This has happened over the past few days. I had been feeding him Sheba pate for a while, and rotated in another brand with some other flavors to cleanse his palate and jump-start his appetite again after he seemed to be getting sick of the same three or four Sheba flavors. Last week, he responded well to the new food, and pretty much cleaned his bowl the first two or three times. Then he slowed down again, and yesterday he didn't eat any of his wet food in the morning, and barely picked at it for his second meal.
Just now, I went back to the Sheba to see if he'd eat that again, and he was rubbing up against me while I was getting his food ready in the kitchen, like he usually does, but when I put the bowl with the fresh wet food down, and fresh water, he didn't eat.
My feeding schedule is like so:
- Wet food for breakfast.
- Wet food for lunch
- Dry food for late meal/overnight snacking
I have two separate bowls for wet and dry, and the reason I give him dry at night/overnight is because it seems to work for both of us. He has something to eat if he gets hungry overnight, and I can sleep mostly uninterrupted, or at least he's not waking me up for food. What I don't understand is why he turns his nose up at wet food sometimes. I clean his bowls regularly and thoroughly, I make sure they're thoroughly washed so there's not even a hint of dish soap or residue (knowing that he can smell much better than I can), and I don't give him that much dry food for night/overnight precisely because I want him to eat wet food most of the time, at consistent feeding times.
So this isn't so much a case of him not eating, it's just that he has these weird stretches where he eats very little wet food for a day or two at a time. I don't understand it.
Has anyone encountered this sort of behavior before? Any idea what the problem may be?
If it helps, his diet usually consists of wet chicken, turkey, beef, and occasionally salmon. He's not big on fish and won't eat tuna at all, but he will eat salmon occasionally, so I like to give it to him maybe once a week to vary the flavors a bit. Also, I play with Bud every night for at least a half hour using the wand toy for interactive play, and we play spontaneously at other times, while he has several balls, a track toy, a Kong Kickaroo that he really likes, and several other toys. In other words, he gets a good amount of play, and he's still very enthusiastic about playing. He's about four months shy of his 2nd birthday.
Just now, I went back to the Sheba to see if he'd eat that again, and he was rubbing up against me while I was getting his food ready in the kitchen, like he usually does, but when I put the bowl with the fresh wet food down, and fresh water, he didn't eat.
My feeding schedule is like so:
- Wet food for breakfast.
- Wet food for lunch
- Dry food for late meal/overnight snacking
I have two separate bowls for wet and dry, and the reason I give him dry at night/overnight is because it seems to work for both of us. He has something to eat if he gets hungry overnight, and I can sleep mostly uninterrupted, or at least he's not waking me up for food. What I don't understand is why he turns his nose up at wet food sometimes. I clean his bowls regularly and thoroughly, I make sure they're thoroughly washed so there's not even a hint of dish soap or residue (knowing that he can smell much better than I can), and I don't give him that much dry food for night/overnight precisely because I want him to eat wet food most of the time, at consistent feeding times.
So this isn't so much a case of him not eating, it's just that he has these weird stretches where he eats very little wet food for a day or two at a time. I don't understand it.
Has anyone encountered this sort of behavior before? Any idea what the problem may be?
If it helps, his diet usually consists of wet chicken, turkey, beef, and occasionally salmon. He's not big on fish and won't eat tuna at all, but he will eat salmon occasionally, so I like to give it to him maybe once a week to vary the flavors a bit. Also, I play with Bud every night for at least a half hour using the wand toy for interactive play, and we play spontaneously at other times, while he has several balls, a track toy, a Kong Kickaroo that he really likes, and several other toys. In other words, he gets a good amount of play, and he's still very enthusiastic about playing. He's about four months shy of his 2nd birthday.
I will report back here and let you guys know how it goes with the toppers.
