Hi All-



This is my first post and I am seeking some advice. My cat Kali has refused to eat wet food for the past month. Usually I give her dry food in the morning to nibble on during the day and then wet food at night which she normally gobbles down. Since mid-July she just turns her nose up at it. Since I've had her I have always fed her cat food that is either organic or made of 100% human grade products. I have always fed her some combination of wet, dry or raw food.



We have gone through a major change. I took Kali and my other cat Luther to Colorado in June for a month long writing workshop. They both sucessfully made the trip last year. Unfortunately, Luther passed away while we were there. Although I had taken them both for pre-trip checkups and Luther got extra tests because he was older (7 years) he apprently had an aggressive form of lung cancer (possibly) that metastized literally overnight. I had to make the very painful decision to have him put to sleep after over 10 hours at the emergency vet of just trying to figure out what was wrong. I had him for only a year and half (I rescuced him from the pound) but loved him dearly.



Kali went through some behavioral changes. She was always very independent and a bit prissy But since Luther's death she's been a lot more affectionate and even wants to be cuddled something for which she had great disdain for in the past. While we were in Colorado she still ate normally (dry in the morning/wet at night) but when we got back home (Phoenix) she stopped eating wet food completely.



The only reason I an concerned is that I've read on several sites and few books that only feeding feeding dry food can harm the kidneys over the long term. She is drinking water normally and urinates one to two times a day which has always been her norm. But she use to poop like clockwork once day. She'd eat a little wet food, poop, then return to her bowl to finish up. Now she's pooping every other day.



Thanks.



Kimberlie

Sorry to read about Luther.



I have read that about cats and kidney problems on dry food but one of my cats refuses to eat wet food so I just feed her dry food. She seems healthy so far but if you are worried about your cat maybe ask a vet for their advice.

The kidney problems are much much more common among male cats, as are urine crystals. The first thing that I would recommend is to take her to the vet for a check up, even if you have recently done so. Behavior changes like these should always warrant a vet visit to rule out any contributing health problems.



Honestly though I think all of the changes in her life are probably stressing her out. She has made a big trip AND lost a friend. Even if she and your other cat were not close, they still live together and were used to each other. She may be mourning his death, which is common when one pet dies. I would suggest adopting another cat, to keep her company.



Of course, you have to decide if you are ready to commit to another cat so soon after losing Luther. It does take some time but you will be saving another cat's life!

Cats who eat only dry food can be as healthy as cats who eat only wet food. I have a cat who doesn't like wet food, and he's fine. As long as she's eating I wouldn't worry too much about it.

I have two cats that only eat dry food.



They don't want wet food. Or fresh meat.

Mine won't eat fresh meat either. We don't keep it around here, obviously, but when visiting my parents my dad will put down scraps and they look at them, sniff them, then look at him like he's a crazy man and walk away.

My garbage kitty is more than willing to try to steal scraps of raw meat when my omni fiance is cooking. Simon (the cat) will actually jump on the counter and actively try to steal the food and run with it. Of course, if you were to actually voluntarily offer him some he wouldn't take it.



Wet food is really handy for getting extra hydration into a cat as they typically do not consume enough liquid on their own. To get her to take in more water you might want to consider buying a pet fountain or even a frequently cleaned human decorative fountain. Cats tend to be very finicky about their water and I know that I notice a huge difference in the hydration of my cats when I have a water fountain going and I'm changing the water dishes multiple times a day.

Not really. This site is what convinced me and it's really awful: http://www.catinfo.org/