"bite; Don't Lick"

I find myself repeating this to my cat (yes, crazy cat lady) when I try to feed him wet food. It's the pate form -- if pieces in gravy, he just licks the gravy and leaves the pieces -- and he licks it until it's a firm lump, then walks away. If I break it up into small pieces that he can easily pick up and chew/eat, he again just licks those until they all meld together into one lump. My other cat doesn't seem to have any problem eating the same food (he takes bites out of). Is there something wrong with this cat and/or anything I can do to faciliate eating?

What texture of food is he refusing to eat? A lot of the cheaper "bits/shreds in gravy" variety are just rubber essentially, so lots of cats will lick the gravy and walk away.

Rini said:

What texture of food is he refusing to eat? A lot of the cheaper "bits/shreds in gravy" variety are just rubber essentially, so lots of cats will lick the gravy and walk away.

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Regardless of the food, all he seems to know how to do with ANY food besides dry is lick it. Occasionally he "flicks" it (off the plate with his tongue). I've tried plate, bowl, saucer, cupping it in a spoon, and hand feeding. Lick, lick, lick.

my cat is a licker too. I simply smash her pate with the fork and add some warm water to create smooth, gravy-like texture, and she licks it all.

There isn't a chunk or shred style food that I have tried that my cat won't just lick the gravy/juice and leave the chunks. He was a dry kibble eater all his life so you would think he would try and chew rather than lick but he wont. I have to feed him pates. And he licks those too. But he will chew those freeze dried morsels, dry or re-hydrated. And he hasn't taken to frozen raw but I have some morsels that he will pick at if I break them up into smaller chunks. He does chew those.

Go figure.

Keeping my eye on this as our Senor cat does this. I just transitioned her a few weeks ago after she got sick and had to goto emergency. Vet wants her on soft foods. Her she only licks. XD

Feeby (14+ yo) ate dry most of her life, and when I started feeding her canned all she did (and still does) was lick it until it was smashed flat in the bowl. I scoop it back into a pile for her to lap/lick up more until it's flat again. After that, I do as She's a witch does, smash the rest with a fork and add some water. By then, she can lick up the rest. I don't expect this to ever change.

Knock wood, but I think I may have found a solution to this problem. I slice the wet cat food in the can, lay the slices on a plate, briefly warm it in the microwave, then cut it into bite-sized (dry cat food type morsels) squares. As long as I slice one at a time toward him, he'll pick it up and eat it just like he does the kibble. If I just present the plate with many bites, he'll lick each one and not eat them, so it's one at a time. The things we do! But this method is really working so far.

all4mom said:

Knock wood, but I think I may have found a solution to this problem. I slice the wet cat food in the can, lay the slices on a plate, briefly warm it in the microwave, then cut it into bite-sized (dry cat food type morsels) squares. As long as I slice one at a time toward him, he'll pick it up and eat it just like he does the kibble. If I just present the plate with many bites, he'll lick each one and not eat them, so it's one at a time. The things we do! But this method is really working so far.

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Slide (not slice) one at a time toward him.

all4mom said:

Knock wood, but I think I may have found a solution to this problem. I slice the wet cat food in the can, lay the slices on a plate, briefly warm it in the microwave, then cut it into bite-sized (dry cat food type morsels) squares. As long as I slice one at a time toward him, he'll pick it up and eat it just like he does the kibble. If I just present the plate with many bites, he'll lick each one and not eat them, so it's one at a time. The things we do! But this method is really working so far.

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That is genius!!!

I am having that issue with a rescue I adopted, but he also doesn’t he dry food. He is barely eating.

Something that works for my cat is pate style food that is blended/puréed (w/ water if too dry). She has her own designated blender...

all4mom said:

... I've tried plate, bowl, saucer, cupping it in a spoon, and hand feeding. Lick, lick, lick.

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all4mom said:

... I slice the wet cat food in the can, lay the slices on a plate, briefly warm it in the microwave, then cut it into bite-sized (dry cat food type morsels) squares. As long as I slice one at a time toward him, he'll pick it up and eat it just like he does the kibble. If I just present the plate with many bites, he'll lick each one and not eat them, so it's one at a time. ...

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I'm a little late to this thread, but have you ever tried a long dish, with lipped (slightly curved) edges?

Some cats actually will eat better if their nose doesn't have to get close to the pile or scoop of food on the dish. I've found this to be so especially with cats that have stuffy noses from either asthma, allergies or if they are sick with a URI. They have their nose free and clear of being right "in" the food, and can eat more easily. The lipped edges of the dish enable the cat to lick the food up against an edge and then they can get it into their mouths. (lol, I cut up my cat's pates into pea-sized bites as well, like you tried here!)

I have a long dish with curved edges and often my cat Milly will eat more readily if I put her bites of food in a long single row (so that her nose doesn't get "blocked" by a pile of food).

PushPurrCatPaws - Genius thought! My new little boy only licks his food and often leaves some behind, he also has chronic URI symptoms. I'm going to try this! Do you think it would still work with pate if I serve it in a long thin line? Maybe I will buy a can of bits in gravy and see if he likes that kind of food if it's presented that way also. So far he does not like bits/chunks/shreds...just pate mixed with water so it's easy to lick up. Genius!

It finally dawned on me that what mine was TRYING to do with all the licking was roll it into a bite-sized ball that he could then pick up and eat. When I cut it into tiny cubes, I basically save him that work, which used to either wear him out or bore him eventually. Now he spends all his meal time actually eating the cubes.

ciraxi said:

Something that works for my cat is pate style food that is blended/puréed (w/ water if too dry). She has her own designated blender...

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It still is too thick for my senior cat. I’m thinking about buying a vitamix. Since even the nutribullet can’t make it the thickness of milk.