After recent switch to wet food, seeking some feeding advice

We recently switched from Purina dry DM to Wellness canned turkey. I know this is supposed to be better overall, but I have some concerns.

First, she's not eating as many calories as before. She's always been a great eater with hard-to-regulate weight. Now it takes hours to finish what's in the bowl. At this point she does not need to lose any weight, and her sugars are high right now (between 250 and 450) as we work on getting her regulated (topic for another post). Is there any reason that she'd need fewer calories with the new diet, or should I be worried and try a more palatable wet food?

Second, she's essentially free feeding now. I don't know when or how much she eats. I do make sure she eats something before injecting her, but other than that, she regulates her own eating. How concerned should I be about not knowing her quantity and timing of feeding?

Third, I don't know how to keep food from her during the hours before her next shot. I use a timer, but there is almost always something left when I return home or wake up. I hate to put out less than I know she's used to eating. Is eating on the upswing a big concern and is there any way to deal with this?

Thank you!

 

Re: After recent switch to wet food, seeking some feeding ad

It's not unusual for cats to eat less of a better quality ingredient food, such as Wellness. Just like us eating potato chips, we eat more and more because they don't fill us up, but a good turkey meal and everyone's ready for a nap!

My concern would be if she's simply not eating the food at all, that could mean she doesn't like the food or doesn't feel well. Cats should have a transition period where they get less and less of their old food while the new food is increased comparatively. She may not be adjusting to the new food very quickly if she wasn't transitioned that way to it. Or you might try a different variety of Wellness. My cats liked the turkey for a while, but now they like the chicken better.

So make sure she is at least eating, even if it takes her all day. And don't be too concerned about not taking the food up before her shot. A low carb food has less effect on their blood glucose than a higher carb food, so its effects on her BG are minimal if the Wellness is all she's eating.

You might get a weight on her on a good scale that measures in ounces, not just pounds. If you have a good relationship with your vet clinic, maybe call and ask if you could bring her in just for that once a week without charge. That way (haha) you will know if she's loosing any weight because of the food switch. Hope that helps ease your mind a little.

 

Re: After recent switch to wet food, seeking some feeding ad

Kitties are just like humans... I always try to explain to people that giving a kitty dry food is like a human eating potatoes chips, and who doesn't like potatoes chips right. So now that you have took away the potatoe chips you are putting out carrots and salads and things that are healthy. Some kitties might take a while to switch foods. You should always switch foods slowly and gradually. If you don't you are liable to get a kitty with an upset tummy and one with diabetes is more proned to it. Some kitties like the Wellness but that isn't the only thing out there. You might want to try something a little more appealing to your kitty and then when they eat that consistently you can try switching to grain frees. Maybe try some Friskies or some Fancy Feast canned. I usually have better luck with kitties liking that. I also though recommend that what I would do is to leave a little dry out still and then slowly leave less and less dry and then when she gets hungry she will eat more and more wet. Slow and steady is the way to change a kitty.... Hope this helps

 

Re: After recent switch to wet food, seeking some feeding ad

@Vicky and Gandalf... hehehe looks like you beat me to it. great minds and all

 

Re: After recent switch to wet food, seeking some feeding ad

:lol: Potato chips are everyone's nemesis!

 

Re: After recent switch to wet food, seeking some feeding ad

Thank you for the advice. You're right that I didn't do the switch very gradually. She also appeared to LOVE the wet stuff at first. No upset stomach either. A week later is it worth now trying the transition again or should I just stick with it and try a different variety?

 

Re: After recent switch to wet food, seeking some feeding ad

The most important thing is that the kitty eat enough food to maintain his/her weight. If you feel they are not eating enough then reintroduce the dry just to get them hungry again. Cats don't live to eat they eat to live. When they are hungry they eat. So if you can get them to get that hungry feeling (certain amount of food intake) then you can take out the dry slowly. It is very VERY important though to do home testing though because this is going to change the values of the BG. What you might want to do instead is try a different flavor to see if they gain that interest in the wet only food. If that doesn't work and still not wanting dry food try the commercial food like Fancy Feast or Friskies to see if that increase their interest in the food.

If though they are eating the current food and is getting enough calories (I have a baby scale I use to make sure all my fosters are not loosing or gaining weight too quickly) really the only way to tell is to weigh them. Just stick to what you already have been doing.

 

Re: After recent switch to wet food, seeking some feeding ad

All mine eat wet and are free fed. It took a while to transition from dry to wet, but now that it's going on two years, I notice that some days they don't touch their food at all and other days the bowl is empty.

I don't look to see who is eating and who isn't, so I don't always know if everyone ate and the amount. They know where the food is and have easy access. What I do know is that nobody is starving, losing weight inappropriately or otherwise going without.

As my cats have various issues, I do limit the brand and flavor of food they get.

You may find that she doesn't like wellness or the flavor in particular and if you try another brand/flavor may have more success. Also since you transitioned quickly, you may need to give her a few kibbles to entice her to eat. You can crush them and put them on top of the wet food - that was one trick I used and it helped.