I just adopted Boss 2 weeks ago, and I need some adivces, please help!

donut510

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Hi every one, my name is Donna and I just adopted a cat 2 weeks ago. His name is Boss, and he has some heart condition. Therefore, he has to take pills everyday. When I adopted Boss, the person told me that Boss loves pill pocket and prefers dry food.

However, the problem now is that Boss seems to get tired of his food very easily. They gave me Science Diet dry food when I adopted him, and after feeding him for a few days, he didn't want to eat SD at all. So I switched to RC, he was very excited and ate a lot of them for the first few days, then today he didn't touch it at all again.

I used to feed him canned food every night, but today I have to feed him canned food in the morning, too. I am afraid he will get tired of the canned food soon, too.

So is the snack problem, after the first few days, Boss refused to eat the pill pocket alone, so I feed the pill pocket with another snack. However, once he had tried another snack, he refused to eat the old one.

Why does his taste change so rapidly? He seemed to enjoy the food a lot the first few days but he'd just be turned off.

Is there anything that I can do?
Is it a sign of anything that I did not know?

Thanks for reading the post and I hope I can hear advices from you guys as soon as possible, thank you!!


 

sharky

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have you tried wet food ?? or maybe mix two or three brands of dry together
 

sakura

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Hi!
Congrats on your new kitty!

Cats can be finnicky eaters. Changes in dry food should be done gradually, transitioning from the old food to the new food over a period of about 7 days. This will help avoid diarrhea or other issues.

Are you free-feeding the dry food? Measured amounts? When I first adopted my first cat, I was feeding her waaaay too much. Even the guidelines on the bag are overestimates, imo. She's the type of cat who wouldn't finish, wheras another cat I have would eat the whole bag if he could. Some cats are only willing to eat one brand of food, so I'd consider yourself lucky that your cat is open to new foods.

It could just be that he's bored with the food, but it could also be that he's just eating too much and isn't hungry. Wet food is much healthier than dry food, so the more wet you can feed, the better. If you are going to feed dry food (I feed both), pick one with better ingredients than Science Diet. There are many threads here about which foods are preferred and why, including great info on how to read cat food ingredient labels (what to look for, what to avoid).

I would try to stick to one dry food, but feed a variety of wet foods. You'll get an idea for what the cat prefers (chunky or pate, which meats, etc.). Cats are just funny little things with their own tastes and preferences.


I would be careful about water intake, but unless the food is absolutely not being consumed over a few days, I wouldn't worry too much about it. The kitty will eat when it's hungry.

The only thing I can think of that might be worth checking out, especially since he's new and it sounds like you got him from someone and not a shelter, is to see whether he has worms. That can affect appetite. Or maybe it has something to do with the heart condition?
 
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donut510

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Dear Sharky:

Yeah now I am feeding him wet food since he wouldn't take the dry food anymore..I hope he won't get tired of the wet food..
which wet food would you recommend the most though?
Is wellness good? I am feeding him IAMS, and wholesome goodness, but I am thinking to switch to something more healthy.

Dear Sakura:

Thanks for the time you spent to give me such a long reply
!
I am feeding him free- dry food, and I don't think the change of dry food is the reason why he stopped eating the food..because he was very excited about the change at first, but after feeding him for one week, he lost his interest in it. Haha..^-^"
That's why I am feeding him wet food twice a day now. My biggest concern is that maybe he will get tired of the wet food, too.
The very funny thing is when I adopted him, the person told me that he prefers dry food and is not interested in wet food.
I guess his taste changes like weather.
P.S: I adopted from PETCO adoption weekends..he was settled in a vet clinic before he was adopted, so I am pretty sure that he has no worms. (Hopefully it's really the case)
 

misty8723

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Just based on my experience with Cindy, one day she will love a certain food, and the next day she will turn her nose up at it. It's probably like us, some days we feel like eating a certain food, other days we don't. Our cats don't have a choice, they have to eat what we decide they want to eat
 

sharky

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wellness is good ...meow mix pouches are better( ie good ) IMHO than the wholesome goodness since the latter has artificial stuff..

if you search wet foods on site youll likely find one of the many lists I have written up ....

I totally agree with Misty

the bottom line in feeding kitty is : The best you can afford and kitty will eat and stays healthy on ..

With my lovely scan reading I missed the heart issue the first time... What did the vet say about food??
 
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donut510

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Dear Misty:

Thank you for the reply. Actually I am okay that he gets tired of the dry food..as long as he eats wet food, or as long as he is eating, then I am happy. I am just afraid that one day he will get tired of the wet food, too, haha.

Dear Sharky:

Thanks again for the reply.
Thanks for the advices on wet food, after Boss finishes the rest of the wholesome goodness, I will get him on wellness or meow mix, thank you!

The doctor did not say anything about the food, he was eating SD in the clinic. The only concern is that we are not sure rather we should feed him regular food or senior food ( for dry food), because no one knows his actual age. One doctor said around 7-8 and another said around 4-5.

I wonder if you have experiences feeding your beloved cats any pills?
Because it's getting harder for Boss to eat the pill pocket now, and he must take the pills to maintain his condition!

Thankss!!
 

emmylou

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Try the Greenies brand pill pockets. My cat didn't like the other brand pill pockets, but the Greenies ones he goes crazy for.

For the other food issues, I wouldn't worry too much. It's just the beginning and trying to figure out what your cat likes. I'd feed both wet and dry. He may prefer certain flavors... there are some cats that only like fish, and others that only like poultry.
 

carolina

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About the pills: Can you crush them? Ask the vet - if you can, just crush it and mix it into his wet food. I would mix it to about 1/2 of the regular amount you feed him, to make sure he eats it all...
 
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donut510

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Dear Emmy:

Thanks for the reply. I am feeding him Greenies pill pockets, he used to love it a lot..but he is losing interest in it and won't eat it mostly unless I feed him some other snacks with it..the problem is he seems like he is losing interest in the other snacks,too. I guess he needs new excitement every week. ^-^"

Dear carolina:

I did try to mix it with wet food but he was too smart I guess? He noticed. Usually he'd finish the whole plate, but that day he only ate half of the dish.
So maybe next time I'd try your suggestion by giving him only half of the amount??

Thanks!
 
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