Dr. Janet Jackson

What Cat Lovers are Asking this Week…

• Q:

  How can I get my cat to eat wet food? I understand it can help with some medical issues later in life to have both wet and dry food. Both of our cats came to us as rescues at 4 months old. One, Fox - a Siamese cross, did not like wet food but learned to eat it after being forced to eat some due to an illness; He had an upper respiratory infection that almost claimed his life. He is on lysine now which helps but when stressed by our vacation last year he quit eating wet food and will not return to it. He is now 2 years old and healthy other than the need for lysine. We feed him a dry and wet that is corn and wheat free with no by-products. What can we do to get him to eat wet food? My routine involves wet food at 5 pm plus dry food at 10 or 11 pm overnight. All food goes up about 8 am until the evening. Both cats are healthy and in good weight.

  A:

  Your cat can do fine on just dry food. However if you wish to feed wet food then it is important to note that some cats can be selective about wet food flavor. There are many different flavors and forms of wet foods available in the market. You could try different flavors and forms and your cat may like certain wet food flavors.
  
  It is important to check the labels of both the wet and the dry foods to ensure that the foods you are feeding are appropriate for kittens. As some foods are only designed to meet the nutritional needs of adult cats, you will need to check the product label to determine if the foods you are feeding are complete and balanced for all stages of a cat's life. (Keep in mind that wet foods should not be allowed to sit out for more than one hour as it may spoil.)

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• Q:

  We have a 10 year old female cat that will vomit once or twice a week. We have had her checked out and she seems to be healthy. Her favorite food is the juice in Friskies Mariner's Catch. She doesn't eat the wet food but will lick it. Our other cat eats the wet food but leaves the juice alone. They both eat dry food but we would like to find something similar to the juice to feed the older cat. Are there any liquid foods that would be similar?

  A:

  Canned cat foods consisting of chunks (solids) and sauces are usually considered complete and balanced nutrition when consumed in their entirety. Unfortunately, the sauce or gravy portion of the product is primarily water and flavors and thus contains only small amounts of nutrition. Consumption of the chunk portion of the product is very important for your cat to get the nutrients she needs. Although this is rare there are some cats that will lick up the gravy and not consume the chunks. In such situations it is very important to make sure that the cat is consuming enough dry food to get all the nutrition she needs.

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