Transitioning stubborn cat from dry food to wet

[Cheryl]

Bonnie, the feral, is more finicky an eater than Shadow is if that is
possible. Her early days here proved that she needed whatever food
she would eat, dry or canned. She ate kitten food (she was ~4-5
months old back in May) and was very skinny and sickly. She's very
healthy now and has quite a tubby belly. She's off the kitten dry
food and the kitten wet food (Iams) is the only wet she'll eat and
even that she mostly will leave even when I know she's hungry. I've
tried many brands of canned and tried it mixed with the kitten food,
mixed with dry, heated, tried soft pate brands, chunky meaty brands,
she won't eat it. Tonight I grilled a steak and gave rare portions to
Shadow and Shamrock and they love it, but Bonnie won't even eat that
and I even tried putting a few chunks in with her dry. As she is
getting more acclimated to my household, she can't be free fed dry
because Shadow will eat it. I thought I had that covered for a while
with a baby gate in "her" room doorway but even though I thought he
wasn't jumping over it (he's quite a porky thang) he fooled me and was
in there one day. Any thoughts? She is VERY hungry in the morning
but still won't eat canned food. I can't leave uneaten food for long
in the am because I have to leave for work and don't want to leave her
all day without food so I leave her only as much dry as I've seen her
eat all at once.

[Karen M.]

Hey Cheryl,
What a about a crate or box with a opening just big enough for Bonnie to
get in through? Then you could leave her dry food in there, and Shadow
won't be able to get to it. ????

Karen

Cheryl wrote:

> Bonnie, the feral, is more finicky an eater than Shadow is if that is
> possible. Her early days here proved that she needed whatever food
> she would eat, dry or canned. She ate kitten food (she was ~4-5
> months old back in May) and was very skinny and sickly. She's very
> healthy now and has quite a tubby belly. She's off the kitten dry
> food and the kitten wet food (Iams) is the only wet she'll eat and
> even that she mostly will leave even when I know she's hungry. I've
> tried many brands of canned and tried it mixed with the kitten food,
> mixed with dry, heated, tried soft pate brands, chunky meaty brands,
> she won't eat it. Tonight I grilled a steak and gave rare portions to
> Shadow and Shamrock and they love it, but Bonnie won't even eat that
> and I even tried putting a few chunks in with her dry. As she is
> getting more acclimated to my household, she can't be free fed dry
> because Shadow will eat it. I thought I had that covered for a while
> with a baby gate in "her" room doorway but even though I thought he
> wasn't jumping over it (he's quite a porky thang) he fooled me and was
> in there one day. Any thoughts? She is VERY hungry in the morning
> but still won't eat canned food. I can't leave uneaten food for long
> in the am because I have to leave for work and don't want to leave her
> all day without food so I leave her only as much dry as I've seen her
> eat all at once.
>
>

[Karen M.]

Hey Cheryl,
What a about a crate or box with a opening just big enough for Bonnie to
get in through? Then you could leave her dry food in there, and Shadow
won't be able to get to it. ????

Karen

Cheryl wrote:

> Bonnie, the feral, is more finicky an eater than Shadow is if that is
> possible. Her early days here proved that she needed whatever food
> she would eat, dry or canned. She ate kitten food (she was ~4-5
> months old back in May) and was very skinny and sickly. She's very
> healthy now and has quite a tubby belly. She's off the kitten dry
> food and the kitten wet food (Iams) is the only wet she'll eat and
> even that she mostly will leave even when I know she's hungry. I've
> tried many brands of canned and tried it mixed with the kitten food,
> mixed with dry, heated, tried soft pate brands, chunky meaty brands,
> she won't eat it. Tonight I grilled a steak and gave rare portions to
> Shadow and Shamrock and they love it, but Bonnie won't even eat that
> and I even tried putting a few chunks in with her dry. As she is
> getting more acclimated to my household, she can't be free fed dry
> because Shadow will eat it. I thought I had that covered for a while
> with a baby gate in "her" room doorway but even though I thought he
> wasn't jumping over it (he's quite a porky thang) he fooled me and was
> in there one day. Any thoughts? She is VERY hungry in the morning
> but still won't eat canned food. I can't leave uneaten food for long
> in the am because I have to leave for work and don't want to leave her
> all day without food so I leave her only as much dry as I've seen her
> eat all at once.
>
>

[Karen M.]

Hey Cheryl,
What a about a crate or box with a opening just big enough for Bonnie to
get in through? Then you could leave her dry food in there, and Shadow
won't be able to get to it. ????

Karen

Cheryl wrote:

> Bonnie, the feral, is more finicky an eater than Shadow is if that is
> possible. Her early days here proved that she needed whatever food
> she would eat, dry or canned. She ate kitten food (she was ~4-5
> months old back in May) and was very skinny and sickly. She's very
> healthy now and has quite a tubby belly. She's off the kitten dry
> food and the kitten wet food (Iams) is the only wet she'll eat and
> even that she mostly will leave even when I know she's hungry. I've
> tried many brands of canned and tried it mixed with the kitten food,
> mixed with dry, heated, tried soft pate brands, chunky meaty brands,
> she won't eat it. Tonight I grilled a steak and gave rare portions to
> Shadow and Shamrock and they love it, but Bonnie won't even eat that
> and I even tried putting a few chunks in with her dry. As she is
> getting more acclimated to my household, she can't be free fed dry
> because Shadow will eat it. I thought I had that covered for a while
> with a baby gate in "her" room doorway but even though I thought he
> wasn't jumping over it (he's quite a porky thang) he fooled me and was
> in there one day. Any thoughts? She is VERY hungry in the morning
> but still won't eat canned food. I can't leave uneaten food for long
> in the am because I have to leave for work and don't want to leave her
> all day without food so I leave her only as much dry as I've seen her
> eat all at once.
>
>

[Cheryl]

In ,
Karen M. > composed with style:
> Hey Cheryl,
> What a about a crate or box with a opening just big enough for
> Bonnie to get in through? Then you could leave her dry food in
> there, and Shadow won't be able to get to it. ????
>
> Karen
>
That might work Karen. Though I'm trying to get her off of free
feeding and onto canned food. She also can end up with a weight
problem given her already tubby middle. She can lose it, though,
she's very active now that she has full access to the house and
playing with Shamrock. You should see this girl run! I wish I had a
video camera. She hops like a bunny and her tummy jiggles. lol
She's very small-framed and tiny little paws so I doubt she's going to
grow much larger in size. I'm so used to large males.

[Cheryl]

In ,
Karen M. > composed with style:
> Hey Cheryl,
> What a about a crate or box with a opening just big enough for
> Bonnie to get in through? Then you could leave her dry food in
> there, and Shadow won't be able to get to it. ????
>
> Karen
>
That might work Karen. Though I'm trying to get her off of free
feeding and onto canned food. She also can end up with a weight
problem given her already tubby middle. She can lose it, though,
she's very active now that she has full access to the house and
playing with Shamrock. You should see this girl run! I wish I had a
video camera. She hops like a bunny and her tummy jiggles. lol
She's very small-framed and tiny little paws so I doubt she's going to
grow much larger in size. I'm so used to large males.

[Cheryl]

In ,
Karen M. > composed with style:
> Hey Cheryl,
> What a about a crate or box with a opening just big enough for
> Bonnie to get in through? Then you could leave her dry food in
> there, and Shadow won't be able to get to it. ????
>
> Karen
>
That might work Karen. Though I'm trying to get her off of free
feeding and onto canned food. She also can end up with a weight
problem given her already tubby middle. She can lose it, though,
she's very active now that she has full access to the house and
playing with Shamrock. You should see this girl run! I wish I had a
video camera. She hops like a bunny and her tummy jiggles. lol
She's very small-framed and tiny little paws so I doubt she's going to
grow much larger in size. I'm so used to large males.

[Karen M.]

Oh my god, my Ernie runs the same way! Like a rabbit, it's so cute! :)

Cheryl wrote:

> In ,
> Karen M. > composed with style:
>
>>Hey Cheryl,
>>What a about a crate or box with a opening just big enough for
>>Bonnie to get in through? Then you could leave her dry food in
>>there, and Shadow won't be able to get to it. ????
>>
>>Karen
>>
>
> That might work Karen. Though I'm trying to get her off of free
> feeding and onto canned food. She also can end up with a weight
> problem given her already tubby middle. She can lose it, though,
> she's very active now that she has full access to the house and
> playing with Shamrock. You should see this girl run! I wish I had a
> video camera. She hops like a bunny and her tummy jiggles. lol
> She's very small-framed and tiny little paws so I doubt she's going to
> grow much larger in size. I'm so used to large males.
>
>
>
>

[Karen M.]

Oh my god, my Ernie runs the same way! Like a rabbit, it's so cute! :)

Cheryl wrote:

> In ,
> Karen M. > composed with style:
>
>>Hey Cheryl,
>>What a about a crate or box with a opening just big enough for
>>Bonnie to get in through? Then you could leave her dry food in
>>there, and Shadow won't be able to get to it. ????
>>
>>Karen
>>
>
> That might work Karen. Though I'm trying to get her off of free
> feeding and onto canned food. She also can end up with a weight
> problem given her already tubby middle. She can lose it, though,
> she's very active now that she has full access to the house and
> playing with Shamrock. You should see this girl run! I wish I had a
> video camera. She hops like a bunny and her tummy jiggles. lol
> She's very small-framed and tiny little paws so I doubt she's going to
> grow much larger in size. I'm so used to large males.
>
>
>
>

[Karen M.]

Oh my god, my Ernie runs the same way! Like a rabbit, it's so cute! :)

Cheryl wrote:

> In ,
> Karen M. > composed with style:
>
>>Hey Cheryl,
>>What a about a crate or box with a opening just big enough for
>>Bonnie to get in through? Then you could leave her dry food in
>>there, and Shadow won't be able to get to it. ????
>>
>>Karen
>>
>
> That might work Karen. Though I'm trying to get her off of free
> feeding and onto canned food. She also can end up with a weight
> problem given her already tubby middle. She can lose it, though,
> she's very active now that she has full access to the house and
> playing with Shamrock. You should see this girl run! I wish I had a
> video camera. She hops like a bunny and her tummy jiggles. lol
> She's very small-framed and tiny little paws so I doubt she's going to
> grow much larger in size. I'm so used to large males.
>
>
>
>

[Alison]

Hi Cheryl ,
My cat goes bananas for dried food . I think its the smell and
crunchiness that attracts her.
.. Would it help to thoroughly soak the dried food or is that still not
good for Shadow ?

--
Alison

"Cheryl" > wrote in message
...
> Bonnie, the feral, is more finicky an eater than Shadow is if that
is
> possible. Her early days here proved that she needed whatever food
> she would eat, dry or canned. She ate kitten food (she was ~4-5
> months old back in May) and was very skinny and sickly. She's very
> healthy now and has quite a tubby belly. She's off the kitten dry
> food and the kitten wet food (Iams) is the only wet she'll eat and
> even that she mostly will leave even when I know she's hungry. I've
> tried many brands of canned and tried it mixed with the kitten food,
> mixed with dry, heated, tried soft pate brands, chunky meaty brands,
> she won't eat it. Tonight I grilled a steak and gave rare portions
to
> Shadow and Shamrock and they love it, but Bonnie won't even eat that
> and I even tried putting a few chunks in with her dry. As she is
> getting more acclimated to my household, she can't be free fed dry
> because Shadow will eat it. I thought I had that covered for a
while
> with a baby gate in "her" room doorway but even though I thought he
> wasn't jumping over it (he's quite a porky thang) he fooled me and
was
> in there one day. Any thoughts? She is VERY hungry in the morning
> but still won't eat canned food. I can't leave uneaten food for long
> in the am because I have to leave for work and don't want to leave
her
> all day without food so I leave her only as much dry as I've seen
her
> eat all at once.
>
>

[Alison]

Hi Cheryl ,
My cat goes bananas for dried food . I think its the smell and
crunchiness that attracts her.
.. Would it help to thoroughly soak the dried food or is that still not
good for Shadow ?

--
Alison

"Cheryl" > wrote in message
...
> Bonnie, the feral, is more finicky an eater than Shadow is if that
is
> possible. Her early days here proved that she needed whatever food
> she would eat, dry or canned. She ate kitten food (she was ~4-5
> months old back in May) and was very skinny and sickly. She's very
> healthy now and has quite a tubby belly. She's off the kitten dry
> food and the kitten wet food (Iams) is the only wet she'll eat and
> even that she mostly will leave even when I know she's hungry. I've
> tried many brands of canned and tried it mixed with the kitten food,
> mixed with dry, heated, tried soft pate brands, chunky meaty brands,
> she won't eat it. Tonight I grilled a steak and gave rare portions
to
> Shadow and Shamrock and they love it, but Bonnie won't even eat that
> and I even tried putting a few chunks in with her dry. As she is
> getting more acclimated to my household, she can't be free fed dry
> because Shadow will eat it. I thought I had that covered for a
while
> with a baby gate in "her" room doorway but even though I thought he
> wasn't jumping over it (he's quite a porky thang) he fooled me and
was
> in there one day. Any thoughts? She is VERY hungry in the morning
> but still won't eat canned food. I can't leave uneaten food for long
> in the am because I have to leave for work and don't want to leave
her
> all day without food so I leave her only as much dry as I've seen
her
> eat all at once.
>
>

[Alison]

Hi Cheryl ,
My cat goes bananas for dried food . I think its the smell and
crunchiness that attracts her.
.. Would it help to thoroughly soak the dried food or is that still not
good for Shadow ?

--
Alison

"Cheryl" > wrote in message
...
> Bonnie, the feral, is more finicky an eater than Shadow is if that
is
> possible. Her early days here proved that she needed whatever food
> she would eat, dry or canned. She ate kitten food (she was ~4-5
> months old back in May) and was very skinny and sickly. She's very
> healthy now and has quite a tubby belly. She's off the kitten dry
> food and the kitten wet food (Iams) is the only wet she'll eat and
> even that she mostly will leave even when I know she's hungry. I've
> tried many brands of canned and tried it mixed with the kitten food,
> mixed with dry, heated, tried soft pate brands, chunky meaty brands,
> she won't eat it. Tonight I grilled a steak and gave rare portions
to
> Shadow and Shamrock and they love it, but Bonnie won't even eat that
> and I even tried putting a few chunks in with her dry. As she is
> getting more acclimated to my household, she can't be free fed dry
> because Shadow will eat it. I thought I had that covered for a
while
> with a baby gate in "her" room doorway but even though I thought he
> wasn't jumping over it (he's quite a porky thang) he fooled me and
was
> in there one day. Any thoughts? She is VERY hungry in the morning
> but still won't eat canned food. I can't leave uneaten food for long
> in the am because I have to leave for work and don't want to leave
her
> all day without food so I leave her only as much dry as I've seen
her
> eat all at once.
>
>

[Cheryl]

In ,
Alison > composed with style:
> Hi Cheryl ,
> My cat goes bananas for dried food . I think its the smell and
> crunchiness that attracts her.
> . Would it help to thoroughly soak the dried food or is that still
> not good for Shadow ?
>
>
Hi Alison. I tried that, too. Cat food smells really foul when it's
wet (though they tend to like smells I don't. lol) but she didn't go
for that either. :(

[Cheryl]

In ,
Alison > composed with style:
> Hi Cheryl ,
> My cat goes bananas for dried food . I think its the smell and
> crunchiness that attracts her.
> . Would it help to thoroughly soak the dried food or is that still
> not good for Shadow ?
>
>
Hi Alison. I tried that, too. Cat food smells really foul when it's
wet (though they tend to like smells I don't. lol) but she didn't go
for that either. :(

[Cheryl]

In ,
Alison > composed with style:
> Hi Cheryl ,
> My cat goes bananas for dried food . I think its the smell and
> crunchiness that attracts her.
> . Would it help to thoroughly soak the dried food or is that still
> not good for Shadow ?
>
>
Hi Alison. I tried that, too. Cat food smells really foul when it's
wet (though they tend to like smells I don't. lol) but she didn't go
for that either. :(