My cat won't eat dry food anymore?

For some reason they like the wet food better then the dry food, unless its different then the other cats around them. It happened to my cat I got from my vet tech school. At school when he was on wet food he wanted dry because everyone else had it, but now that hes home he only wants wet food and no dry food.

well he’s the only cat in the house now. i don’t have a problem with the cost of only feeding him wet food, but since he has a history of teeth issues now, i don’t think the wet food is the best. we are in the process of getting him used to use brushing his teeth now and plan on getting his teeth cleaned every 6 months. just not sure if the wet food will keep his teeth strong.

Just keep putting out the dry food. When something gets hungry enough it will accept the food available.

I’ve never understood questions in this vein. Will my dog/cat/monkey eat _____? Yes. They will. Just don’t cave in.

If you want to be all super nice about it you can mix a tablespoon of dry food in the first week with his wet food. Every week following increase the amount of dry food while decreasing the amount of wet food. He’ll just adjust slowly.

Cats can actually refuse to eat until they die. It’s not that they starve, exactly, but they begin to metabolize their own fat and that causes liver damage after awhile. It almost happened to one of ours (long story). I wouldn’t have thought so either, but it’s true.

I’d try mixing wet and dry. Having the dry kibble in the mix will provide the abrasion for scraping the plaque off the teeth.

What asmonet said is what we do with some of the cats at my school. You just put all the dry food in the bowl and then a half of the wet food on top. Cause then its keeping his teeth strong and hes still getting the food he likes and sometime doesn’t notice they are eating the dry food too.

@Harp: Yes, all animals can reject instinct in favor of their own pleasure, however I’m not convinced this happens enough that she should worry about it until it’s been 3–4 days and the cat is still throwing a fit.

Mix the dry food with some water, and mash it up a bit.
I used to do this with kittens when their teeth were coming in and they scarfed it up.
The reason hes not eating dry food is probably because his mouth is a bit sore still from the surgery.
It might be some extra hassle, but it will make your cat love you forever!

Unlike dogs, you can’t just starve a cat into eating a specific diet:

Fatty Liver Disease in cats can come on very suddenly, and when diagnosed in time, can be cured by dietary means, but left untreated can be fatal.

http://cats.about.com/cs/healthissues/a/fatty_liver.htm

My experience exactly, syz

We call them banana kitties – the icterus is so severe, they practically glow yellow

@syz/harp: My vet for the cat never mentioned it and my cat just switched when she needed to so it never came up, thanks for enlightening me however. I’ve filed the info away for future reference. :)

Then again, my cat supplements her diet with lizards, squirrels and the occasional rabbit. She’s….very wild.

Slowly start adding dry food to the wet, and every time he eats, add a little more dry to the wet, but not all at once, about 2 times a week you can add a little more than the amount you were giving him, eventually there will be more dry food in the wet food, and then finally use only dry food. Realistically, cats will eat when they are hungry enough, but to switch the food fast is not good or healthy for them, this is why they suggest that you slowly switch out the food this way. Hope this helps, and good luck to you and the kitty.