we have a ginger cat who is around a year old, we got him when he was about 6 months, he found our way to us after some people abondend him in the road (they chucked him out and drove off) and he is loving the pounches of wet food, but our other 2 cats are happy on biscuits and we want him to join them on the dry sutff as the wet stuff stinks and is expensive (he eats 4-ish a day, shares 1 or 2 with another cat), so whats the best way to get him off the stuff?
Whether you agree or disagree, here’s my take on your situation:-
I wonder if you have valid reasons to wean your cats off wet food. If it’s because of convenient, I would suggest that you try to place your cats health over your own needs. If it’s because of price, please understand that what your cat eat will determine their quality of life and in the long run, save your many expensive trips to the vet. If it’s because all cats eat dry food after kittenhood, take a moment to visit this website:-
http://www.catinfo.org
This may not be the answer you are looking for, but I am just suggesting that you try to rethink your decision after doing your own research into why cat needs wet food and why dry food is detrimental to their health.
http://www.littlebigcat.com/?action=libr …
If after careful consideration, you still think that you have to feed your cat dry food, then go for the best and highest quality product in the market:-
EVO
http://www.evopet.com/products/default.a …
WELLNESS CORE
http://www.wellnesspetfood.com/cat_welln …
ORIJEN
http://www.championpetfoods.com/orijen/o …
Timberwolf Serengeti Feline Diet
http://www.onlynaturalpet.com/product_de …
Felidae Cat and Kitten
http://www.canidae.com/cats/cat_and_kitt …
You already have some answers on how to wean the cats off wet and onto dry. My suggestion would be, feed a combo of wet and dry. Please do not deprive your cats of a wet diet. You can do 50/50 or better yet 80(wet)/20(dry).
take care of my cat | Jun 15, 2008
Start off with the dry food soaked thoroughly in warm water. soft enough so you can almost mash it.
Everyday, reduce the amount of the water imperceptibly. Eventually, it will be dry. Say 2-3 weeks.
Don’t be concerned if he doesn’t eat it. When he gets hungry, he will.
Dry food gives them all the nutrients they need, plus it’s good for their teeth.
BSE infection is derived from meat meal in the canned cat food. That is why it has been banned in France and Japan and some other countries. There are always more "recalls" on canned cat/dog food than on kibble.
Jay | Jun 15, 2008
easy as pie just don’t give the cat wet food but twice a day(breakfast and dinner) he should eat wet food because wet food prevents certain illnesses
if kitty requests wet food more frequently offer dry food
dot | Jun 15, 2008
I know you dont want to hear it, but wet food is much better for your cat. Their bodies are not designed to process the dry food and they need to process water IN their food (like meat). For more information read here:
http://www.catinfo.org/
jamers | Jun 15, 2008
just slowly mix the dry food in with the wet food until you just have dry food he’s eating. good luck
julieannfayhee | Jun 15, 2008
start giving him less of the wet stuff so that he eats the dry when he’s hungry. start only giving him 1 pouch in the morning and 1 in the evening- so that he has to get used to eating the dry stuff, and then, move to 1 pouch a day, and then, stop with the wet food so he is eating only dry.
cnuswte | Jun 15, 2008
Try soaking the dry in hot water & mashing it up, then mix it with the canned food. Slowly put less & less of the canned into the mix. When it’s pure soaked dry food taper off on the water till it’s plain dry he’s eating. Or just stop the canned cold turkey. He’ll cry & go on a hunger strike for a day or two, then realize that’s all he’s getting.
ebonyruffles | Jun 15, 2008
start by reduding the amount he has everyday . just have one satchet a day split in to his meal mixed with the dry biscuits . i generally think you would be better keeping him on that one satchet a day mixed in . especially if he is used to it . some cats just generally do not like dry biscuits all the time ,mine doesn,t . to save money get a couple of cans of cat food you can buy the lids for the tins so they do not smell . a tin last longer so will save money . best of luck .
Teresa B | Jun 15, 2008
Let me start off by saying that I strongly believe wet foods are better than dry. Ancestors of house cats are desert animals. Their bodies are designed to absorb moisture from food (muscle meats, blood..etc.). House cat on kibbles do drink water. In fact, they drink a lot more water than their wild siblings. Problem is, cat’s digestive system is so short that there’s not enough time for the water to rehydrate the food. Kibbles, instead of providing the necessary moisture to a cat’s body, absorb moisture from the cat’s own body in order for the stomach to digest. This is part of the reason why kidney failure is such a common problem in house cats nowadays.
As for can food being expensive, all I can say is: vet bills is more expensive than any food in the world.
That being said, if you would like to switch your cat to dry kibbles, or any food for that matter, add a little bit of the new food to his old food. Gradually increase the amount of the new food until he is completely switched over. Give it at least 2 weeks up to a month for the changeover.
Susie
http://www.2forks.com
Susie Y | Jun 15, 2008
With such a head start on wet food you may never get him entirely fixed on dry foods, but you could make a start by gradually mixing kitten dried in with his wet food – start with about 25% dry, and work up until he is literally only eating dry food slightly moistened by wet.
Whatever you do, please don’t take the "eat it or starve" route. cats are one of the few mammals who actually do choose to die first …. not literally choose, but they will refuse something they don’t like long enough to cause a chemical change in the body which causes a fatal liver change. And they do die.
I think you can probably get him most of the way, even if he never eats plain dried!
SiamSally | Jun 15, 2008
Canned cat food is 70% water and tends to give most cat runny stools. Start mixing dry food in with the wet and gradually increase the amount every day until it’s all dry. Take note that any sudden change in diet can cause diarrhea. Make sure you always feed cats "cat food", it has a special ingredient called Taurine that all cats need. Check the labels on the bag. The first ingredient should be some kind of meat instead of a bulking agent—-like corn husks or something crazy like that. Cats and dogs need to eat mostly dry food because it helps clean the teeth. Large amounts of plaque on the teeth can cause gingivitis which can lead to periodontal disease which can cause kidney failure in cats.
Michelle M | Jun 15, 2008
Why would you want to do that? you have things backwards as it should be the other way around. When you say less expensive, you are not counting vet bills
Nutrition since there are so many bad things out there is very important to your cat
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