Beautiful, healthy, active, extremely picky jerk!

[Kaiju's Mom]

I know this seems to be a regular problem for a lot of cat owners but it is so frustrating...
My large Maine Coon, Kaiju, will not eat anything I put in front of him. He will lick the gravy from Fancy Feast while leaving the rest; turn up his nose at fresh and cooked fish, chicken and shrimp. Even after I heat it to "body temp". He will devour whole birds if he catches them. He likes a bit of Meow Mix.
I've tried many expensive canned varieties but he continues to yowl for something else. He gets lots of love and scritchings and plays with our little Yorkie.
Can you recommend anything that will make him eat? Thank you

 

[Kieka]

My crew are gravy lovers but gravy foods aren't the best so we compromise. I get the food that is not gravy and add water or broth to make it more liquid. Once it's a nice soupy mix I top it with some Fancy Feast broth (one pouch for three cats) or powdered freeze dried food (can buy it powdered or get freeze dried food and crush). They usually eat with no problem until all the liquid is gone. Since it is well mixed and very liquid, by the time broth is gone so is most of the food.

 

[Kaiju's Mom]

Thank you Kieka I will get some Fancy Feast broth at the store today. I was curious about it...

 

[Mr. Meow]

One thing to know about cats is that they have an amazing survival instinct. They will not let themselves starve. My suggestion, pick a food that you feel is a healthy choice for him, put it in his bowl, and leave it (wet food, though, just be careful how long you leave it). He'll eat when he's hungry.
You may also want to try a low profile bowl, or even a plate. Some cats don't eat much due to whisker fatigue.

 

[Kaiju's Mom]

These are both great suggestions Mr Meow. Though he does complain about what we feed him he hasn't starved yet.

 

[Tobermory]

You can also try toppers—goodies added to the top of the regular food to encourage him to eat. These options are also good to keep in mind if your kitty ever becomes sick and doesn’t want to eat. My Mocha can be picky, and one of these usually works to get her started, and then she just finishes the whole thing.

Sprinkle food with:

• FortiFlora — It’s a mediocre probiotic, IMO, but it’s very appealing to cats because it has animal digest as its first ingredient, the same thing that coats dry food. Most cats love the taste of it.
• Grated Parmesan cheese
• Crushed crumbles of dry food — There are some higher protein/lower carb/grain free brands such as Dr. Elsey’s Clean Protein.
• Bonito flakes — Can be found at Asian markets or sometimes in the Asian food section of a large grocery store.
• Freeze-dried treats or freeze-dried raw food — Crumble into dust or small pieces over food. I use Pure Bites chicken treats and Northwest Naturals liver treats, but there are lots of choices. If you use Pure Bites, it’s actually less expensive to buy the dog treats and they’re the same thing. For freeze-dried raw, Stella & Chewy’s and Northwest Naturals may also work. Primal is another choice.
• Pour a little water from tuna in water over food. Use no sodium added (I buy it at Trader Joe’s) as other kinds in water have veg. broth and I assume that means onions, which are toxic to cats. Also it shouldn't contain soy; check labels. I dilute the juice with more water, too. It’s more the smell than anything.
• Baby food — Beechnut or Gerber Stage 2. You want a baby food that is a protein only although the Gerber contains cornstarch. It should have no onions or other additives. Please read labels carefully.

 

[Kaiju's Mom]

Thank you Tobermory! I am making up my shopping list now. Who would have thought Parmesan cheese

 

[Tobermory]

Thank you Tobermory! I am making up my shopping list now. Who would have thought Parmesan cheese

It’s smelly. It doesn’t hurt to have several things on hand. Right now, Mocha is going for Fortiflora and crushed Dr. Elsey’s, but she could get tired of those tomorrow because, well, cat.

 

[maggie101]

I know this seems to be a regular problem for a lot of cat owners but it is so frustrating...
My large Maine Coon, Kaiju, will not eat anything I put in front of him. He will lick the gravy from Fancy Feast while leaving the rest; turn up his nose at fresh and cooked fish, chicken and shrimp. Even after I heat it to "body temp". He will devour whole birds if he catches them. He likes a bit of Meow Mix.
I've tried many expensive canned varieties but he continues to yowl for something else. He gets lots of love and scritchings and plays with our little Yorkie.
Can you recommend anything that will make him eat? Thank you

Raising the bowl has really helped on of my cats. Online or do yourself