3 Steps to Switching Your Cat from Dry Food to Wet or Fresh Meals

Getting your cat to eat other foods after they have been eating dry food for a long time can take persistence. Keep trying different foods and techniques. The health benefits will be worth it.

My cat, Abby (pictured below), ate mostly dry food until the last year of her life when she decided to start eating wet food. She had also been diagnosed with gastrointestinal cancer around the same time. I think her body knew she needed better quality food.

Dry food is a lower quality, high carbohydrate, low moisture food that is used often because it's inexpensive and convenient. But what about our cat's health? I stopped free feeding dry food after several of my cats developed illnesses including diabetes, stomach cancer, hypothyroidism and gastrointestinal cancer. They were also all overweight.

Looking back, I cannot help but think that the nutritional quality of what they were eating negatively impacted their health. Dry food is so far removed from a cat's natural diet, cooked at very high temperatures and in order to be shelf stable for years, filled with preservatives. Canned food is also cooked at high temperatures and has preservatives, but it's higher protein and moisture content make it a better quality food when compared with kibble.

Commercial canned and commercial fresh food have a higher amount of animal protein (which is what cats really need as obligate carnivores), lower carbohydrates, and much needed moisture when compared with dry food. Cats don't have a strong thirst drive, so the moisture is very important for their health. When just fed dry, it can be hard for cats to drink enough water to compensate.

I offer a variety of food to my cats including canned, fresh and freeze dried raw. With the H1N1 virus going on, I'm no longer feeding raw poultry. As I transitioned away from kibble, I offered very small amounts, about 1 tablespoon per cat each day. In June 2023, they stopped being excited about it, so I stopped buying it. We do still have snack time once per day which consists of freeze dried raw nibs and Greenie's dental treats either in puzzle feeders or hiding it around the apartment which has been great fun since we started playing that game. I also use fun treats like Friskies Party Mix for training and pattern games, but I try to provide the best quality food that I can afford for their mealtimes.

For cats that have only been eating dry food, prepare for a potentially very slow transition (possibly months) as cats can be resistant to change and may need time to adjust. Your cat may eat the canned or fresh food right away, but they may also be resistant.

I went through a food transition myself a years ago when I started integrating commercial raw food into the mix for my 5 cats. Two cats took to it immediately and another two were a bit slower but caught on. Luke held out for 7 months before he would eat it. I offered it to him every day along with canned food. He would always eat the canned and leave the raw. Seven months later, he started eating the raw and now eats the raw first. So, patience and persistence can really pay off if you are dedicated to making this change for your cat.

I started offering fresh food a year ago when the H1N1 virus become more widespread and I stopped feeding raw poultry products. Fresh food also took time to transition to and I tried different companies and proteins to find what they liked. I offer it alongside canned food so they have choice.

3 STEPS TO ADDING CANNED OR FRESH TO YOUR CAT'S DIET:

Step 1 - Scheduled Feeding Times

If you are free feeding dry, you will have to change to scheduled feeding times in order for your cat to be hungry and motivated to try other food. Cats are designed to eat small frequent meals. They have small stomachs and would catch more than a dozen mice in the wild throughout the day.

Come up with a schedule that makes sense for you and your cat that has at least 3 meals and ideally a few more. I recommend starting with breakfast and ending with a meal before your bedtime. If you work outside the home, you might do a post-work meal as the 3rd meal. If you're around during the day, a small meal around your lunchtime could be the 4th.

Step 2 - Play followed by a Meal

Exercise can increase your cat's desire to eat. When cats are hungry, that's when they hunt. To mimic that experience, play with your cat using a wand toy which best captures a hunting experience. Wind down the play session by slowing things down and letting your cat enjoy catching the toy. This is the perfect time for a meal.

Step 3 - Offer New Food First

Before putting out the kibble, leave out the new food for an hour. If your cat eats it, great! If not, provide their regular dry food. It's dangerous for your cat not to eat, so it's important that they are still eating during this transition. Try again their next mealtime, or the next day.

Is your cat still resistant? I've got even more tips.

TIPS IF YOUR CAT IS RESISTANT

Although your cat may not seem interested right away, patience is key. Keep offering canned or fresh food, allowing cats to get used to its different smell and texture. You might offer it next to their dry food in a separate dish to allow them to become familiar with it. You might take it a step further and try to make the food more appealing by:

TIP 1 - Experiment with different brands, textures, and proteins

Josh, one of my cats, is a challenge when it comes to food. It took me years to find out that he likes pork. As soon as I realized this and started feeding him freeze dried pork, he finally filled out as he was a bit underweight. I had tried so many foods but not a lot of cat food has pork. Josh also has a very specific texture that he likes that is hard to find: minced. He also eats other textures, but he likes minced the best. This also took trial and error for me to figure out. Cats are often labeled "picky", but if they develop certain preferences early in life and were not exposed to many different types of food, it makes sense that they are resistant to new things.

If you have challenging cat when it comes to food, it's important to try different types of foods to find what your cat likes. Some cats like pate and others prefer slices. Some cats like chicken while others prefer rabbit. With freeze dried food, my cats like a particular brand more than the others they've tried, even though the ingredients are similar and it looks exactly the same to me.

TIP 2 - Exposure - Keep Trying!

If your cat does not eat a new food the first time, don't give up. Cats can be cautious about things they are not familiar with, even food. I mentioned earlier that it took my cat Luke 7 months to eat a new food. I didn't think he ever would but since my other 4 cats were eating it, I kept offering Luke a small amount alongside his regular food. That's an extreme example, but it does show that exposure can work.

TIP 3 - Add a Topper

Sprinkle canned or fresh food with Parmesan cheese, favorite treats, or FortiFlora (highly palatable probiotic supplement - be careful with this one if your cat gets constipated). You can also try a little tuna or cooked chicken breast. Adding a topper, particularly in the beginning can get your cat to try the food and they may decide they like it.

TIP 4 - Gently Warm Food

Warming up canned food or fresh food may make it more appealing. Warm food is closer to prey's body temperature. It also helps increase the olfactory component of flavor. Aging cats prefer warm food.

STILL NOT WORKING? DON'T STRESS

Some advice out there is to keep your cat hungry and keep trying wet food. My philosophy is to keep it low stress. A cat eating, even if it’s dry food, is preferred over missing meals. Don’t give up. Dry food eaters may change their preference for wet food on their own terms, like Abby did. In the meantime, encourage water consumption by providing multiple sources of non-plastic water bowls, cleaned daily, and kept away from food.

Originally published 12/04/2018, Updated 8/25/2023 and again on 10/04/2025

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About the author: Jennifer Van de Kieft, CAFTP, FFCP, PNCC is located in Brooklyn, NY. She is certified in feline behavior and pet nutrition. She owns Cat Advocate, a feline behavior consulting company. She provides cat guardians with the strategies, tools and knowledge needed to address their cat's behavior issues. Jennifer provides virtual consultations throughout the United States.