My cat has been living with me for three days now (today will be four). He's been very shy and hides a lot during the day, I don't bother him and he comes out during the evening and night when it's quiet to give my boyfriend and I some loves and explore a bit. Anyways he hasn't eaten since he's been here he has a little "safe spot" that is in my closet and I put his food in there and left the room for a while to see if he would eat and it doesn't look like he has touched it. I got him from our local shelter, which he hated it there,and they told me he was a finicky eater but I'm getting worried about him since he has only sniffed at his food then walked away since he's been here.
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Trying to get my cat to eat
- Thread starter pattykat
- Start Date
Hi Patty, you came to the right place for help.
3 days is a bit too long to allow a cat not to eat. They can develop what is known as "fatty liver" disease (Hepatic Lipidosis) if they don't. I'm hoping this isn't a kitten as it would be even more critical to get some nutrition into him.
First the good news is that he is exploring. One of our cats pretty much lived under a bed for nearly a month, not even coming out to eat, drink or use the box for the first few days. We were distraught, as I'm sure you are also.
Is he drinking water? If not, try placing the water dish away from the food dish. Some cats don't like having the water and food near each other.
Also, be sure the litter box is not near the food source. Again, not an ideal situation. I'm sure you wouldn't want to eat near your toilet and cats are no different.
If he is an adult cat, I'd start off switching the food. A lot of shelters feed pretty low quality brands since it's all that can be afforded so he may not be finicky per se, just wasn't happy with what was being fed there. If feeding only kibble, get some canned food instead. You don't have to go nuts spending too much money, just try and find what you can afford right now. Maybe try Fancy Feast Classic line which is a pate that is grain free and has minimal unnecessary ingredients and a good protein count; cats are obligate carnivores and must have protein to survive. It comes in 3 ounce cans that cost anywhere from .45 cents to .75 cents depending on where you get it from; around .50 cents or so is what I see around for the most part.
Maybe get 3-4 different brands and proteins (chicken, beef, rabbit, whatever) to see if he likes any of them. Try to stay away from seafood right now - most people don't feed fish to cats much at all contrary to believe. I might even try putting out small bowls of each to see which one he gravitates to.
You can also try buying Stage 1 baby food - the ones with no other ingredients other than the protein in them (i,e. no garlic, no onions, etc. Very bad for cats). We refer to this as "kitty crack" - nearly every cat will like it. Try putting some on your finger and let him lick it off. If he's interested then place it in a dish. You can either stay in the room or leave - but personally I think it sounds like he's already comfortable with you guys and the house, so it may not be necessary to give him space to eat.
If he still refuses to eat, he may wind up with the aforementioned issue and that can turn out to be difficult and will require a visit to the vet.
Hopefully others will offer further advice. I'm at work right now, so it's difficult to gather up all the articles which will help you. Let us know how it goes!
3 days is a bit too long to allow a cat not to eat. They can develop what is known as "fatty liver" disease (Hepatic Lipidosis) if they don't. I'm hoping this isn't a kitten as it would be even more critical to get some nutrition into him.
First the good news is that he is exploring. One of our cats pretty much lived under a bed for nearly a month, not even coming out to eat, drink or use the box for the first few days. We were distraught, as I'm sure you are also.
Is he drinking water? If not, try placing the water dish away from the food dish. Some cats don't like having the water and food near each other.
Also, be sure the litter box is not near the food source. Again, not an ideal situation. I'm sure you wouldn't want to eat near your toilet and cats are no different.
If he is an adult cat, I'd start off switching the food. A lot of shelters feed pretty low quality brands since it's all that can be afforded so he may not be finicky per se, just wasn't happy with what was being fed there. If feeding only kibble, get some canned food instead. You don't have to go nuts spending too much money, just try and find what you can afford right now. Maybe try Fancy Feast Classic line which is a pate that is grain free and has minimal unnecessary ingredients and a good protein count; cats are obligate carnivores and must have protein to survive. It comes in 3 ounce cans that cost anywhere from .45 cents to .75 cents depending on where you get it from; around .50 cents or so is what I see around for the most part.
Maybe get 3-4 different brands and proteins (chicken, beef, rabbit, whatever) to see if he likes any of them. Try to stay away from seafood right now - most people don't feed fish to cats much at all contrary to believe. I might even try putting out small bowls of each to see which one he gravitates to.
You can also try buying Stage 1 baby food - the ones with no other ingredients other than the protein in them (i,e. no garlic, no onions, etc. Very bad for cats). We refer to this as "kitty crack" - nearly every cat will like it. Try putting some on your finger and let him lick it off. If he's interested then place it in a dish. You can either stay in the room or leave - but personally I think it sounds like he's already comfortable with you guys and the house, so it may not be necessary to give him space to eat.
If he still refuses to eat, he may wind up with the aforementioned issue and that can turn out to be difficult and will require a visit to the vet.
Hopefully others will offer further advice. I'm at work right now, so it's difficult to gather up all the articles which will help you. Let us know how it goes!
Please follow this advice, as it is excellent. The only thing I would add, and it is contradictory to the advice about fish, is to try putting a little tuna juice on the food. I don't know of a cat alive that will refuse tuna juice. It is the only thing that saved my cat from having to get a feed tube inserted . He had a cold and could not smell anything. He refused to drink or eat. My vet had me put about a teaspoon of tuna juice in his water and food. He ate the first time I offered it to him and drank his water as well. It is of the utmost importance that you get him to eat. If not, get him to the vet asap.
I agree with this suggestion also.
Getting the cat to eat is the first and foremost importance. Thanks for the reminder!
I have also had success using a small pinch of bonito fish flakes as a topper to wet food when one of my girls was sick and not eating well. I do avoid canned fish food though. It doesn't agree with one of my cats anyway. But a pinch of the fish flakes goes a long way and in the scheme of things; it's not much. But it helped and at the time; that was what mattered.
Please keep us updated on your new kitty!
Please keep us updated on your new kitty!
Does he eat cooked meat or chicken? My cat likes it a lot, sometimes she doesn't eat her cat food, so i just bring her some cooked meat or chicken, she eats it all and eat her cat food with it. So it might be good to give it a try, as it's not really nice to feel hungry.
- Thread Starter Thread Starter
- #7
A little update on Tommy (the cat). It has been a week, I put the food in my room, far from his litter and I noticed he started eating a little while I was asleep. I have moved the food and water out into where it originally was and he has been successfully eating everyday, more and more the more comfortable he gets. He uses his litter frequently, drinks his water, and is exploring the house a lot more. Thanks for all the advice!
That's great to hear! So happy that he's come around. Poor thing was probably overwhelmed at first, as is common.
