Pickiest Eater Ever!

[northern girl]

Miss Kitty is not quite 3 years old - I think. I've had her for 2 years and the vet who checked her when I got her estimated her to be 2. She's had a hard life, dumped not once but twice before I got her. At first, eager to have anything to eat, she would eat wet or dry food. These days, all she wants is gravy. I tried mixing a pouch of 'stew' with dry food but she licked off the liquid while not touching the dry or the tuna pieces in the stew. Won't touch pate at all, will eat cuts and gravy if it's tuna or salmon but seems to tire of it. The only thing she really wants is the stew pouches but they are small and she cries for more like she's still hungry. At my wit's end to find something she likes that is good for her. Would appreciate any suggestions.

 

[maggie101]

Few days ago, I bought rawz chicken shredded which my cats loved. 5.5 oz cans with lots of meat and a thick broth. Also Tiki After dark or Canidae chaparrel canyon with chicken and duck(no more on chewy so I get it at petcare rx) All expensive. Rawz at a small pet store or search online
Try to avoid fish

 

[zoes]

What have you tried in terms of spacing out her food or withholding food to try to make her hungry for other items?

What I would do is feed her a small meal in the morning that you know she will eat. Perhaps about 1/3 of the size of a normal meal. Beside it, set out a different type of food that you want her to eat - maybe a regular can of fish-based pate food, or that mixed with the gravy packets she likes. Leave it out all day- she will eat what she wants right away, but hopefully she'll return a few minutes later and throughout the day looking for more food. It's fine if she just sniffs/licks the other stuff - that means she knows it's food but just doesn't want to eat it. If she eats a little bit of it, great. Repeat at dinner, continuing to experiment with mix ratios, brands, formats and ingredients. Ignore the cries. It's really like a fussy kid throwing a tantrum because all they want to eat is chicken nuggets - the key is, IME, to provide a little bit of what they like but also continue to offer other stuff you WANT them to eat during the same mealtime. That way you know they're eating something, while also giving them the opportunity to see, smell, and taste what you want them to eat.

Make a mental note of any foods she'll taste and eat a few bites of, vs those she will not even sniff twice. You WILL waste some wet food during this process unfortunately but it worked a charm on all my kibble-addicted cats.

 

[ladytimedramon]

Delilah has been crazy about Lotus Just Juicy - very full of gravy. It's hard to find though. There is only 1 boutique type store in my area that has it.

 

[maggie101]

Miss Kitty is not quite 3 years old - I think. I've had her for 2 years and the vet who checked her when I got her estimated her to be 2. She's had a hard life, dumped not once but twice before I got her. At first, eager to have anything to eat, she would eat wet or dry food. These days, all she wants is gravy. I tried mixing a pouch of 'stew' with dry food but she licked off the liquid while not touching the dry or the tuna pieces in the stew. Won't touch pate at all, will eat cuts and gravy if it's tuna or salmon but seems to tire of it. The only thing she really wants is the stew pouches but they are small and she cries for more like she's still hungry. At my wit's end to find something she likes that is good for her. Would appreciate any suggestions.

Sometimes my cat will only eat pate if I add pieces of pure bites freeze dried chicken.

 

[lisamarie12]

My cats are picky as well, what works for us is to add some freeze dried "toppers", as maggie101 mentioned, Pure Bites works for her. You can crumble a few pieces on top of the wet food. Whole Life also makes freeze dried breast meat (turkey or chicken) that can be crumbled, although there are other brands. You could also try a pinch of freeze dried liver. These items are usually available at both indy / chain pet food retailers as well as online stores. Good luck.