Cat gone off all high quality wet food - help!

[miggleswiff]

We got a 2 year old rescue cat about 6 months ago. She was originally fed on Felix but when I did a bit of research I wasn't happy giving her such low quality food. So I bought a few different things from Zooplus - Bovita, which she loved at first but now will only lick off the jelly/sauce, Animonda Carny, which again she loved at first but now won't eat, and Smilla, which she will sometimes eat small portion of but not much at all.

I buy good quality grain free dry food from our local pet shop but I am worried about her kidneys/general health with not eating much wet food.

The only food she goes nuts for is the tuna/fish ones from Smilla but I've read that its not good to give them too much fish so I stopped buying those.

I would really appreciate any advice - thanks!

They're funny little sods, and it doesn't surprise me at all.

I'm sure one of the veterans will be along shortly to advise if there's any deeper meaning, but I've been a cat mum for 7 years and mine has done the same.

He's often turned his nose up at the Sheba I've put down and gone to one of the neighbours to see what they're offering. Then, when I've put the same thing down for his tea he's eaten it like I haven't fed him for weeks!

The warnings about fish are to do with the levels of mercury, I think, but in tins of tuna rather than tuna flavoured cat fish.

As long as she has access to water, she will be fine if she just eats the dry food but she might just continue to pick and choose.

Applaws dried food is what we feed our cat along with a couple of small sachets of wet food which he sometimes eats but mostly doesn't!

I also give him raw beef which seems to hit the spot when he seems fussy.

I got 2 rescues about 3 months ago. Was told 1 only ate dry food. They seemed right until I bought thrive wet, which she loves. She also likes the sauce on James wellbeloved turkey pouches. I have to vary the flavours though. I wasn't overly happy about her just eating dry so it was a relief.

Okay apart from the brands you've tried, I think some of the best foods are Thrive, Nature's Menu and Lily's Kitchen. Next tier would be James Wellbeloved and possibly High Life. I have yet to see a cat turn down Thrive (it's 100% meat or fish) but it's damned expensive, so you might consider giving some Thrive and supplementing with a midrange food to make it go further.

Have you tried Wainwrights tuna from Pets At Home? My fussy little sod loved it for a while and I keep meaning to get him some more.

Think Thrive's about 75% meat in wet, 90% in dry and 100% in the treats. There's a new range of organic pouches that I haven't tried yet, not sure what the % in those is.

I've got the cat that won't touch Thrive wet food. He is incredibly, stupidly fussy. He'll usually eat Applaws wet tuna, or tuna/seaweed, but even then can turn up his nose some days for no reason at all. He always has dry food available so I don't worry, but it does sometimes irritate me that sometimes he turns his nose up at food he has eaten previously for no obvious reason. He can also tell if the tin has been open for more than an hour, even when stored with a lid in in the fridge partner brings it back up to room temperature before offering it up but I am less obliging and he won't touch it. Luckily girlcat is less fussy so I let them both stay

Mr T did almost exactly this last year! Thrive do a cat food topper which you can sprinkle on top of the food to make it more appealing (look on Amazon), or I've found crushing a couple of dreamies and sprinkling them on top of the food can also help and is much cheaper than thrive.

Other zooplus options that Mr T still likes are granatapet, feringa menu duo and the catessy foil trays (catessy trays are a bit crappy but grain and sugar free at least)

There's a Sainsbury's tuna and shrimp posh one that is very popular with mine. Think it's 55p a pouch and 45% tuna 4% shrimp. Doesn't help if you're avoiding fish though!

Mine don't like Lily's kitchen at all. Tried cosma tuna, not happy. It doesn't help that I stick to complete instead of complementary food.

Ours has applaws dry food but has a tin a day of the applaws complimentary wet food (code for : saw you coming, sucker!) . We put the water bowl away from both.

I love how other people on here cater to their feline overlords as obediently as I do .

My new rescue refused nature's menu wet, lily's kitchen wet, applaws wet....I was getting a bit concerned as I was keen for him to eat some wet food for digestive and urinary health reasons. But he does like royal canin wet, possibly because it was chunks on gravy rather than the pate consistency? So he has the neutered weight maintenance royal canin wet and some applaws dry food, which he likes a lot. Royal canin is not the highest meat content but he is eating it at least.

My kitten has gone off all her wet food. Feel bad reading this as I've only ever tried supermarket brands, Whiskas and Felix etc. I didn't realise they were so bad. Should we be getting organic stuff? She does seem to love Felix, Sheba and waitrose own brand wet food but they make her absolutely reek. We've currently got about four different boxes on the go but she's eating none of it and just having her dry food.

Mine loves Thrive, never shown any sign of being bored of it - most un-cat-like! Also raw chicken wings, recommended by vet for plaque on teeth.

My cat master won't eat anything fishy! Also doesn't like posh food, much prefers supermarket own brand as long as it is not fishy

My cat master won't eat anything fishy! Also doesn't like posh food, much prefers supermarket own brand as long as it is not fishy

Ozzy's not a big wet food eater. Half a pouch on a good day.

He loves his kitten milk though which the vet was pleased to hear. Keep on trying with the wet food, but if not, it might be a way to get fluid in him.

Try Nature's Menu and/or Lily's Kitchen. Try different flavours and get the individual sachets/trays if you can, so you don't end up with lots of one flavour if they don't like it. Ours ate Nature's Menu for a while but they didn't like the fish one and would eventually only eat the beef. After they went of that I tried them with Lily's Kitchen and they love the lamb flavour (the others not so much).

I feel terrible reading this!!!!!
My cat is 18ish and has only ever had Felix - well except the week on Whiskas when we first got her which gave her the runs!

Her sister was 16 when she died..felix fed too

We top up with raw every now and again when we have beef in

Should we change or is it daft at this stage?

Sorry there was no advice in that post!

I guess I was trying to say Felix can't be all bad

Could you keep a selection in so she has variety and give a little raw meat too?

Does she drink plenty when she has the dry food?

William
Cats are carnivores and are supposed to eat a high meat, high protein. Most of the mainstream pet food brands available in the supermarket have a shockingly low meat content (as low as 4%). You don't necessarily need organic food but you do need to get as high a meat content as possible. Preferably grain-free too.
More info at www.scampers.co.uk/cat-food-wheres-the-meat.asp

Our cats mostly eat Orijen dry food which they've always liked. We just give them a bit of wet food to entice them in at dinner time (as we keep them inside at night)

Mine will only eat dry despite my best efforts. Does yours drink plenty?

People whose cats will only eat dry, have you tried the Gourmet cat soup? I know its poor quality meat but its plenty of liquid. Zara is mad for Gourmet and I let her have it occasionally as a treat.

I soak the dry food sometimes too for a change.