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"New" food versus "Old" food...

post #1 of 11
3/23/11 at 5:53pm
Thread Starter 
For a change, I have a behavior question that isn't a problem........

We have two cats, both female, both in the 3-4 year range. One large, normal cat (Brownie), one small wacky cat (Skyy)...

We've always fed them Science Diet since that's what the rescue folks had started them on, and they get dry crunchies all the time, and a treat of wet in the morning and evening.

Both are happy, healthy, eat fine, etc.........

BUT, Skyy, ONLY likes NEW wet food. We get the small cans, and when the can is new, Skyy eats eagerly. After feeding them we refrigerate the can to keep the food fresh. BUT, and I'm not kidding here, we MICROWAVE the food when we feed the refrigerated food to the cats... Bring it up to room temperature so her royal highness won't have to eat cold food.... Brownie eats the "used" wet food just fine, but Skyy won't eat the used food! She looks at you like you're trying to poison her! Normally, Brownie eats her treat, then goes over and eats the food off Skyy's plate...

So, in the realm of behavior, this is truly minor, mostly a curiosity... Anybody got any ideas why she's such a goof?
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post #2 of 11
3/23/11 at 6:01pm
I don't blame her, I don't like leftovers, either

Sometimes you just can't explain why cats do what they do
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post #3 of 11
3/23/11 at 8:02pm
Sometimes microwaving changes the flavor/texture of stuff. Try warming the food by putting the bowl in warm water or something else that doesn't involve the microwave. If that doesn't work, she's just a picky girl . Kitties are funny like that.
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post #4 of 11
3/23/11 at 8:05pm
She won't eat it warmed or cold? Have you tried putting something she does like over top, like fish oil or kitty lax or something, maybe get her to try some and realize it is the same food after all? I know those big cans of wet I have say feed at room temp but how the heck are you supposed to do that? I don't want to nuke it and once it's sitting out, it's gone.
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post #5 of 11
3/23/11 at 8:15pm
Also, you can freeze it in serving size portions and take one of those out, put it in the bowl, and then put the bowl in a warm water bath. Maybe that will work.
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post #6 of 11
3/23/11 at 8:26pm
I've stopped storing the food in the can - now putting it into a glass container.
We have similar issues - some prefer their food pretty hot.

I have heard the microwave may be burning off some valuable nutrition - don't know - but, heat does kill off the good stuff - we all know our raw food has more nutrients than processed food, right?

Anyway - a new concern for me is what the cans are lined with - some cat foods still may have the BPA lining.
http://www.truthaboutpetfood.com/art...free-cans.html

So, whatever the cans are lined with - I sort of think that maybe the food left in the cans and refrigerated may be picking up a flavor that the cat detects and then won't eat. I don't know - I'm desperate and trying everything I can think of NOT to waste food - especially the pricy premium food.
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post #7 of 11
3/24/11 at 6:28am
Thread Starter 
I"m going with "she's picky"....... BUT, I'm not sure. I think the "voices" may be telling her not to eat it!

I hadn't thought about the microwaving doing something..... It may be worth trying the warm water bath, although I think I'm gonna get the "look" from my wife on that one!

And yes, if you mix SUFFICIENT tuna with the "used" food, she'll eat it. Although, I HAVE seen her pick out the tuna bits then grudgingly eat the rest...

On the up-side, she's the goofiest, friendliest, most loving cat we've ever had. Thinks EVERYBODY is her friend and very interesting. We've been remodeling our old house since we got her three years ago, and no matter what you're doing, she's GOT to be right in the middle of it... Putting up baseboards, there's a gray cat head right there "helping". On the scaffold working on the ceiling, there's a gray cat on the scaffold providing supervision. Working on the computer, there's a gray cat right next to me in the cat bed, marathon napping... She's in training, as is Brownie for the napping marathon world championships... At least that's what they tell me!

So being a little goofy about her wet food "treat" isn't a big deal. What we did was reduce the amount so it's just right for Brownie, and if Skyy eats hers, that's fine. Otherwise, Brownie gobbles up both plates.....
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post #8 of 11
3/24/11 at 1:51pm
Wonder if she's afraid to eat because the other kitty will horn in on her food?? Just a thought.
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post #9 of 11
3/24/11 at 3:40pm
I usually use warm water to both fresh opened and refrigerated cans
before serving, moistened but not what you call soup.
Sometime my kitten does not want leftovers and I have to mix in a fresh can.
My older cat does not seem to mind. Do you have special lids that fit the can perfectly? I for the most part buy small cans, more expensive but between the two of them the can is gone. Have you tried putting a few
dry kibbles on top if they eat dry that is?
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post #10 of 11
3/25/11 at 11:11am
Thread Starter 
I don't think it's a fear thing... Brownie, unlike Skyy, is a VERY polite cat. She seems perfectly content when Skyy does eat the new food to eat her treat and not bother Skyy...

We have the plastic lids that fit the cans well, so I don't think it's a sealing problem. We've wondered if the food either LOSES some good smell when stored, or GAINS some undesirable odor...

I haven't tried putting any dry food on the wet, but I do know if you mix in some tuna she'll eat the "used" food...
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post #11 of 11
3/25/11 at 12:45pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by dkperez View Post
I"m going with "she's picky"....... BUT, I'm not sure. I think the "voices" may be telling her not to eat it!

I hadn't thought about the microwaving doing something..... It may be worth trying the warm water bath, although I think I'm gonna get the "look" from my wife on that one!

And yes, if you mix SUFFICIENT tuna with the "used" food, she'll eat it. Although, I HAVE seen her pick out the tuna bits then grudgingly eat the rest...

On the up-side, she's the goofiest, friendliest, most loving cat we've ever had. Thinks EVERYBODY is her friend and very interesting. We've been remodeling our old house since we got her three years ago, and no matter what you're doing, she's GOT to be right in the middle of it... Putting up baseboards, there's a gray cat head right there "helping". On the scaffold working on the ceiling, there's a gray cat on the scaffold providing supervision. Working on the computer, there's a gray cat right next to me in the cat bed, marathon napping... She's in training, as is Brownie for the napping marathon world championships... At least that's what they tell me!

So being a little goofy about her wet food "treat" isn't a big deal. What we did was reduce the amount so it's just right for Brownie, and if Skyy eats hers, that's fine. Otherwise, Brownie gobbles up both plates.....
ah, just as a side note - she's not helping - she's supervising
my husband was repairing a water leak in the wall, and our oldest boy (KiKi) was right there supervising --- maybe you didn't get the memo
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