You may want your cat to eat wet food because wet food is an excellent source of nutrition for your cat, but your cat has other ideas! Cats are creatures who do as they please and this is also applicable when it comes to food. Here are some tips on switching your cat from dry to wet food.
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Why does your cat not like wet food?
Here are some reasons why your cat won't eat wet food:
- Cats are routine creatures and do not like change
- There is an underlying medical or dental issue
- Your cat might not like the flavour or texture of the wet food you are offering it
- You have a picky cat
- Your cat loves kibble!
Transitioning from dry to wet cat food
Switching your cat from dry cat food to wet cat food can take some time. Depending on how long your cat has been eating kibble, the transition can sometimes take weeks or months! Here’s how you can help your cat to adjust to the new food.
- Get your cat on a feeding schedule if you’ve been free-feeding it dry cat food. Offer your cat its dry food 3 to 4 times a day. Leave the food for about 20 to 30 minutes and remove it even if it is not eaten.
- Once your cat has gotten used to the scheduled mealtimes, you can start offering it wet food in replacement of the dry food. Some cats are ok with the wet food straight away while others need time.
- If your cat is not keen on wet food, introduce it slowly. You can start by mixing a small amount of wet food with your cat’s dry food. Increase the ratio of wet to dry food daily until your cat is eating only wet food.
- You can add some warm water to dilute the wet food. This makes it easier to chew. If your cat seems disinterested in the new food, put some on its paw or at the tip of its nose. This can help entice them to try it.
- You will probably have to try a few different kinds of wet food before finding one that your cat loves. So try switching it up with different flavours and textures. Do remember to follow the scheduled meal times and remove the food 20 to 30 minutes after serving.
- Because it’s dangerous to let your cat go more than 24 hours without food, offer it its original food if it is still not eating the wet food after this duration. Then, start the whole process again. Your patience will pay off!
Cold turkey method
Some cats will take time to accept wet food, while other cats will be more than happy to make the switch to wet cat food. You can test your cat’s reaction by feeding it a few hours before bedtime and then removing all the dry kibble for the rest of the night.
Fill your cat’s bowl with wet food the next morning and place it in the usual feeding spot. Wait for about half an hour and check if your cat has eaten it.
If your cat has not touched it, put it in the refrigerator and warm it up for your cat again in a few hours. Repeat this until your cat takes to the wet food. However, while you are at this, you need to remember that your cat should not go without food for more than a day as this can have serious health consequences.
Make wet cat food more enticing
If your cat has been on dry food and never eaten wet cat food before, you might have to entice it to try the new food. Add some meal toppers or flavourful additions that your cat loves to the wet food. Petcubes’ Bone Broth Dr. for cats is slow simmered using fresh bones, full of nutritious goodness and can be added to the wet food for some added flavour.
