Wet food transition issues and weight loss

[May & Mingau]

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!

 

[CORKY]

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!

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

 

[squeem3]

Have you tried the tips here? Transitioning your cat from dry to wet food

 

[May & Mingau]

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

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.

Have you tried the tips here? Transitioning your cat from dry to wet food

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.

 

[CORKY]

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