Don't do this to yourself. You don't deserve it. You're a great cat mom. Picky eaters are so tough to deal with. I understand completely as I have 2 and 1 who is in training with them.
Thank you so much .. That helps a lot .. Thankfully he is not quite as picky as his sister so I think I can get him to eat just wet . I will get him some Fancy Feast Classic .They both love it .I will just stay away from the fishy ones as they make the vomit . .. No free feeding here . He is not active at all . I will get one of those toys and start playing with him . He had his routine vet visit last year for his Rabies Vax and checked out fine . I don't think I could take him outside though he is very skittish about loud noises and such .. I will definitely keep away the kibble and get him more active .. Yes he is a big framed cat so I think that is normal but I do know that he has gained at least 3 pounds because the last time I weighed him he was 16 pounds ..
Don't do this to yourself. You don't deserve it. You're a great cat mom. Picky eaters are so tough to deal with. I understand completely as I have 2 and 1 who is in training with them.It's not like we can reason with them.
Has he been to the vet lately to rule out any possible medical causes? Is he free fed or on timed meals only?? What about activity? Does he like to play a lot?
If he hasn't seen a vet lately, I'd start there to make sure medical issues aren't the reason. The vet can also give you an idea about what his ideal weight should be based on his size. If he's a big cat, maybe he's really not overweight. If he is and he's free fed, I'd try to transition him to timed feedings and use the dry food maybe as a topper instead of a main part of the meal if he'll eat it that way. If he likes to play and is physically able, I'd try to add some more of that into his day. Wand toys like Da Bird are great for that and most cats like them. Maybe think about teaching him to wear a harness and leash and take him for walks in the park or even just in the yard.
Thank you so much . I am definitely stopping the kibble .. My cats love Fancy Feast Classic so I know I can get them eat that 100% . I just have to find the ones with no fish .I'm sorry you're upset.
I agree with Kat0121, if you can increase the amount of canned food, that may help cut down on the extra carbs that usually go hand in hand with dry food (due to the high heat processing kibble goes through as well as the carb binders needed for the extrusion process).
Two additional toys that may be helpful: Cat Dancer, a wire with little brown sticks on the end. It's an interactive toy, I find it works well when I e.g., move it slowly up and down a wall, the cats jump for it, also I have them chase it along the floor, vary the speeds a bit so they can run and also sneak up on it which exercises their hunting behavior.
The laser "toy" is also is a fav here. I haven't varied their toys in a while yet every night I exercise the cats (and myself along with them) with these two things and have created a routine for them.
Little by little you can begin exercising kitty, surely this will help with the weight.
I've read great reviews also about Neko Flies, another interactive toy, a little pricey but looks worth it.
Good luck, it'll take time for kitty to reach a desirable weight but it is far safer to go at it slower rather than have a rapid weight loss.
Great! I have read that FF Classics are on the lower carb end so if kitty will eat the food, then that's half the battle. They seem to have a lot of variety so I'm sure you'll find some without fish. Maybe other TCS members know offhand which ones are fish free so you don't have to go through all the labels.
The only ones that DO contain fish (other than the ones that say fish on the label like salmon feast, etc) are the chicken feast and the beef feast. The other varieties do not like the chicken and liver, turkey and giblets, etc- this is according to the ingredients lists on the Fancy Feast website.
Great! I have read that FF Classics are on the lower carb end so if kitty will eat the food, then that's half the battle. They seem to have a lot of variety so I'm sure you'll find some without fish. Maybe other TCS members know offhand which ones are fish free so you don't have to go through all the labels.
LisaMarie12 is right that their loving those foods is half the battle -- it's great that your cats chose to love the FF Classics instead of one of their other lines! Of the non-fish Classics flavors, our previous cat especially loved their chopped grill and tender beef and chicken.
Thank you so much . I am feeling much better about this now .. The support from this site helps a lot . I already have a few brands ( all pate ) they that they like ..They love the Fancy Feast Classics , 9 Lives Meaty Pate ,4 Health Grain Free .. I already got rid of the kibble ..
Thank you so much .. I have a couple of other brands that they like as well so I will be able to rotate ..
Great! I have read that FF Classics are on the lower carb end so if kitty will eat the food, then that's half the battle. They seem to have a lot of variety so I'm sure you'll find some without fish. Maybe other TCS members know offhand which ones are fish free so you don't have to go through all the labels.
I went shopping in Target this morning . I had a coupon for $3.50 off 25 cans of Fancy Feast ..
Nice!! That's great that they prefer the pates to the other kinds. Mine do too. Well they do until they change their minds. This should happen the next time I order a case of something.
I went shopping in Target this morning . I had a coupon for $3.50 off 25 cans of Fancy Feast ..
I got 26 cans of FF Classic , 4 cans of 9 Lives Chicken Meaty Pate ( which they actually like ) .. I ditched the kibble ( the Crows & Blue Jays love it) ..
Right now I am using Temptation Tumbler Treats as a topper to entice to eat the wet food .. I can't use kibble because they will want that instead . So far it is going well .. Philippe was begging for kibble this morning but I gave him a can of FF with a few treats on top and he was happy .
Yes , they have always hated anything but Pate .. Yes it is so hard with picky eaters . They are super picky with treats too . Although not the best , the only thing that works for a topper is the Temptation Tumbler Treats .
Nice!! That's great that they prefer the pates to the other kinds. Mine do too. Well they do until they change their minds. This should happen the next time I order a case of something.
I got a case of Pride by Instinct Lucky's Lamb with my last Amazon Subscribe and Save order. They have always loved this kind and Petco and Petsmart don't carry it in store. Guess what they are now turning their noses up at?. It will have to sit out of the rotation for a while then I'll give it to them out of the blue to see if they'll eat it again. This usually works. The joys of picky eaters. Henry is learning well from Lilith who is the queen diva and the pickiest eater in our house. She trained Sophie and is now working on him.
Thank you so much .. I will definitely make some of cat toys .. What a great idea ..
I got such a great laugh from this, Mosimom! Our cats also love boxes and the paper from chewy.com shipments: they have a whole modular structure in the basement that my husband's always changing around for them. It's one of their very favorite things.
I have a couple of socks I am going to try and make this toy . Wish me luck ..
Yes, good luck! I'm not sure I explained it very well, sorry! The main thing is to make it into a nice ball that's soft but firm, with lots of catnip inside. I hope the cats like them.
Thank you..
