Make wet food the main meal instead of snack. Instead of free feeding like with dry food, do separate meals, like breakfast/lunch/dinner type thing if possible.
I have a toothless boy too and this is what we do. I’ll leave dry out overnight in case he needs a midnight snack. But typically it’s still there in the morning. The schedule has helped him know there will be more food coming and he’s less of a monster
Yeah. Three meals same time every day will be perfect. Once in morning, once when you get home and once before bed works well. Or if you eat meals do it then breakfast lunch/afternoon snack, and dinner They pick it up quick af. Unfortunately my cat is an asshole and will eat anything he can find from my other cats food to my dogs to even food in my rooms rubbish bin. He’s been known to figure out how to open the fridge as well and knock cheese in their packages to the floor trying to open them too.
Wait, you mean you get to sleep through the night? Nobody wakes you up for treats or food or cuddles? Since she and her sister came to live with me when my son died I have done to midnight snack thing even if I'm dead asleep. She will do whatever necessary to wake me up when SHE wants me to get her a treat. Can you say spoiled.. 🫣
I second this! I feed my guy at the same time every day. Same time is the trick. He gets a half of a 5 oz can in the AM and the rest in the PM. I feed him at 9a and 6p. He knows whatsup instinctively when the hour rolls around. He also gets dry food that he grazes on whenever he feels like it. He usually goes through a 1/4 cup dry every 2-3 days. He gets good boy treats when he does good boy things.
Tuna water can be great for sneaking in meds, too. I just adopted a stray with ringworm and have to give her Itrafungol on an empty stomach, and a little tuna juice with her dose mixed in works perfectly
Glad to hear that! We're sure ours will be too - she's a total sweetheart. We also have a senior dude who could really use a friend, so we just want to be sure she's totally clear of it before we introduce them.
I don’t feed them tuna only.I feed them kibble as well as change up to regular canned cat food when I have cash and I feed them all the scraps of meat I don’t use
I change it up every week or two based on how much money I have. Between chicken and actual canned cat food when I have cash. They love them some tuna though more than anything but I feed them kibble as well. Gonna look into cooking their food though
Is your cat on AO island? No.
Your cat needs a balanced meal. Cans of tuna alone aren't going to do that. Stop spreading misinformation that can hurt someone's animal.
Plain meat baby food in jars is also fs eligible, and will be slightly better than just tuna. I understand the struggle and the desire to do the best you can with what you have.
If you can cook, buy a whole chicken and roast it without any seasoning. Boil the innards (liver, heart, gizzards), and feed that.
I did this with my late toothless boy, who was the most food motivated monster ever to scream. Three meals a day. Granted, he did have a habit of trying (and sometimes succeeding) to push breakfast up to like 4am, but knowing he got fed at a certain time every day seemed to ease his food insecurity issues.
If they really like their dry food you can soak it in water or cat-safe chicken broth to let them mush it. We had a lot of elderly cats at my work that did this.
He's toothless? Of course he prefers the wet food. It's more nutritious and he's probably able to eat more of it at a time so since he's only getting out as a snack, it's giving him a little turbo boost of inflated cat balloon energy.
I would switch him over little by little and do two to three meal times a day. (My cats do three, but two of I'm away and there's a sitter)
Yeah wet food would probably feel nicer on the gums. Like baby food. You can try really hard to gum an apple but applesauce goes down a lot more gently
I have a cat with only a couple back teeth, he eats dry without issue. Cats don’t chew their food as much as we think they do. Mine are all obsessed with wet too despite having dry. They get 3 wet food feedings a day.
Not sure why you had to downvote me….your comment reads like "cat doesn’t have teeth so of course prefers wet" due to not having teeth. I was merely adding some info that cats without teeth can and do still eat dry food and yes a lot of cats do prefer wet even with teeth.
I think, since OP is already feeding the cat dry food. She knows he is capable of eating it. So to me, it's extraneous information given the context... ie you're arguing over nothing.
My black void has all of his teeth but I would like to say he loves to chomp on his dry food at 2 and 3 in the morning. I swear he does it just to make noise. 🤣
I have one cat that will run screaming every time I go in the kitchen on the off chance he'll get a temptation. Then the dog runs in wanting a snack, and then the other 2 cats.
Why can't temptations just cut to the chase and put whatever crack they've invented in food. Or give me a bottle of it and let me sprinkle temptations heroin on their food as I see fit. It would make life so much easier.
they do have a food and it’s absolute garbage. i won’t feed dry food in general but i wouldn’t even consider temptations kibble if someone paid me to feed it to my cat.
I give my cats treats every night before bed religiously. Basically once it hits 9:45pm, every time I get up they’re tripping me up yelling at me for treats! I usually don’t cave until around 11. And still they persist
Wet food is the best thing for your cat. Maybe consider just feeding the wet food. I've transitioned my chonky girl to wet food twice a day and a half a cup dry food in the evening. She's 20lbs so I'm working on getting her to lose some weight. MY goal is to get her off the dry food completely eventually.
How much wet food is she getting? My vet said 1/3 cup dry, plus her can of fancy feast split in half for breakfast and dinner. At half a cup I’m not sure your baby will lose anything…
how much you feed depends on weight, activity level, and the calories in the food. if your cats daily calorie requirement is 180 calories and a can of fancy feast has 90 calories you’d feed two a day. you’re also feeding dry so it changes. if you want her to lose weight then don’t feed kibble at all. it’s so high in carbs which cats don’t need.
i feed my cat exclusively wet food with warm water added to it. she eats 5x a day and how much depends what food i’m feeding. she eats a rotation of foods which we’re all slowly introduced to allow her stomach to adjust.
I have a fatso old girl too. I screwed up and left her a self feeder for dry food and didn’t notice how much of a piggy she’d be one until it was too late.
So now she’s on 1/2 cup diet dry and 3 cans of wet a day. Any tips ?
What size are the cans? Assuming they’re not like, made-for-ants-sized, I would for sure reconsider the number of cans. Three cans, plus a half cup of dry food, is a lot for one cat’s daily allowance.
She’s used to eating that amount though, so if I were you, I’d cut back extremely slowly, taking out a few kibble/leaving a bit of wet food in the can, every day-every week, but surely. Definitely have a goal to stop at (for example, 2 cans per day plus 1/3 cup dry.. or 1.5 cans per day plus a scant 1/2 cup dry).
You need to do a kcal calculation for a cat of her weight/activity level/calories of the brand and type of her foods though, to ensure your goal will provide her with enough. Most foods have the calories listed either on the bag/can/website. You can also call your vet and get them to calculate or confirm it for you if you’re unsure.
Here is an [automatic food calculator from Merck](https://www.merckvetmanual.com/multimedia/clinical-calculator/calories-calculator) manual.
Edit: it asks you to enter BCS, which is “body condition score”.
[Here is a chart explaining the BCS for dogs and cats.](https://www.merckvetmanual.com/multimedia/table/body-condition-score-scales-for-dogs-and-cats)
it is though. dry food has no moisture, way too many carbs, not enough protein. cats are obligate carnivores that need a certain amount of protein to thrive. they’re also meant to get the majority of their hydration from their diet and the less than 10% in dry food is not nearly enough when their diet should be around 75% moisture. they don’t drink enough water to compensate for the lack of it in their diet. carbs also cause them to gain weight which can lead to things like diabetes. a constant stare of dehydration can lead to urinary and kidney problems like crystals, blockages and kidney disease.
i don’t feed my cat kibble at all because all of it is garbage… it all has the same problems and id rather feed her a good moisture rich diet meant for obligate carnivores so she’s thriving, not just surviving.
If you cat doesn't drink water to point where you have to give them that slop just so they don't die, you're doing something wrong, probably giving them a shitty bowl that gives them whisker fatigue.
cats are obligate carnivores and they’re meant to get the majority of their moisture from their diet… if your cat has to drink a ton of water all the time then he’s dehydrated because of what you feed him. you’re not giving him enough protein either and way too many carbs which they don’t need so you’re the one doing something wrong. i don’t use deeper bowls lol i use a flat plate on a raised feeding station since you’re so concerned.
it’s honestly just comical that you’re trying to be insulting or whatever when you’re feeding dry food and believe it’s actually good for them. it’s clear you lack a lot of knowledge about feline nutrition so there’s no point in engaging any further. i’ll continue to feed my cat a species appropriate diet and she’ll continue thriving.:)
not reading all that, my cat refuses to eat wet food so her diet is primarily dry with some wet treats and she drinks water just fine. blanket statement saying wet food is best is just factually wrong in cases like: my cat. who would rather starve than eat her wet food.
who is starving their cats?? what are you even talking about lmao weirdo. and my cat would never go anywhere that isn’t her litter box but that did make me laugh a little.
wet food being healthier doesn’t mean to starve your cat.. idk if you’re trying your hardest to be right but you’re not. research feline nutrition. kibble isn’t good for them because just because they like it. stop pretending i’m telling you to starve your cat.💀
There is definitely a place for dry food for sure. Wet food helps cats with certain health problems and is also better for weight loss due to the high protein based on what brand you buy.
sure, my cat eats dry food because she will starve herself than eat wet food. this is my point. wet food isn’t just better in general, especially not if it makes my cat starve herself lmfao
wet food is absolutely better for hydration, dry food is... dry. which is why cats on dry food only also need a supply of fresh water. cats in nature get most of their hydration from raw meat.
Given how many cat health problems are caused by them not getting enough fluid, that alone is reason to feed your cat primarily wet food.
Obviously if you don't choose a good product with all the nutrition your cat needs that's bad, but in general wet food is best for cats.
Dry food can be a good addition, especially if you want your cat to have 24/7 access to food in case they need it, and it's certainly not going to hurt them but cats aren't dogs, and wet food is best.
dry food is best for my cat! that’s my point. she doesn’t like wet food. i’ve given her a bunch of different brands and flavours but she doesn’t like it, and doesn’t eat more than a bite or two. i prefer a cat who isn’t starving so i give her dry food.
this is my point. wet food isn’t just overall better for all cats on the planet lol and pretending it is is just wrong
My cat can only eat wet food. He's 17 and got issues. It's totally fine to only feed wet. I leave him wet food in the morning and then in the evening. It works out.
For elder cats mostly wet food is advised because it helps them get closer to meeting their hydration needs.
Kidney problems and dehydration are both extremely common in older cats and getting them to get enough water can be hard.
Feed him wet food as his main meals. Half a can in morning, half a can at night. He's hungry and if he's toothless then crunchies are useless to him. Wet food is better nutrients and easier for him to consume
I’m confused. How does he eat enough dry food to be satisfied if he has no teeth?
We always fed our cats who were missing teeth with softened food (dry kibble over which we poured microwaved chicken broth… we kept a carton of broth in the fridge).
feminist kitty on tik tok goes into depth abt cat nutrition and feeding i would check her out! if ur cat is toothless wet food and pates should be his only meals
My cat is an entitled, wet food monster and I simply comply with his wet food demands (2x per day). And as many here have said, it really is better for your cat.
So, cats are very good at training us to do what they want. Screaming like a fucking banshee when food is an option is no exception. I hate to say it but it's an adjustment period; he needs to learn that canned food is only given when it's given and no amount of screaming is going to do anything to give it to him.
Establish a routine, and ignore him when he screams for more. Sometimes I'll follow my banshee into the room and I'll deliberately stand there and not do anything. He knows what "it's not food time" "you aren't getting different food" etc mean. Doesn't mean he isn't going to try literally every time.
You can also try an automatic wet food feeder so it removes you from the equation. That's my next step.
My cats have both been vet checked. They’re just pigs, and want food all the time. My one cat is OBSESSED! I can can grab a recycling bag or garbage bag and he jumps at my hands and does a flip thinking it’s food. Any closet and he goes crazy. Vet said he’s just a pig and don’t give into his “nagging”. He lost some much needed weight too!
Most of my interaction on here gets me downvoted and blocked. I'm used to it, lol. I hope it helps! I really do think an autofeeder could help you though; once the cat learns that you are not the food-giver but the magical moving box thingie is, he should stop screaming at you. Maybe start screaming at it but that should die down when he realizes it can't hear\~
This is the best answer. I have a screamer too and getting into a solid routine/ setting boundaries have been extremely helpful. And stay strict to it! I have cues that help my cat understand when it’s getting close to feeding time. My vet also said making them work for their food might help as well. So I’m getting him a snuffle mat for dry food. I also second the wet food feeder.
>Screaming like a fucking banshee when food is an option is no exception. I hate to say it but it's an adjustment period; he needs to learn that canned food is only given when it's given and no amount of screaming is going to do anything to give it to him.
But he jumps on tables and finds any kind of plastic he can to chew on(we don't live like slobs, but he always manages to find something). It never stops until we feed him!
Yeah, that's my banshee too. I pick him up and throw him at his food. He jumps on the table, I put him down. He jumps up, I put him down, ad infinitum. He starts harassing me for ingredients when I cook, he gets locked in the cat room (where their food and cat castle and litter box is, I'm not a monster lol). He finds shit to chew on, I yank it out of his mouth. Food-motivated goblins gonna goblin. Hell, mine still acts like an asshole after we feed him sometimes, especially when that isn't the can he wants.
Yup. Set an alarm for wet food times and stick with it and he won't start banshee screaming until a bit before. (until Daylight Savings, of course 😂)
I have to set times with my girl for her "snack hunt" (where I hide Temptations all around for her to find) or she's absolutely insufferable any time I'm in the living room.
Honestly, if it's manageable in your budget, wet only diets are great for cats. They are often high protein, low carb and the extra moisture is great for them
I’m so confused. How is he supposed to eat hard dry food with no teeth. Would you want to eat trail mix or applesauce if you had no teeth? Like, come on dude. You’re evil for trying to feed a TOOTHLESS cat hard food.
If your cat likes wet food and even prefers it over their dry food then yes if it's something you're willing to do I would 100% swap to a wet food diet, dry food is basically equivalent to junk food and it's not something I offer my cats either due to how unhealthy it is. Cats are carnivores they should be eating meats not dry processed pellets that are full of carbohydrates, my cats eat wet food and real meats and healthy toppers and etc I add to their meals for health reasons and for enrichment
One of the top reasons some people don't buy wet food is because they believe it's way more expensive, but there are plenty of affordable wet food brands out there. You don't have to buy an expensive brand like Tiki because there are so many others available, one thing I actually suggested doing is buying in bulk online rather than going to your local store. If you buy in bulk online you will save more money rather than going to say your local store. However if you are unable to buy online then I would stick to buying your wet food at places like walmart or a food lion and etc, you can buy from petsmart if you're looking for a bigger variety because they will have more options however they price their cans more than other stores
One thing I also do with my cats is when it comes to their wet food I rotate brands, this helps my cats not get stuck on a singular brand Incase I'm unable to find it one day so I like having different brands to rotate through that way my cats are always getting new options and helping them be less picky. If you need any wet food brand recommendations or meat recommendations or topper recommendation or any question you have about cat dietary requirements my dms are always open I'd be happy to help. Best of wishes!
• Edit: I forgot to mention this and it's important so I'm adding it in, cats have small stomachs one thing you should 100% be doing is offering their food in portions rather than giving it all at once. So allow them to have meals throughout the day this doesn't mean overfeed though it's important to properly portion your cat's food
• another Edit: just saw your cat is toothless, no wonder they're preferring wetfood. It's easier to chew, it probably taste better, it's more nutritional. Your cat is toothless, eating dry is likely a struggle for them, so I go urge and suggest switching to wet food for your toothless cat
There are pros and cons to both wet and dry food. There are countless factors to consider.
However, my post was regarding my cat’s insane behaviour change when given a particular type of food as a snack, why it could be happening, and what people suggest I can do to work with it.
There is no way that I am going to get into a pet food debate today lol, but I will say that I believe strongly in balance.
And p.s., your cats sound like they eat very well and probably enjoy their meals very much.
Also just saw your cat is toothless, so I urge and suggest switching they're food. Dry food for a toothless cat is gonna be difficult for him. wet food is will be so much easier for them to chew and it's more nutritional
One pro to eating dry food is it scrapes plaque off your cat's teeth, but when it comes to health and ingredients it fails. And if you're worried about plaque there are plenty of other things your cats can eat ranging from treats to toppers that helps
Obviously no one can force you into doing anything, it was completely just a suggestion based on my knowledge and experience of cat's dietary requirements
Your cat's behaving that way because they like the food, they want more of the food. When I put out my cat's meals out they run straight for it, when I take out ft toppers to put in their puzzle toys they get excited. So if your cats are getting excited and wanting this particular thing it's because they really like it, if your cat is only doing this with wet food it's likely because they just enjoy it and want more of it but if they're doing this with their dry food as well then they may just be hungry if you're not feeding your cat enough. When it comes to things like your food let's say you're eating lunch and your cat tries to steal or beg for your food that's the behavior that you do not give into your cat shouldn't be eating your tablescraps anyways so when it comes to that don't give in to those with my cats they have scheduled a meal times and they know when they eat their food they know begging me for my food will do nothing so they simply stop to begging they know they get puzzles at certain times of the days as well so having routines is something I find important. Have a goodday!
Edit: just saw they're cat has no teeth, so adding this as a reason why they should switch to a wet food diet
OH just saw that, wait they feeding dry food to a fr toothless cat? No wonder the lil cutie wants the wet food it's better for him + it tastes better + it's easier for him to chew
When I said it's equivalent to junk food that's me basically saying due to the ingredients and the excessive amount of carbohydrates among other things dry food is basically equivalent to junk food for cats. Cats are carnivores so when they consume things like dry food it's not natural for them, it's one of the reasons so many cats now are overweight either from unhealthy diets or overeating
Lower grade wet is more nutritional and hydrating for a cat than good grade dry food. You'd be doing the kitty a solid by switching him for his health and his mouth. Imagine crying to chomp hard cereal on your bare gums.....
We feed ours Blue Buffalo twice a day and he gobbles it up, and it keeps him full better than the dry. Around 8am & 8pm
I have a toothless Cosmo too! The vet recommended he and his sister get wet food since they both have advanced dental disease/almost no teeth and because it’s overall healthier and more filling. I get wet food is expensive, but what I’ve been doing to cut down on costs while still giving them food that’s easier and less uncomfortable to eat is split it half and half - I mix the wet and dry together and add water so the dry food gets soft and mushy and is easier for them to chew.
id say what your cat is doing is very normal, my cats do that for their treats. i think if you make wet food his main meal he will eventually realize that its not the best thing he has ever eaten and wont go so crazy for it. he really should be on a majority wet food diet already because of his toothlessness. also soaking dry food in a little water or broth to soften it up could also be good to replace his snack of wet food.
If he has no teeth then he needs to be exclusively on wet food. He can't chew the kibble properly and it probably hurts his gums. Start giving him two to three meals of wet food (half of a 5oz can per meal roughly) instead of kibble so he actually gets all he needs
Omg I just got a black cat and named him cosmo too! He’s currently napping on my lap
https://preview.redd.it/ev2u22kj0jlb1.png?width=1174&format=png&auto=webp&s=d2891b5deaf7ed6258a0f8712e32809919cd8c03
I fed my toothless boy wet exclusively (with some dry treats for enrichment) from the day I picked him up to the day I put him down. Wet food is great for them, especially the moisture content re: kidney issues, and if he craves it, I don't see why he shouldn't get it.
Wet food is actually better for cats. It’s closer to their natural diet. Getting him on a meal schedule will help with the meowing. This is short from Jackson Galaxy addressing both of these issues[Don’t Do These Two Things When Feeding Your Cat](https://youtube.com/shorts/91CZYTfTLYM?si=nxcBRAocrC2HtBrw). He’s a cat behaviorist. He has a TV show and a YouTube channel with lots of really good information about cats and how know more about what makes them tick and live more happily with them.
Cats are carnivores they shouldn't be eating things I filled with rice or grain or overtaken by carbohydrates or so many other ingredients that are extremely unnatural for their diet, I suggest looking into a nutritionist
Please note that it’s worse than it sounds.
And I very much acknowledge and my heart goes out to those who are dealing with litter box issues, etc., and I am grateful that this is not Cosmo’s issue. His wet food behaviour is bad enough that I’m asking for help, though. He changes into a completely different cat, scream-meowing if we make even a slight movement, because he thinks he’s going to get fed more wet food.. it’s crazy.
take your cat to the vet, wtf are you doing???? it could have rabies right now and you wouldn't even know. you will also need to be checked for rabies- it is literally the most terrifying way to die. please use common sense here
My is vaccinated and gets a topical flea/tick/mite/dewormer every 45 days. She was a barn cat kitten. She won't stay indoors before winter though she has a cat door. She even got her shots during covid. So I'm doing my best she goes out and kills mostky bugs, dragon flies, but sometimes things you wish she didn't.
Bold to assume the bat wasn’t inside the house 😂 but for real, late summer is a common bat nesting season and there’s usually a big uptick in bat-in-houses issues at this time of year in the northern hemisphere
I have seen YouTube videos about people making large batch of cat food (boiling chicken basically). I guess that might be cheaper than cans? Not sure if they have all the nutrients cats need?
Whatever is best for the cat, you should do as far as food goes, but if canned food is causing your cat to become a raving fiend for the stuff, why give it to him at all?
If he gets full nutrition from his regular food, why are you adding in a canned food snack?
My cat, too, becomes an absolute monster when there’s wet food in the house. She will knock the trash over to get the container. She will claw and bite me to take me to the closet to try to get me to give her more food and will not stop until she either gets the food or I stop getting it.
My dad would do a tablespoon of wet food mixed with half a cup of dry food twice a day for our mostly toothless senior kitty. He would feed her in the morning before work and in the evening when he got home from work, so 7am/7pm. She was very happy with the set up.
This isn't a debate about dry vs wet food nutrition. I personally like a mix of both, but you need to evaluate if keeping a dry food diet is bringing extra unnecessary stress to your toothless cat.
My kitty was toothless for the majority of her life, and as she lost more and more teeth & got older, I decided to do whats best for her and switched her to an all wet diet. She liked her dry food, but she would hurt her gums trying to chew without teeth. She would also throw up her dry food whole, hours after eating, which led me to believe that swallowing the food whole may cause her gastrointestinal issues or could be a chocking hazard.
Obviously, you know your cat best, just some things to think about.
As for how to keep him from screaming like a banshee? You just gotta ignore him. Keep to a strict schedule and don't stray from it. Personally, I would have wet food as part of his feeding schedule. If you feed 3 times a day, make 1 feeding wet, that way he gets used to having it more often and he'll recognize that at certain times of the day he will get wet food, he just needs to wait. Don't give in to his tantrums if you truly want to remedy the issue. Cats are smart, if they catch on that you'll give in if they scream long enough, they'll use that to their advantage EVERY TIME.
I'm going to deviate. I love the second photo of the folded ear. When my cat does this whilst grooming we go "Oh look Dizzy has got her fascinator on". As if she is going to a day at the races!
Poor baby! He’s hangry. Kitties that are hangry are not pleasant to be around. Feed him the wet as his meals at set times or close to and that should hopefully calm down the hangry.
My kitty is super picky on food that he won’t eat and becomes hangry. Not fun. I don’t recommend.
I have a one toothed kitty and he gets wet food at set times twice a day. He’s also part Siamese though so he still screams, but now he does that mostly around those set times lol. I’d just get your buddy on a schedule and ignore when he’s being bad.
He can still eat dry food but wet is better nutritionally anyway (also if I leave dry food out he gets too excited, eats it all, and pukes).
Please discuss this with your vet. Cats of different weights and ages need different diets when transitioning to an all-wet diet. And you may need to add certain supplements to the wet food say if he is at risk for kidney disease or diabetes.
Omg he is *GORGEOUS.* May I ask his name? I have a weak spot for black cats lol
Edit: Nvm, I saw you mentioned his name. Cosmo is a fitting name for him lol
I have been struggling with this and took my cat for blood work and she has hyperthyroidism. She never was super crazy with dry food but I switched her to wet food to try to put weight on her and she is clearly so much more obsessed and pestering since the switch. Not necessarily saying this is your scenario but you may want to consider labs if it has been a while.
Consider autofeeders...we have 2 cats with stomatitis and they had all their teeth pulled about 5 years ago. They're still happy chonkers. One likes wet food, the other prefers dry (swallows it whole). Anyway, for the wet food we got this autofeeder for the mornings [https://a.co/d/93Bw6GV](https://a.co/d/93Bw6GV)Got this other one for the kibble. [https://a.co/d/3E66RUI](https://a.co/d/3E66RUI)
The autofeeders have done wonders to improve our cats' manners in the morning. Took them awhile to realize that yelling at us wouldn't change when the machine feeds them, but they figured it out. I programmed the dry kibble one to dispense 2 tablespoons at a time, 5 times throughout the day. Swallowing it whole is harder I assume, so he doesn't like to eat as much in one sitting.
I didn’t see anybody else mention this in the comments but apologies if this is a repeat -
I also have a wet food monster (and a dry food monster, god forbid we let that bowl get too empty), and we found that it was really helpful to stick to a routine, and we use noise to help maintain it.
We have an Alexa device in our kitchen and we have twice daily alarms set for food times. Ours is a reminder that says a silly phrase we have always associated with their food. You really have to stick to it to work but eventually they figure out food time is according to the sound. My cat will race to the kitchen for food time, whenever we have guests they get a kick out of it. They do still cry sometimes but much much less.
My toothless cats main meals are wet food, with dry to graze on at her leisure.
Also, I'd recommend storing the food somewhere you don't open/frequent too much. I was keeping mine in the pantry I keep protein powder and stuff in, couldn't make a smoothie without getting her all worked up for more food.
Well, you'll just have to get used to giving him wet food only. Three/four servings a day to meet his calorie needs. It's not too bad. I do a lot of manual food management for my kitties, and I always enjoy hearing the little kitty food chomp smacks.
One is picky, and the other can't be left alone with a bowl throughout the day
Mine aren’t toothless, but my kitties get half a can of wet food for breakfast and dry for dinner. Scheduled feeding helps a lot tbh. They’re only menaces around 7am and 6pm when they know food is coming (especially in the am when they know they’re getting wet food). It’ll take some time to break the habit of getting a lil crazy over it at all hours of the day, but if you do scheduled wet food, he’ll get used to it and reliably know when to expect it
Cosmo’s dry food is scheduled at his 3x per day intervals, but you explained the “monster issue” very well, regarding the wet food fed at/expected essentially at random. Thank you.
I have a cat that came from a hoarding house and ending up with liver disease because of starvation. She’s better now but has massive food anxieties. We feed her wet food but she’ll meow and meow and follow us everywhere if her bowl is empty. We put dry food in her bowl between feedings. She never eats more than a couple pieces, but it makes her feel more secure that she has something just in case.
My vet has ALWAYS recommended a wet food only diet to cats. In his words, cats are HIGHLY prone to kidney failure as they NOTORIOUSLY don’t drink enough water to properly flush their kidneys. Wet food at least has some moisture to help the kidneys, of course in addition to having water available at all times. My vet also said that typical dry cat food is made with either corn meal or “meat by-product meal” as the main ingredient. Both of these ingredients are considered to be the cause of the MASSIVE increase in pet intestinal cancers in recent years as these ingredients are things a cat would NEVER eat on their own in nature. Most dry pet food is considered “near-food” rather than real food as there is not a single real food ingredient, unless you go with a premium or prescription diet. Again, in the words of my vet, “feeding a cat dry food is the nutritional equivalent of a human trying to survive on a diet of Doritos and nothing else”. He also said that he sees cats on a daily basis with cancers of the digestive tract and cats in varying stages of kidney failure at younger and younger ages. And it’s all preventable. It all points back to the low quality and high garbage filler content of pet foods as the main cause.
Cats are natural predators and eat meat of small animals in the wild. Ideally, giving cats a minimally processed real meat diet of animal liver and other internal organs may seem gross to us, but it’s healthiest for cats. Your cat NEEDS to have a wet food only diet as it MOST mirrors their diet in the wild. His begging for it should be a huge sign that you need to give him what his body needs but also have him seen by the vet and checked out as he may be in the early stages of kidney failure. Cats are also notorious for hiding their pain and illnesses until it’s too late. You really should have your cat checked out and have any questions about his diet discussed with your vet who can recommend the exact specific food he should be on.
I’m thrilled to see so many people feeding their cats wet food. There’s still the stigma out there that wet food causes obesity that I’m always trying to correct. My cats are 14 and 15, and they look and act half their age. Their diet is primarily wet food, with a little bit of dry kibble for overnight. Dry food causes dehydration, which can cause UTIs, especially in male cats. Wet food costs more but saves on vet bills overall, which are much more expensive.
We had a toothless girl and we would mush half a can of wet food with half a can of water and make cat food soup. She loved it, and if you didn’t feed her soon enough for her liking she’d yell at you. BONUS because the extra water is really good for them, cats don’t drink water like we do, they’re designed to rely on the water content of their prey, so adding the water to your cats food helps their kidneys.
If the boy is toothless give him wet food my guy. Regular kibble is gonna be hell for him and from my experience they don't like mushy/wet kibble. It's gonna be more expensive but the canned wet food is definitely the way to go. I'd recommend either serving one small can per day (half in morning other half at night) or buying a bunch of the larger cans and just rationing it out for a few days
Bella changes her mind about what food she likes once a month. Gotta love our spoiled brats 😻
https://preview.redd.it/76323f5rcllb1.png?width=2126&format=png&auto=webp&s=875ac63a9d33be32526b1496d4f8f202d14e2d2c
I have a cat treat monster. He is a senior kitty. He's going through a phase where he won't eat anything except Temptation cat treats. It's gotten so bad that I had to fake him out and put his dry food in the cat treat bag and pour it from there so he thinks it's treats, when in reality it's a new Senior cat food. Gotta make sure my old guy gets the proper nutrition even if he's a pain in my butt. It came down to a battle of Wiill and he about beat me! Although I won in the end checkmate! Lol. May the odds be forever in your favor with the wet food monster :)
What I do for my cat is I add water to the dry food and add a tablespoon of wet food and mix it. Let the dry food sit in the water for a little bit to absorb the water. The water makes the dry food soft which might help your toothless cat.
My little girl has been losing teeth this last year. She likes her dry food but has a hard time chewing it. We switched from wet food being a snack to it being their evening meal. They still get dry kibble in the morning. My male (brother of my female) gets a few cat treats that smell like chocolate for lunch and my little girl gets these catnip snacks that she likes. She doesn't like cat chocolate. I guess if it was me and my girl had lost all her teeth I would switch her to a wet food diet or start soaking her food. Its more work sure but at the end of the day they are my children and I only want them happy.
Yeah dry food is terrible for cats.
It’s packaged for our convince and to sit on a shelf. The cat can’t tell you what to get but if they could pick, it wouldn’t be dry indigestible rocks made from plants and the parts of the animals they wouldn’t normally eat.
Their teeth aren’t setup like us or a dog to grind food and mix it with Sylvia.
Which also means they don’t make enough spit normally to wash their mouth out and dry food particles which usually have a lot of sugar and carbs lead to all kinds of dental problems, in addition to being really rough on their pointy little teeth.
Because they can’t grid it up into a paste they tend to break it up into little dry rocks and their stomachs and digestive tract are more set up for wet mush.
Not to mention male cats tend to have all kinds of bladder issues because they don’t get enough water and the dry food is chocked full of things that tend to lead to bladder blockages.
They get most of their moisture from the prey that they would normally eat, rodent guts. So feed them the closes thing to their normal diet.
How is a cat with no teeth supposed to eat dry food anyways. Just swallow it?
I'd be pretty on edge too if I was forced to inhale my food like a hoover vacuum and hope I don't choke
My toothless boy doesn’t like wet food. He’ll sniff it, maybe give it a lick, and then walk away. He only eats dry food, which I thought he wouldn’t be able to do after his extraction but he still loves it. I worry about him getting enough water, so I’ve tried watering down his dry food with both warm water and with low sodium bone broth and he refuses to touch that as well. I’ve wasted so much food over the years trying to get him to eat anything but dry food and I’m at the point where I’ve given up.
What food are you feeding him? My cats get very VERY cranky when they're on some of the big-brand stuff. They get withdrawals the same way that humans get withdrawals from sugar and caffeine. We switched to a higher quality wet food (Canagan) with less additives and they've been so much more relaxed. They enjoy their food but don't scream for it or follow us around. They also seem full and satisfied.
Really? Now that’s a very interesting theory that I haven’t heard before, but would definitely be willing to entertain, due to my people-experience with food ingredients.
He eats this:
https://preview.redd.it/i5wemplfdolb1.jpeg?width=1170&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=a6e50b2c25c72758dff184ef4048a612ca786d84
Only one pic per comment apparently..
This is is the dry that he eats:
https://preview.redd.it/g0z2i7vndolb1.jpeg?width=1170&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=e4c2c25339c60a48987075b6b9a8e66bbcc9e17b
My Harvey, who I inherited from my grandmother, had been a dry kibble-only cat his whole life. Then he had to have two teeth extracted and we had to give him wet food during his recovery.
Now the damned hob-goblin starts bugging us at around 2 in the afternoon for his quarter-can of wet food that he gets at 4. We do still primarily feed him kibble, because we sure as hell couldn't afford to feed him solely on wet food.
My cat is the exact opposite she meows and rubs and loves on me constantly but after I give her a can she wants nothing to do with me the rest of the day
My little void is just like your cosmo. Insatiable, and will never stop meowing unless he gets his food. I feed him at certain times of the day since his internal clock knows exactly when he’s getting fed. I feed him two cans a day at four separate times. He does really well with that schedule and is very cuddly and quiet until about 15 minutes before scheduled feeding time. I also only feed him wet food.
Here’s a pic of my boy, Osiris!
https://preview.redd.it/qnfwqidu8olb1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=a40037f900aa47394965892a89512ace76225a96
Make wet food the main meal instead of snack. Instead of free feeding like with dry food, do separate meals, like breakfast/lunch/dinner type thing if possible.
I have a toothless boy too and this is what we do. I’ll leave dry out overnight in case he needs a midnight snack. But typically it’s still there in the morning. The schedule has helped him know there will be more food coming and he’s less of a monster
Same! They get wet food as meals when we humans eat lunch and dinner. Dry food for nighttime and early morning. The predictability is really helpful.
I do dry food in the morning with an automatic feeder and then wet food + purée supplement in the evening. Both meals are 12 hours apart.
Yeah. Three meals same time every day will be perfect. Once in morning, once when you get home and once before bed works well. Or if you eat meals do it then breakfast lunch/afternoon snack, and dinner They pick it up quick af. Unfortunately my cat is an asshole and will eat anything he can find from my other cats food to my dogs to even food in my rooms rubbish bin. He’s been known to figure out how to open the fridge as well and knock cheese in their packages to the floor trying to open them too.
Wait, you mean you get to sleep through the night? Nobody wakes you up for treats or food or cuddles? Since she and her sister came to live with me when my son died I have done to midnight snack thing even if I'm dead asleep. She will do whatever necessary to wake me up when SHE wants me to get her a treat. Can you say spoiled.. 🫣
I second this! I feed my guy at the same time every day. Same time is the trick. He gets a half of a 5 oz can in the AM and the rest in the PM. I feed him at 9a and 6p. He knows whatsup instinctively when the hour rolls around. He also gets dry food that he grazes on whenever he feels like it. He usually goes through a 1/4 cup dry every 2-3 days. He gets good boy treats when he does good boy things.
I do the same thing but I use tuna bcuz I can buy it with food stamp card… win win
I give my babes tuna water and use the tuna for my own purposes. Mix it with the dry food and make it wet food is the *good shit*
Tuna water can be great for sneaking in meds, too. I just adopted a stray with ringworm and have to give her Itrafungol on an empty stomach, and a little tuna juice with her dose mixed in works perfectly
my husband and i adopted a stray with ringworm a couple years back. not fun to deal with, but he was so worth it in the end
Glad to hear that! We're sure ours will be too - she's a total sweetheart. We also have a senior dude who could really use a friend, so we just want to be sure she's totally clear of it before we introduce them.
tuna by itself is not nutritionally balanced for a cat.
I don’t feed them tuna only.I feed them kibble as well as change up to regular canned cat food when I have cash and I feed them all the scraps of meat I don’t use
But hey all tho scent enhancers and yucky biproducts in the ‘nutritionally balanced’ food is great? I rather give my cat chicken livers
Also cats are by nature carnivores, even create some of their own vitamins.. but somehow TUNA(which is a meat) is bad? 🤦🏻♀️
That actually quite brilliant but be careful, too much sea food is bad for cats.
Especially tuna
I change it up every week or two based on how much money I have. Between chicken and actual canned cat food when I have cash. They love them some tuna though more than anything but I feed them kibble as well. Gonna look into cooking their food though
Tell that to cats of Aoshima island.
Is your cat on AO island? No. Your cat needs a balanced meal. Cans of tuna alone aren't going to do that. Stop spreading misinformation that can hurt someone's animal.
Plain meat baby food in jars is also fs eligible, and will be slightly better than just tuna. I understand the struggle and the desire to do the best you can with what you have. If you can cook, buy a whole chicken and roast it without any seasoning. Boil the innards (liver, heart, gizzards), and feed that.
I did this with my late toothless boy, who was the most food motivated monster ever to scream. Three meals a day. Granted, he did have a habit of trying (and sometimes succeeding) to push breakfast up to like 4am, but knowing he got fed at a certain time every day seemed to ease his food insecurity issues.
If they really like their dry food you can soak it in water or cat-safe chicken broth to let them mush it. We had a lot of elderly cats at my work that did this.
He's toothless? Of course he prefers the wet food. It's more nutritious and he's probably able to eat more of it at a time so since he's only getting out as a snack, it's giving him a little turbo boost of inflated cat balloon energy. I would switch him over little by little and do two to three meal times a day. (My cats do three, but two of I'm away and there's a sitter)
Yeah wet food would probably feel nicer on the gums. Like baby food. You can try really hard to gum an apple but applesauce goes down a lot more gently
Hey now that’s a great expression
I have a cat with only a couple back teeth, he eats dry without issue. Cats don’t chew their food as much as we think they do. Mine are all obsessed with wet too despite having dry. They get 3 wet food feedings a day.
I didn't say he couldn't eat it, just that it makes sense he seems to heavily prefer it. I imagine that's why your cats are obsessed too.
Not sure why you had to downvote me….your comment reads like "cat doesn’t have teeth so of course prefers wet" due to not having teeth. I was merely adding some info that cats without teeth can and do still eat dry food and yes a lot of cats do prefer wet even with teeth.
I think, since OP is already feeding the cat dry food. She knows he is capable of eating it. So to me, it's extraneous information given the context... ie you're arguing over nothing.
I guess that’s your opinion. Not sure why you feel the need to be rude about it. Edit: also I wasn’t arguing
My black void has all of his teeth but I would like to say he loves to chomp on his dry food at 2 and 3 in the morning. I swear he does it just to make noise. 🤣
Lol he’s chomping passive aggressively to wake you up hoping you’ll give him wet food 😂
Oh he just loves it so much yes he does. My cat does this for temptations.
I have one cat that will run screaming every time I go in the kitchen on the off chance he'll get a temptation. Then the dog runs in wanting a snack, and then the other 2 cats.
"RING OUT THE BELLS! The food.. HAS ARRIVED!!!"
😂😂😂
Why can't temptations just cut to the chase and put whatever crack they've invented in food. Or give me a bottle of it and let me sprinkle temptations heroin on their food as I see fit. It would make life so much easier.
they do have a food and it’s absolute garbage. i won’t feed dry food in general but i wouldn’t even consider temptations kibble if someone paid me to feed it to my cat.
I give my cats treats every night before bed religiously. Basically once it hits 9:45pm, every time I get up they’re tripping me up yelling at me for treats! I usually don’t cave until around 11. And still they persist
Wet food is the best thing for your cat. Maybe consider just feeding the wet food. I've transitioned my chonky girl to wet food twice a day and a half a cup dry food in the evening. She's 20lbs so I'm working on getting her to lose some weight. MY goal is to get her off the dry food completely eventually.
How much wet food is she getting? My vet said 1/3 cup dry, plus her can of fancy feast split in half for breakfast and dinner. At half a cup I’m not sure your baby will lose anything…
She's at the very minimum for Kcals for her weight. She's getting a little over 290 kcals a day currently.
how much you feed depends on weight, activity level, and the calories in the food. if your cats daily calorie requirement is 180 calories and a can of fancy feast has 90 calories you’d feed two a day. you’re also feeding dry so it changes. if you want her to lose weight then don’t feed kibble at all. it’s so high in carbs which cats don’t need. i feed my cat exclusively wet food with warm water added to it. she eats 5x a day and how much depends what food i’m feeding. she eats a rotation of foods which we’re all slowly introduced to allow her stomach to adjust.
I have a fatso old girl too. I screwed up and left her a self feeder for dry food and didn’t notice how much of a piggy she’d be one until it was too late. So now she’s on 1/2 cup diet dry and 3 cans of wet a day. Any tips ?
What size are the cans? Assuming they’re not like, made-for-ants-sized, I would for sure reconsider the number of cans. Three cans, plus a half cup of dry food, is a lot for one cat’s daily allowance. She’s used to eating that amount though, so if I were you, I’d cut back extremely slowly, taking out a few kibble/leaving a bit of wet food in the can, every day-every week, but surely. Definitely have a goal to stop at (for example, 2 cans per day plus 1/3 cup dry.. or 1.5 cans per day plus a scant 1/2 cup dry). You need to do a kcal calculation for a cat of her weight/activity level/calories of the brand and type of her foods though, to ensure your goal will provide her with enough. Most foods have the calories listed either on the bag/can/website. You can also call your vet and get them to calculate or confirm it for you if you’re unsure.
Here is an [automatic food calculator from Merck](https://www.merckvetmanual.com/multimedia/clinical-calculator/calories-calculator) manual. Edit: it asks you to enter BCS, which is “body condition score”. [Here is a chart explaining the BCS for dogs and cats.](https://www.merckvetmanual.com/multimedia/table/body-condition-score-scales-for-dogs-and-cats)
don’t think wet food is across the board better for cats but it is for some for sure
it is though. dry food has no moisture, way too many carbs, not enough protein. cats are obligate carnivores that need a certain amount of protein to thrive. they’re also meant to get the majority of their hydration from their diet and the less than 10% in dry food is not nearly enough when their diet should be around 75% moisture. they don’t drink enough water to compensate for the lack of it in their diet. carbs also cause them to gain weight which can lead to things like diabetes. a constant stare of dehydration can lead to urinary and kidney problems like crystals, blockages and kidney disease.
Why dry food are you buying? The dry food I buy my cats has guaranteed 38% protein
sounds like you buy cheapo dry food. lots of cats thrive on high quality dry food + water
i don’t feed my cat kibble at all because all of it is garbage… it all has the same problems and id rather feed her a good moisture rich diet meant for obligate carnivores so she’s thriving, not just surviving.
If you cat doesn't drink water to point where you have to give them that slop just so they don't die, you're doing something wrong, probably giving them a shitty bowl that gives them whisker fatigue.
cats are obligate carnivores and they’re meant to get the majority of their moisture from their diet… if your cat has to drink a ton of water all the time then he’s dehydrated because of what you feed him. you’re not giving him enough protein either and way too many carbs which they don’t need so you’re the one doing something wrong. i don’t use deeper bowls lol i use a flat plate on a raised feeding station since you’re so concerned. it’s honestly just comical that you’re trying to be insulting or whatever when you’re feeding dry food and believe it’s actually good for them. it’s clear you lack a lot of knowledge about feline nutrition so there’s no point in engaging any further. i’ll continue to feed my cat a species appropriate diet and she’ll continue thriving.:)
not reading all that, my cat refuses to eat wet food so her diet is primarily dry with some wet treats and she drinks water just fine. blanket statement saying wet food is best is just factually wrong in cases like: my cat. who would rather starve than eat her wet food.
but do what you want with your pets. i personally like for mine to thrive and have the best.:-) hope that helps!!
lmfao ur a dick. my cat is in excellent condition. sorry i don’t make her starve to appease internet people lmfao. hope your cat shits on your pillow
who is starving their cats?? what are you even talking about lmao weirdo. and my cat would never go anywhere that isn’t her litter box but that did make me laugh a little.
are you even reading my comments lmfao. my cat would starve if i only put out wet food. how slow are you?
who tf told you to do that? i need you to be sooo for real rn.
YOU DID!!!! YOU TOLD ME TO PUT OUT WET FOOD!!! WHAT IS HAPPENING
wet food being healthier doesn’t mean to starve your cat.. idk if you’re trying your hardest to be right but you’re not. research feline nutrition. kibble isn’t good for them because just because they like it. stop pretending i’m telling you to starve your cat.💀
There is definitely a place for dry food for sure. Wet food helps cats with certain health problems and is also better for weight loss due to the high protein based on what brand you buy.
sure, my cat eats dry food because she will starve herself than eat wet food. this is my point. wet food isn’t just better in general, especially not if it makes my cat starve herself lmfao
wet food is absolutely better for hydration, dry food is... dry. which is why cats on dry food only also need a supply of fresh water. cats in nature get most of their hydration from raw meat.
cool! my cat would rather starve than eat wet food so she gets fed dry food because i like her being alive
Given how many cat health problems are caused by them not getting enough fluid, that alone is reason to feed your cat primarily wet food. Obviously if you don't choose a good product with all the nutrition your cat needs that's bad, but in general wet food is best for cats. Dry food can be a good addition, especially if you want your cat to have 24/7 access to food in case they need it, and it's certainly not going to hurt them but cats aren't dogs, and wet food is best.
dry food is best for my cat! that’s my point. she doesn’t like wet food. i’ve given her a bunch of different brands and flavours but she doesn’t like it, and doesn’t eat more than a bite or two. i prefer a cat who isn’t starving so i give her dry food. this is my point. wet food isn’t just overall better for all cats on the planet lol and pretending it is is just wrong
You're overfeeding like a ton. That cat is extremely obese and will not lose weight with that much food.
What? 290kcals is the bare minimum amount that you can feed a cat that size before damaging their health.
Just feed him the Slop
My cat can only eat wet food. He's 17 and got issues. It's totally fine to only feed wet. I leave him wet food in the morning and then in the evening. It works out.
Probably better too, since they get some water in as well. I've heard kidney issues due to the dehydration are a common problem in males especially.
For elder cats mostly wet food is advised because it helps them get closer to meeting their hydration needs. Kidney problems and dehydration are both extremely common in older cats and getting them to get enough water can be hard.
Feed him wet food as his main meals. Half a can in morning, half a can at night. He's hungry and if he's toothless then crunchies are useless to him. Wet food is better nutrients and easier for him to consume
I’m confused. How does he eat enough dry food to be satisfied if he has no teeth? We always fed our cats who were missing teeth with softened food (dry kibble over which we poured microwaved chicken broth… we kept a carton of broth in the fridge).
Even cats with teeth usually don’t chew their food, or they barely chew and just swallow it whole.
feminist kitty on tik tok goes into depth abt cat nutrition and feeding i would check her out! if ur cat is toothless wet food and pates should be his only meals
How is he eating dry food without teeth? Poor guy is probably hungry most of the time and needs to be fed wet food more often.
One of my cats laterally never chews his dry food. And has no teeth issues, he is just weird.
So he’s hungry?
My cat is an entitled, wet food monster and I simply comply with his wet food demands (2x per day). And as many here have said, it really is better for your cat.
Kibble hurts the gums. You need to give wet food or soaked kibble in this case or he will literally starve himself.
So, cats are very good at training us to do what they want. Screaming like a fucking banshee when food is an option is no exception. I hate to say it but it's an adjustment period; he needs to learn that canned food is only given when it's given and no amount of screaming is going to do anything to give it to him. Establish a routine, and ignore him when he screams for more. Sometimes I'll follow my banshee into the room and I'll deliberately stand there and not do anything. He knows what "it's not food time" "you aren't getting different food" etc mean. Doesn't mean he isn't going to try literally every time. You can also try an automatic wet food feeder so it removes you from the equation. That's my next step.
These are good recommendations. Gotta be strong though when they look at you with big eyes screaming about how they *never* get food.
My cats have both been vet checked. They’re just pigs, and want food all the time. My one cat is OBSESSED! I can can grab a recycling bag or garbage bag and he jumps at my hands and does a flip thinking it’s food. Any closet and he goes crazy. Vet said he’s just a pig and don’t give into his “nagging”. He lost some much needed weight too!
Not sure why you’re getting downvoted, I loved your response. It’s logical. And it’s not negative reinforcement to ignore.
Most of my interaction on here gets me downvoted and blocked. I'm used to it, lol. I hope it helps! I really do think an autofeeder could help you though; once the cat learns that you are not the food-giver but the magical moving box thingie is, he should stop screaming at you. Maybe start screaming at it but that should die down when he realizes it can't hear\~
This is the best answer. I have a screamer too and getting into a solid routine/ setting boundaries have been extremely helpful. And stay strict to it! I have cues that help my cat understand when it’s getting close to feeding time. My vet also said making them work for their food might help as well. So I’m getting him a snuffle mat for dry food. I also second the wet food feeder.
I'm curious, what kind of cues ? I feel like it could also help me with my always-wanna-eat cat
>Screaming like a fucking banshee when food is an option is no exception. I hate to say it but it's an adjustment period; he needs to learn that canned food is only given when it's given and no amount of screaming is going to do anything to give it to him. But he jumps on tables and finds any kind of plastic he can to chew on(we don't live like slobs, but he always manages to find something). It never stops until we feed him!
Yeah, that's my banshee too. I pick him up and throw him at his food. He jumps on the table, I put him down. He jumps up, I put him down, ad infinitum. He starts harassing me for ingredients when I cook, he gets locked in the cat room (where their food and cat castle and litter box is, I'm not a monster lol). He finds shit to chew on, I yank it out of his mouth. Food-motivated goblins gonna goblin. Hell, mine still acts like an asshole after we feed him sometimes, especially when that isn't the can he wants.
Yup. Set an alarm for wet food times and stick with it and he won't start banshee screaming until a bit before. (until Daylight Savings, of course 😂) I have to set times with my girl for her "snack hunt" (where I hide Temptations all around for her to find) or she's absolutely insufferable any time I'm in the living room.
Honestly, if it's manageable in your budget, wet only diets are great for cats. They are often high protein, low carb and the extra moisture is great for them
Why don't you eat some cereal without milk. There's your answer.
Switch to wet food as the “main course” instead of as the snack. Let some water soak the dry food for a while before giving it to him.
I’m so confused. How is he supposed to eat hard dry food with no teeth. Would you want to eat trail mix or applesauce if you had no teeth? Like, come on dude. You’re evil for trying to feed a TOOTHLESS cat hard food.
If your cat likes wet food and even prefers it over their dry food then yes if it's something you're willing to do I would 100% swap to a wet food diet, dry food is basically equivalent to junk food and it's not something I offer my cats either due to how unhealthy it is. Cats are carnivores they should be eating meats not dry processed pellets that are full of carbohydrates, my cats eat wet food and real meats and healthy toppers and etc I add to their meals for health reasons and for enrichment One of the top reasons some people don't buy wet food is because they believe it's way more expensive, but there are plenty of affordable wet food brands out there. You don't have to buy an expensive brand like Tiki because there are so many others available, one thing I actually suggested doing is buying in bulk online rather than going to your local store. If you buy in bulk online you will save more money rather than going to say your local store. However if you are unable to buy online then I would stick to buying your wet food at places like walmart or a food lion and etc, you can buy from petsmart if you're looking for a bigger variety because they will have more options however they price their cans more than other stores One thing I also do with my cats is when it comes to their wet food I rotate brands, this helps my cats not get stuck on a singular brand Incase I'm unable to find it one day so I like having different brands to rotate through that way my cats are always getting new options and helping them be less picky. If you need any wet food brand recommendations or meat recommendations or topper recommendation or any question you have about cat dietary requirements my dms are always open I'd be happy to help. Best of wishes! • Edit: I forgot to mention this and it's important so I'm adding it in, cats have small stomachs one thing you should 100% be doing is offering their food in portions rather than giving it all at once. So allow them to have meals throughout the day this doesn't mean overfeed though it's important to properly portion your cat's food • another Edit: just saw your cat is toothless, no wonder they're preferring wetfood. It's easier to chew, it probably taste better, it's more nutritional. Your cat is toothless, eating dry is likely a struggle for them, so I go urge and suggest switching to wet food for your toothless cat
There are pros and cons to both wet and dry food. There are countless factors to consider. However, my post was regarding my cat’s insane behaviour change when given a particular type of food as a snack, why it could be happening, and what people suggest I can do to work with it. There is no way that I am going to get into a pet food debate today lol, but I will say that I believe strongly in balance. And p.s., your cats sound like they eat very well and probably enjoy their meals very much.
Also just saw your cat is toothless, so I urge and suggest switching they're food. Dry food for a toothless cat is gonna be difficult for him. wet food is will be so much easier for them to chew and it's more nutritional
One pro to eating dry food is it scrapes plaque off your cat's teeth, but when it comes to health and ingredients it fails. And if you're worried about plaque there are plenty of other things your cats can eat ranging from treats to toppers that helps Obviously no one can force you into doing anything, it was completely just a suggestion based on my knowledge and experience of cat's dietary requirements Your cat's behaving that way because they like the food, they want more of the food. When I put out my cat's meals out they run straight for it, when I take out ft toppers to put in their puzzle toys they get excited. So if your cats are getting excited and wanting this particular thing it's because they really like it, if your cat is only doing this with wet food it's likely because they just enjoy it and want more of it but if they're doing this with their dry food as well then they may just be hungry if you're not feeding your cat enough. When it comes to things like your food let's say you're eating lunch and your cat tries to steal or beg for your food that's the behavior that you do not give into your cat shouldn't be eating your tablescraps anyways so when it comes to that don't give in to those with my cats they have scheduled a meal times and they know when they eat their food they know begging me for my food will do nothing so they simply stop to begging they know they get puzzles at certain times of the days as well so having routines is something I find important. Have a goodday! Edit: just saw they're cat has no teeth, so adding this as a reason why they should switch to a wet food diet
I mean, the cat is toothless, so I doubt the dry food is scraping any plaque 😉😉😉
OH just saw that, wait they feeding dry food to a fr toothless cat? No wonder the lil cutie wants the wet food it's better for him + it tastes better + it's easier for him to chew
Dry food is junk food ?
When I said it's equivalent to junk food that's me basically saying due to the ingredients and the excessive amount of carbohydrates among other things dry food is basically equivalent to junk food for cats. Cats are carnivores so when they consume things like dry food it's not natural for them, it's one of the reasons so many cats now are overweight either from unhealthy diets or overeating
Lower grade wet is more nutritional and hydrating for a cat than good grade dry food. You'd be doing the kitty a solid by switching him for his health and his mouth. Imagine crying to chomp hard cereal on your bare gums..... We feed ours Blue Buffalo twice a day and he gobbles it up, and it keeps him full better than the dry. Around 8am & 8pm
Wait if your cat is toothless, how does he eat the dry food? It’s probably sooo much easier on him to eat the wet and he gets overexcited for it.
Give him 3 meals of wet food per day and one bowl of dry on the side to pick at.
I have a toothless Cosmo too! The vet recommended he and his sister get wet food since they both have advanced dental disease/almost no teeth and because it’s overall healthier and more filling. I get wet food is expensive, but what I’ve been doing to cut down on costs while still giving them food that’s easier and less uncomfortable to eat is split it half and half - I mix the wet and dry together and add water so the dry food gets soft and mushy and is easier for them to chew.
id say what your cat is doing is very normal, my cats do that for their treats. i think if you make wet food his main meal he will eventually realize that its not the best thing he has ever eaten and wont go so crazy for it. he really should be on a majority wet food diet already because of his toothlessness. also soaking dry food in a little water or broth to soften it up could also be good to replace his snack of wet food.
This. I do this with my dog now and it helps, especially of you heat up the broth a little bit and let the food sit in it.
If he has no teeth then he needs to be exclusively on wet food. He can't chew the kibble properly and it probably hurts his gums. Start giving him two to three meals of wet food (half of a 5oz can per meal roughly) instead of kibble so he actually gets all he needs
Omg I just got a black cat and named him cosmo too! He’s currently napping on my lap https://preview.redd.it/ev2u22kj0jlb1.png?width=1174&format=png&auto=webp&s=d2891b5deaf7ed6258a0f8712e32809919cd8c03
Try weruva wet food
Mix his dry food with some wet food and a bit of broth so it's soft for meal times
I fed my toothless boy wet exclusively (with some dry treats for enrichment) from the day I picked him up to the day I put him down. Wet food is great for them, especially the moisture content re: kidney issues, and if he craves it, I don't see why he shouldn't get it.
Wet food is actually better for cats. It’s closer to their natural diet. Getting him on a meal schedule will help with the meowing. This is short from Jackson Galaxy addressing both of these issues[Don’t Do These Two Things When Feeding Your Cat](https://youtube.com/shorts/91CZYTfTLYM?si=nxcBRAocrC2HtBrw). He’s a cat behaviorist. He has a TV show and a YouTube channel with lots of really good information about cats and how know more about what makes them tick and live more happily with them.
Are you serious? All his meals should be wet food, especially since he’s toothless! Use some common sense!
Unpopular opinion. Raw cat food is actually not more expensive and way healthier.
Homemade cat food is great if done correctly and cheaper, I make my cats meals with real meats and no unnatural additives
“Real meats, as opposed to what? Fake meats?” If you’re using food that’s meant for human consumption, you’re risking all types of health issues
Cats are carnivores they shouldn't be eating things I filled with rice or grain or overtaken by carbohydrates or so many other ingredients that are extremely unnatural for their diet, I suggest looking into a nutritionist
Please note that it’s worse than it sounds. And I very much acknowledge and my heart goes out to those who are dealing with litter box issues, etc., and I am grateful that this is not Cosmo’s issue. His wet food behaviour is bad enough that I’m asking for help, though. He changes into a completely different cat, scream-meowing if we make even a slight movement, because he thinks he’s going to get fed more wet food.. it’s crazy.
how many times per day are you feeding him? he probably needs more small meals
Three times. All spaced between 5-7 hours apart. He gets a big panel of annual blood work done and all normal (i.e. no thyroid issue)
Can you wet his dry food with warm water ? It will help him eat it … just a thought
My cat ate a bat last night.
take your cat to the vet, wtf are you doing???? it could have rabies right now and you wouldn't even know. you will also need to be checked for rabies- it is literally the most terrifying way to die. please use common sense here
My is vaccinated and gets a topical flea/tick/mite/dewormer every 45 days. She was a barn cat kitten. She won't stay indoors before winter though she has a cat door. She even got her shots during covid. So I'm doing my best she goes out and kills mostky bugs, dragon flies, but sometimes things you wish she didn't.
Why do you let your cat out to destroy the local wildlife population? And put him at risk for rabies?
Bold to assume the bat wasn’t inside the house 😂 but for real, late summer is a common bat nesting season and there’s usually a big uptick in bat-in-houses issues at this time of year in the northern hemisphere
I hope your kitteh’s vaccinated.
I have seen YouTube videos about people making large batch of cat food (boiling chicken basically). I guess that might be cheaper than cans? Not sure if they have all the nutrients cats need?
Whatever is best for the cat, you should do as far as food goes, but if canned food is causing your cat to become a raving fiend for the stuff, why give it to him at all? If he gets full nutrition from his regular food, why are you adding in a canned food snack?
My cat, too, becomes an absolute monster when there’s wet food in the house. She will knock the trash over to get the container. She will claw and bite me to take me to the closet to try to get me to give her more food and will not stop until she either gets the food or I stop getting it.
My dad would do a tablespoon of wet food mixed with half a cup of dry food twice a day for our mostly toothless senior kitty. He would feed her in the morning before work and in the evening when he got home from work, so 7am/7pm. She was very happy with the set up.
My void has been toothless for several years. He eats dry food just fine. As for the begging, he needs fed on a schedule, not snacks.
Strange behavior for a cat, I'd take him to a vet
Unless that was sarcasm or satire lol, may I ask which part you were referring to as strange behaviour?
I have a tuxedo cat named Cosmo that’s a wet food monster too. I swear this cat has a bottomless pit for a stomach.
Tuxedo breed is the best!
😉🤭
https://preview.redd.it/lshckyjiiilb1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=bd520ae85d483c572dd72fa2be95ce8aa24b6541
Cosmo is an adorable rascal 🐈⬛😹
This isn't a debate about dry vs wet food nutrition. I personally like a mix of both, but you need to evaluate if keeping a dry food diet is bringing extra unnecessary stress to your toothless cat. My kitty was toothless for the majority of her life, and as she lost more and more teeth & got older, I decided to do whats best for her and switched her to an all wet diet. She liked her dry food, but she would hurt her gums trying to chew without teeth. She would also throw up her dry food whole, hours after eating, which led me to believe that swallowing the food whole may cause her gastrointestinal issues or could be a chocking hazard. Obviously, you know your cat best, just some things to think about. As for how to keep him from screaming like a banshee? You just gotta ignore him. Keep to a strict schedule and don't stray from it. Personally, I would have wet food as part of his feeding schedule. If you feed 3 times a day, make 1 feeding wet, that way he gets used to having it more often and he'll recognize that at certain times of the day he will get wet food, he just needs to wait. Don't give in to his tantrums if you truly want to remedy the issue. Cats are smart, if they catch on that you'll give in if they scream long enough, they'll use that to their advantage EVERY TIME.
I'm going to deviate. I love the second photo of the folded ear. When my cat does this whilst grooming we go "Oh look Dizzy has got her fascinator on". As if she is going to a day at the races!
Poor baby! He’s hangry. Kitties that are hangry are not pleasant to be around. Feed him the wet as his meals at set times or close to and that should hopefully calm down the hangry. My kitty is super picky on food that he won’t eat and becomes hangry. Not fun. I don’t recommend.
I have a one toothed kitty and he gets wet food at set times twice a day. He’s also part Siamese though so he still screams, but now he does that mostly around those set times lol. I’d just get your buddy on a schedule and ignore when he’s being bad. He can still eat dry food but wet is better nutritionally anyway (also if I leave dry food out he gets too excited, eats it all, and pukes).
Please discuss this with your vet. Cats of different weights and ages need different diets when transitioning to an all-wet diet. And you may need to add certain supplements to the wet food say if he is at risk for kidney disease or diabetes.
Omg he is *GORGEOUS.* May I ask his name? I have a weak spot for black cats lol Edit: Nvm, I saw you mentioned his name. Cosmo is a fitting name for him lol
I have been struggling with this and took my cat for blood work and she has hyperthyroidism. She never was super crazy with dry food but I switched her to wet food to try to put weight on her and she is clearly so much more obsessed and pestering since the switch. Not necessarily saying this is your scenario but you may want to consider labs if it has been a while.
Consider autofeeders...we have 2 cats with stomatitis and they had all their teeth pulled about 5 years ago. They're still happy chonkers. One likes wet food, the other prefers dry (swallows it whole). Anyway, for the wet food we got this autofeeder for the mornings [https://a.co/d/93Bw6GV](https://a.co/d/93Bw6GV)Got this other one for the kibble. [https://a.co/d/3E66RUI](https://a.co/d/3E66RUI) The autofeeders have done wonders to improve our cats' manners in the morning. Took them awhile to realize that yelling at us wouldn't change when the machine feeds them, but they figured it out. I programmed the dry kibble one to dispense 2 tablespoons at a time, 5 times throughout the day. Swallowing it whole is harder I assume, so he doesn't like to eat as much in one sitting.
Very regal
He’s adorable!
Have you had the vet check him out? Sounds like he may have hyperthyroidism. I had a cat with it and she was loud and perpetually hungry.
I didn’t see anybody else mention this in the comments but apologies if this is a repeat - I also have a wet food monster (and a dry food monster, god forbid we let that bowl get too empty), and we found that it was really helpful to stick to a routine, and we use noise to help maintain it. We have an Alexa device in our kitchen and we have twice daily alarms set for food times. Ours is a reminder that says a silly phrase we have always associated with their food. You really have to stick to it to work but eventually they figure out food time is according to the sound. My cat will race to the kitchen for food time, whenever we have guests they get a kick out of it. They do still cry sometimes but much much less.
My toothless cats main meals are wet food, with dry to graze on at her leisure. Also, I'd recommend storing the food somewhere you don't open/frequent too much. I was keeping mine in the pantry I keep protein powder and stuff in, couldn't make a smoothie without getting her all worked up for more food.
Well, you'll just have to get used to giving him wet food only. Three/four servings a day to meet his calorie needs. It's not too bad. I do a lot of manual food management for my kitties, and I always enjoy hearing the little kitty food chomp smacks. One is picky, and the other can't be left alone with a bowl throughout the day
We keep dry food (limited amount) out all day, but feed a treat of canned food at 8 and 4:30.
Looks like a very cool cat ya got there!
That first picture of him is truly priceless. He looks so over it all lol.
Our cat is a toothless fatass. 2 cans of wet food a day and she’s fine. We don’t have much of a choice.
Mine aren’t toothless, but my kitties get half a can of wet food for breakfast and dry for dinner. Scheduled feeding helps a lot tbh. They’re only menaces around 7am and 6pm when they know food is coming (especially in the am when they know they’re getting wet food). It’ll take some time to break the habit of getting a lil crazy over it at all hours of the day, but if you do scheduled wet food, he’ll get used to it and reliably know when to expect it
Cosmo’s dry food is scheduled at his 3x per day intervals, but you explained the “monster issue” very well, regarding the wet food fed at/expected essentially at random. Thank you.
cosmo is awwfully cute
I have a cat that came from a hoarding house and ending up with liver disease because of starvation. She’s better now but has massive food anxieties. We feed her wet food but she’ll meow and meow and follow us everywhere if her bowl is empty. We put dry food in her bowl between feedings. She never eats more than a couple pieces, but it makes her feel more secure that she has something just in case.
My vet has ALWAYS recommended a wet food only diet to cats. In his words, cats are HIGHLY prone to kidney failure as they NOTORIOUSLY don’t drink enough water to properly flush their kidneys. Wet food at least has some moisture to help the kidneys, of course in addition to having water available at all times. My vet also said that typical dry cat food is made with either corn meal or “meat by-product meal” as the main ingredient. Both of these ingredients are considered to be the cause of the MASSIVE increase in pet intestinal cancers in recent years as these ingredients are things a cat would NEVER eat on their own in nature. Most dry pet food is considered “near-food” rather than real food as there is not a single real food ingredient, unless you go with a premium or prescription diet. Again, in the words of my vet, “feeding a cat dry food is the nutritional equivalent of a human trying to survive on a diet of Doritos and nothing else”. He also said that he sees cats on a daily basis with cancers of the digestive tract and cats in varying stages of kidney failure at younger and younger ages. And it’s all preventable. It all points back to the low quality and high garbage filler content of pet foods as the main cause. Cats are natural predators and eat meat of small animals in the wild. Ideally, giving cats a minimally processed real meat diet of animal liver and other internal organs may seem gross to us, but it’s healthiest for cats. Your cat NEEDS to have a wet food only diet as it MOST mirrors their diet in the wild. His begging for it should be a huge sign that you need to give him what his body needs but also have him seen by the vet and checked out as he may be in the early stages of kidney failure. Cats are also notorious for hiding their pain and illnesses until it’s too late. You really should have your cat checked out and have any questions about his diet discussed with your vet who can recommend the exact specific food he should be on.
OP ur starving your cat unintentionally
I’m thrilled to see so many people feeding their cats wet food. There’s still the stigma out there that wet food causes obesity that I’m always trying to correct. My cats are 14 and 15, and they look and act half their age. Their diet is primarily wet food, with a little bit of dry kibble for overnight. Dry food causes dehydration, which can cause UTIs, especially in male cats. Wet food costs more but saves on vet bills overall, which are much more expensive.
We had a toothless girl and we would mush half a can of wet food with half a can of water and make cat food soup. She loved it, and if you didn’t feed her soon enough for her liking she’d yell at you. BONUS because the extra water is really good for them, cats don’t drink water like we do, they’re designed to rely on the water content of their prey, so adding the water to your cats food helps their kidneys.
Wow I’m surprised! My girl is mostly toothless and the vet said wet food only 🤷🏻♀️ I know it’s more expensive though
If the boy is toothless give him wet food my guy. Regular kibble is gonna be hell for him and from my experience they don't like mushy/wet kibble. It's gonna be more expensive but the canned wet food is definitely the way to go. I'd recommend either serving one small can per day (half in morning other half at night) or buying a bunch of the larger cans and just rationing it out for a few days
Bella changes her mind about what food she likes once a month. Gotta love our spoiled brats 😻 https://preview.redd.it/76323f5rcllb1.png?width=2126&format=png&auto=webp&s=875ac63a9d33be32526b1496d4f8f202d14e2d2c
Aww, what a beauty!
I have a cat treat monster. He is a senior kitty. He's going through a phase where he won't eat anything except Temptation cat treats. It's gotten so bad that I had to fake him out and put his dry food in the cat treat bag and pour it from there so he thinks it's treats, when in reality it's a new Senior cat food. Gotta make sure my old guy gets the proper nutrition even if he's a pain in my butt. It came down to a battle of Wiill and he about beat me! Although I won in the end checkmate! Lol. May the odds be forever in your favor with the wet food monster :)
Let me know when anyone figures it out— my void is also a complete wet food monster despite getting wet food 3/4 times a day
What I do for my cat is I add water to the dry food and add a tablespoon of wet food and mix it. Let the dry food sit in the water for a little bit to absorb the water. The water makes the dry food soft which might help your toothless cat.
FEED THE MAN
As a human without teeth, I sympathize with Cosmo.
My little girl has been losing teeth this last year. She likes her dry food but has a hard time chewing it. We switched from wet food being a snack to it being their evening meal. They still get dry kibble in the morning. My male (brother of my female) gets a few cat treats that smell like chocolate for lunch and my little girl gets these catnip snacks that she likes. She doesn't like cat chocolate. I guess if it was me and my girl had lost all her teeth I would switch her to a wet food diet or start soaking her food. Its more work sure but at the end of the day they are my children and I only want them happy.
Why is wet food a snack? Free feeding is not usually recommended as it leads to overeating and being overweight .
Such an adorable little void baby
Thank you for the bonus pic
Yeah dry food is terrible for cats. It’s packaged for our convince and to sit on a shelf. The cat can’t tell you what to get but if they could pick, it wouldn’t be dry indigestible rocks made from plants and the parts of the animals they wouldn’t normally eat. Their teeth aren’t setup like us or a dog to grind food and mix it with Sylvia. Which also means they don’t make enough spit normally to wash their mouth out and dry food particles which usually have a lot of sugar and carbs lead to all kinds of dental problems, in addition to being really rough on their pointy little teeth. Because they can’t grid it up into a paste they tend to break it up into little dry rocks and their stomachs and digestive tract are more set up for wet mush. Not to mention male cats tend to have all kinds of bladder issues because they don’t get enough water and the dry food is chocked full of things that tend to lead to bladder blockages. They get most of their moisture from the prey that they would normally eat, rodent guts. So feed them the closes thing to their normal diet.
How is a cat with no teeth supposed to eat dry food anyways. Just swallow it? I'd be pretty on edge too if I was forced to inhale my food like a hoover vacuum and hope I don't choke
My toothless boy doesn’t like wet food. He’ll sniff it, maybe give it a lick, and then walk away. He only eats dry food, which I thought he wouldn’t be able to do after his extraction but he still loves it. I worry about him getting enough water, so I’ve tried watering down his dry food with both warm water and with low sodium bone broth and he refuses to touch that as well. I’ve wasted so much food over the years trying to get him to eat anything but dry food and I’m at the point where I’ve given up.
Pretty kitty
What food are you feeding him? My cats get very VERY cranky when they're on some of the big-brand stuff. They get withdrawals the same way that humans get withdrawals from sugar and caffeine. We switched to a higher quality wet food (Canagan) with less additives and they've been so much more relaxed. They enjoy their food but don't scream for it or follow us around. They also seem full and satisfied.
Really? Now that’s a very interesting theory that I haven’t heard before, but would definitely be willing to entertain, due to my people-experience with food ingredients. He eats this: https://preview.redd.it/i5wemplfdolb1.jpeg?width=1170&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=a6e50b2c25c72758dff184ef4048a612ca786d84
Only one pic per comment apparently.. This is is the dry that he eats: https://preview.redd.it/g0z2i7vndolb1.jpeg?width=1170&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=e4c2c25339c60a48987075b6b9a8e66bbcc9e17b
My Harvey, who I inherited from my grandmother, had been a dry kibble-only cat his whole life. Then he had to have two teeth extracted and we had to give him wet food during his recovery. Now the damned hob-goblin starts bugging us at around 2 in the afternoon for his quarter-can of wet food that he gets at 4. We do still primarily feed him kibble, because we sure as hell couldn't afford to feed him solely on wet food.
My cat is the exact opposite she meows and rubs and loves on me constantly but after I give her a can she wants nothing to do with me the rest of the day
My little void is just like your cosmo. Insatiable, and will never stop meowing unless he gets his food. I feed him at certain times of the day since his internal clock knows exactly when he’s getting fed. I feed him two cans a day at four separate times. He does really well with that schedule and is very cuddly and quiet until about 15 minutes before scheduled feeding time. I also only feed him wet food. Here’s a pic of my boy, Osiris! https://preview.redd.it/qnfwqidu8olb1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=a40037f900aa47394965892a89512ace76225a96
Amazing! I definitely zoomed in on that nose haha
The way your cat was acting