S.O.S Siamese Cat Refuses to Change!

Hey everyone,

Firstly I would just like to apologize I  have not been around for a very long time but i hope to get involved here more now that I have the time. I have an epidemic.

My 3 year old siamese (applehead) refuse to change his dry diet. He usually eats soft food at night but during the day he nibbles on his dry. He started out on wellness but eventually lost interest and would not eat so I switched to EVO. The EVO he liked but due to the food being somewhat larger than most it crumbled quite a bit when he tried to eat it and was always left in his bowl so it became a waste and expensive. I then started searching for another food and tried all kinds. He didn't like Natural Balance, Merrick, Wildreness OR Blue. I was feeding our local "stray" Purina One and he seemed interested whenever i would get the bag to feed the feral so I decided to let him try a taste.

What a mistake.

He liked it a whole lot so since I could not get him to eat any other food other than a "purina" product I now feed him Purina One. I still want to "ween" him off of the this stuff for a better healthier food so I found out about "Spot's Stew"..the ingredients seemed really good and the food itself was not to small ot too big. (he likes food that he can crunch). The problem is what do I do if even when I mix his Purina One with Spot's Stew and he only picks out the Purina and leaves the other food in the bowl? Do I keep doing this regardless if he is getting enough food in a day or do I give in and keep trying to find another food until I find one the he likes.

People have told me just to keep leaving the Spot's Stew in there because sooner or later he will get hungry enough and eat it. I don't want my cat to be undernurished and starve himself what do I do? Here is my finicky feline.


I am up in the air about all this "holistic" food stuff that seems to be popular these days because my cat refuses to touch it. I know corn, ect is not great for them but why do cats seem to be attracted to the lesser brands of foods? Very confusing.

They spray tasty stuff on the cheaper food. . .how else do you get a cat to eat corn, right?

What kind of wet food does he eat? How much does of the wet food does he eat every day?

He eats fancy feast elegant medly's but only like the ones with florentine sauce. He only eats that in the evening and even then it takes him a few hours to eat it all. Same problem with the wet food. Tried all so called "holistic" brands and just won't take to them. That being said though I've talked with numorous cat owners who's cats eat a healthy dry but will only eat fancy feast.

What is that spray you are talking about? Is it an animal digest spray?

I suppose switching him completely over to soft would be ideal right?

RAC44 said:

...I am up in the air about all this "holistic" food stuff that seems to be popular these days because my cat refuses to touch it. I know corn, ect is not great for them but why do cats seem to be attracted to the lesser brands of foods? Very confusing.

Click to expand...

Welcome (back) to TCS!

Think of it like kids. They'd much prefer to eat Captain Crunch cereal than a salad, right?

Yes, it's fat/animal digest/flavoring sprayed on the kibble to increase "palatability." :nod:

RAC44 said:

I suppose switching him completely over to soft would be ideal right?

Click to expand...

Actually, yes. To understand why, this is a good place to start: http://www.catinfo.org

And this post by Sugarcatmom has a number of helpful links to transition tips, if you're interested... Transition Tips

What a beautiful meezer Transitioning can be difficult sometimes.  I have 4 of them and have transitioned them from a 70% wet/30% dry diet to a much better 85% wet to 15% dry diet.  It took a lot of time to even get that far with them.  I had to wean them slowly off the kibble and make the wet meals the big deal of the day.  I bought a timed feeder and rationed out their daily kibble to be distributed 3 times daily with the 2 wet feedings in between.  It worked for me.  I feed mine Nutro Max Cat Roasted Chicken Indoor kibble (it is all they will eat... I've tried them all) and Nutro Max Cat and Nutro Natural Choice wet foods.  I also buy several other premium brands to give them different flavors and textures.  It's hard with 4 of them.  What 1 will eat, the other 3 might not.  I think for now it's all squared away.   Good luck with this and Laurie gave you some excellent links to check out. 
 

I see your points and thanks for the information.

My cat will hi sbig meal at night which is wet so that is no problem and he hardly eats that much dry during the morning and afternoon. My problem though (and I'm sure you dealt with this as well) is how long do you continue to try and feed him a "premium" brand before you should realize he won't ever eat it? I have to have some kibble for him in the mornings and when I am gone throughout the day I have no choice really.

Does one keep trying new brands until he finds one he likes or do I just keep trying to get him to eat Spot's Stew until one day he finally gives in.

Don't worry so much. If your cat likes Purina, feed him Purina. Experiment with the wet to add healthy foods where you can. Keep an eye on his health and regular check ups to ensure no bad teeth or ill health from diet. Trust your cat to know what he wants. 

Yes, I think I will because I've heard cats doing well on that food. The more I think about it the more I personally believe that all this "holistic" cat food is nothing more than a "trend" that has become extremely popular because people want to make their pets live like humans which is bad in itself. When I read what is in most of these holistic foods including Blue, Wellness, Evo and Spot's Stew I can't believe it. Cats in the wild do NOT eat freak'n vegetables such as what is put in these. Tomatoes? Green Beans? Apples? Are you kidding me? Name me one cat in the wild that eats this stuff? It's no wonder my cat turns his head at EVERY premium "holistic" food I put in front of him I wouldn't want to eat it either. Cats also don't kill their prey and pick through the body parts looking for the best part of the animal to eat and I'm pretty sure they devour a few by-products now and again. Now, lets talk about the so called "dept. store brands. Growing up (I'm now in my 40's) I have always lived with cats my entire life. Some got sick some didn't but that is to be expected when you age because no matter how healthy a humans diet is at some point in your life you will get sick..and maybe even seriously. I've seen vegans that look anorexic and sickly asking myself why on earth they would do that to themselves. My family had a cat many many years ago when I was a kid before all this "holistic" nonsense became popular and this cat never got seriously sick and eventually died of old age. What did she eat?

Nothing but a dept. store brand called Chef's Blend.

I'm sure our cat is not the only cat who has lived to a ripe old age and pretty much "vet free" off of Dept. store brand foods so why do people go ga ga over all this so called "natural" food filled with meaningless vegetables that felines don't need? Yes most of the cheaper brands have corn or wheat but what are the odds of a cat being allergic? If your cats starts having convulsions when it eats it you might want to change then..but for them most part cats are fine with it. I know all the cats we had were.

I dunno, I just think people are sheep and will follow whatever the "trend of the day" happens to be not knowing they are being fooled. The pet food market is all about making $$$ and I laugh when I see that now all these so called "tv stars" are getting involved. Ellen Degeneres owns a share of Spot's Stew? Great. When my cat goes into heart failure because of all the freak'n mashed potatoes and zucchini I will give her a call and get her "expertise" in pet nutrition.

Fact is pet food dry or wet has been around for years and years and years and before all this "holistic" garbage pets were not suddenly going into cardiac arrest. Sure they got sick just as anybody does but I'm pretty there were quite a few cats that lived out long healthy lives on Dept. store brand foods that contained corn and wheat gluten. Nothing is certain when it comes to pet nutrition but trust your cat to tell you what he/or she likes and not what YOU want he/or she to like because it's not about you. There is a reason why companies like Purina have been around forever because what they put out usually for the most part works and if it did not I'm pretty sure there would be lawsuits or they would be out of business. People need to quit thinking they know what is best for their pets. Yeah, be sensible and don't feed your cat something like "ally cat" cat food because there ARE foods out there that just simply suck but on the other hand don't get caught up into thinking that turning your cat into a herbivore is any good either.

Look for a product that has real meat as the first ingredient, has the minerals and vitamins as well and most of all taste good and your cat will be just fine.

I think so anyway. 

RAC44 said:

I have to have some kibble for him in the mornings and when I am gone throughout the day I have no choice really.

Click to expand...

Well, people that feed wet food only work. :dk: Most feed before going to work, when they get home from work, and before they go to bed. Some people freeze the canned food (helps to put it in ice cube trays) and just leave a few frozen "pieces" down when they leave, so kitty has something to eat in the middle of the day when the food has dethawed.

But there's always a choice. :dk:

RAC44 said:

Does one keep trying new brands until he finds one he likes or do I just keep trying to get him to eat Spot's Stew until one day he finally gives in.

Click to expand...

No. I refer you again to post with several links to transition tips:

Sugarcatmom said:

cuddlesmycat said:

After spending quite alot of money on these food trial over the last year or so (I think nearly 2 years) I gave up as it was very hard for me to get her to even go near the food. The normal routine would be for me to l;eave the food down and Cuddles would sniff it and walk away and not come near it again for the whole day and night, so I would have to resort to giving her dry food to make up for her not eating.

Click to expand...

Did you try pulverizing her favourite kibble and sprinkling it on top of the wet? Or doing the same thing with treats, freeze-dried meat, parmesan cheese, catnip, tuna juice, baby food, etc? Does she normally free-feed on dry food or does she get scheduled meals? Meal feeding can make a big difference when trying to convert a kibble addict.

There are lots more tips at these links that you may want to try (some refer to a raw diet but the principles are the same for canned):

http://www.catinfo.org/#Transitioning_Dry_Food_Addicts_to_Canned_Food_
http://feline-nutrition.org/nutrition/how-to-transition-your-cat-to-a-raw-diet
http://www.rawfedcats.org/practicalguide.htm
http://healthypets.mercola.com/site...nsition-your-cat-to-raw-food-diet-part-1.aspx
http://healthypets.mercola.com/site...nsition-your-cat-to-raw-food-diet-part-2.aspx

Click to expand...

RAC44 said:

Yes, I think I will because I've heard cats doing well on that food. The more I think about it the more I personally believe that all this "holistic" cat food is nothing more than a "trend" that has become extremely popular because people want to make their pets live like humans which is bad in itself. When I read what is in most of these holistic foods including Blue, Wellness, Evo and Spot's Stew I can't believe it. Cats in the wild do NOT eat freak'n vegetables such as what is put in these. Tomatoes? Green Beans? Apples? Are you kidding me? Name me one cat in the wild that eats this stuff? It's no wonder my cat turns his head at EVERY premium "holistic" food I put in front of him I wouldn't want to eat it either. Cats also don't kill their prey and pick through the body parts looking for the best part of the animal to eat and I'm pretty sure they a few by-products now and again. 

Click to expand...

Absolutely true. Cats do not need grains, vegetables, fruits, etc. But there are cat foods without most of those things:

Nature's Variety Instinct. This does have peas and carrots, but they're whole, not many, and easily removed. There is a large variety of proteins to choose from. http://www.naturesvariety.com/Instinct/cat/can/all

By Nature 95% Meat. http://www.bynaturepetfoods.com/productpages/catmain.php Scroll down to see the "95% Varieties, grain-free cat foods"

Weruva cans and pouches. They have a lot of "fishy" flavors, which I like to avoid, but there are some chicken-based foods that don't contain veggies. http://www.weruva.com

Of course, if you want to feed a species-appropriate diet, there is a way. It's called raw food. There are a lot of commercially available frozen raw foods available now, or it's easy to properly do homemade.

RAC44 said:

Now, lets talk about the so called "dept. store brands. Growing up (I'm now in my 40's) I have always lived with cats my entire life. Some got sick some didn't but that is to be expected when you age because no matter how healthy a humans diet is at some point in your life you will get sick..and maybe even seriously. I'm seen vegans that look anorexic and sickly asking myself why on earth they would do that to themselves. My family had a cat many many years ago when I was a kid before all this "holistic" nonsense became popular and this cat never got seriously sick and eventually died of old age. What did she eat?

Nothing but a dept. store brand called Chef's Blend.

I'm sure our cat is not the only cat who has lived to a ripe old age and pretty much "vet free" off of Dept. store brand foods so why do people go ga ga over all this so called "natural" food filled with meaningless vegetables that felines don't need? Yes most of the cheaper brands have corn or wheat but what are the odds of a cat being allergic? If your cats starts having convulsions when it ieats it you might want to change then but for them most part cats are fine with it. I know all the cats we had were.

Click to expand...

And I had an uncle that ate eggs and bacon every day, lived on fried foods, and smoked cigarettes and lived to be 101. Genetics play a big role in how healthy we remain DESPITE our diet.

RAC44 said:

Fact is pet food dry or wet has been around for years and years and years and before all this "holistic" garbage pets were not suddenly going into cardiac arrest. Sure they got sick just as anybody does but I'm pretty there were quite a few cats that lived out long healthy lives on Dept. store brand foods that contained corn ro wheat gluten.

Click to expand...

But the nature of that food has changed over the years. Commerical pet food has always been the garbage from the creation of human food - but more and more of the "better" garbage is used in processed human foods, so what's left for pet foods has gotten... worse. Rendering and other technologies have improved over the years, to make more and more of what used to be garbage "usable," and pet food manufacturers seek cost-effective methods. Styrofoam, plastic, and other dead pets didn't wind up in rendering plants in decades past. Here's some food for thought:

http://www.thecatsite.com/t/239691/nutritionally-complete-assurances-for-our-pet-food
http://www.thecatsite.com/t/245614/...by-products-meal-or-rather-not-think-about-it

RAC44 said:

Nothing is certain when it comes to pet nutrition but trust your cat to tell you what he/or she likes and not what YOU want he/or she to like because it's not about you.

Click to expand...

You're absolutely right. It's not about what we "think" is good for them without educating ourselves about their needs OR about educating ourselves about what's in the food we feed them.

But I would not let my child dictate what their diet is based on what they like, versus what's actually healthy for them.

RAC44 said:

There is a reason why companies like Purina has been around forever because what they put out usually for the most part works and if it did not I'm pretty sure their would be lawsuits or they would be out of business.

Click to expand...

Actually, their marketing and their lobbying help keep them in business. If pet owners were better educated about their pet's nutritional needs, Purina would either have to step up to the plate to offer better foods, or they would be out of business, IMO.

RAC44 said:

People need to quit thinking they know what is best for their pets. Yeah, be sesnsible and don't your cat something like "ally cat" cat food because their ARE foods out there that just simply suck but on the other hand don't get caught up into thinking that turning your cat into a herbivore is any good either.

Click to expand...

No, cats are obligate carnivores. And that means that what they need to be healthy is raw meat, bones, and organs. And there is a way to feed that to them, if one is interested. The alternative is canned food that is primarily meat based, high protein, and low carboyhydrate. But you have to do the work to find the low-carb foods, because carbs aren't listed on the packages.

RAC44 said:

Look for a product that has real meat as the first ingredient, has the minerals and vitamins as well and most of all taste good and your cat will be just fine.

Click to expand...

Depends. If you're talking about kibble, if the first ingredient is meat, not meal, then it includes the water weight. If the second ingredient is pea protein, then you can rest assured that the bulk of the protein in the product is from the peas, not the meat.

Again, I refer you to a site that explains easily and clearly why dry food is not species-appropriate for cats. It is likely why we're seeing dramatically increased rates of obesity (due to carbohydrates), bladder health problems (carbohydrates), diabetes (carbohydrates), cancer (ingredients that wind up in the food via rendering), and chronic renal failure (pets bodies not being properly hydrated, not receiving species-appropriate nutrition, etc.).

:dk: Just IMO.

I agree with you on quite a few points but a few I'm borderline.

You say purina has kept themselves on life support simply by mass advertising? How many years have they been around? You'd think that if they were really all that bad there would mass pet owners speaking out against this company to shut them down so I doubt that is true. Have you ever taken a poll to find out how many pet owners who feed the purina brand have had their pet die pre-maturely due to health complications from their food? Probably not. I would go out on a limb and say there are just as many "satisfied" customers who feed purina as their are those who feel negative about the company. Yes advertising plays a role when it comes to keeping these companies in business but without a proven product these companies shut down because nobody buys. You can say most people are "not educated" enough to know any better but I think people make their decissions based on results. I've heard of too many pet owners who have fed their pet one of these so called "holistic" premium cat foods, got sick and switched to something such as purina one ect. and got better. How is that? you tell me.

I love how you compare a cat eating a diet of meat, meat by-products, corn and wheat gluten to that of smoking, eating bacon, eggs and fried foods. That's kind of extreme IMO and again it's a classic example of a human becoming too over-zealous and thinking too much about what is best for the cat. Yeah, if you feed a cat too much of this type of diet or fail to do the right thing and monitor how much of it you are sticking in front of his face it can become bad for the cats health.

Of course you would not let your child decide what is best for them to eat but that being said animals are not affected by pretty little pictures, colors, slogans, peer pressure and tv advertising either. They eat what they like and they walk away from what they don't. Cats that have lived 15 to 20 years feeding on brands like purina probably survived because the food was not as horrible as some of these pet food activists would lead you to believe. Maybe genetics had a role as well but when you compare how many different foods a human will eat in one months time and a cat eating a steady diet of one food you can't compare the two.

I agree with you about what you said regarding the quality of pet foods these days which is why it even more critical that we trust those companies that have been around for a long time and have a proven track record. Not some TV actor who suddenly wakes up one day and says "you know what? I love animals I'm gonna get into the pet food biz" You say that purina is garbage right? Perhaps you can provide some sort of documented proof of that online? Do they abuse animals? Are there any pending lawsuits? How many recalls in their history? Is there a list somewhere that I don't know about contaning the names of angry consumers who's pets have died because of their food? If any of this exists I'd love to see it.

Have fun looking through all the Purina Recalls - there is plenty to see :nod: http://google2.fda.gov/search?q=Pur...D:L:d1&entqr=3&entqrm=0&oe=UTF-8&ud=1&start=0


Here are the angry consumers you asked for: http://www.consumeraffairs.com/pets/ralston.html

I am sure you are familiar with the Melamine recall in 2007 - Purina was also affected. Over 8,500 deaths reported to the FDA - God knows how many actually died in total - not everyone reports to the FDA. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2007_pet_food_recalls

In regards to your question about lawsuits, sure there are plenty of pending lawsuits. Trouble is, legaly, pets are viewd as property, and have merely a retail value - nothing more, nothing less. Even though they are family to us, an adopted pet has no legal value whatsoever - so you are pretty much out of luck.

And I'm quite certain that a great many cats have suffered and died needlessly due to the poor quality nutrition and completely inappropriate ingredients (like corn and wheat gluten) in these same foods.

RAC44 said:

There is a reason why companies like Purina have been around forever because what they put out usually for the most part works and if it did not I'm pretty sure there would be lawsuits or they would be out of business.

Click to expand...

If only the pet food industry actually worked that way! But alas, we're talking about multi-billion dollar mega corporations, with a team of lawyers to match. And indeed, there actually HAVE been many a lawsuit: http://miamiherald.typepad.com/crazy_for_critters/2008/07/class-action-la.html  I doubt they tend to be very successful going up against such well-backed opponents.

RAC44 said:

Look for a product that has real meat as the first ingredient, has the minerals and vitamins as well and most of all taste good and your cat will be just fine.

Click to expand...

"Taste" is not an accurate reflection of the quality of a pet food. My cat sure thought Science Diet tasted good. Too bad it gave him diabetes.

TONS of cats have chronic urinary issues, kidney problems, and other ailments related to eating grain-based dry foods. But people have come to believe that those are normal :dk:.

RAC44 said:

I love how you compare a cat eating a diet of meat, meat by-products, corn and wheat gluten to that of smoking, eating bacon, eggs and fried foods. That's kind of extreme IMO and again it's a classic example of a human becoming too over-zealous and thinking too much about what is best for the cat. Yeah, if you feed a cat too much of this type of diet or fail to do the right thing and monitor how much of it you are sticking in front of his face it can become bad for the cats health.

Click to expand...

How is it extreme? The cat will be fed the food with wheat gluten, carageenan, rendered products, etc. every day, day-in, day-out. How are those not the cat-equivalent of unhealthy products?

RAC44 said:

Of course you would not let your child decide what is best for them to eat but that being said animals are not affected by pretty little pictures, colors, slogans, peer pressure and tv advertising either. They eat what they like and they walk away from what they don't.

Click to expand...

And is what they like good for them? I feed my cats home made raw food. Most of them were about 10 years old when I made the switch.

They definitely did NOT want to give up the kibble when I switched to wet food a little over a year earlier, and they definitely prefer Fancy Feast of all the wet food options, and they totally prefer Fancy Feast over raw food. Yet know if I give my cats a "treat" of Fancy Feast, they now get diarrhea. It's like... giving a vegetarian a hot dog at this point.

Which is better for them? Fancy Feast? Or a canned food that is primarily actual meat? ...or what I feed them now, a diet of meat, bones and organs properly balanced? They'd be eating the junk food diet if they could, just like most children would prefer mac 'n cheese and Captain Crunch to salads and spaghetti made with whole wheat pasta, especially if they'd been eating processed packaged sugar-laden foods prior to the introduction of healthy foods.

RAC44 said:

I see your points and thanks for the information.

My cat will hi sbig meal at night which is wet so that is no problem and he hardly eats that much dry during the morning and afternoon. My problem though (and I'm sure you dealt with this as well) is how long do you continue to try and feed him a "premium" brand before you should realize he won't ever eat it? I have to have some kibble for him in the mornings and when I am gone throughout the day I have no choice really.

Does one keep trying new brands until he finds one he likes or do I just keep trying to get him to eat Spot's Stew until one day he finally gives in.

Click to expand...

I don't know what everyone else does but yeah, I've had the same issue.  I'll feed the refused brand twice, about a week apart to see if they will eat it a second time.  If they refuse it the second time I will stop buying it and try another.  Luckily there are about 5 premiums they like which includes the 2 Nutro lines.  There are also some textures they won't eat but luckily they will ALL eat a chunks in gravy texture and a pate' texture.  No flaked, no grilled and absolutely no shredded for any one of them   I know, I know.  They can be really picky but a parent has to do what a parent has to do

If you really want to learn about pet food, ingredients, and regulation, this is a GREAT piece. Well researched, documented - written by a Harvard grad:

Deconstructing the Regulatory Façade: Why Confused Consumers Feed their Pets Ring Dings and Krispy Kremes.

Carolina said:

Have fun looking through all the Purina Recalls - there is plenty to see

http://google2.fda.gov/search?q=Pur...D:L:d1&entqr=3&entqrm=0&oe=UTF-8&ud=1&start=0
Here are the angry consumers you asked for: http://www.consumeraffairs.com/pets/ralston.html
I am sure you are familiar with the Melamine recall in 2007 - Purina was also affected. Over 8,500 deaths reported to the FDA - God knows how many actually died in total - not everyone reports to the FDA. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2007_pet_food_recalls
In regards to your question about lawsuits, sure there are plenty of pending lawsuits. Trouble is, legaly, pets are viewd as property, and have merely a retail value - nothing more, nothing less. Even though they are family to us, an adopted pet has no legal value whatsoever - so you are pretty much out of luck.

Click to expand...

Come'on I can find the same type of complaints for premium brands such as natural balance just as easy so what does that prove? That there are a few disgruntled customers out of how many who have had success feeding their pets Purina? You can find complaints about any food if you look hard enough. In fact, here is one http://www.consumeraffairs.com/pets/natural_balance.html  from a so called "premium pet food". Oh, and how about http://www.consumeraffairs.com/pets/blue_buffalo.html  People find it easy to place blame when their pet suddenly gets sick and like to start pointing fingers because their cat didn't live to be 20 years old. Recalls? yeah, purina has had more recalls than most of the other brands because they've been around alot longer so what do you expect? You act like purina is the ONLY company to ever have a recall.

As far as the melamine recall blame the chinese for that one. You forget to mention that quite a few brands were affected on that recall including the great "blue", "royal canin", "hills", "natural Balance" and a few others so don't try and pin that on purina only. Fact is you can find just as many cats that lived out long lives on stuff like purina as you can foods like blue or natural balance. Are you saying that in the 1950's, 60's and 70's cats just suddenly died at 10 years old because of their diet? No cat made it past 15 years of age? Phooey.

And the lawsuits? People sue over anything days.

Fact is there is no "perfect" pet food if there was every cat and dog would be eating it. A cats average life span is 15 years for most and if it lives to be 16 to 20 consider yourself lucky but I bet it would be because of it's genes and not just it's food.

I am confused of what do you want here on this thread. Because You, not any of us, came here for help, with the post I am quoting below.
Now, when help is offered, you assume an IMHO completely uncalled for defensive position against anything that is offered, and start vehemently defending the food you, not any of us called subpar, and you came here to ask how to walk away from in the first place.
I did my research. I did enough reading, about plenty of brands, to know what I should feed MY cats.
Now, if you don't want help, IMHO why do you ask? All we have done here, thus far, is answer to your questions - at least that's what I can see.
I can speak for myself, and I know the others who are responding here too, we have done our share of reading. We are talking about Purina because you asked specifically about Purina - none of us brought it up - you did. You asked for the recall information, it was given to you. Law suits, it was given to you, consumer complaints, it was given to you.

I am confused as of what exactly are you trying to do?
I am not sure - if you are trying to get help, IMHO, great, but seems to me, at this point, the fun is in the argument. :dk:

RAC44 said:

Hey everyone,

Firstly I would just like to apologize I  have not been around for a very long time but i hope to get involved here more now that I have the time. I have an epidemic.

My 3 year old siamese (applehead) refuse to change his dry diet. He usually eats soft food at night but during the day he nibbles on his dry. He started out on wellness but eventually lost interest and would not eat so I switched to EVO. The EVO he liked but due to the food being somewhat larger than most it crumbled quite a bit when he tried to eat it and was always left in his bowl so it became a waste and expensive. I then started searching for another food and tried all kinds. He didn't like Natural Balance, Merrick, Wildreness OR Blue. I was feeding our local "stray" Purina One and he seemed interested whenever i would get the bag to feed the feral so I decided to let him try a taste.

What a mistake.


He liked it a whole lot so since I could not get him to eat any other food other than a "purina" product I now feed him Purina One. I still want to "ween" him off of the this stuff for a better healthier food so I found out about "Spot's Stew"..the ingredients seemed really good and the food itself was not to small ot too big. (he likes food that he can crunch). The problem is what do I do if even when I mix his Purina One with Spot's Stew and he only picks out the Purina and leaves the other food in the bowl? Do I keep doing this regardless if he is getting enough food in a day or do I give in and keep trying to find another food until I find one the he likes.

People have told me just to keep leaving the Spot's Stew in there because sooner or later he will get hungry enough and eat it. I don't want my cat to be undernurished and starve himself what do I do? Here is my finicky feline.

joel6.jpg

• rac44
• Sep 2, 2012

I am up in the air about all this "holistic" food stuff that seems to be popular these days because my cat refuses to touch it. I know corn, ect is not great for them but why do cats seem to be attracted to the lesser brands of foods? Very confusing.

Click to expand...

I guess my main point is that a cat can live a healthy long life eating a diet of purina brand cat food. Many here seem to think not but have not offered any real evidence other than disgruntled customers. I'm waiting for someone to prove to me that before all this "natural" hype hit the market cats were suddenly dropping dead in families homes due to lower quality food. As I mentioned before..when I was a young kid we had a family outdoor cat that lived on nothing but Chef's Blend and died of old age.

Why then would that cat have needed to be fed a raw diet or a diet of NB, EVO, Wellness or any other?

I think it's just a case of people who follow blindly the trends of the day instead of using common sense. I mean, if it makes you feel like your doing your cat a favor by purchasing the most expensive cans of cat food filled with garden greens and cranberries go ahead  but I doubt it really makes any difference.