Which renal diet does your cat actually eat?

Okay, I'm stuck. Ziggy (6yo orange tabby) needs to switch to renal diet. I bought the standard wet food from the store. He looked at it, sniffed it, and walked away. Biscuit (2yo) is fine, but Ziggy is a pain. I've seen three different brands on the shelf. One is chunky, one is gravy, one is pate. Which one do you guys actually recommend? I need to know which one my cat will actually eat before I spend more money on the one he ignores.

Texture is the first hurdle. If he has any dental issues or just prefers a certain mouthfeel, the brand doesn't matter as much as the consistency. I deal with this a lot with my Pepper (10yo dsh, hyperthyroid). She refuses the chunky styles because she can't chew them well. She eats the pate. If Ziggy is healthy otherwise, try the pate first. It's easier to lick up. Check out texture matters more than brand for dental patients for a breakdown of the consistencies.

Thanks cparker. I think I will try the pate. Ziggy is pretty food motivated usually, so I think he just hated the smell of the gravy one. I have a thread going on getting a picky senior to finish the bowl where I'm trying to figure out if I should mix it with his regular food or just switch cold turkey.

Gentle transitions are usually better for senior cats, even if they aren't that old yet. My Cleo (9yo gray) has arthritis and is very fussy about change. I mix the new food with a tiny bit of the old one for a few days. If Ziggy is healthy, he might take to the pate quickly, but don't rush it. I know jessc86 is dealing with this too, she has a shy cat. See introducing new food to a shy cat for some tips on using warm water to enhance the smell.

Oh my god, thank you terri. My Chloe (3yo dsh) is the shyest cat ever. She hides when I open a new can. I'm expecting my baby next month and I'm worried I won't have time to do slow transitions. If I just put the food down, will she eat it? I feel like I'm failing at this.

Don't panic. Shy cats are different from picky cats. Chloe is hiding because she's scared, not because she hates the food. The warm water trick terri mentioned is good for smell, but you also need to feed her in a quiet spot. Ziggy'sdad, if you mix it, make sure the renal food is the majority so you don't dilute the phosphorus levels too much. Also, if you have a cat with hyperthyroidism like Pepper, the diet is more complex. balancing renal and thyroid diets explains why you can't just mix random foods for those cats, but for a standard renal case, texture is key.

I'll try the pate with warm water. Ziggy just ate a little bit of it. He's not a fan but he's not ignoring it anymore. I think the gravy was the issue. Thanks for the help.