File :-(, x, )
Anonymous
Hey /an/. My cat is getting crystals and is starting to pee outside her litter box. My friend who was a vet's assistant for 8 years told me all I really need to do is give her some antibiotics and start to feed her some wet food at least twice a week and work up to 3 or 4 times a week to help get her hydrated.

However, my cat will not touch her wet food. She only ever eats MeowMix. That is the only food I have ever gotten her to eat. She won't ever eat any other food we have tried to give her. Now that her health is at stake I really need to do something to get her to eat different food.

Any tips on how to get her to eat new food? I have tried mixing it up with her old food and all she has done pick out her old food and leave the new.
>> Anonymous
Maybe try easing her into it. Like, mixing in a spoon full of wet food one night, then two the next, etc. I mean, if you mix it well enough she can't really work around it too well when it's such a small amount, and by the time there's enough there for her to pick around, she'll probably be used to it if you go gradually enough.
Or maybe try heating the wet food a little before giving it to her?
But I don't actually know much about cats, I'm just going off what I've learned from friends over the years.
>> Anonymous
>>257972

You can't just mix it in and hope that your very suspicious and finicky cat will eat it. Have you tried dampening the MeowMix? The important bit about this whole "change to wet food" fiasco, after all, is about keeping her hydrated.

I am guessing the wet food you tried to substitute with was also MeowMix, right? If your cat sees an obviously inferior (so to speak) food on its bowl, it will not eat it.

You may also want to try feeding her some kitten milk to coax her into drinking more fluids.

Old wives' tales say stay away from fish flavoured cat foods.
>> Anonymous
Don't listen to a vet's assistant, there's a reason there's the "assistant" after the name.

Please read this thread I started a few days ago
>>256875

This could be the start of a life-threatening illness and you need to take your girl to a real vet right away.

I'm being told to give my Gary antibiotics, along with an anti-inflammatory and I'll have to feed her a prescription diet for the rest of her life to try and avoid further sickness.

Please Anon, go take her to a vet :( This is the kind of food the vet will give you, but maybe a different brand:

http://www.hillspet.com/zSkin_2/products/product_details_eu.jsp?PRODUCT%3C%3Eprd_id=845524441760464&
amp;FOLDER%3C%3Efolder_id=1408474395183417&bmUID=1212582425068&bmLocale=en_GB

>>257987
Also, this anon speaks the truth.
>> Anonymous
these always make me lol, check this out. Cats might not want to eat food they arnt use to. BUUUUUT check this amazing fact out.... they will eat if if they are hungry enough, just don't give it any other option and it will freaking eat the food.
>> Anonymous
>>258713
My cat tried to pull this on us. Usually, we buy foods we know she'll eat, but if money's tight or something else is on sale, we'll buy that instead. She turn up her nose at it and meow and beg for something else, but after a day or so of not eating, she gets the picture and eats what's put before her.

Granted, my cat is reasonable healthy, and missing a few meals won't kill her. I don't know about OP's cat.