingau’s mom May with answers
Click to expand...

I noticed that some foods, like Whiskas pâté, appear to be extremely low in carbohydrates based on the guaranteed analysis (And Mingau liked it, which is awesome!). However, they contain ingredients like gums, and I often see people speaking negatively about them.

In your experience, how much do those ingredients actually matter? Would it be better to prioritize lower carbs even if the ingredient list is less “ideal,” or choose foods with “better” ingredients but higher carbs?
 
here's is a thread that can answer your questions about what's in your cats food, higher carbs higher glucose levels and more damage to the pancreas and can result in kidney problems ;)
Also know that any food transition needs to be a slow one, not to upset the stomach
Info - Know What’s In Your Cat’s Food
 
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We have a food list for MEXICO AND ARGENTINA FOOD CHARTS maybe there are some low carb options you can get in Brazil on that list. Feeding higher carb foods makes it harder to regulate the cat's blood sugars. Looks for foods that are 10% carbs or below as their main food. Another option is to make your own cat food. One recipe is here: Making Cat Food

A cat's tolerance to gums varies. Some cats with IBD can't handle them. I try to limit how much of them I feed, but I have an IBD cat.
 
CORKY said:
here's is a thread that can answer your questions about what's in your cats food, higher carbs higher glucose levels and more damage to the pancreas and can result in kidney problems ;)
Also know that any food transition needs to be a slow one, not to upset the stomach
Info - Know What’s In Your Cat’s Food
Click to expand...
Thank you, that's very helpful!

Wendy&Neko said:
We have a food list for MEXICO AND ARGENTINA FOOD CHARTS maybe there are some low carb options you can get in Brazil on that list. Feeding higher carb foods makes it harder to regulate the cat's blood sugars. Looks for foods that are 10% carbs or below as their main food. Another option is to make your own cat food. One recipe is here: Making Cat Food

A cat's tolerance to gums varies. Some cats with IBD can't handle them. I try to limit how much of them I feed, but I have an IBD cat.
Click to expand...
Thank you for your reply!

The vet said there's a strong suspicion of IBD in his case, but he hasn't had a biopsy and doesn't have diarrhea. He has what appears to be a chronic intestinal inflammation, and he used to have regular vomiting, which stopped after hospitalization and treatment with corticosteroids.

It has been difficult to find food <10% carbs here in Brazil. The ones that are truly low carb, contain gums like carrageenan or guar gum. He did eat Whiskas pâté and others and hasn't shown any symptoms so far, but I admit I am a bit concerned about it in the long term.

I've been looking into this homemade diet, but they refused to eat most of the food that I tried to offer, like chicken or meat, so I believe acceptance would be very difficult. But that's something I would like to try soon.
 
You can make home made food with a meal completer - but I don't know if those are available where you live or you can get them shipped to you. With a meal completer, you just add it and water to meat. Sometimes you have to add an egg or liver - depending on the product. Three I know of are FoodFurLife's EZComplete, TCFeline products, and Alnutrin by Know What You Feed. This website also lists a made from scratch recipe. Making Cat Food. Starting with the meat to see what they like is a good start.
 
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