Question
I have two cats they are brother and sister. They are refusing to eat their wet food. I tried many brands: Applaws, Royal Canin, Hill's (out of question), Schesir, Cosma nature.
They have no problem whatsoever with their dry food (Royal Canin Vet Care Nutrition). I tried to feed them broasted chicken and they ate all of it. With treats they have no problem at all. They eat all of the bag that I get them.
They have access to dry food 24/7, their bowl is always filled. I feed them wet food twice a day, at 8:00 AM and 7:00 PM.
- Is there something that I can do to change their habit?
- Is it possible to mix the wet and dry food together? So that I can feed them just twice a day and remove the dry food bowl?
- Should I take them to the vet?
Answer
There are a couple of things you can try, one is to heat the wet food to body temperature; this is to make the smell a bit more inviting for your cats and the temperature will be more like the body temperature of your cats' natural prey.
Another thing is the texture of the food. Most cats like chewy food better than the pate type of texture. If at all possible, try to give your cats the wet food in a glass bowl. Some cats try to avoid metal and plastic bowls.
If your cats are eating the normal amount of food and are drinking water, there is no need to take them to the vet for now.
Your cats will get all nutrients they need from the dry food, so they will be fine; it is not a problem for cats to eat the same food every day.
I do understand your wish to give your cats several types of food and I think it is good for cats to have some variation in their diet and the extra water in wet food can make the cats' urine less concentrated, so it can help prevent urinary problems.
You can try to mix wet and dry food, but there is a risk your cats will eat less if you do; it might be better to remove the dry food for 2-3 hours before you try to give them the wet food.
Answered By - trond hansen