Wet food for kitties

[7rider]

Is this what happens when Kitty gets too much dry food?

[BleeckerSt_Girl]

Is this what happens when Kitty gets too much dry food?

If that's a dead kitten....then yes.

(just kidding!!!!!)

[rocknrollgirl]

Is this what happens when Kitty gets too much dry food?

That is the cutest thing ever!!!!

[RolliePollie]

OMG, that kitten picture is too cute!!!

Feeding is quite a dilemma at my house because my two cats are polar opposites when it comes to food. One is finicky and underweight while the other will eat anything and is overweight. I would be totally willing to make fresh food for them if I thought there was any chance the skinny cat would eat it! But she turns up her nose at wet food, meat, and fish!

The best solution I've come up with it to free-feed dry food because the skinny kitty will actually eat it. But then of course my fat kitty overeats. I tried having feeding times twice a day but my skinny cat wouldn't feel like eating at those times and I didn't want her to starve, so I felt like I had to put the dry food back out again.

My vet suggested adding canned pumpking to my fat cat's diet to fill her up and to prevent furballs. So she gets 2-3 Tbsp. a day (she loves it!) and she's lost about 2 pounds in the last year. And her furball problem is a lot better too. My skinny cat gets Nutrical (high calorie molasses-y stuff which for some reason she'll actually eat) several times a week and she's put on about 1/4 lb., which is quite a bit when you only weigh 6-1/2 pounds.

[bmccasland]

My vet suggested adding canned pumpking to my fat cat's diet to fill her up and to prevent furballs. So she gets 2-3 Tbsp. a day (she loves it!) and she's lost about 2 pounds in the last year. And her furball problem is a lot better too. My skinny cat gets Nutrical (high calorie molasses-y stuff which for some reason she'll actually eat) several times a week and she's put on about 1/4 lb., which is quite a bit when you only weigh 6-1/2 pounds.

I have a fat cat / skinny cat problem too, and when I get back from vacation, I'll have to try the canned pumpkin for fat Herald. Where did you get the Nutrical? Meanwhile the kitties will board at the vet, so fatty's diet will be monitored, and Bonnie will get all the food she wants (+ her thyroid pills 2x/day). Two more work days, then camping! No electronic means of communication for a week!!!! They won't be able to find me!!!

[RolliePollie]

I have a fat cat / skinny cat problem too, and when I get back from vacation, I'll have to try the canned pumpkin for fat Herald. Where did you get the Nutrical? Meanwhile the kitties will board at the vet, so fatty's diet will be monitored, and Bonnie will get all the food she wants (+ her thyroid pills 2x/day). Two more work days, then camping! No electronic means of communication for a week!!!! They won't be able to find me!!!

I found Nutri-cal at a local feed store but I'm sure you can get it online too. She actually likes Laxatone better (kitty laxative made by the same company) and sometimes I have to give her a little lick of that to convince her she likes the Nutri-cal too!

Mimi - I tried several different scenarios to convince my skinny kitty to eat at specific feeding times, but I guess she's just more stubborn than most because nothing worked. I really think this is a cat who only eats the bare minimum to survive. She has just never been interested in eating. The looks she gives me when I try to get her to eat are really pretty funny. She looks at me like I'm totally nuts!

[Biciclista]

Mimi - I tried several different scenarios to convince my skinny kitty to eat at specific feeding times, but I guess she's just more stubborn than most because nothing worked. I really think this is a cat who only eats the bare minimum to survive. She has just never been interested in eating. The looks she gives me when I try to get her to eat are really pretty funny. She looks at me like I'm totally nuts!

how long did you try?

[BleeckerSt_Girl]

Whenever my cats get a change in diet (like from pellets to canned, or from regular to organic, changes like that in my pursuit to keep them healthy), they absolutely refuse to touch the new stuff at all. But after 3 or 4 days of literally starving, they always seem to miraculously change their minds. It takes will power on my part to 'allow' them the time to reconsider their preferences.
The last change a few months ago from dry pellets to canned wet food was the most difficult. It took several days and they were adamant about not eating canned food. But....hunger won out in the end, and now they dont' even care much for pellets at all and they just love the canned food that they despised before!
Funny what actual hunger will do for an appetite.

I have several friends with grossly obese cats who tell me their cats 'hardly eat anything' and they can't imagine why they are so fat. Then I see that they have GIGANTIC bowls brimming with pellets set out and they admit that the bowls are out and available 24 hours a day....but that their cats "really don't eat that much"!
Of course the cats are always waddling about like grotesque walruses during this discussion and can barely even clean or groom themselves anymore they are so fat.
Putting out 24-hour-a-day bowls of pellets is a recipe for obese cats.

Underweight elderly cats are a different problem altogether though.

[Biciclista]

OMG, that kitten picture is too cute!!!

Feeding is quite a dilemma at my house because my two cats are polar opposites when it comes to food. One is finicky and underweight while the other will eat anything and is overweight. I would be totally willing to make fresh food for them if I thought there was any chance the skinny cat would eat it! But she turns up her nose at wet food, meat, and fish!

I think if you picked the food up after 30 minutes and fed them 2x a day it wouldn't take skinny cat too long to figure out that he'd better eat while it's down there.
Now, if skinny cat is really old, this probably won't work> I also assume you are not expecting them to eat together out of the same bowl.

If you continue feeding the way I suggested, also put skinny cat in room with door shut with her food. if you'd even do that for 10 minutes it gives her a head start without fat cat running her off.

IMHO free feeding for an obese cat is a quick death sentence.