Food Dish Problem???

This may be really weird but I'll give it a try....Meanow and Sam both do not like to eat out of anything EXCEPT my daughter's really small bowl that goes to her toy dish set. This bowl is the size of a "playdough lid" but maybe a 1/2 inch deep. The problem is they get the food ALL OVER THE floor and when we scoop it up and put it back in the bowl they do not eat it. We are CONSTANTLY refilling the bowl. They make the biggest mess where we are always sweeping and stepping in it...it gets to the point where it is so annoying. They have a normal size cat dish that needs to be filled only twice a day but they refuse to eat out of it and there is NOTHING wron with it....they eat out of this dish ONLY when they are really hungry. We are trying to break them of this habit but it's not working. They are constantly tripping us by rubbing our legs when we walk in the kitchen just so they can get their food in the dish that they want it in. The only way we can get them to eat out of the cat dish is by putting more food in it when there is alot in it already but they only eat that food until we leave them alone and then they stop...it's so weird. Is there anything else we could try? We rather have them eating out of the normal, less messy cat dish then the little bowl that they rather eat out of...Any suggestions????? Thank you so much

Honestly, you just need to be more stubborn than them. I had a similar problem. When 2 of mine were wee ones, they had to take medicine and it had to go into a fatty food. We chose lactaid as we could mix the liquid in and use a syringe. They got used to having the milk every night. When they were done, we had to wean them off of it. They would come after us for at least an hour a night. We would just walk away and go somewhere else. The crying was AWFUL!!! It took about a month, but they eventually gave up and realized that they weren't going to get any.

I agree with Sandie (as everyone here knows, she always has super advice). You need to take a firmer stance on this issue.
As you said, the cats will eat out of the cat dish when they are hungry. So, just watch out for kitties underfoot and keep food in the big dish. Even if the cats get stubborn, they can survive without food for a few days. I didn't really know this until I adopted a cat that was so shy he hid under the bed for almost three straight days! The vet said if kitty didn't eat within three days, then I should worry. On the third day, the little guy emerged from hiding and started to eat. Now of course, I have no such problems since my current kitty is pretty much a pig in cat's clothing .

I had a similar problem with my cat refusing to drink water from a dish, he would only want to drink from the sink or tub. I just refused to fill it for him and forced him to get really thirsty and drink at last from the bowl.

Be strong!

If you don't stand firm, they will become brats! They can be very manipulative, that's how smart they are! I wonder, though, since you say you can entice them to eat out of the regular bowl if you put in fresh food, and since you say they will not eat even out of the doll bowl if the food is scooped back into it - if maybe it's not a bowl problem, but a fresh food problem? Or am I misinterpreting your post?

Immortal - many cats have a very strange quirk in that they don't like to drink from water that is by their food. If you don't want him drinking out of the tub, try moving his bowl somewhere else. For instance, one of my cats liked her water in a bowl on the bathroom vanity. I'm concerned that if you are forcing him to drink where he's not comfortable, he may not be fully hydrating. Just my $.02!

Hee, hee--I have a little water brat! She only wants to drink from the bathroom sink's tap. I'm going to have to get her one of those pet fountains. Does anyone else use one? Any recommendations/warnings about them?

I have one and they love it. I think they have one on sale at jefferspet.com for 28.95. The only suggestion I have is to keep it away from the food. They tend to get little chucks of food in the water and it needs to be cleaned a whole lot more and the filter gets dirty alot faster.

Thanks Sandie!

That site's great! They have several things I've been plotting to get...and cheaper than PetSmart! Guess I know where my extra money's going this paycheck...