[birdpumpkin]

My cat will not touch hard food!! I've had her a couple months - got her from a girl when she was 6 months old who had the same problem. I thought if I added hard food to her canned food and gradually added more and more til I was feeding her only hard food I could get her to eat it, but I've only gotten to about a half and half mix. The canned food will make it soft enough for her to eat, so she'll eat it. But if there's more hard food than canned and it's not getting soft, she won't eat it. With all my years of cat experience, I've never had a problem with a cat eating hard food!! I don't know what to do... She's growing and starting to go through almost 3 cans of food a day!!

[junkDNA]

have u checked her mouth and teeth?

[birdpumpkin]

Well, I kind of get a peek in whenever she yawns. Things look okay from as far as I can tell. I've thought about starting to brush them, though. I always liked my cats to eat hard food mostly because it's better for their teeth. Maybe a better look wouldn't hurt, though...

[dachsiejoy88]

One thing my mom always taught us (cats, dogs, and humans!) is that as long as there's nothing physically wrong, if you're hungry enough, you will eat anything! My own dogs get kind of picky (it's mainly our fault...they are spoiled and get lots of treats and safe human food). They get two meals a day...and when there are leftovers by the time for their next feeding, I only give them enough to make up for a full meal. They will eventually eat if they get hungry enough!

Maybe you could try a different type of food, maybe with a different type of main meat? My pets prefer chicken over almost anything else. We tried switching their food once and they hated it...so we switched it back to what they were originally eating and they were fine. I don't mean to sound contradictory, we try our hardest to make our pets happy and give them food they like, but we also know they won't starve themselves if there's food, even if they don't like it all that much! Good luck and I hope you get your baby eating soon!

[DogTrainingLove]

Might be a good idea to take a trip to the vet. If this isn't caused by a health issue it's not really a bad thing that your cat is only eating canned food. Cats are obligate carnivores and canned food tends to have more meat and less filler. Canned food also has lots of water, which is how cats were meant to get it, in their food. Dry food doesn't really clean teeth much, just like how crackers and chips don't clean our teeth.

Many vets recommend only feeding canned to cats and not dry.

[lizardlady]

Birdpumpkin, I would have your vet check your cat's mouth to be sure there isn't a physical reason for not eating dry food.

Dachsiejoy has a good point about trying a different brand or flavor of dry food. My cats like some dry foods, but not others.

[UnderRugSwept]

Agree with DogTrainingLove...wet food is much better for cats. The higher water content is good for their kidneys (cats are notorious for not drinking enough water, as you probably know). It's also much better for their teeth...dry cat food bits left in their teeth is kinda like sitting around with chunks of Doritos in our teeth (eek). Cats who eat wet food also tend to be leaner.

[birdpumpkin]

Thanks everyone for the advice!! I always thought hard food was best for teeth but do see the benefits of canned food having more water, etc. I've tried a different type, have left the food out all day (which her previous owner did, too) but she still wouldn't eat it, and have even gotten her some treats I thought would be tempting. Still wanted nothing to do with them. She just kind of sniffs at the hard food/treats but won't even touch it.

[nummy]

I've tried the dual food thing. Leave both types out, so the cat won't resent the new food for taking away the favored food. They associate the new with the old, after a week or do gradually reduce the old and increase the new.

It took 6 different different kinds of dry food to find one my cat would eat. (Purina one). He was skinny, but he didn't starve. Now he'll even nibble at "reject" dry if I leave it next to his good stuff.

But yes, I do recommend a vet visit too, just to rule out physical causes.

[Raindropvampire]

I don't agree with the they won't starve advice. Cats can be just as crazy and spiteful as people sometimes. I had a friend who got a cat from the humane society and they warned her she wouldn't eat hard food. She had a vet check her out and she was completely physically fine. After 13 different kinds of dry food and 9 days of the cat not eating she had to take her back to the vet because she was malnourished. The vet said it's uncommon but some are just that stubborn. Give them what they want or they will die. He also told her that in his opinion wet cat food is better as long as you check the ingredients and buy one that has real meat as the first ingredient. Said as long as she gets regular dental cleanings and checks everything should be fine. So if you can afford it go with the wet food and make the kitty happy.

[nummy]

Originally Posted by birdpumpkin

My cat will not touch hard food!! I've had her a couple months - got her from a girl when she was 6 months old who had the same problem. I thought if I added hard food to her canned food and gradually added more and more til I was feeding her only hard food I could get her to eat it, but I've only gotten to about a half and half mix. The canned food will make it soft enough for her to eat, so she'll eat it. But if there's more hard food than canned and it's not getting soft, she won't eat it. With all my years of cat experience, I've never had a problem with a cat eating hard food!! I don't know what to do... She's growing and starting to go through almost 3 cans of food a day!!

Dry food isn't always cheaper, btw. I pay $9.00 a bag for my cat and supplement that with occasional canned food. And that's tropical price for the slightly better stuff.

Has your cat been wormed? 3 cans a day seems a bit much.

[birdpumpkin]

I agree with not letting them go long without food. I've dealt with cats for 25 years and know 1 day with no food begins liver disease. I'm thinking of sticking with the canned food and buying a kitty toothbrush to keep her teeth clean, but I agree nummy 3 cans seems a lot!! She's been wormed, but I'm going to worm her again in case.

[possum220]

When I had a cat I used to leave dry food out for her during the day and a small serve of tuna at night. Cats love to eat foods that smell. The smellier the better. (And i don't mean leave the food out until it is rotten). You could always give the kitteh cooked chicken no bones. Or uncooked chicken wings. If they chew them that will clean their teeth. The other thing is to soak the dry food in a small amount of water so that it softer to eat.

Your vets can always suggest other meals. Like others have said take your cat to the vets to get it gum and teeth checked. Sometimes their baby teeth don't come out. You can also get gum disease ruled out.