Danged Picky Cat

giddyupgo · Feb 23, 2016

My cat is a good eater most of the time. In fact, probably a little too good. But she's terribly picky about what I give her.

I order cat food from Amazon but it arrives in packs of 18 so I'll usually end up filling up the extra days of the month with food I buy at the grocery store. The problem is even if it's the same brand and the same basic type of food, if it's not the same flavor she gets from Amazon she turns her nose up at it. I actually thought I'd struck gold when I found a pack of what I thought was the same food at Raleys, but it turned out it was "pate with gourmet chicken," and she really prefers "chicken in pate gravy," thank you very much.

Next month I just plan to buy double the food I get from Amazon so I don't have this problem, but in the meantime I have a $20 box of food she won't eat. Any ideas how to make the food more appealing? My husband says I should just leave it and eventually she'll eat when she gets hungry, but I don't think it's good for her to go without eating for more than a day even if it is her own stubborn choice. And anyway I'm pretty sure my kids have been sneaking her table food, which I don't think is particularly good for her either.

I should probably just donate the food to the shelter but the problem is I have nothing to give her in the meantime--the Amazon food won't be here for another week. I'm afraid if I find some other brand she'll like at the store that she'll start rejecting the Amazon food (that's happened before), which is quite a bit less expensive than buying food at Petco or the grocery store.

Any ideas? Thanks in advance!

missmimz · Feb 23, 2016

What food are you feeding? Although its great you've found sometimes she likes pickiness can sometimes be an indicating that she's bored, which is why food rotation is encouraged. I feed several different brands/flavors to my cats to prevent them from getting bored. Ideally you should add different flavors/brands to her rotation to help prevent this from happening. Trying to feed your cat one brand of food IMO isn't a good idea. Cats, like people, don't want to eat the same thing every day. I suggest you go to Petco and get some other things to add to her rotation. Nutro natural choice is a great option, so is Merrick LID, Nature's Variety, etc.

If she doesn't like the food you have I would donate it or find someone with feral cats that might want it.

Kat0121 · Feb 23, 2016

GiddyUpGo said:
My cat is a good eater most of the time. In fact, probably a little too good. But she's terribly picky about what I give her.

I order cat food from Amazon but it arrives in packs of 18 so I'll usually end up filling up the extra days of the month with food I buy at the grocery store. The problem is even if it's the same brand and the same basic type of food, if it's not the same flavor she gets from Amazon she turns her nose up at it. I actually thought I'd struck gold when I found a pack of what I thought was the same food at Raleys, but it turned out it was "pate with gourmet chicken," and she really prefers "chicken in pate gravy," thank you very much.

Next month I just plan to buy double the food I get from Amazon so I don't have this problem, but in the meantime I have a $20 box of food she won't eat. Any ideas how to make the food more appealing? My husband says I should just leave it and eventually she'll eat when she gets hungry, but I don't think it's good for her to go without eating for more than a day even if it is her own stubborn choice. And anyway I'm pretty sure my kids have been sneaking her table food, which I don't think is particularly good for her either.

I should probably just donate the food to the shelter but the problem is I have nothing to give her in the meantime--the Amazon food won't be here for another week. I'm afraid if I find some other brand she'll like at the store that she'll start rejecting the Amazon food (that's happened before), which is quite a bit less expensive than buying food at Petco or the grocery store.

Any ideas? Thanks in advance!

What food is it that you are feeding now? I agreee with @missmimz . I have a rotation of wet foods that I give to my 3 cats who are VERY picky eaters. It cuts down on boredom and it's also good to have other foods that they like in the mix in case there is a recall of the food that your cat likes or if it goes out of stock for any reason (these do happen).

What you can do is go to Petco and/or Petsmart and grab a few cans of different things for your cat to try. When you find some, you can buy them in bulk from Amazon or Chewy.com. Since you do use Amazon (so do I), are you using the subscribe and save program?? That's how I get a lot of the canned foods I feed. Up to 4 items in your order gets you a 5% discount, 5 or more gets you a 15% discount- on all items. You also get free shipping. Standard (3-5 days) or 2 days if you have Prime and the items are Prime eligible.

This link is for cat food that you can get on an S&S

http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=sr_pg_1 fst=as%3Aoff&rh=n%3A2619533011%2Cn%3A2975241011%2Cn%3A2975265011%2Ck%3Asubscribe+and+save&keywords=subscribe+and+save&ie=UTF8&qid=1456252201

if you have never tried the Sheba cans (which is S&S eligible), I recommend the pates. My cats love the turkey, chicken and chicken and liver. This food is readily available at Wal Mart, Target, Petco and Petsmart as well and it's reasonably priced.

paiger8 · Feb 23, 2016

Do you free feed dry at all? If so, she may not eat the "not favorite" wet if she has something else to snack on.

I'm feeding my cats something they don't love right now (they love some batches of food, and hate other batches of the SAME food) and if I put some PureBites treats on top they'll start eating. They don't scarf it like usual, but they will nibble at it for a couple hours until it's gone.

Honestly, with how expensive their food is, they can suck it up and eat it.

I'd try putting some treats on it to encourage eating. Also try buying single cans of different brands and flavors at Petco/Petsmart till you figure out what they like. That way if your cat food gets recalled, your cat doesn't go on hunger strike.

kittycatbutbut · Feb 23, 2016

The trick I use with my cat is freeze dried liver. You can buy the big bags made for dogs just check the only ingredient is liver. It crushes up easily so I just sprinkle the powder on top of whatever food I am giving him (trying to switch him to raw after 10 years and he is so fussy about it) and he gobbles it up.

giddyupgo · Feb 23, 2016

I feed IAMS, but one thing I found with my cat is that when I give her something new that she likes she'll start rejecting the food she used to like and only want the new stuff. I'm wiling to try rotating out different brands but I'm worried about throwing a lot of money away on stuff she doesn't like.

I picked IAMS because I remember it as being one of the foods the vet I worked for 25 years ago used to recommend (along with Science Diet). I'm afraid I'm not that current on the alternatives but I do know I don't want to give her the less expensive grocery store variety. If anyone has brand recommendations I could sure use them. Thanks!

paiger8 · Feb 23, 2016

GiddyUpGo said:
I feed IAMS, but one thing I found with my cat is that when I give her something new that she likes she'll start rejecting the food she used to like and only want the new stuff. I'm wiling to try rotating out different brands but I'm worried about throwing a lot of money away on stuff she doesn't like.

I picked IAMS because I remember it as being one of the foods the vet I worked for 25 years ago used to recommend (along with Science Diet). I'm afraid I'm not that current on the alternatives but I do know I don't want to give her the less expensive grocery store variety. If anyone has brand recommendations I could sure use them. Thanks!

IAMS isn't great anymore I'm afraid. I fed it for YEARS back when you could only get it at the vet. Vets are paid to recommend products, whether they're decent or not. IAMS is full of corn, rice, and other fillers. Science Diet sucks too in my opinion. Try out brands like Weruva, Soulistic, Nutro, Merrick, Nature's Variety, etc. You can find all of those at Petco. You can gradually switch food mixing the old with the new until she's okay with eating the new food.

Make sure she's eating wet too, if she isn't already. Wet you can rotate brands/flavors daily, where dry you need to stick to one brand due to tummy upset.

Kat0121 · Feb 23, 2016

GiddyUpGo said:
I feed IAMS, but one thing I found with my cat is that when I give her something new that she likes she'll start rejecting the food she used to like and only want the new stuff. I'm wiling to try rotating out different brands but I'm worried about throwing a lot of money away on stuff she doesn't like.

I picked IAMS because I remember it as being one of the foods the vet I worked for 25 years ago used to recommend (along with Science Diet). I'm afraid I'm not that current on the alternatives but I do know I don't want to give her the less expensive grocery store variety. If anyone has brand recommendations I could sure use them. Thanks!

Try mixing the 2. I do this all the time. I'll take a pate and add some minced, sliced or shredded with it or use that as a topper. It gives them 2 different textures in 1 meal.

Here are some suggestions that aren't far off from what you feed now

Sheba (stick with the pates if you can)

Fancy Feast Classics (stcik with the pates if you can)

Friskies (pates here too if possible) ( I stick to the poultry flavors). You can get a case of 32 cans at WM for about $15.00

If you have a Tractor Supply Company near you, try the 4Health brand. They have a grain free line that is .69 for a 5.5 ounce can

Grreat Choice at Petsmart ( stick to the pates here again). This is Petsmart's house brand and is comparable to Friskies and Fance Feast

Nutro Natural Choice (at Petsmart and Petco)- this is more expensive at about $1 per 3 ounce can but they have a wide variety of flavors and the textures come in soft loaf (pate), chunky loaf, minced and sliced. A lot of cats really like this brand.

With the Sheba, FF, Friskies and Grreat Choice, the pates are best because the other kinds have more carbs from all the gravies and other fillers. Cats need a high protein, low carb diet.

bobkater · Feb 24, 2016

Of course, it’s a bit too late for you, but I give the advice nevertheless for other members that want to avoid such situation.

To avoid ending up with a finicky eater, you should give her a variety of flavors from a couple of manufacturers. This will also prevent facing a crisis if her favorite brand disappears from the shelves, temporarily or permanently. It may also be argued that a varied diet would be better for cats, as it is for humans. So, if you do manage to get her to eat other stuff, do try to introduce variety.

As for letting her go hungry, it’s not a good idea, as you say yourself. Cats can be stubborn, and their health may suffer if they go hungry for a couple of days. But, as you say she’s overeating, you could slightly reduce the amount of food to make her more keen on it and thus more likely to gradually accept something similar. But do this only by a small amount, or you can endanger the cat’s health. To modify her preferences gradually, try mixing what she likes with something new.

Mamanyt1953 · Feb 24, 2016

I have absolutely no advice other that what has been given, but I certainly sympathize. I have a cat who will willingly starve to death before eating anything other than two flavors of a fairly decent dry food. Or "tuna soup" (the water drained from a cat of tuna, but not the fish itself). Or the very occasional teaspoon of raspberry sherbet. Or the same of canned corn (which I buy about once a year for a specific recipe), Or those dratted Temptations treats that are SO horrid (there, too, I restrict the amounts). I've tried to get her to eat any wet at all, to no avail. She's gone three days without a bite. I gave in, fearing for her health. Yeah, I certainly sympathize.

not normal · Feb 25, 2016

Hi there too, I have the same advice I already tried to missmimz on her thread. You offer the food, giving a decent time to eat, and then you take it away. Then you might offer it again an hour or two later.
If at lunch your kids don't eat, you won't let the table sit with the full choice for the rest of the day too, if everyone is healthy. For me this advice did it.
For my old cat Emelie sometimes it helps to smear a fingertip food on her nose, so she licks it away, then figures, she's hungry anyway and starts eating right away.
Best of luck.

misterwhiskers · Feb 25, 2016

I highly recommend you try Whole Earth Farms grain free (not because it's grain free but because cats LOVE it--check their reviews). It's $1.29 at Petco, but you can get it at Chewy or Amazon. Cheaper at Chewy--about a buck per 5 oz can.

My cat discovered duck and he will actually turn his nose up at the dry food now which is a shock as he loves his kibble!!. Merrick is the higher end of Whole EarthFarms...both bought out by Purina but it hasn't apparently affected the Whole Earth Farms.

The Whole Earth grain free comes in other flavors as well and also comes in 3 oz cans but they simply don't seem worth it as they are nearly the same price.

If you do try this brand, can you return and let us know how it went? I'm pathetic, I know, but for 3 1/2 years my cat ate two bites of every canned food he was given before walking away, and with both the Merrick and Whole Earth canned duck, he shovels it in his mouth, and even licks the plate!! Unreal!! Cheaper than the Purina Beyond in the store, too. Wow. Home run!!

Danged Picky Cat

giddyupgo

TCS Member

Thread starter

missmimz

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Kat0121

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paiger8

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kittycatbutbut

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giddyupgo

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Thread starter

paiger8

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Kat0121

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bobkater

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Mamanyt1953

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not normal

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misterwhiskers

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