Both cats won't touch their food?

[catman begins]

I have had one cat for eight years and the other I adopted from a family member about four months ago. For almost the entirety of the older cat's life he has been fed Iam's cat food and has never had any problems with it. Suddenly after adopting the other cat, they have both slowly started to eat less and less food, turning their nose up at it. I used to free feed the older cat because he would simply eat however much he wanted without either gaining weight or leaving much to go stale. Now it is getting so bad I feed them each about 1/4 cup 3 or 4 times per day simply trying to waste as little as possible.

This result is the opposite of common sense which would suggest two male cats would either be food aggressive or at least eat their food quick before the other gets a chance to steal some. Oh and I asked my aunt what kind of food the new cat used to eat, and she said...Iams. Halp!

 

[molly92]

I don't know much about Iams. Maybe they changed their formula and the cats didn't like it, but that would be a coincidence if that happened the same time you adopted the second one.

More likely the cats are stressed out eating together. Do they seem to get along otherwise? You might try feeding them in separate areas or separate rooms. They may prefer their own space. Because cats can get turned off of foods pretty easily, they might not eat the Iams even if they feel more comfortable anymore, so you may want to try another food, or even a couple different types of food to give them some variety and get an idea of their preferences. Some canned foods and a different dry food, perhaps. You definitely want to make sure they're getting enough to eat!

 

[catman begins]

Their bowls are at opposite ends of the kitchen. They get along together okay and have never been territorial over food, in fact they seem to not even prefer which bowl they eat out of. I suppose I will try a different food but it seems odd that both at the same food for years and now both think it is unacceptable.