How can we get our 17 year old to switch from dry food to wet?

Question

He won't even try it.
We need to switch him for constipation and his health.
HELP please.

No, he won't eat pumpkin, vet said use metamucil....he won't touch it! will try the wet food small amt.
we are doing right stuff for him...he loves us : )
ty all

Answer 1

First, try mixing his favorite dry food in with small amounts of wet food. You may also be able to get him to accept moist food (vs. the wet kind) and then switch him over.

As a final suggestion, talk to your vet: there may be a dry catfood (there are many varieties available from your vet) that will be an adequate substitute for the wet food.

A last resort is to only offer him small amounts of wet food, and nothing else, until he gets good and hungry!

Good luck!

Answer 2

You can try starting with some jarred baby food. Chicken or turkey would be a good choice. Some cats don't do well or care for beef and lamb. The baby food meat must have NO onion or garlic powder. He can eat that straight for a few days, then start to mix in VERY small amount of a canned cat food, say less than a teaspoon and increase the amount of the cat food VERY gradually. You can sneak this into the cat -- the operative word is "sneak"

Use a quality canned food such as Natural Balance or Wellness. If you are using chicken baby food use a chicken variety of the canned. same with the turkey. Both these manufacturers make 3 oz. cans so there will be less waste when you are just using a small amount.

The baby food is used to feed very ill cats or depressed cats who have stopped eating.

I hope that this can work for you.

Answer 3

When I switched my two 3 year old cats from mostly dry to wet food, my male went off his feed for two days. The only way I was able to get him to eat the wet food was if I mixed it with an equal amount of dry. He is now a happy, healthy "two meals of soft food a day" kitty.

I had to try a few different brands, too. I wanted to switch them to Nature's Variety, but neither seemed all that thrilled with it. So now they're on Wellness.

Answer 4

Try switching the brand of wet food. My cats will only eat Science Diet dry food and either Whiskas or Friskies wet food. They won't touch anything else. You can also mix the wet food with the dry (2 parts dry to 1 part wet) and your cat should eat it if that's all there is.

Answer 5

Mix a little of the wet cat food in with the dry, and at each feeding add more wet while decreasing the dry food. If he balks, cut back on the wet but still add it and just add wet more slowly. Good for you, as wet is better for their urinary tract. You must be doing something right as he is 17 years old!

Answer 6

Mix the wet with the dry for a bit and then slowly decrease the amount of dry until he is loving the wet.

Answer 7

Have him eat little bits of wet food at a time until he gets used to it. Perhaps mix in a treat with the food.

Answer 8

There are some dry foods that are moist instead of really dry like vittles. Could you try with moist cat treats, and then move onto moist dry food, and then put some wet in with the moist?
Good luck!

Answer 9

I'm assuming this is because you're trying to get him out of diapers. I'd focus on getting him to college and not worry about what he eats. A teenager with constipation is a big problem though.

Answer 10

give him a table spoon of canned pumpkin. put some mineral oil in his water. you could even sprinkle some metamucile on his food.