Boone and Gracie are driving me crazy

[klunick]

I figured I'd start my own thread so I would have a place to vent without clogging up other threads. As some may remember, I have always switched up the brands of wet food I fed Boone and Gracie pretty much every month since they were small. I would keep one brand the same every month so I'd know that I'd have a back-up if needed. For a long time, it was Tiny Tiger. Now.. I really don't know. As they have been approaching a year old, they went from good eaters to slooow eaters.

I feed them twice a day in 12 hour intervals. They will eventually eat all their food but some days it takes hours. Like yesterday, I fed them at 3pm when I got home. Boone ate about half but Gracie immediately turned her nose up and walked away. At 8pm when I went to bed, it was still pretty much the same. Boone had a little left and Gracie still had a full bowl. When I got up and went to feed them at 3am, both bowls were empty. For all I know, Boone ate Gracie's too sometime during the night. I guess all that matters is they eat but dang... it drives me crazy when it takes them forever to do so.

I thought I had a winner with Weruva because they did eat that immediately but that only lasted a month. When I bought more, they went back to taking forever to eat it. I had to stop at Petco yesterday to pick up birthday presents and bought a couple more cans of Weruva in different flavors. Just to test the waters. That went over like a lead brick. I am at a loss on what I can do now. I hate buying food and it seem like I am forcing them to eat it. I can't say I've tried every brand out there but I've tried A LOT of them!! I would still like to feed them good quality wet food but at this point, I'm ready to give up if they don't seem to enjoy what they are eating.

 

[Maria Bayote]

I feel you. Boone and Gracie is like my own Barley and Graham (sometimes even Bourbon). Isn't it frustrating? It also blows my mind that there are food that they could eat before, and after a while they don't. Like you, I have also tried every brand and flavor there is. Spent a lot of money on food they would not even eat. Cats are complicated creatures. And they are driving me crazy too. LOL.

Let me know if you already have that Eureka moment. I wish you get it soon. For now, welcome to the club of frustrated cat parents .

 

[klunick]

I feel you. Boone and Gracie is like my own Barley and Graham (sometimes even Bourbon). Isn't it frustrating? It also blows my mind that there are food that they could eat before, and after a while they don't. Like you, I have also tried every brand and flavor there is. Spent a lot of money on food they would not even eat. Cats are complicated creatures. And they are driving me crazy too. LOL.

Let me know if you already have that Eureka moment. I wish you get it soon. For now, welcome to the club of frustrated cat parents .

Yes, very frustrating. Not a club I wanted to join. Or even thought I'd be joining. They ate so well as babies.

 

[FeebysOwner]

Hi. I have been experiencing something similar. I am now to the point of having 7 different foods so that Feeby doesn't have to eat the same one for 7 days - that being her main meal which is breakfast. Then, I supplement the rest of the day with 3-4 different perfect portions foods, but am getting to the point that I need more than just 3-4 because she is starting to 'fizzle' on those for her extra meals during the rest of the day. Working on that aspect...

The seven different foods are not all different brands, but different flavors entailing Fancy Feast, Wellness Core, & Purina One True Nature. I buy them at a local Pet Supplies Plus because, unlike so many pet stores/companies, I can order individual cans online and then pick them up curbside. That way, I am not buying a case of something only to find she is 'over it'.

Although, if the cans in a case don't expire for a while, you could just hold them back for later. For example, I had some Fancy Feast Pate Beef, which she used to love a few months ago and then stopped. Just yesterday, I took out one of the cans I hadn't used (still good), and she ate it!!

EDIT: I am wondering about this canned food stuff - Tawny, who lived to be 15, ate the same semi-moist food for all his life with no issues - Tender Vittles (no longer available). Gracie ate dry all her life - same food - and never had an issue. Feeby, who is 16+ yo, ate the same dry food up until 3 years ago - again with no issue. In these past 3 years, I have been through so many foods, you can't even imagine - with more changes coming up without a doubt. I am tempted to feed any other cats I have dry food - I can always add water to for extra moisture. I have seen this same problem again and again on this site.

 

[klunick]

Hi. I have been experiencing something similar. I am now to the point of having 7 different foods so that Feeby doesn't have to eat the same one for 7 days - that being her main meal which is breakfast. Then, I supplement the rest of the day with 3-4 different perfect portions foods, but am getting to the point that I need more than just 3-4 because she is starting to 'fizzle' on those for her extra meals during the rest of the day. Working on that aspect...

The seven different foods are not all different brands, but different flavors entailing Fancy Feast, Wellness Core, & Purina One True Nature. I buy them at a local Pet Supplies Plus because, unlike so many pet stores/companies, I can order individual cans online and then pick them up curbside. That way, I am not buying a case of something only to find she is 'over it'.

Although, if the cans in a case don't expire for a while, you could just hold them back for later. For example, I had some Fancy Feast Pate Beef, which she used to love a few months ago and then stopped. Just yesterday, I took out one of the cans I hadn't used (still good), and she ate it!!

EDIT: I am wondering about this canned food stuff - Tawny, who lived to be 15, ate the same semi-moist food for all his life with no issues - Tender Vittles (no longer available). Gracie ate dry all her life - same food - and never had an issue. Feeby, who is 16+ yo, ate the same dry food up until 3 years ago - again with no issue. In these past 3 years, I have been through so many foods, you can't even imagine - with more changes coming up without a doubt. I am tempted to feed any other cats I have dry food - I can always add water to for extra moisture. I have seen this same problem again and again on this site.

I had two cats growing up who both lived into their 20's who ate the same food every day and never complained and never had any health issues. Then I had two as an adult who only ate dry food and the male kept getting crystals. So I am between a rock and a hard place.

I actually did what you did and brought out some food that hadn't been used in a while. Same result. One ate decent and the other not so much. Five hours later, one bowl was empty and the other still had some. Seven hours after that, other bowl was empty.

I might just stick with the Weruva brand as they are more moisture rich and don't dry out like other brands do. That way if it takes them 10 hours to eat, at least the food still looks appetizing.

 

[klunick]

On my commute to work this morning, I thought about how I might try to make only feeding Weruva work. Lucky for me, when I looked online, they have 14 flavors that meet Boone and Gracie's "requirements" of being grain-free, pate, and chicken flavored. Seven have some fish and seven don't. So.... I plan on getting all 14 varieties and feeding one of each flavor each day per meal. Like one variety without fish for the AM meal and one variety with fish for the PM meal. Then repeat the following week.

I am going to buy the 5oz cans when possible and just split those between the two. The 3oz cans/pouches for the rest. I am not going to get the variety packs as they seem to have more stuff with fish than just the individual cans/pouches. If my math is correct, that would give me 98 meals!! So, I'd only have to restock about every 6 weeks. Comes to $255 on Chewy which isn't bad considering sometimes I was spending over $100 every 3 weeks. Pretty much even in the end.

 

[klunick]

I decided to not get the Weruva that contained shrimp or ocean fish au jus because Boone and Gracie have never had that before so who knows if they'd like it. Plus I am trying to limit their fish intake. Also got rid of one of the chicken and salmon ones because I was already get another for a cheaper price.

To make up for what I took away, I am going to order some Soulistic. Found out Weruva also makes Soulistic. Since Soulistic is only sold at Petco, I will just order the other Weruva from there at same time. I have a rewards card and I believe reward points earn you discounts which help with the cost.

 

[klunick]

And they are back to eating again. Ate their entire afternoon meal yesterday and pretty much their entire morning meal this morning. And both were brands they routinely turned their noses up to recently.

 

[klunick]

Ok.. nix Soulistic in favor of Weruva BFF. OMG! Why am I so indecisive about freaking cat food???!!! I swear I am not like this with anything else in my life.

 

[FeebysOwner]

I am right there with you!!! Every time I go to order food for Feeby it is a exercise of frustration and hesitancy - will she eat it, will she not...

 

[klunick]

I am right there with you!!! Every time I go to order food for Feeby it is a exercise of frustration and hesitancy - will she eat it, will she not...

Yep. The whole point of switching to all Weruva was to stop that cycle. I've already gotten the "Eat or don't. It's your choice" down pat. Every month trying to figure out the auto ship is an exercise in indecision. I just need to stop second guessing myself (although I am glad I got several "fish" food gone and replaced with more chicken/beef/turkey. I need to set my auto ship and forget about it.

I am tempted to just order all my Weruva food now so I will stop second guessing myself but it wasn't that long ago that I placed an order and I still have a ton of food left to feed. At least now *knock on wood* they seem to be eating faster. Ate their PM meal yesterday and AM meal this morning quickly and thoroughly. Funny thing is that a few days ago, they both turned their noses up to the same food.

 

[She's a witch]

Have you considered rotating food more often? Like different brand/protein every meal/day? Lots of picky cats stop acting like this when offered variety regularly, mine certainly do, otherwise they get bored with the same brand given too often (and I can personally relate to that). It's also safer as it mitigates the risk in case something is wrong with the food. It requires storage space though, but less shopping, I buy canned every several months but in huge quantity to ensure rotation.

 

[Flybynight]

I agree about rotating more. I am lucky I can order either in large quantities or by the can, so I can get four of this and six of that.
Picking up from the pet shop can give more choice too to mix in. Say, if you order two or three boxes and then have singles to add variety from the pet store.

 

[klunick]

Have you considered rotating food more often? Like different brand/protein every meal/day? Lots of picky cats stop acting like this when offered variety regularly, mine certainly do, otherwise they get bored with the same brand given too often (and I can personally relate to that). It's also safer as it mitigates the risk in case something is wrong with the food. It requires storage space though, but less shopping, I buy canned every several months but in huge quantity to ensure rotation.

I do that and have done it since pretty much day 1. I buy 4-5 brands of food in several different varieties of protein. I may rebuy one the next time if it seemed like it was their favorite before but sometimes they decide that it's not anymore.

 

[klunick]

I agree about rotating more. I am lucky I can order either in large quantities or by the can, so I can get four of this and six of that.
Picking up from the pet shop can give more choice too to mix in. Say, if you order two or three boxes and then have singles to add variety from the pet store.

I've done that too. Buy a couple of brands to test if they like it before buying a case of 8 or 12.

 

[She's a witch]

I do that and have done it since pretty much day 1. I buy 4-5 brands of food in several different varieties of protein. I may rebuy one the next time if it seemed like it was their favorite before but sometimes they decide that it's not anymore.

Ok fair enough, I understood that you rotate brands monthly, not daily.

At 1 yo, they also may simply be less excited about food. Mine started eating less at that age and one especially, with less enthusiasm, he found out that he has other passions in his life

 

[klunick]

Ok fair enough, I understood that you rotate brands monthly, not daily.

At 1 yo, they also may simply be less excited about food. Mine started eating less at that age and one especially, with less enthusiasm, he found out that he has other passions in his life

That is what I am starting to think is happening. They are becoming grazers and will eventually eat over a period of time. Once the current supply runs out, I plan on buying just Weruva but in a variety of flavors. The monthly auto ship order was getting too frustrating trying to figure out what to buy next. Just easier to stick with one brand. I plan on giving a different flavor each day Mon-Sun and then repeating it the following week. Ex.- They will get Family Food and Press Your Lunch every Monday . Meowiss Beuller and Take A Chance every Tuesday. And so on. I can't always remember what I fed them the previous day or even sometimes what I fed in the morning when I'm doing their evening meal. This will take the guesswork out of it and there will be less likelihood of me feeding the same stuff too often in the same week.

 

[ladytimedramon]

Delilah was over Weruva in a month.

To be honest I didn't like the amount of things that have fish in them. I can't deal with the foods that look like real fish pieces, she wouldn't eat the ones that are real chicken chicken shreds. And now one of her main go-to foods is off the market.

 

[klunick]

Delilah was over Weruva in a month.

To be honest I didn't like the amount of things that have fish in them. I can't deal with the foods that look like real fish pieces, she wouldn't eat the ones that are real chicken chicken shreds. And now one of her main go-to foods is off the market.

Most of what I plan on buying is chicken based. I just happen to buy a few with fish to see if they would eat it. Mine only eat pate but because Weruva doesn't use thickeners in their foods, it looks more like a mousse which apparently they are into right now. It is also 85% moisture which I feel is a plus.

 

[klunick]

Got 99% of my Weruva/BFF/Soulistic order yesterday afternoon so today was Day 1 of my journey to get Boone and Gracie exclusively on these brands.

AM Feeding was BFF Take A Chance. They started out strong in their eating and then walked away. I am sure it will eventually get eaten and they can't all be instant favorites like the Meows-n-Holler was. I think the problem is that along with the Chicken and Turkey, it has Duck which they don't really like.

PM feeding is BFF Best Buds which is Chicken and Beef so that might go better.