Finicky Cats

TheIT · May 28, 2010

Any suggestions on how to entice a finicky cat to eat? My vet is having me try my cat out on different types of food to find something he can metabolize more effectively. She called it an "IVD" diet - alternate protein sources (duck, lamb, rabbit, and venison) and green peas as the carb source.

When I put the new wet food down, my cat sniffs at it and walks away. The most effective thing I've found is to smear a little on his mouth so he gets the taste, then give him time to realize that he's actually hungry and that the food's not poison. I have to keep moving the food dish around, too, to keep him interested in eating. I also have him sequestered in the bedroom with me so his brother doesn't take over his food dish.

With today's offering (lamb), he wasn't interested at all, then sat next to the dish hooking bits of food on his claws and licking it off his paw, then finally realized hey, this isn't so bad, and is eating normally.

Any more suggestions other than time and patience? Thanks in advance.

slcboston · May 28, 2010

I have always figured that, if it's the only food available, once they get hungry enough, they will eat. Cats are not small children, they will not starve themselves to avoid peas.

but... beyond that I have little practical experience. There have been... *tries to count* *runs out of fingers and toes* ... umpteen cats parading through the multiple households I have lived in over the years.

None of them were finicky.

Polenth · May 28, 2010

Have you tried feeding it to both cats at the same time? Seeing the other cat eat might help him realise it's food. You can always pull his dish away if the brother tries to eat both.

LunacyWinged · May 28, 2010

I've worked in animal shelters before and there were a couple of things we did if we really wanted a cat to eat. One, heat the wet food up a little in the microwave, just enough that it's warm but not hot to the touch. This makes the wet food REALLY smell and could entice your cat to eat it. Another thing we used to do at the shelters to get cats to eat is to give them kitten formula. It may sound silly, but most cats can't resist it (like a cat with a saucer of milk). You could even mix the wet food and kitten formula together to make a sort of loose paste and heat that slighty in the microwave. The warm milky mush usually seems to be really comforting. Hope that helps!

~Luna

Smish · May 28, 2010

My cat is five years old and is STILL a picky eater. And she changes her mind about what she'll eat. Right now, she eats Fancy Feast wet food, but it has to be 'grilled', not 'flaked' or anything else, and she won't eat chicken or turkey. It has to be beef or fish or a combination of some sort.

I do keep dry food out for her at all times, and she nibbles it throughout the day, but doesn't eat much.

However, as someone said above, if she gets hungry enough, she'll eat the dry food. When I leave for weekend trips, she will eat the dry food that's left out for her. She only eats the bare minimum required for survival, though.

ether · May 28, 2010

Time and patience.

Is he on wet food only? Leaving it down for him is actually a bad idea, because bacteria grows really fast on wet food. It shouldn't be left out more than two hours at the most. There are some flavor-things you can buy at a pet store to make it smell more appealing. If lamb's the only one he's tried out, it might be he just doesn't care for the smell of lamb. Either he'll eat it and start realizing it's not bad and not be so picky about it, or you might try him on another flavor. (Your idea of smearing some on his mouth is a good one. You can also smear some on the back of one of his paws - although not too much or he'll just fling it everywhere.

)

Have you tried looking up recipes to make your own cat food? It's pretty time-consuming, but usually healthier for cats, especially if they have health problems. It tends to be more appetizing for them, too. I got lucky with my cat; he eats anything you put in front of him and a lot of things you don't. (Not always a good thing.)

Good luck!

JulieHowe · May 30, 2010

This trick worked with my finicky cat and also for a friend's cat. Mix spoonfuls of baby food in with the serving of canned cat food, or pour it on top of the food like it was a gravy. Pureed chicken baby food seems to work the best.

With my cat, it was a bizarre problem. Her prior owner only fed her fish wet cat food because this was the only thing the cat would eat. She developed an imbalance, and in order to convince the cat to eat food that wasn't fish, the vet suggested the baby food trick, and it worked. This cat went on to live a very happy and extended life, and in fact, I didn't even have to use more than two or three jars of baby food to change her eating habits.

The vet said this fish problem was very common, and the best thing is to make sure the cat has a wide variety of wet food choices, so they get all the nutrients they need.

SWest · May 30, 2010

It does not surprise me that he turned away from the lamb...this is not an animal that a small cat would naturally hunt and eat!

You have to work closely with your vet when considering adding things to a prescribed diet (IVD Limited Ingredient Diets, now made and distributed by Royal Canin, are not available to the general public). You have not mentioned your cat's medical diagnosis, so it is hard to recommend something more specific than microwaving or cutting the pate into small chunks that resemble kibble.

Unlike a dog, a cat must eat every day. After only a few days of fasting, the feline liver will malfunction and fail. So until your vet can render an opinion on additives, continue to hand feed him as you have been.

TheIT · May 30, 2010

Thanks for the suggestions, everyone! Right now my cat is on the restricted IVD diet by Royal Canin that SWest mentioned since he appears to have irritable bowel syndrome. He's lost a lot of weight in recent months, so I'm trying to fatten him up. He's also on a kitty version of a beta-blocker. He's almost twelve years old.

Since he's on the restricted IVD diet, I'm loathe to add anything until I talk to the vet. I've tried him with all four flavors at this point, and in the wet food he seems to like venison the best, then rabbit, lamb, and duck not so much. For dry food, he likes the venison crunchies. Before they switched him, he was eating freeze dried chicken treats like candy.

He's eating with less need to prime him, but it still takes him a while to eat. If necessary, I might try heating the food. On Tuesday, I'll pick up some more food from the vet. Here's hoping...

SWest · May 31, 2010

Heart problems and medications can adversely affect appetite. He may be feeling nauseated as he approaches the dish (a classic cause of the approach-and-turn-away). I would discuss the question of a drug side effect with the vet, and consider having a blood panel run to look for signs of kidney strain.

Stlight · May 31, 2010

I'm guessing your vet checked his teeth and gums, but there may be a tooth problem that's just beginning. I had a cat who became finicky due to diabeties and lost a good bit of weight. We tried the wet food in the tiny cans, I think it was what you're using. she was fond of the duck and the venison. The duck in particular seemed to help her gain weight.

(After two years on insulin and the enticing food she recovered from the diabeties. some cats do. Just to let you know the end of the story.)

NewKidOldKid · Jun 2, 2010

Are his kidneys working properly? I had two cats who went from eating well to being incredibly finicky and it turned that they had serious kidney problems, which was increasing the stomach acid and making them very nauseous. If he's not peeing normally or is drinking excessively, ask your vet about it.

TheIT · Jun 2, 2010

The vet ran a blood panel and Sparky's kidney values were pretty much normal. I've asked about his teeth, and the vet keeps saying he's got some gingivitis but nothing severe. He's supposed to stay on the IVD diet for a couple of weeks then go back in for a weighing/recheck. He's acting normal.

I think part of his current non-eating issues were that I started him on the IVD cat food flavor he liked the least (duck). He really likes the venison and rabbit flavors and doesn't need any prompting to start eating those. I'm still keeping him sequestered while he eats so he can finish his plate in peace from his brother, the feline vacuum cleaner. That way I can also make sure the proper food goes to the proper cat. Yesterday Sparky finished off about a can and a half of food, so that's promising.

regdog · Jul 4, 2010

The best advice I can give is to try different foods and stick with the ones he likes. We have an extremely fussy eater. He will only eat three kinds and on rare occasions take a bite or two of the other food we feed the other cats. We pass what he won't eat along to the others or stays and supply him with his favorites.

Make sure he likes where he's eating and he likes his food plates. Some times plastic plates and bowls can hold the smells of the food they hold. If you're using plastic they may smell of food he doesn't like.

Pookiestoop · Aug 18, 2010

TheIT said:
Any suggestions on how to entice a finicky cat to eat? My vet is having me try my cat out on different types of food to find something he can metabolize more effectively. She called it an "IVD" diet - alternate protein sources (duck, lamb, rabbit, and venison) and green peas as the carb source.

When I put the new wet food down, my cat sniffs at it and walks away. The most effective thing I've found is to smear a little on his mouth so he gets the taste, then give him time to realize that he's actually hungry and that the food's not poison. I have to keep moving the food dish around, too, to keep him interested in eating. I also have him sequestered in the bedroom with me so his brother doesn't take over his food dish.

With today's offering (lamb), he wasn't interested at all, then sat next to the dish hooking bits of food on his claws and licking it off his paw, then finally realized hey, this isn't so bad, and is eating normally.

Any more suggestions other than time and patience? Thanks in advance.

Sometimes both my cats get bored with their food and refuse to eat. The boy, 8 yr-old, 16lb, fat-ass, no-job-having-doesn't-pay-bills, male Tabby has to eat special food, so what I do is mix that in with Cat Tuna, works like a charm! If you cannot use other food for your cat try the liquid from human tuna, they love that. Good luck!

TheIT · Aug 18, 2010

Thanks for the suggestions, everyone! An update: Sparky is currently on the Royal Canin IVD venison wet food and crunchies. I think he's maintaining his weight, but it's hard for me to tell. He's acting normally. I'll be bringing him in to the vet for a weight check soon. Keeping him on one food flavor seems to make it easier for him to keep the food down.

He likes the venison crunchies a lot (sometimes so much that he doesn't bother to chew). I've been separating the wet food dishes so Sparky gets fed in the bedroom and his brother gets fed in another room. Seems to be working. With enough time, Sparky will finish off his plate.

Fingers crossed...

regdog · Aug 19, 2010

Good to hear, hope it continues

Finicky Cats

TheIT

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slcboston

Pasture-ized

Polenth

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LunacyWinged

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Smish

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ether

JulieHowe

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SWest

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TheIT

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SWest

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Stlight

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NewKidOldKid

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TheIT

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regdog

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Pookiestoop

TheIT

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regdog

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