Picky Cats - Born or Made?

Asteria

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I think it deends on the cat. Neither of my cats are very picky. They both love food. I'm (finally!) transitioning them to wet, and I don't expect any problems. As long as I've had them they eat whatever's in front of them and we've never had problems transitioning foods. Watch, now that I've said that when I get a hold of some wet next week they won't eat it.
 

aussie_dog

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Originally Posted by Rang_27

I'm sure they would eat whatever the got for 2 reasons. One they wouldn't have the consistant food source that we provide them. Second, they would have to expend more energy to catch their food than they do in a home.
Which reminds me, when Buffy was still new here, every time she saw Willow eating something, or even just sniffing something on the floor, she'd come RACING over to see what it is. At first, she'd eat what she'd find, but after a while she realized that food was aplenty in this house. She'd always come racing (she still likes to check out what Willow's eating), but she'd just sniff it to verify what it is, then walk away. Most likely, while she was living on the street, she learned from momma that beggars must never be choosers, that if you find food, EAT it!
 

artgecko

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I "hope" that they're made because I've been trying to avoid this with my two kittens by feeding a variety of wet foods and usually mixing 2-3 types of dry (two of which rotate) at a time. They seem to eat pretty much everything I give them except for the "evolve" dry cat food sample I tried with them.

I think that some of this may come from feeding a poor-quality dry food that has the animal "digest" on it and then them refusing to eat a food without it, but I am no expert.

HTH,
Art
 

misty8723

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I think it's like humans, sometimes you just don't like the taste of something and you don't want to eat it. I'm a picky person, and it wasn't how I was raised, it's how I am.

Cindy is a picky eater, and I accomodate her because I want her to be healthy. She will not eat something she doesn't want. It wouldn't matter if I left it out all day, it wouldn't get eaten (unless swanie happened by).
 

sharky

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FOR the picky eaters... It may be an issue of intolerence/allergy ... see unlike us Cats and dogs wont eat something they know is BAD for them UNLESS we force them....
 
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ghostuser

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Chase wasn't picky at all for most of his life.. he more or less ate anything. But it seems every time he gets sick he gets pickier. He still won't even touch the two foods he was devouring before his first UTI. And I can't really afford to just leave food out and make him eat it or miss the meal, since he's still too thin. So I probably make things even worse now, but what else am I going to do?
 

nimbus

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Well, I've dealt with both kinds of cats. My kitten, Nimbus, was born on a farm and he was just happy to get any kind of food at all. So, he'll basically eat anything I put in front of him. Though, I like to vary his wet selection (chicken, turkey, fish, lamb, a little duck). The only thing I haven't given him yet is beef (for some reason, canned beef just grosses me out
).

A few times, he hasn't finished a meal, but I'll usually leave it out for another 20 minutes and he'll come back and finish it. I will not open a new can. I just pay attention to what he seems to like more and purchase more of the same. He really seems to enjoy the Natural Life cans lately. I like them too, because they are really moist and I can see the little bits of veggies in them.


My sisters cat and my roommates cat are both extremely picky. Sister's cat was raised on dry food and only ever eats that. Roommates cat only licks up the gravy from wet/pouch foods and is addicted to fish flavors.

-Kristen
 

erinca7821

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I think they're made to a degree, just as we are to a degree. I thought Seamus a picky eater until I started offering him different things and he cooperated and ate them. He'll eat any Friskies can or pouch, and he doesn't like Science Diet because I think he associates that with medicine as I tried to sneak a pill in it once... plus they know, as we know what will make them sick and they have mind enough to not touch it.

We're made to a degree. I wasn't forced to try much as a kid, and as a result I am picky. Some things I've tried as an adult and started to like, and some I still don't, and rarely will I try anything new. My youngest brother is even worse, because I think my mom was even less forceful with him. Yet I have a brother who will eat anything and everything.

If our babies were wild cats, I'm pretty sure they'd get hungry and eat whatever they happen to kill or tear out of the local garbage, but they don't have to so they, like us, have their preferences...
 

valanhb

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Of my four cats, I'm pretty sure that only one was raised in a home. That would be Trent. He is picky in that he doesn't like wet food, period, nor does he like people food. He's been allowed to sniff just about anything we eat (because he's a curious puss), but he's never tried to eat anything off our plates or in our hands.

Ophelia is an interesting case. She came to us as a feral 6 week old kitten (a rescue) who was VERY determined that she was a big girl. She would have no part of KMR or food mixed with KMR. Other than that, she was a piglet. Until about 2 years ago, when she was around 6 years old. Now she's decided that she's a Princess who will only eat certain wet foods.
OUR habits didn't change. HER habits changed.

Ginger was living on the streets for at least 2 months before she was rescued. She is a MOOCH when it comes to people food. If it smells really good to her, we practically have to fight her off our plates.
But when it comes to wet food, she ONLY likes the brand, flavor and style of food that she was first given when she was rescued. We've offered her the better (according to Ophelia
) food, and she's not interested.

Mojo is a piglet so far in her life. She'll eat just about anything that's offered to her or that she finds. She's at least gotten to the point where she will sniff it slightly before consuming it, which is an improvement. It's like having a toddler in the house - everything on the floor goes in her mouth, and I guess the taste determines if she should play with it or eat it.


All of them will eat just about any dry food that's offered. The finickiness only happens with wet food, it seems, and some treats.
 

siggav

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Nikita is somewhat picky, as in she refuses to eat bad food (I had someone put down Whiskas for her and she sneered at it) but so far she has eaten all high quality foods she has been given.

However I haven't tried it out much because she's a bengal and gets loose stools and an upset tummy very easily so it's just not worth it. She needs to be on the same foods all the time.
 

urbantigers

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No picky eaters here. They both eat what they're given, and my bridge baby Magpie was the same. Very occasionally I will give Jaffa something he's not too keen on but I never offer an alternative and he likes food too much to go hungry so just eats it a bit slower and gives me dirty looks out of the corner of his eye. Now and again Mosi will walk away before he's finished but I just put it on top of the fridge (so that Jaffa can't get it) for him to finish when he feels like it. He's usually up there within 10 minutes finishing it off. I don't think either of them are naturally picky but I think Mosi could become picky if let him.
 
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