My cat only eats wet food and is picky about texture. What to do?

In this type of situation where the pet is holding out for wet food and going on hunger strikes, it is actually more harmful to try and force Gambino to eat the dry food; than to just give her what she wants. Yes dry food does help with the teeth, but so does daily brushing and/or dental treats (Greenies work extremely well for my cats and come in all flavors). The benefits of wet food is far superior in my opinion because it helps keep the kidneys and bladder happy and healthy, which in grand scheme of things is a lot harder to correct once they start to malfunction than periodontal disease. So I would say stick with the wet food, because even though it is more costly at least you are not wasting money on dry food that you will have to toss anyway because she refuses to eat it, and you can't make her because quite frankly she's a cat, but it will lead to an overall healthier cat with potentially fewer medical visits dealing with urinary and/or kidney problems in the future.

Hi there and thanks for posting on Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! If Wilkie is not wanting to eat, there could be medical reasons behind this behavior such as dental disease or a tooth or oral infection. Other possibilities may include something infectious, organ dysfunction, an endocrine disorder, or other causes. If all medical conditions have been entirely ruled out by a veterinarian, then my best advice is to just stick with one brand of food and try not to change the food or add other food items to it to entice him to eat as this will allow him to become a very picky eater. Try giving him only one type of food-if he is healthy and well, he will not starve himself! He will eventually learn to eat what is given to him. I hope this helps and thank you for posting!

Hi, thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Some cats are carbohydrate junkies and just prefer dry over canned food. It is fine for them to eat just dry. But if you want to convert them to canned food then you have to do so gradually. There are benefits to canned food, like more moisture content. If you leave dry food down all the time it is best to do scheduled feedings. So start feeding the dry food to 3-4 meals per day and only leave it down for 20 mins. Make sure you make it known to your cats it is mealtime so they know to eat. Once they have all accepted the new mealtime and eat well then start offering canned food instead of dry. Some may gobble it up right away, others may turn their nose up. Try warming it up. Don't leave it out for more than 20 mins because the flavor changes as it drys out and never serve it cold from the fridge. You can sprinkle a little dry on top of the wet or mix it in, if that works then gradually decrease the amount of dry you use over time. Just be aware cats can not go more than 24 hours with out eating or they can develop serious health issues with their liver. I hope this helps!

I would first make sure that she does not have a medical condition that is making her not want to eat; especially if this is a new behavior. If a vet has checked her and deemed her healthy, then there are a few good tips for getting her to eat normal cat food in the article at the link below. https://vcahospitals.com/know-your-pet/feline-picky-eaters I hope that helps and all is well with Kiki.

It is completely fine to feed you cat only dry food if that is all she likes. If you want to give her canned food as an occasional treat any brand should be fine. Some cats just prefer dry over wet food and this should not cause any health issues. I hope this helps. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. Best of luck.

I hate to hear this is happening to Isabella. This situation can be both frustrating and scary. Cats can become finicky eaters for several reasons: https://www.petcoach.co/article/my-pet-is-a-finicky-eater/ Unfortunately, it's impossible to know if Isabella is sick and if this is the cause of the finicky eating without a veterinary exam. If she is sick, she may be selective about her foods. Think about when you don't feel well. Most people are more willing to eat a warm bowl of soup than a piece of plain dried toast. Pets can be the same way. If she is sick, there is not likely anything you can do to encourage her to eat other foods without addressing the underlying illness. Just like humans, pets can not feel well for many reasons and this could range from intestinal parasites to cancer. In my opinion, your best option is to have her examined by the veterinarian. I agree that the chicken and chicken franks is not nutritionally balanced but if she will not eat any cat food, you don't have any options other trying a homemade diet, canned cat food, freeze dried cat food or raw cat food. You can't force her eat dry cat food and if you can't try different foods, you really don't have any options unfortunately. I will caution you that feeding a home made diet and raw diet is not generally recommended. The vast majority of homemade diets are found to be unbalanced. Balanced homemade diets can be formulated but you will need the help of a veterinarian.Raw diets can contain harmful bacteria to both people and pets. These require special handling. You would want any raw or freeze dried diets to be formulated to meet AAFCO standards and it will say this on the bag. Cats especially need certain amino acids to maintain heart health. Here is some information regarding homemade diets: https://www.petcoach.co/article/homemade-diets/ https://www.petcoach.co/article/homemade-cat-food-recipes-lack-essential-nutrients-finds-new-stud/ https://www.petcoach.co/article/raw-and-homemade-diets-what-you-need-to-know/ If you want to feed a homemade diet, I recommend to connect with your local veterinary community for information regarding local resources. You are certainly welcome to try different types of kibble to see if you can find anything she will eat that is commercially available. Some cats like the food to be switched every few days. You may end up with a lot of cat food however than she will not eat but you don't know until you try. I hope this helps to provide some guidance. Please feel free to post any additional questions.

Good Afternoon...thank you for contacting Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! I empathize with your struggle and Munchkin's picky diet. I certainly do not want to cause alarm, but many times cats will become "picky eaters" for many other reasons other than their teeth. As a veterinarian, this symptom always give me pause. Cats with dental issues still usually have a normal appetite, even with a bad tooth - they will still eat. There are many other conditions which can cause an older kitty to change their eating habits and influenced "what tastes good to them" - conditions such as inflammatory bowel disease (even with no other GI symptoms), kidney disease, liver disease, and many types of cancers (that can be within any organ of the body...) can cause an older kitty to change their appetite preferences. I would want to know if Munchkin is maintaining her weight, or has she lost weight? If she has lost weight, this is also more concerning. I would recommend you monitor her weight very closely - if she is maintaining (and has not lost weight within the past 6-12 months...). You may want to consider a visit to your veterinarian for additional diagnostics including a full senior bloodwork/urine profile, and possibly an abdominal ultrasound and chest radiographs to ensure nothing more sinister may be going on. I hope this helps, good luck!