Very Stubborn Cat

S spandexpudding - I feel your pain. What a tough time you are having!

I will tell you one thing that works for my cat for a couple of the canned foods that I'd like her to eat but that she won't eat when it is room temp and just fresh out of the can.

IT IS VERY COUNTERINTUITIVE, but ... I serve a few of her pates cold, straight from the fridge. I usually cut up all her pates anyway into small, pea-sized bites whether they are served cold or room temp. That helps too. She basically likes cubes of pate, and some brands of shredded canned food.

With one duck pate, I even go so far as putting the unopened can in the fridge a few days before I open the can, so that it can get really cold. Here's the thing: she will not touch that particular food when it is room temp and fresh -- but she chows down on it when I serve it cold. She inhales it. It's so weird, but boy, am I counting my lucky stars!

Some foods & their additives just have smells to them that your cat may dislike. Serving some of them cold decreases that smell. It could be one thing for you to try?

PushPurrCatPaws said:

S spandexpudding - I feel your pain. What a tough time you are having!

I will tell you one thing that works for my cat for a couple of the canned foods that I'd like her to eat but that she won't eat when it is room temp and just fresh out of the can.

IT IS VERY COUNTERINTUITIVE, but ... I serve a few of her pates cold, straight from the fridge. I usually cut up all her pates anyway into small, pea-sized bites whether they are served cold or room temp. That helps too. She basically likes cubes of pate, and some brands of shredded canned food.

With one duck pate, I even go so far as putting the unopened can in the fridge a few days before I open the can, so that it can get really cold. Here's the thing: she will not touch that particular food when it is room temp and fresh -- but she chows down on it when I serve it cold. She inhales it. It's so weird, but boy, am I counting my lucky stars!

Some foods & their additives just have smells to them that your cat may dislike. Serving some of them cold decreases that smell. It could be one thing for you to try?

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I've tried a number of different wet foods, and different types of wet food at that. Thankfully ordering from Chewy they refund me when he doesn't eat the wet food. I have tried literally every way you could think of.

I've also tried different textures, but he licks and doesn't really "bite" so mushing it all up seems to work better..just he doesn't care to eat a lot of it..I think I could time him and he spends less then a minute licking and that's about it.

He for sure will lick a bit longer with fresh wet food, and if I just leave it out he'll eventually spend less then a minute licking it..but that's about it..and its not enough during the day.

inkysmom said:

My car's will only eat fancy feast gravy lovers cans. Or friskies. Not great quality but they went from thin to good weight, one is now a bit too chunky.

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I am trying Royal Canin again cause he seemed to like it "okay" but again same sorta response..I've honestly have tried a few different brands all being grain free and good for him as well as great reviews all around. I don't know if he'd really be all about anything! Kinda sucks cause I have to order from Chewy meaning, 24 can's can easily go to waste..and its happened a LOT.

Running into a new problem now, my cat is pestering my aunts door..and I know why he's doing it..he wants in there to hide under her bed. He's been kinda doing this as away to get attention too. Because he wants his regular food.

She works nights, and asked me to basically fix the issue..which..what am I suppose to honestly do? Ahh! I am moving in June thankfully, but two months is a long ways to wait something like this out.

I been looking for ways to exercise him so he'd be incline to eat more..which would help this whole issue out..so now I am looking for a mixture of how to get him to eat..and what toys to get a 5/6 year old to play with lol.

Man this cat is making my life complicated. <3

Mine, even the ones who liked wet food didn't want it if it was left over from the previous meal. period. Warming it up didn't help. We had different flavors for as many flavors as the brand offered, never the same one in a row. I think it was a different flavor every meal for 5 meals. This means left overs have to go to the ferals or the squirrels. Still, it's better than kit throwing it up.

Mine also tended to throw up cold food, unless it was people food. That, I think depends on the cat.

Kflowers said:

Mine, even the ones who liked wet food didn't want it if it was left over from the previous meal. period. Warming it up didn't help. We had different flavors for as many flavors as the brand offered, never the same one in a row. I think it was a different flavor every meal for 5 meals. This means left overs have to go to the ferals or the squirrels. Still, it's better than kit throwing it up.

Mine also tended to throw up cold food, unless it was people food. That, I think depends on the cat.

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He wont eat fresh or left over, and I honestly can't afford to throw so much out..its a huuge waste..I am honestly at a loss now. Seems no one has the answers.

I know he hasn't lost his appetite from a health issue but has lost weight. Ask your vet if an appetite stimulant would be a good idea. Maybe it would make him extra hungry and he'd eat the wet.

Try the rabbit or the duck since they worked best before. Do same flavor every meal. Since he's used to the same dry everyday maybe too many changes are just confusing him. Wet food can be out up to 4 hrs. Put it down and then ignore it. He may sense your concern over the food and be reacting to it.

@Furballsmom has a list of topper. Maybe some of them could help. For your boy I'd try them on a separate plate away from his food dish to see if he likes any of them before using as a topper.

Can Someone Talk Me Out Of (or Into) Getting Another Cat?

I've recently started my nervous cat on Bach's rescue remedy. Sqeeker usually take 2 - 3 hrs to eat a 1/2 small can and always waits for it to eat much until it's been down a while. I always wondered if it took a while to vent the can smell. Since starting the rescue remedy he gobbles his food an hour after getting it.

I had a cat who became anorexic, (long story), and the ONLY way I was able to get him to eat again, was to give him the food he wanted back even though he shouldn't eat it. After that, I started some trials on different foods until we found a dry and wet combo he would eat. We got samples from every store who offered them, and only bought one can of "whatever".
I know you say he regurgitates dry food, but how do you serve it to him? Try serving it elevated so he does not have to bend his head down and also in a way that it forces him to eat slower, like putting a golf ball in his dish so he has to eat around it or getting him a dish that has different compartments/slots that is made specifically for cats who eat too fast.
Once he is eating again, even if he throws it back up, it may encourage him to try different foods because he has some stability with his food option. As I said, my kitty was much more inclined to try a new food (small serving as a treat for testing) because he thought it was a treat, then when I found a food that he really liked I started the transition, and included more of the new food every day.
I know you are trying really hard to get him to eat wet food, but some cats are a lot more stubborn than others. Mine went from being 14 pounds down to 6 pounds in about a month. He flat out refused any food. So I understand your frustration.
I would much rather have my cat eating a dry food then force a wet food and have him starve. And THEY WILL starve themselves, I know.
I have also heard of many cats who simply DO NOT like grain free foods, and to be quite honest, a decent food with grains, again, is better than nothing, so maybe try a non grain free food. Besides, most "grain free" foods still have high carbs in other forms, such as potatoes and peas, which doesn't agree with some cats also.
This might sound weird, but have you thought of possibly putting the dry food in a food processor? Not till it's powder, just crunched up a bit more, then maybe add a bit of water to it. He may eat it because it's his dry food, but the smaller bits with the water may make it easier to process. Or, top a small amount of wet food with the crushed up dry food, slowly adding more wet and less dry as time goes on.