Advice for Switching to Wet Food

Status
Not open for further replies.
Chris & Cheshire

Chris & Cheshire

Member Since 2013
I'm pretty new around here, and like many others, I've switched my cats from convenient dry food to not-so-convenient wet food. I'm learning all new patterns with my cats, and they're making the adjustment ok.

Still, I can't help but think that the cat experts on this board probably have a lot of wisdom and tips about feeding wet food.

So, what're your best tips for making the transition easy? Feeding wet food more quickly, efficiently, and with less mess? Any tips specifically about wet food and diabetic cats? Do you smoosh up the pate, or just let them eat it in a brick? Is it best to stick with one flavor, or rotate?

I'll start...

1. Rinse the cans out before putting them in the recycling bin. Two days later, your nose will thank you. Turn the water on full-blast and the cans rinse out quickly.

2. My cats seem to like a flatter dish for wet food. They liked a deep bowl for kibble (I think because it helped keep the kibbles in one spot to grab from), but I think the flatter dish makes it easier to eat without getting food stuck on their face.

3. You have to shop a lot more often - one bag kibble might last weeks. It takes a lot of cans to equal that. Get over the awkwardness and just buy 40 cans when it's on sale. You just have to accept that, yes, you are a crazy cat person. :)
 
Chris & Cheshire said:
Do you smoosh up the pate, or just let them eat it in a brick?
Click to expand...

I think a lot of people here "smoosh" it up with added water to help make sure their kitties are getting enough fluids. I do that also because I'm mixing in Metamucil for constipation and methyl-B12 tablets for neuropathy.

And it's so true, I totally feel like the crazy cat person when I buy all those little cans. (Why is that, anyway?) But see if I care - my cat is shiny and dandruff-free for the first time in her life, so now I feel like an idiot that I ever fed her kibble!
 
I actually brush rinse the cans - I collect them for a gal that recycles them to help fund TNR and feral colony feeding. Aluminum gets more money than steel, so I separate them if I have enough aluminum.

Any food transitions should be done slowly to reduce GI upset - you really don't want to clean it up, and in a diabetic, it can mess with the glucose control.

Rotating foods is an option if your cat doesn't have a tempermental GI tract. I feed all 14 the same thing.

I don't feed beef or fish labelled foods, though some products put some of those ingredients in anyway. When did you ever see a housecat tackle a cow and bring it down? Go diving and catch a salmon or trout?

My cats all love pill pockets, so I use the chicken ones to get pills down when needed.
 
Great tips thanks!

How is Cheshire doing? Now that you have switched to wet you should check around +4 to make sure he isnt dropping too low and then bouncing back up by shot time.

Also any thoughts on moving to a better insulin?
 
1. Keep trying. It may take time to find a flavor Cheshire likes.

2. Use those tips from the Transitioning Cats from Dry to Wet food document Larry pointed you to. I probably used most of them to transient my foster Wink from dry to wet. Can you say 'Dry Food Additct'?

3. I add about 1 Tablespoon of water to the food to keep it from drying out. Had to do that a lot at the beginning when Wink was still refusing to eat canned food.

4. Smooshed up with water til about the consistency of applesauce.

5. Keep trying. Oh, yeah, I already said that. ohmygod_smile Bears repeating.
 
1. I mush their food with water. This helps keep their food longer (up to 12 hours or more) and keeps them well-hydrated. I only clean out their water bowl about once a week as a formality since neither cat ever drinks from the water bowl. The first sign to me that something might be off is if one of them goes to the water dish to drink (one of them goes to the water dish all the time...to play!).

2. I use the can the cat food comes in to measure the water out that I put in their food so that rinses the can clean for tossing/recycling. Half a 5.5oz can of water to a full 5.5oz can of food...as much water as I can get into it without it being "watery" (otherwise the cats won't eat it).

3a. I sprinkle Parmesan or freeze-dried treats on top when they're being finicky (usually because I made it too watery).
3b. I supplement as another topping about 20% or less of pure protein (like a raw or plain-broiled chicken breast) or Tiki Cat Chicken (too expensive to feed to them exclusively) to give them a protein boost and provide a different texture within the Pate Mush.

4. I buy three or four cases of cat food at a time (more if they're on sale). My brother keeps telling me I should find some way to just buy in bulk direct from the manufacturer since it's not like I won't use them all up in time (I just haven't gotten around to looking up how to go about doing this, besides I think I might need a distributor or reseller license or something...).

5. I bought a faux leather placemat for a couple of bucks and I use that under their food dishes. It's easy to rinse off and dries quickly. They are MESSY EATERS!
cat-eating.gif
 
KPassa - parmesan cheese is a fantastic tip. They freaking love it. Great for times when they're being a little finicky. And I've definitely noticed the messiness... jeez, they get food splattered two feet away. It's crazy.

Hey Wendy - yeah, I'm definitely going to have to switch insulins. He's getting too high by 12+. My good intentions haven't materialized into getting a curve done yet... it's on my list, the weekends are just full. Excuses, excuses...

Amy - definitely agree about feeling foolish for ever feeding them kibble. I just had no idea. Dry food should have a warning label on it...

BJM - I see your point about beef, and figured they wouldn't like it based on that logic. But oddly it's one of their favorites. They're big on chicken, beef and turkey in that order, and completely shun seafood. *shrug*. Back when Cheshire was his fighting weight, he was a solid cat; I could see him taking down a mini-cow calf, haha! :)

And finally, Larry - that PDF is awesome. Every time I have a question, someone here has the answer and explanation compiled and documented; it's amazing. We really ought to pull all the resources together and self-publish an e-book on Amazon to help fund the site.
 
To add to your list -- I bought flat salad plates from Target because I read that cats like to eat from the outside in because that is where the water goes. I put lots of water in with any food I feed my cats (Raw mix or canned) and watch them lick the plate from the outside in. I too have to clean the dust out of the water bowl once a week because they never use it.

In transitioning one of my stubborn civvies to Raw, Fortiflora was the answer. I cover the top of the raw meal with it and he gobbles what he used to regard as "you expect me to eat that" like it is that long lost dry food I snatched from under their noses earlier this year. The tricks on catinfo.org really work with a lot of patience (because once they know they can manipulate you - it's over). There were days that I had to remind myself that the investment in the grinder was only justified by the commitment to complete and forever removal of dry food from their diet.

Good luck to you.
 
Chris & Cheshire said:
KPassa - parmesan cheese is a fantastic tip. They freaking love it. Great for times when they're being a little finicky. And I've definitely noticed the messiness... jeez, they get food splattered two feet away. It's crazy.
Click to expand...

My one cat, Henry, loves it so much that he'll climb into the fridge every chance he gets to knock the parmesan off the shelf. If he had opposable thumbs, he'd be pouring that parm on his food himself! :lol:
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top