feline psychology - my two cats are turning their nose up at their food

[mattkime]

cats have opinions. i've been learning to navigate them and have had some success but there's a new wrinkle throwing me for a loop -

what initially started as a food boycott over food + fish oil has become a boycott of their regular food whether it has fish oil or not. i imagine they say to each other "i know it doesn't have the fish oil....but it makes me remember it, ya know?"

I've found tricks to get them interested in pill pockets they formerly boycotted but i'm coming up short when it comes to their regular meal.

any advice?

[freeradical]

Get some live rodents from the pet shop?

[Speedy]

I've never heard of a cat starving to death because it refused to eat. Put the food out, leave it out, let them starve - except the cats will eat.

[rgG]

Speedy wrote:
Ive never heard of a cat starving to death because it refused to eat. Put the food out, leave it out, let them starve - except the cats will eat.

Actually, cat's can't go for very long, maybe 2-3 days, without food or they will develop something called fatty liver disease. I think that is the name. So, unlike a dog, you can't just wait them out.

I would suggest putting a little water from a can of tuna on the food, and see if that will entice them. Few cats can resist the smell of tuna.

[NewtonMP2100]

....what a catastrophe......

[bfd]

The tuna water suggestion is good, also if you can find a variety of cat food with more than the usual amount of fat, it'll sometimes get their taste attention.

One other thing to try is to do some play (have them chase a light or toy with you) and then give them a meal. That'll sometimes trick them into eating.

Texture is a third thing that cats - for some reason - develop some opinions about. So if you're feeding them mushy food, get something that's firmer (or vice versa). There's no one answer to this that will work for every cat. Good luck.

One of our cats was tricked by the pill pocket exactly once. Then we hid the pill in some cheese. Worked exactly once. For small-brained creatures with no foreheads, some of them have good reasoning ability and bulletproof memories. If they don't like that food now, they probably never will.

[Onamuji]

1. That's often a sign of illness. One cat may be sensitive to the other's ailment. Remember: cats instinctively hide their pain, so you have to keep an eye out for subtle signs. Consider taking both to the vet.

2. Cats get fussy sometimes after an experience that they associate with bad stuff. My cat refuses to eat "pate" or fine-minced wet foods. She'll sit there and cry until I replace it with something chunky. I think that it's because some salmon-flavored minced food gave her diarrhea. (She won't go near salmon either.) She associates the pate-texture with something bad.

[mattkime]

I switch up the food for the past two meals and the licked the bowls clean. previous they'd eat a bit but it was barely a nibble.

I'll try the tuna water idea

[NewtonMP2100]

....what if you get food from Chez Henrie......??


....maybe they only like the finer things in life......???

[Uncle Wig]

Finicky cats can be very frustrating. What brand are you feeding 'em? Is it a special diet?

My cats really loved this stuff: Blue Buffalo Freedom Indoor Mature Chicken Recipe Grain-Free Canned Cat Food

Boris had to go on prescription food, and for a couple weeks he just wouldn't eat it but now he likes it fine. I don't know what changed - maybe he finally realized that's all he was gonna get.