Help with Diet Change....PLEASE!

Hi all. I'm posting over here (usually on Lantus) to see if anyone has any ideas of how to get my Muffin off this Fancy Feast dry food that she insists on eating. I have tried everything in Dr. Lisa's article and more. We are on day 5 of an OTJ trial, and her pancreas seems to work, just not well enough to overcome the high carbs in her food. I've tried sprinkling canned with parmesan cheese, fortiflora, crushed and whole kibble. She doesn't like any of the low carb treats, including freeze dried chicken, salmon, and shrimp. I've tried warm food, cold food, room temp food. I've tried what seems like a hundred different brands and flavors, including 2 brands of raw, and baby food, and she doesn't even acknowledge that this stuff is food. I've even tried to change her to lower carb dry food (EVO and Wellness Core) and have had no success even doing that. If I put the new dry food in a bowl with the FF dry, she won't touch it at all, even to eat what she wants out of it. The wellness core she will nose around enough to get the fortiflora off, and if she accidentally gets a piece or 2 in her mouth while doing this, she will eat it, but that's the only time. I've been at this for 2 months now, with no progress at all, so anyone has ANY suggestions, I would appreciate it. I'm pulling my hair out and am seriously considering just force feeding the canned to her, but I would really hate that (and so would she). I have 4 cats, and she is the ONLY one who is not on an appropriate diet - the others love canned/raw food. She eats separately (her choice) in a different room entirely from the other cats. I just don't know what to do.

 

Anne,

You may have already seen this website, but if not, there may be something here that will help: http://www.felinecrf.org/persuading_cat_to_eat.htm

 

Missy had a hard time switching to canned foods. She hates the pate/pureed foods. She really likes the shredded meat canned foods, like the Fancy Feast Elegant Medleys. I guess it's a texture thing. She likes the shredded varieties that are just meat and some light gravy. I'm trying to switch her to a lower carb food, but they all seem to be pate. For some reason, she will eat these if I like them. So, if I pretend to eats a couple of bites, she'll realize how yummy they are and then she will eat them.

 

seems like most cats like to lick gravy. many of the low carb fancy feasts have gravy (not called gravy on the label of course) you could maybe just pour out the gravey on a plate or bowl and see if she goes for that. if she does...ever so slowly add tiny amounts of food to it.
and i hate to say it but a hungry cat will eat. so sad...and probably impossible for a mama to do...but a hungry cat will eat.

 

Sue - thanks for the link - I haven't read the whole thing yet, but I will

Mom2Missy - :lol: that you pretending to like it makes her eat it! I'll have to try that!

Lori - Good idea about offering just the gravy, I haven't tried that yet. And, yes, I'm working on being tough enough to let her go longer without her food of choice so maybe she'll eat MY food of choice.

 

tough love. supposed to be a good thing, but hard on mommie. probably harder on mommie than kittie :lol: