Wet food addiction?

[WetFoodCatLover]

Is this right? I don’t rate my vet anyway but it’s the only one locally I have any chance of getting to in an emergency so I stick with them.

Vet said my cat is addicted to wet food and I need to cut down their consumption. He said to give 2x wet food meals a day, 1x dried food, and if possible swap 1 wet food meal to something like fresh roasted chicken or fresh fish.

My cat seems so hungry. She’s become aggressive since I’ve done this, but not sure if I need to wait it out. She’s never touched dried biscuits, I’m giving the Royal Canin ones the vet recommended (available in pets at home and similar) but she won’t eat them, she just whinges for food and scratches me and my furniture. She won’t eat fresh chicken, and has never liked any kind of fish. The chicken or whatever I give (sometimes pork, beef, even turkey or duck if I have it) with gravy sits in the bowl and she just meows for wet food. She only eats gravy cat food so I’ve been putting gravy I make on the food when I make hers. She licks the gravy off but leaves the meat.

So she’s living off 1 wet food meal a day as that is literally all she will eat.

Vet said not to give in and she’ll have to get used to the new diet.

She was overweight on just wet food and is indoor only so can see why the vets suggested a new diet but I feel guilty she’s only eating once per day, I wouldn’t like it.

Anything I can do? And is a wet food addiction even a thing in cats?

Will add here vet hasn’t physically seen my cat since March, I contacted him because cat was constantly asking for food even with wet food and he’s basing her being overweight on the last time he saw her. She’s flead and wormed regularly as in none covid times my job involves vulnerable people who may not keep their pets up to date and I could bring them home.

[Prestel]

I think perhaps the main thing here is your cat still feels hungry after eating these foods and it may be because proportionally they don't contain enough protein for her. In my experience dry food tends to contain more protein proportionally for a similar price than wet, hence the vet's suggestion. Likewise, cooked chicken or fish has a high protein content, which can supplement the balanced cat food and help her feel full on fewer calories. A high protein wet food could achieve a similar effect, perhaps.

[DeusEx]

That all seems very peculiar. Seems odd the wet food would be ‘very bad’ for her given most cats have at least some wet food in their diet. Is she eating too much, is that the issue?

I have an older, somewhat cat and she and my young cat - both indoor cats - both love James Wellbeloved ‘Light’ food. They turn their noses up at Whiskas and Waitrose own brand but can’t get enough of the James Wellbeloved. That said, the old lady does like Royal Canin dental food - to the point where she has to have one of those hedgehog shaped feeders or she’ll just wolf it.

[DeusEx]

The proportion of meat in wet foods is usually horrendously low - less than 10%. They literally have ash in them. Could try the fancy high-meat content ones eg Lilly’s Kitchen?

[QueenStromba]

Wet food is generally a lot better than dry food. Some wet food is complete crap though. Try her on something that's pure meat - Butchers Classic in the supermarket or something from Zooplus. Animonda Carny and Smilla are both good and fairly cheap. Wild Freedom, Grau Gourmet (the specific grain free ones), some flavours of Macs and Nature's Menu are all just meat and good but a bit pricier.

[JaceLancs]

I have 2 cats and feed them 3 times a day
They either have a pouch between them or 1/3 of a can of wet food per meal
They only eat fish in jelly!
Although they are 3 and 12 prefer kitten biscuits (dry food) which I put down as a side to the wet food
I rotate between Tesco own, whiskas pockets and kit e kat at each of their 3 daily meals
They supplement with birds, rodents, rabbits and squirrels with the occasional spider
Vet says healthy and good weights for ages

[WetFoodCatLover]

Update:

Got her eating 2x wet food pouch or 1x wet food pouch and 1x chicken/meat meal per day.

I also found a dry food she likes, Hill's Science Adult so she has that at lunchtime. Had to be the most expensive one didn't it? (insert rolling eyes emoji here)

She's lost a bit of weight but not been weighed so not sure how much and she's much happier too which is lovely. She's so affectionate again which I love.

[Prestel]

I'm glad to hear your cat is enjoying her new, more varied diet OP. Getting a cat to lose weight is not easy, so I'm impressed.

[VenusClapTrap]

Very odd advice from your vet.

There’s nothing wrong with wet cat food if you buy the high meat content ones - Thrive, Encore, James Wellbeloved, Lilly’s Kitchen, Almo Nature, Canagan etc etc. Zooplus have a good selection as a pp mentioned. They will fill up your cat without making her overweight.

Human food doesn’t contain elements like taurine, that cats need, and is best avoided.

Royal Canin is recommended by vets because they earn commission from selling it. It’s full of grains and has a low meat content.

There are lots of high meat content dry foods on the market that you can try. Cats are very picky - you probably just need to try a few till you find one she’ll eat.

I’d you’re not happy with your vet (and I wouldn’t be, on that advice alone) then find a new one. It’s worth travelling further to find one you trust.