Our rescue is believed to be about three years old. Whoever had him from birth clearly gave him nothing but dry kibbles, and of course his month at the shelter was surviving on whatever cheap food they had. So Regent has grown up convinced that dry kibbles are the only valid form of food.
The good news is he does drink a lot of water, and we found that he likes coconut oil so we've been using that to get more oil in him. The other good news is that he never begs for people food. You can sit right next to him with a big cheeseburger and he won't even flinch.
However, despite our best efforts we cannot get him to eat anything different. I've bought different brands, different flavors, served it hot or cold, even put dry kibbles on top of it. Regardless of what we try, Regent glares at it like it's poison, walks away, and then scowls at us for trying to starve him.
Then I tried to offer cooked meat. When I cooked some meat for dinner, I would take a small piece of it not seasoned and offer it to him. We tried chicken, ground beef, bacon, we offered a little grease on our fingers, you name it. Same reaction: he huffs and walks away.
He is used to waiting for food at breakfast time, so having a set meal time is no problem. But we both work long hours, and we really don't have the time or energy to withhold/refridgerate/reintroduce until he breaks down and eats it. That is very grueling for the cat and the human so I really don't want to put our family through that even assuming I had the time.
The only alternative foods he will eat right now are ranch dressing, asiago cheese, and coconut oil.
Any ideas??
The good news is he does drink a lot of water, and we found that he likes coconut oil so we've been using that to get more oil in him. The other good news is that he never begs for people food. You can sit right next to him with a big cheeseburger and he won't even flinch.
However, despite our best efforts we cannot get him to eat anything different. I've bought different brands, different flavors, served it hot or cold, even put dry kibbles on top of it. Regardless of what we try, Regent glares at it like it's poison, walks away, and then scowls at us for trying to starve him.
Then I tried to offer cooked meat. When I cooked some meat for dinner, I would take a small piece of it not seasoned and offer it to him. We tried chicken, ground beef, bacon, we offered a little grease on our fingers, you name it. Same reaction: he huffs and walks away.
He is used to waiting for food at breakfast time, so having a set meal time is no problem. But we both work long hours, and we really don't have the time or energy to withhold/refridgerate/reintroduce until he breaks down and eats it. That is very grueling for the cat and the human so I really don't want to put our family through that even assuming I had the time.
The only alternative foods he will eat right now are ranch dressing, asiago cheese, and coconut oil.
Any ideas??
Last edited:
