# So my cat won't eat wet food



## Ashymc31 (Aug 4, 2014)

My 11 month old rescue cat only eats dry food. I bought her whiskas wet food and sometimes she only eats te jelly. But she never used to do this she used to eat it all. It's not like I'm buying her the cheap stuff either. Anybody else experienced this


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## VictoriaEast26 (Sep 2, 2014)

Hi there, 

I have two very fussy cats so I can understand your frustration.
I started them on their kitten food 2 years ago when I got them both at 16 weeks old and they loved it but as they got older I put them on whiskas 1-7 years wet food which they were still ok about but they would not touch Felix pouches or supermarket own brands either. 
As a treat I stupidly gave them M&S cat food and then they turned there noses up when we went back to whiskas, but wet food does get a bit expensive especially if there fussy.

If your cat is happy on dry food then I would leave them on that.
My cats are now on science diet and love it , plus you don't get the horrible smell of wet food xx


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## Britt (May 18, 2014)

Pooh is the same. He is a rescue and used to eat dry food only at the shelter. When I joined the forums everyone told me that dry food was bad for his health. I stopped feeding him dry food and guess what? Now he refuses to eat wet food and is constipated ....


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## VictoriaEast26 (Sep 2, 2014)

I swear by science diet! They love the chicken flavour for 1-7 years. Must have more flavour and they have been more healthier. 

It has been a god send x 
2 happy cats and 2 happy owners.


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## chillminx (Nov 22, 2010)

Ashymc31 said:


> My 11 month old rescue cat only eats dry food. I bought her whiskas wet food and sometimes she only eats te jelly. But she never used to do this she used to eat it all. It's not like I'm buying her the cheap stuff either. Anybody else experienced this


If you are leaving dry food down for your cat to snack on all day long then this will be taking the edge off her appetite all the time and the reason why she won't eat wet food. Whiskas wet food is not exactly the best anyway, and maybe she would eat a better quality wet food.

It is important that you try and wean her off a totally dry food diet, as it is not good for her health. Cats are designed to get most of their fluids from their food and are not good drinkers. Your cat would need to drink nearly half a pint of water a day on a dry food diet to get sufficient fluids, and very few cats would drink that much.

Without enough moisture in their diet cats suffer from chronic low level dehydration which can cause bladder and kidney problems or constipation.

To wean your cat off dry food, do not leave it down all the time, but measure out the exact amount required according to the feeding instructions on the bag, and then put it down as one meal a day.

For the other 2 meals a day feed a decent quality grain free wet food, e.g. Hilife Natures Essentials, Wainwrights pots, Natures Menu, Lily's Kitchen (all from [email protected]). (Note : they don't need grain in their food, they can't digest it, it is just a filler).

Or have a look at the Happy Kitty Co for good quality canned wet foods at reasonable prices. OmNomNom, Macs, and Ropocat are popular.

All Products | The Happy Kitty Company

Or on Zooplus, look for Catz Fine food in cans, (No 3 and No 11), Animonda Carny, Bozita cans (not tetrapaks), Feringa, Grau, Miamor Ragout Royale in jelly. All these are grain free.

Wet & Canned Cat Food: Free Delivery on orders £29+ zooplus!

Here is one of many articles written by feline nutrition experts explaining why a dry food diet is bad for cats.

Why Cats Need Canned Food | Little Big Cat


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## Aeschylus (Sep 19, 2013)

I totally agree with Chillminx. I did lots of research about feeding cats before I got my kittens, and I decided to go the Zooplus route and feed a lot of the brands that Chillminx mentioned. I know it's a bit more expensive than feeding dry food, but I'm completely convinced that it's the best thing for my cats. It's true that cats can be fussy eaters but if you can possibly wean your kitten off the dry stuff, there's less risk of health problems. Good luck!


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## Ragdollsfriend (Feb 13, 2014)

I know it's often hard to switch from dry to wet. In my case it took about 6 months (and lots of teeth grinding and £££) to find the right wet food my Daisy would eat. But nowadays her coat looks great, her tummy has settled and she has lots of energy. Please please don't give up yet 

Wet food - even the high quality one - may seem expensive but on average adult cats don't need more than 170-200g a day. For me it works out £1 a day and one tin provides 3 meals per day.

Well dry food is so heavily processed and it's nutritional value is very low. And as mentioned before, water content is too low. So I agree with Chillminx and Aeschylus that cats are better off on wet food.


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## OrientalSlave (Jan 26, 2012)

Butchers classic (Orange tins) is grain-free and is in several supermarkets and is cheap. I've also seen trays in Poundstretcher.


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