Cat Not Enticed by Anything!

flygirl26

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Hello!

I’m having a bit of a dilemma with my cat. He’s a 2 year old Russian Blue that we rescued eight months ago and he is the sweetest and most lovable ball of fur so I know he has never felt uncomfortable in our household. But he’s never liked any treats we’ve given him (he’ll eat them but isn’t crazy about them at all), which include a huge variety of Temptations and Friskies. The only thing he’s ever really enjoyed but ate a little at a time was wet food (both artificial and natural) but we had to stop giving it to him because his litter box would smell so bad to the point of making us gag.
Both my husband and I are first time cat owners so we aren’t sure if this is normal? Any recommendations on brands of treats that people have more luck with that may be more appetizing for cats? It’s just really hard to train him on anything when you can’t entice him with food!
This is an aside but I’d like to mention he isn’t too crazy about toys either and has only two he will occasionally play with, so it’s hard to train with those as well.
Thank you in advance to anyone who may know how to help or can tell me I’m just overreacting!
 

lisahe

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What are you feeding your cat, F flygirl26 ? And what did you feed him that was making such bad smells? How long has he been off the smell-causing food(s)? The more you can mention about what does and doesn't work, the easier it will be to make suggestions that might fit!

In my experience, wet food is usually less likely to cause smells but a lot depends on what it is. One of our cats, for example, gets really smelly if she eats foods with potato. Other people have mentioned that their cats have similar (actually, worse!) problems with foods that contain peas. And so on. Each cat has its own, er, issues.

To be honest, I think it's good that your cat isn't too food- or treat-oriented: it can be worse when they get totally fixated on treats and want them constantly. (Our previous cat was like that and it got to be really obnoxious!) I think the best treats are plain freeze-dried chicken. Pure Bites are great (the bags labeled for dogs are cheaper than the teeny bags labeled for cats) and Chewy has American Journey treats that are a little smaller (they're labeled for cats) but reasonably priced. Our cats love both those brands.
 
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flygirl26

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What are you feeding your cat, F flygirl26 ? And what did you feed him that was making such bad smells? How long has he been off the smell-causing food(s)? The more you can mention about what does and doesn't work, the easier it will be to make suggestions that might fit!

In my experience, wet food is usually less likely to cause smells but a lot depends on what it is. One of our cats, for example, gets really smelly if she eats foods with potato. Other people have mentioned that their cats have similar (actually, worse!) problems with foods that contain peas. And so on. Each cat has its own, er, issues.

To be honest, I think it's good that your cat isn't too food- or treat-oriented: it can be worse when they get totally fixated on treats and want them constantly. (Our previous cat was like that and it got to be really obnoxious!) I think the best treats are plain freeze-dried chicken. Pure Bites are great (the bags labeled for dogs are cheaper than the teeny bags labeled for cats) and Chewy has American Journey treats that are a little smaller (they're labeled for cats) but reasonably priced. Our cats love both those brands.
Thank you for responding! He is strictly on Kit & Kaboodle dry food which he’s always eaten since he was a kitten before we had him so maybe he’s just a picky eater and refuses to eat anything else, we haven’t tried giving him anything else. Brand wise for wet food, we tried the standard Friskies and also a natural brand that escapes my mind, we only got it once. The flavors include anything that Friskies offers (Chicken, salmon, turkey, etc.) and it was unbearable each time. I’m pretty sure we only tried turkey from the natural brand.
As long as there’s not something wrong then that’s fine, it just makes it difficult and frustrating to try to train. I’ll check out the brands you suggested and see if they help but you are right, I can see where it would be very annoying when they demand treats constantly. Thank you again for your help!
 

LTS3

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Kit & Kaboodle is one of the worst poor quality dry foods out there. No wonder your cat's poop stinks horribly :barfgreen: The food is pretty much undigestible.

However, if it's the only thing your cat will eat reliably then feed it while you try to transition the cat to a better quality food. Here are some TCS articles about choosing food:


Even more about cat nutrition here:

www.catinfo.org

An article on how to transition food:


Treats aren't necessary and a waste of money if your cat just won't eat them. Some cats aren't motivated for food for training purposes. Clicker training might be something to look into.
 
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lisahe

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Am I understanding correctly, F flygirl26 , that your cat's poop smelled awful when he was eating the dry food plus the wet food... but that the box smells okay now that he is only eating the dry food?

Also, it sounds like he misses the wet food, is that right? So you'd like to try feeding him wet food again but so the box doesn't smell?

Hm. I guess my suggestion would be to try wet foods with the simplest possible ingredients, with no carby stuff, like wheat, corn, peas, potatoes, etc. I think I would also avoid fish. Did you feed him Friskies pate or something else? I ask because at least some of the non-pate foods generally have wheat gluten in them. You could also try Fancy Feast pates (classics) though I know some people have mentioned smell from those. Unfortunately, a lot of this is trial and error... What stores do you have nearby? Petco, for example, sells Weruva, which varies in price but there are some really decent foods wuth very basic ingredients that might (or might not, like I said, it can be hard to know what will work) work well for your cat.
 
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flygirl26

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Kit & Kaboodle is one of the worst poor quality dry foods out there. No wonder your cat's poop stinks horribly :barfgreen: The food is pretty much undigestible.

However, if it's the only thing your cat will eat reliably then feed it while you try to transition the cat to a better quality food. Here are some TCS articles about choosing food:

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Even more about cat nutrition here:

www.catinfo.org

An article on how to transition food:

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Treats aren't necessary and a waste of money if your cat just won't eat them. Some cats aren't motivated for food for training purposes. Clicker training might be something to look into.
I had no idea, it’s just what the previous owner says he eats so I never questioned it but now it makes sense especially when mixing it with wet food. Thank you for all the good info and suggestions!
 
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flygirl26

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Am I understanding correctly, F flygirl26 , that your cat's poop smelled awful when he was eating the dry food plus the wet food... but that the box smells okay now that he is only eating the dry food?

Also, it sounds like he misses the wet food, is that right? So you'd like to try feeding him wet food again but so the box doesn't smell?

Hm. I guess my suggestion would be to try wet foods with the simplest possible ingredients, with no carby stuff, like wheat, corn, peas, potatoes, etc. I think I would also avoid fish. Did you feed him Friskies pate or something else? I ask because at least some of the non-pate foods generally have wheat gluten in them. You could also try Fancy Feast pates (classics) though I know some people have mentioned smell from those. Unfortunately, a lot of this is trial and error... What stores do you have nearby? Petco, for example, sells Weruva, which varies in price but there are some really decent foods wuth very basic ingredients that might (or might not, like I said, it can be hard to know what will work) work well for your cat.
Yes when I fed him the dry food daily and wet food as a treat if you will, that’s what caused the awful smell. And I would love to give him wet food as a treat because I know it’s something you looked forward to it every night but gave up when it smelled bad and decided maybe actual standard treats would be the alternative option but it hasn’t worked out. So thank you so much for the suggestions, I would have not known otherwise. I have a Petco right up the street so I will be checking out Weruva! Thank you again!
 

Jemima Lucca

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Stella and chewys makes freeze dried food that I use as a crumbling over their food, or even as a separate “treat”. You can also get tubes of creamy stuff like tuna or chicken etc. the tubes are small, maybe a tablespoon. These are occasional treats though. Also freeze dried chicken. Mud bay is a great place to go for pet things of great variety. They have samples of anything you want to try and their standard is set high as a rule they follow. Try them if you have access to one of their stores.
 

LTS3

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I had no idea, it’s just what the previous owner says he eats so I never questioned it but now it makes sense especially when mixing it with wet food. Thank you for all the good info and suggestions!

Don't feel bad :alright: Many people still buy whatever cheap brand is sold at the grocery store because they simply don't know anything about what a cat needs to eat and may be influenced by the flashy ads on tv featuring cats dancing through a fanstasy world or something for info on what to feed. Cat nutrition has come a long way since the early days of pet foods, even within the past couple of years.

Petco also sells Soulistic which is made by the same company that makes Weruva but costs less for the exact same varieties (just different names and slight ingredient difference).
 

Telstar

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the only treats I use are those which are whole meat or fish, dry or freeze-dried. Some brands: Orijen, Instinct, Thrive, and a few european ones.
 

Koveshnikov

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I had no idea, it’s just what the previous owner says he eats so I never questioned it but now it makes sense especially when mixing it with wet food. Thank you for all the good info and suggestions!
it would be better for his health to transfer it completely to wet food, industrial or home :)
 

CHIKITTIES

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Yes when I fed him the dry food daily and wet food as a treat if you will, that’s what caused the awful smell. And I would love to give him wet food as a treat because I know it’s something you looked forward to it every night but gave up when it smelled bad and decided maybe actual standard treats would be the alternative option but it hasn’t worked out. So thank you so much for the suggestions, I would have not known otherwise. I have a Petco right up the street so I will be checking out Weruva! Thank you again!
I am wondering about Fish ... looked up Friskies and even " Classic Pate Turkey & Giblets" "Classic Pate Poultry Platter" have Fish in in it. My kitties definitely produce fishy output when they eat fish :fish:

First time kitty parents :clapcat: Me too, and I made lots of mistakes such as feeding ... veggies and beans :doh:

I also highly recommend this one LTS3 LTS3 posted on above!!
 

maggie101

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Be sure to check the ingredients. Even if the can says chicken it could have fish included. I use pure bites freeze dried chicken as a topper. Easy to crush by hand
 
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