Getting Finicky - What to do?

Originally Posted by AlleyGirl

Oh yikes, I hope he doesn't do that!

He has already turned down about 7 other brands, there isn't much left without going to low quality. At least he still likes his Evo and the Merrick Surf & Turf! (for now anyways

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I have a list of *114* (really) different wets I have tried. Of That there are only 3 they will eat with any consistency and 2 of those are Pro Plan (Meat by-products! Yum, yum!).

Finicky cats....they suck, don't they?

Have you tried Eagle Pack or Wellness canned? I'm just wondering if you throw something completely new into the mix if he'd eat it?

If he likes beef, maybe go for more beefy flavors for a bit.

Originally Posted by white cat lover

Finicky cats....they suck, don't they?

Have you tried Eagle Pack or Wellness canned? I'm just wondering if you throw something completely new into the mix if he'd eat it?

If he likes beef, maybe go for more beefy flavors for a bit.

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Eagle Pack he wouldn't touch. Wellness canned he tried to bury, although he will eat the pouches

As for the beef, the wouldn't eat it before. He would only eat chicken, turkey, duck. Now he seems to want beef. Except he still eats Evo which is turkey and chicken He just doesn't like the Merrick poultry anymore it seems. Turducken was his absolute favorite, now he just sniffs and walks away.

About the only premium brand I haven't tried is Natural Balance, because none of my local stores sell it. I don't even know if it is grain free

What brands have you tried??? Ya I probably know but

Low quality wet is better than no wet ....
But there are MANY MANY decent to good wets avail

Originally Posted by AlleyGirl

I have no idea what lox is!

Not sure why he is suddenly reversing all his preferences!

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Lox = salmon (German "Lachs").
Reversing preferences is typical cat behavior. They have to remind us that we're at their beck and call.

Originally Posted by jcat

Lox = salmon (German "Lachs").
Reversing preferences is typical cat behavior. They have to remind us that we're at their beck and call.

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lox is a lightly smoked raw salmon fillet part ... naw no Jewish in this girl .. best with cream cheese and a bagel

Originally Posted by sharky

lox is a lightly smoked raw salmon fillet part

... naw no Jewish in this girl

.. best with cream cheese and a bagel

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Also good on crackers with capers. There is a very different taste to the smoked salmon from Atlantic Canada versus Pacific Canada and again with the Scottish salmon.

When I have trouble with picky wet eater, I sprinkle on
Brewer's yeast as suggested and it works for me.
Just hold on to the flavors not wanted at moment and
offer a little later on. Cats are just stinkers and yes
we are their servants.

For the last 4 months he has been regularly eating Merrick and Evo wet and loved them, until this week it seems. This morning he only picked at his Evo (his favorite!) and wouldn't finish it. I don't know what is going on with him He is still eating his dry, and trying to beg from our plates, so I know its not loss of appetite.

In the past I have tried:

Merrick (has been his daily diet for 4 months, along with Evo every 4th day)

California Natural (venison, chicken, he won't eat either one)

Wellness can (wouldn't touch it, likes the pouches, was getting one recently for occasional treat)

Evanger's (wouldn't touch it)

Nature's Variety Instinct (he previously liked the rabbit, would not eat it this weekend)

Innova (regular, wouldn't eat it, loved Evo until now)

Felidae (won't eat it)

Fromm (beef, ate it once, never tried again because I wasn't comfortable with the tomato)

Nutro (won't eat canned, likes pouch ok, but I don't like the wheat gluten so don't want to feed it)

Wysong (wouldn't eat it)

Eagle Pack (wouldn't eat it)

Sheba (he likes it, this is one he was getting for an occasional snack)

Meow Mix tubs (foster cat licks gravy from the beef ones, Riley has been eating the leftover meat, I think this is part of the reason he won't eat his good food now)

That's all I can think of. NO access to natural balance, so haven't tried that. He was fine until the last couple weeks when he started getting pouches for a treat once in a while, and I started letting him have Kashsa's meow mix leftovers. I think he decided he liked them better. Should I cut him off ALL treats and extras, and just keep putting his regular food down until he eats it? Or should I buy him some pouches and let him eat those for a while, then try to switch him back in a month or something? Or try Brewer's yeast? where do I get it?

p.s. I don't eat seafood, so never heard of Lox!

Mine are all getting so finicky that even the starving stray I took in is joining in. I can't afford to keep throwing away food, so we are about to start having a battle of wills. None of them will starve, and they all love the dry food I feed them. I would just as soon let them eat that and be done with the wet food except as a treat. I have had to start feeding the stray in my laundry room, because 2 other cats that have collars and are ovbiously well fed have started stopping by for a meal. As much as I hate it, I can't feed every cat in the neighborhood. The 5 at home and the 3 parking lot kitties are more than I can afford right now. At least some of the other people at work have started feeding the ones there. They couldn't believe it when they saw that I always carry food, an old blanket and a carrier. I have noticed piles of cat food, and people putting down the remainder of meals instead of throwing them away. We are going to have the fattest ferals in town. I am going to check on the possibility of TNR, because there are at least two little females out there, and I think a mama and 2 nearly grown kittens.

Originally Posted by RaggieKitty

I
Oh and I guess I should add that after refusing a plate of food a couple nights ago, my son was taking it up to throw it away...he drops it and it goes splat on the floor....my cat runs over and eats the food off of the floor like it was a PRIZE! WHAT IS UP WITH THAT??!

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More like finding it in the "wild" I guess

Yeah, wild caught I guess it is!
I was trying to get her to eat tonight and as she walked away from her plate without finishing, my 13 yr old son (who dropped the plate) says to me: "just dump it out on the floor, Mom, she'll eat it"......yeah...I don't think so!

have you tried by natures pouches???

Originally Posted by sharky

have you tried by natures pouches???

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Haven't seen them in my local stores, same with natural balance, or I would try them.

He did eat his Evo for dinner last night. I think he thought he was starving since I threw his breakfast away This morning he had Merrick seafood delight. He didn't want to eat it and kept trying to get Kashsa's meow mix, but once she was done and I picked her plate up and scraped it in the trash, he went back and ate his food.

Tomorrow we will try the turkey, which is the one he has refused completely and see what happens. If he won't eat it, I'm going to get some brewer's yeast this weekend and try again.

I've had the same problem with my cat. He's never finnished a full portion of anything. I think I made the mistake of giving him too many fish based tins when he was little because now he just glares at me if I try and feed him chicken/beef/lamb etc. Its tuna/salmon or nothing.
He eats low-quality brands because Ive tried him on about 1 of everything else I can find and he just wont eat it. He HATES anything with 'real' pieces of meat in it. He once went for over a week without eating any wet food when I played battle of willpower with him over getting him to eat something of good quality. Ive tried this a few times, Ive tried rotating good/poor quality foods, Ive tried it all. He does have high quality dry food he likes (thank goodness), so I decided that will do him. He's a skinny, picky, eater and honestly, id rather he eats anything than nothing, so he gets fish flavour fancy feast for his wet food now. I know theres a lot of people on this site who are adament quality food is vitally important, but my cat is happy, healthy, and has a glossy coat. If your cat REALLY wont be convinced to go back to quality food, Id say let him eat what he wants rather than make feeding time a lifelong battle.

Well at least I'm the only one who bought two cases of cat food only to find my cat no longer likes it. I haven't been able to get Gizmo to any canned food for several weeks now. I've been adding water to a little bit of dry food every now and then and surprisingly he actually eats it. It makes me feel a little bit better but I would much rather he get back to eating wet food again.

This suggestion is slightly off the wall, but it works with some pets. Open up a can, put some in Riley's cat bowl, and a little on a plate for you. Do it in front of him. Then get a fork and (pretend to) eat his food.

It works better with dogs, but I've seen cats react by quickly eating their food so that you don't get it. I wouldn't do it with low-end supermarket food, but a taste of a premium brand won't hurt you.

Originally Posted by jcat

This suggestion is slightly off the wall, but it works with some pets. Open up a can, put some in Riley's cat bowl, and a little on a plate for you. Do it in front of him. Then get a fork and (pretend to) eat his food.

It works better with dogs, but I've seen cats react by quickly eating their food so that you don't get it. I wouldn't do it with low-end supermarket food, but a taste of a premium brand won't hurt you.

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I thought about putting it on a plate on my table and give him "bites" of it from "my plate" lol. He will eat anything off my plate, so it may work!

Well last night and this morning he ate Evo 95% Chicken and Turkey, so I'm assuming its the brand, not the protein source that he is getting bored with. I am going to try the Brewer's Yeast this weekend though, to see if I can get him to eat his Merrick, since I have 2 cases of it!

I'd just hold off on the Merrick's turkey/Turducken for a few weeks if it doesn't work, as he's bound to "reacquire" his taste for it.