Very Strong Food Drive But Eats Very Little - ? (looking For Any Helpful Input)

[TimmoSRQ]

Hey there - I'm hoping someone on this forum can help with our issue. We have a 12 y.o. female cat that has always been a finicky eater, but recently started eating about half of her normal meal at each sitting. This went on long enough that I decided it was more than her normal finicky nature, and I took her to our Vet.

She had lost a pound since her last visit (about 4 months), but wasn't in any danger of being too thin yet. To condense this as much as possible, after doing x-rays, blood work, an ultrasound, and additional diagnostic lab work, the diagnosis was that she has the wet form of F.I.P. (this was about 45 days ago).

However, other than the fluid around her lungs, she's acting totally normal and wasn't/isn't showing any of the symptoms (the only problem is her odd eating issue) - she's not having any breathing problems, fever, etc, - and as I stated in the title, her food drive is still extremely good (she bugs us for food repeatedly each day).

However, she'll only eat a small portion of food at a time (both wet food and dry food), and it typically takes a long time to get a decent meal into her (though rarely if ever the amount she previously ate at a given meal). Also, she often will totally turn her nose up at food, but then eat it if I put the plate up to her nose, or scoop it out on a spoon and present it to her (or sometimes if I just pick it up her plate and then put it back down again).

She is fed on an open plate (not a bowl) and most of her food is from the local holistic pet food store (we are very tuned into pet nutrition); however, since this issue began, we've been feeding her whatever she'll take. Her favorite options are turkey & gravy or ham & gravy Gerber's baby food, Rachel Ray Nutrish Tuna Perfection, and several of the Fussie Cat tuna selections (and I have tried the "trick" of sprinkling parmesan cheese on her food - this typically works, but only for a few additional bites).

Our Vet did check her teeth, but we haven't had the full dental exam done yet (with her anesthetized) - since she eats both dry as well as wet food (and often prefers the dry food), it doesn't seem like she has a sore tooth issue (and this diagnosis also doesn't explain why she will eat a food that's simply presented differently immediately after having refused it). She does tilt her head to the side while eating the dry kibble, but she did have a number of her teeth removed when she was younger (so it seems it's just a little tougher for her to chew the kibble).

Please let me know if these symptoms sound familiar - any input, suggestions, or referrals will be greatly appreciated (especially since it does seem like she is eating progressively less each day now) and, of course, I can add any additional info. that may help with the overall explanation of her behavior/symptoms.

Thanks,

Tim

 

[Tobermory]

Poor little girl. It’s hard to watch them struggle. I can’t help regarding her symptoms, but here are a variety of strategies to encourage her to eat her food, some of which you’re already doing.

1. Some cats really like the Fancy Feast Classic pâtés. I fed the chicken one to my old guy when he got so he wouldn’t eat. He would also eat Rawz canned food. You might have to provide kind of a buffet until you find something that will appeal to her.
2. Warming food slightly which enhances its scent
3. Sprinkle food with :

• FortiFlora -- a probiotic you can get at vets or online. It’s very smelly and cats love the taste of it. It’s not one of the better probiotics but it’s useful to stimulate eating.
• Grated Parmesan cheese (which you’re doing)
• Crushed crumbles of dry food on top of wet food. Several people here on the forum are feeding Dr. Elsey’s Clean Protein dry and find their cats really like it.
• Bonito flakes—Can be found at Asian markets or sometimes in the Asian food section of a large grocery store. I use this with my picky eater.
• Freeze dried chicken—crumble over food. A lot of us, including me, use Pure Bites.
• 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. Some baby foods have onions. Please read labels if you can't find Beechnut.
• Plain cooked (boiled or baked ) chicken breast

If enticements don't work, you could consider assist feeding (syringe or make little meatballs and place in mouth) and/or talking to your vet about appetite stimulants.

During Max’s final years (he died last summer at age 20), I rotated through all of these strategies. It takes a lot of patience! I hope you find out what’s causing her problems.

 

[duckpond]

So sorry she is going through this!

sometimes a cat has better luck with a raised food and water bowl. makes it easier on them, i think 6 or 7 inches.

my cats dont like the parm on their food either. they do like some freeze dried chicken, like pure bites on top. I would keep food out for her at all times, hopefully she will nibble enough during the day.

If she is a fan of the fish foods you might try Earthborn holistic Monterrey medley. It is one my cats love most, out of all fish food

Any kitten foods you can find that she would like might help too, they are more often high in protein fat and calories, so make each bite count.

 

[Minxxy]

My cats love Instinct Raw Boost Mixers . I can get them to eat just about anything with these crumbled on top .
Instinct by Nature's Variety Raw Boost Mixers Chicken Recipe Freeze-Dried Cat Food Topper, 6-oz bag

 

[1 bruce 1]

Hey there - I'm hoping someone on this forum can help with our issue. We have a 12 y.o. female cat that has always been a finicky eater, but recently started eating about half of her normal meal at each sitting. This went on long enough that I decided it was more than her normal finicky nature, and I took her to our Vet.

She had lost a pound since her last visit (about 4 months), but wasn't in any danger of being too thin yet. To condense this as much as possible, after doing x-rays, blood work, an ultrasound, and additional diagnostic lab work, the diagnosis was that she has the wet form of F.I.P. (this was about 45 days ago).

However, other than the fluid around her lungs, she's acting totally normal and wasn't/isn't showing any of the symptoms (the only problem is her odd eating issue) - she's not having any breathing problems, fever, etc, - and as I stated in the title, her food drive is still extremely good (she bugs us for food repeatedly each day).

However, she'll only eat a small portion of food at a time (both wet food and dry food), and it typically takes a long time to get a decent meal into her (though rarely if ever the amount she previously ate at a given meal). Also, she often will totally turn her nose up at food, but then eat it if I put the plate up to her nose, or scoop it out on a spoon and present it to her (or sometimes if I just pick it up her plate and then put it back down again).

She is fed on an open plate (not a bowl) and most of her food is from the local holistic pet food store (we are very tuned into pet nutrition); however, since this issue began, we've been feeding her whatever she'll take. Her favorite options are turkey & gravy or ham & gravy Gerber's baby food, Rachel Ray Nutrish Tuna Perfection, and several of the Fussie Cat tuna selections (and I have tried the "trick" of sprinkling parmesan cheese on her food - this typically works, but only for a few additional bites).

Our Vet did check her teeth, but we haven't had the full dental exam done yet (with her anesthetized) - since she eats both dry as well as wet food (and often prefers the dry food), it doesn't seem like she has a sore tooth issue (and this diagnosis also doesn't explain why she will eat a food that's simply presented differently immediately after having refused it). She does tilt her head to the side while eating the dry kibble, but she did have a number of her teeth removed when she was younger (so it seems it's just a little tougher for her to chew the kibble).

Please let me know if these symptoms sound familiar - any input, suggestions, or referrals will be greatly appreciated (especially since it does seem like she is eating progressively less each day now) and, of course, I can add any additional info. that may help with the overall explanation of her behavior/symptoms.

Thanks,

Tim

How much do you think she's eating, roughly, daily, and how many times a day do you offer it?
If she has a wet FIP form, she might "feel full" and a few bites feels right.
I've had good luck using Nutri-cal/Nutri-stat on cats off their food; it doesn't keep their weight up like food would but it ensures they get extra calories.
Have you tried maybe soaking the kibble in warm water or broth to soften it up? Some cats like this, some hate it.
As Tobermorey said, Fancy Feast can really be palatable. It's the only thing that works for our cats if they go off food to get them eating again, and most stores carry it in packs of 24/30 or single cans so you don't have to buy a bunch to try it out.

 

[Furballsmom]

Hi! Bonito flakes are now available in pet stores as well as online pet food suppliers.
Also, if you haven't already you could try mackerel, tuna, the liquid from the tuna can, sardines beware of bones.
I have had some luck getting my Big Guy to consume a bit of raw egg yolk ( the egg white must be cooked).
Sending you tons of hugs!!

 

[lalagimp]

I'm not here to push enticing her to eat. I wish she felt better, but I would push for the dental exam. My tortie has dental issues and continues to eat kibble whether they are bothering her or not, and will continue to eat kibble even after all the extractions she's had. It's her preference. She eats some wet food, but the condition of her mouth doesn't seem to deter her from eating, what we would see as, more difficult.
On Amalie's last dental x rays they found that her condition (FORLs) had degraded her remaining fangs beneath the gum line and down into the jaw. We pulled the last three. She was eating kibble the next day after the anesthesia was out of her system.
However, I would want to make sure your cat is safe to be anesthetized - that the weight hasn't dropped too much and they are confident in the values seen in her blood work.
/my two cents
/Ama probably has only four teeth left

 

[DMS]

Hey there - I'm hoping someone on this forum can help with our issue. We have a 12 y.o. female cat that has always been a finicky eater, but recently started eating about half of her normal meal at each sitting. This went on long enough that I decided it was more than her normal finicky nature, and I took her to our Vet.

She had lost a pound since her last visit (about 4 months), but wasn't in any danger of being too thin yet. To condense this as much as possible, after doing x-rays, blood work, an ultrasound, and additional diagnostic lab work, the diagnosis was that she has the wet form of F.I.P. (this was about 45 days ago).

However, other than the fluid around her lungs, she's acting totally normal and wasn't/isn't showing any of the symptoms (the only problem is her odd eating issue) - she's not having any breathing problems, fever, etc, - and as I stated in the title, her food drive is still extremely good (she bugs us for food repeatedly each day).

However, she'll only eat a small portion of food at a time (both wet food and dry food), and it typically takes a long time to get a decent meal into her (though rarely if ever the amount she previously ate at a given meal). Also, she often will totally turn her nose up at food, but then eat it if I put the plate up to her nose, or scoop it out on a spoon and present it to her (or sometimes if I just pick it up her plate and then put it back down again).

She is fed on an open plate (not a bowl) and most of her food is from the local holistic pet food store (we are very tuned into pet nutrition); however, since this issue began, we've been feeding her whatever she'll take. Her favorite options are turkey & gravy or ham & gravy Gerber's baby food, Rachel Ray Nutrish Tuna Perfection, and several of the Fussie Cat tuna selections (and I have tried the "trick" of sprinkling parmesan cheese on her food - this typically works, but only for a few additional bites).

Our Vet did check her teeth, but we haven't had the full dental exam done yet (with her anesthetized) - since she eats both dry as well as wet food (and often prefers the dry food), it doesn't seem like she has a sore tooth issue (and this diagnosis also doesn't explain why she will eat a food that's simply presented differently immediately after having refused it). She does tilt her head to the side while eating the dry kibble, but she did have a number of her teeth removed when she was younger (so it seems it's just a little tougher for her to chew the kibble).

Please let me know if these symptoms sound familiar - any input, suggestions, or referrals will be greatly appreciated (especially since it does seem like she is eating progressively less each day now) and, of course, I can add any additional info. that may help with the overall explanation of her behavior/symptoms.

Thanks,

Tim

Hi Tim-
I have a 16 year old male tabby house cat who, little by little, stopped eating his dry food last summer. Then little by little, stopped eating his canned food. He ate like a horse before that. He lost a pound in a half in 3 months. Went from 10.5 pounds down to 9. But acted hungry all the time. I'd put food down, he'd lick a little and walk away. 20 minutes later, cry for food, I'd try something new, he'd lick a little and walk away. This would go on all day long. I have had this cat since he was 8 weeks old, and after his neutering and declawing, he has never been sick a day in his life. Annual vaccinations, 3 other house cats, all healthy.

So I took him to the vet and ran every test possible, like you did. All blood work, x-rays, urine tests, oral exam, teeth cleaning, ear exam, throat exam, you name it, we did it. Everything came back normal. Healthiest cat my vet had ever seen. Great teeth and gums. Color good.

The only thing out of the ordinary that I had noticed with him was he scratched his ears a lot, but had no ear mites or fleas. There was a lot of wax build up, however. So my vet gave me some ear drops to give him twice a day of Trizedta/Baytril/Dexamethosone.

I did this and the ear scratching stopped after about 2 weeks. His eating habits did not get any better. I continued the ear drops for another 2 weeks, and he finally started eating on his own again. Prior to this, I syringe fed him baby food mixed with Pro Biotics and Nutrical feline vitamins to keep him healthy and get his weight back up. I continued the ear drops, baby food and Nutrical for another 2 weeks, and by that time, my cat was eating MUCH better. Like your cat, it would take him 20 minutes to finish just 2-3 Tablespoons of food, but that was PROGRESS compared to 6 weeks earlier!

I started him back on his food by mixing canned food with water and leaving dry food out free choice. Once he was eating canned food mixed with water well, I tried some dry food treats, as he still would not touch the dry food. He liked the treats! Ate well!

I tried 4 different dry cat foods before I could find one he would like. Started with Science Diet for Senior cats because it was easier to bite and seemed to digest better for him. After 3 weeks, he didn't like that anymore, so I switched to another and another on a weekly basis. Variety seems to suit him better at this point.

At the 3 month point, my cat was eating canned food normal, and dry food much better, and his dry treats regularly.

Then we went through a period of going backwards. I noticed he had some dirty wax build up in his ears again so did the drops again for 2 weeks and he started eating better again.

Now he's just gotten picky with his food because I think he knows he controls me! LOL! Actually, I think he is now eating whatever his body is craving. He will eat nothing but chicken flavored food for a week, then refuses that and switches to salmon flavored for a week, then refuses that, then switches to turkey, and right now we are on a beef flavored series.

Vet said the ear wax buildup was being caused by inflammation, but we don't know the cause of the inflammation. The pain in the ears can affect the jaw and swallowing. We don't know if that was his eating problem, but it definitely helped to get it cleared up. Vet also said the cat might have had a mild stroke that affected him neurologically, and it is just taking awhile to allow his body to heal.

I am just trying to keep him healthy while his body heals. I use the Nutrical (Fed with a syringe) and syringe feed baby food to him when he gets into a picky mode of more than 2 days, or he loses weight quickly.

We still think he might have a thyroid issue, and I am taking him in again next month to re-test that, as thyroid tests can give out a lot of false readings in elderly cats. A friend of mine had a cat that was eating all the time and losing weight, and it took 4 thyroid test in one year's time to get a reading that showed his thyroid wasn't functioning right. Since she put him on medication, he is gaining his weight back and looking much better!

Just keep some food in your kitty while her body repairs itself from whatever is ailing her! Good nutrition is a great healer in cats!

As a side note, I also have another elderly cat that tested positive for FIP, also has kidney issues, and wasn't eating either, due to high phosphorus levels in his blood. But after 3 months of syringe feeding, teaching a "dry food" eater to switch to canned food and getting Putina Pro Plan Special Kidney Diet canned food in him for 2 months, he is now eating on his own again and eating well and doing well!

I had one other cat that stopped eating and we found a polyp in his throat. Vet removed that, and he started eating again in 24 hours. Been 2 years polyp free.

Don't give up on your kitty. Learn to carefully syringe feed her extra food (baby food, gravy or smushed up pate food) and some form of special feline vitamins (Nutrical or others)until she is eating better on her own again. You just need to make sure you don't get it into her lungs. That would be BAD.

Hoping my experiences can help others. When my tabby stopped eating, I searched the internet high and low for ideas and help. Saw your post tonight and felt the need to share my story in hopes it will encourage you and help your kitty.

Some days were mentally and emotionally exhausting, but now that they are all eating well and back to their old selves, it was worth it!

Wishing you and your kitty the best!

Dawn

 

[Furballsmom]

D DMS you are incredible.

 

[DMS]

Hey there - I'm hoping someone on this forum can help with our issue. We have a 12 y.o. female cat that has always been a finicky eater, but recently started eating about half of her normal meal at each sitting. This went on long enough that I decided it was more than her normal finicky nature, and I took her to our Vet.

She had lost a pound since her last visit (about 4 months), but wasn't in any danger of being too thin yet. To condense this as much as possible, after doing x-rays, blood work, an ultrasound, and additional diagnostic lab work, the diagnosis was that she has the wet form of F.I.P. (this was about 45 days ago).

However, other than the fluid around her lungs, she's acting totally normal and wasn't/isn't showing any of the symptoms (the only problem is her odd eating issue) - she's not having any breathing problems, fever, etc, - and as I stated in the title, her food drive is still extremely good (she bugs us for food repeatedly each day).

However, she'll only eat a small portion of food at a time (both wet food and dry food), and it typically takes a long time to get a decent meal into her (though rarely if ever the amount she previously ate at a given meal). Also, she often will totally turn her nose up at food, but then eat it if I put the plate up to her nose, or scoop it out on a spoon and present it to her (or sometimes if I just pick it up her plate and then put it back down again).

She is fed on an open plate (not a bowl) and most of her food is from the local holistic pet food store (we are very tuned into pet nutrition); however, since this issue began, we've been feeding her whatever she'll take. Her favorite options are turkey & gravy or ham & gravy Gerber's baby food, Rachel Ray Nutrish Tuna Perfection, and several of the Fussie Cat tuna selections (and I have tried the "trick" of sprinkling parmesan cheese on her food - this typically works, but only for a few additional bites).

Our Vet did check her teeth, but we haven't had the full dental exam done yet (with her anesthetized) - since she eats both dry as well as wet food (and often prefers the dry food), it doesn't seem like she has a sore tooth issue (and this diagnosis also doesn't explain why she will eat a food that's simply presented differently immediately after having refused it). She does tilt her head to the side while eating the dry kibble, but she did have a number of her teeth removed when she was younger (so it seems it's just a little tougher for her to chew the kibble).

Please let me know if these symptoms sound familiar - any input, suggestions, or referrals will be greatly appreciated (especially since it does seem like she is eating progressively less each day now) and, of course, I can add any additional info. that may help with the overall explanation of her behavior/symptoms.

Thanks,

Tim

Tim -

One more thing...

I want to add that since mixing in water with the canned Pate-style food, ALL of my house cats are eating it more. Not sure if companies are changing their formulas, making the taste too strong for them, or if they just enjoy lapping it up more easily, more - like drinking it, now. I do have a couple of other cat friends who used the same brands I do, and they said even their outdoor cats won't touch the Pate anymore, but are eating the gravy style food without issues.

Makes one wonder if feed companies are changing the ingredients or adding too much flavoring, or if the Pate isn't as moist as it used to be, or something else is going on with the feed that cats are noticing that we don't understand.

Just something to try with your kitty. If you give her Pate style, water it down a little and see if she'll eat more that way for now.

-Dawn





As long as I water it down, though, they now eat it.

 

[TimmoSRQ]

Thanks so much for all the extremely helpful suggestions and input - I've made a bunch of notes and have planned for my next shopping trip to my Vet for Forti-flora (I had already looked into this previously, so great to hear strong additional support for it) and the holistic pet store (I know they carry Earthborn Holistic foods and the Instinct Raw Boost mixers) as well as Petco for the Pure Bites f.d. chicken - and I did pick up a few of the Fancy Feast pate foods at the grocery store today. And the suggestion re: kitten foods was great - definitely would help if the smaller amounts she's eating were the high calorie food types.

I'm hoping to find the Bonito flakes, as well - and saw another cat feeding issue post that recommended trying tropical fish flakes sprinkled over the food.

Re: her F.I.P. - I honestly don't think she has an active case (although she had a lot of fluid around her lungs, she wasn't/isn't showing any breathing difficulties, and my holistic Vet said that sometimes this fluid can build up over time and the cat just adjusts to it being there) - and she didn't have any fluid in her abdomen (re: the comment about her feeling "full" prematurely). I really think all the diagnostic work we did exclusively as a result of her sudden overly finicky feeding behavior resulted in us "finding that she had F.I.P." (meaning that if she hadn't had the eating issue, we obviously wouldn't have had the x-rays and ultrasound done that indicated the F.I.P. - but since a solid/clear diagnosis is extremely difficult if not impossible, this was the "best educated guess" based on the Vet's findings). From what I've learned about the wet form of F.I.P., cats typically go downhill very rapidly after diagnosis, so hopefully the fact that our little girl is still acting completely normal supports the "missed diagnosis" theory.

We are still considering the full dental exam - as this does seem more like a health or possibly behavior issue as opposed to a true feeding issue (since, like I mentioned, her food drive is still extremely good - she just has the frustratingly odd quirk of only eating a small amount at a time and/or refusing and then eating a particular food item when it's simply presented differently/again). I am considering possibly posting this same issue on one of the other forums here just to possibly find someone who recognizes this issue from the standpoint of health or behavior.

And we may also try a raised feeding platform - she will often take food placed up to her mouth when she's refused it on the plate (but hasn't shown any signs of soreness in her neck or back).

Also - thanks an additional bunch for the reminder about looking out for baby foods that contain onions - I had forgotten about that and one of the main Gerber turkey types does contain onion powder.

And Dawn - I really appreciate your lengthy text detailing all that you've tried/done for your cat/cats (I just now saw your post as I was finishing up my reply here) - it sounds like you had the exact same issue we're dealing with and did an outstanding job working your way through it. The ear issue is something we haven't checked (though our cat is not scratching her ears), and we do have Nutrical from our Vet, but have a real issue trying to get it or anything into the cat via a syringe (she really fights against it and too often the process ends up with a complete miss/mess). Any tips on a syringe-feeding technique

Thanks so much again to all for the extremely helpful info. (one last note - we have a multiple cat household with one other cat that is a "pig" re: stealing food - so unfortunately we can't just leave food out for her all day).

Tim

 

[DMS]

D DMS you are incredible.

Love makes one do things they otherwise wouldn't think possible. I love my fur-babies.

 

[Furballsmom]

Hi just a quick note the bonito flakes should be available at Petco, all the best of luck with everything!!

 

[DMS]

Thanks so much for all the extremely helpful suggestions and input - I've made a bunch of notes and have planned for my next shopping trip to my Vet for Forti-flora (I had already looked into this previously, so great to hear strong additional support for it) and the holistic pet store (I know they carry Earthborn Holistic foods and the Instinct Raw Boost mixers) as well as Petco for the Pure Bites f.d. chicken - and I did pick up a few of the Fancy Feast pate foods at the grocery store today. And the suggestion re: kitten foods was great - definitely would help if the smaller amounts she's eating were the high calorie food types.

I'm hoping to find the Bonito flakes, as well - and saw another cat feeding issue post that recommended trying tropical fish flakes sprinkled over the food.

Re: her F.I.P. - I honestly don't think she has an active case (although she had a lot of fluid around her lungs, she wasn't/isn't showing any breathing difficulties, and my holistic Vet said that sometimes this fluid can build up over time and the cat just adjusts to it being there) - and she didn't have any fluid in her abdomen (re: the comment about her feeling "full" prematurely). I really think all the diagnostic work we did exclusively as a result of her sudden overly finicky feeding behavior resulted in us "finding that she had F.I.P." (meaning that if she hadn't had the eating issue, we obviously wouldn't have had the x-rays and ultrasound done that indicated the F.I.P. - but since a solid/clear diagnosis is extremely difficult if not impossible, this was the "best educated guess" based on the Vet's findings). From what I've learned about the wet form of F.I.P., cats typically go downhill very rapidly after diagnosis, so hopefully the fact that our little girl is still acting completely normal supports the "missed diagnosis" theory.

We are still considering the full dental exam - as this does seem more like a health or possibly behavior issue as opposed to a true feeding issue (since, like I mentioned, her food drive is still extremely good - she just has the frustratingly odd quirk of only eating a small amount at a time and/or refusing and then eating a particular food item when it's simply presented differently/again). I am considering possibly posting this same issue on one of the other forums here just to possibly find someone who recognizes this issue from the standpoint of health or behavior.

And we may also try a raised feeding platform - she will often take food placed up to her mouth when she's refused it on the plate (but hasn't shown any signs of soreness in her neck or back).

Also - thanks an additional bunch for the reminder about looking out for baby foods that contain onions - I had forgotten about that and one of the main Gerber turkey types does contain onion powder.

And Dawn - I really appreciate your lengthy text detailing all that you've tried/done for your cat/cats (I just now saw your post as I was finishing up my reply here) - it sounds like you had the exact same issue we're dealing with and did an outstanding job working your way through it. The ear issue is something we haven't checked (though our cat is not scratching her ears), and we do have Nutrical from our Vet, but have a real issue trying to get it or anything into the cat via a syringe (she really fights against it and too often the process ends up with a complete miss/mess). Any tips on a syringe-feeding technique

Thanks so much again to all for the extremely helpful info. (one last note - we have a multiple cat household with one other cat that is a "pig" re: stealing food - so unfortunately we can't just leave food out for her all day).

Tim

Hi Tim-

I understand the difficulty in private feedings in a multi-cat home. My problem kitty finally developed a routine of being hungriest in the morning and evenings. So I worked feeding him a fresh dish of feed every half hour for 2 hours in the morning and two hours when I came home, while locking up the other two big eaters in my home in separate rooms or kitty carriers with their food during that time, so when they came out, they were full and didn't bother the food I'd leave out during the rest of the day and night for the problem child.

I have had to use Nutrical on other cats in the past, and several of them would actually drink it, if I mixed it in a shallow dish with warm water to dissolve it. 1 tsp Nutrical to 2 Tablespoons warm water. Maybe your kitty would drink it that way! There are other types of vitamins, too, in treat form, she might eat. I just wanted the higher caloric kind for my cat to get his weight back up til he started eating on his own again.

Hoping you figure things out with her. If there's one thing I have learned with all my years of kitties, there are so many different things that can cause this non-eating type of problem. Just be sure to get some food and nutrition in her somehow until you find out what her issue is.

 

[TimmoSRQ]

Thanks for the additional tip re: watering down the Nutrical - I'll definitely try that. And I'm also going to look for those Bonito flakes at Petco.

A couple more FYI tips for anyone reading this re: their own feeding issues, the bad Gerber baby food (that contains onions) is their Turkey Rice Dinner (typically sold in two 4 oz. rectangular plastic containers in a cardboard sleeve), and another good food to try for a finicky cat is the Temptations cat treats (which apparently can also be fed as a meal). However, I personally consider these treats to be "garbage food" (definitely not the quality level I prefer to feed), but our cat will eat them every time they're offered (although still only eats a few of them) - so I use them to give her a little more overall calories in her daily regime.