Cat Refuses To Eat Anything But Treats.

[Wreek]

Hello everyone. I hate that my first post is one begging for help but I'm desperate.

My boyfriend bought her a different brand of treats than usual, her behavior changed. She constantly nagged for treats, constantly following and circling us. We put a few in her food bowl hoping she'd eat the food too. Instead, she picked out the treats. Now she won't eat any of her food, still nags for treats. She's lost weight. How do I break this vicious cycle? I don't want her to get sick, she's my everything.

 

[Norachan]

What kind of treats is it, dry, wet or freeze dried?

What does she usually eat?

One thing you could try is to crush the treats up into a powder and sprinkle them over her regular food.

 

[di and bob]

It may be time to change her food and see if you can entice her to eat something else. She is most likely addicted to the treats. I like the suggestion above about crushing them, it may help. When she begs, it's hard, but firmly say "NO" and ignore her. Offer her some shaved deli turkey instead, or something more healthy. Put down her regular food, and pick it up after an hour or so. Kitten food is higher in calories and nutrition, you might try that for a while. My cats get very spoiled too, pretty quickly. But they will still eat if they get hungry enough. Sometimes you have to be strong not to give in to demands that may bring harm because you don't want to appear 'mean' or dictatorial. Just as you have to with children, you can't be a friend, you must be a parent.....

 

[Wreek]

What kind of treats is it, dry, wet or freeze dried?

What does she usually eat?

One thing you could try is to crush the treats up into a powder and sprinkle them over her regular food.

Dry, she refuses wet food.

That's a good idea! I'll try it.

 

[Wreek]

It may be time to change her food and see if you can entice her to eat something else. She is most likely addicted to the treats. I like the suggestion above about crushing them, it may help. When she begs, it's hard, but firmly say "NO" and ignore her. Offer her some shaved deli turkey instead, or something more healthy. Put down her regular food, and pick it up after an hour or so. Kitten food is higher in calories and nutrition, you might try that for a while. My cats get very spoiled too, pretty quickly. But they will still eat if they get hungry enough. Sometimes you have to be strong not to give in to demands that may bring harm because you don't want to appear 'mean' or dictatorial. Just as you have to with children, you can't be a friend, you must be a parent.....

She's definitely addicted to the treats, to the point of starving herself for them. She went a full 12 hours refusing her food. We're going to try different things today just to try to get her to eat something. Anything. Will get some kitten food too.

She's extremely finicky anyway... she won't eat table food, meat, or even milk. I tried desperately to get her to eat wet food but she refused it. I tried the old trick of taking ger regular foid away hoping she'd get hungry enough but apparently she'd rather starve than eat it.

My baby isn't a big eater anyway and this is so scary.

 

[Kefa]

Relax. I went through this. In fact it is why I first came here. Homer wouldn't eat anything but Temptations. And he did starve rather than eat, until he made himself sick. First off what kind of treats are they? If they are Temptations then they have complete cat nutrition and they can live on those. Homer did. I even took him to the vet and had complete blood work done after he had been living on them for 3 months and he was fine. He still eats Temptations, but I managed to get him to eat other dry food too. And he will eat his dry food soaked in water if I hand feed it to him. He just last week took a few bites of wet food after watching the feral cats eat it through the window. I had been using the Temptations to teach him tricks, like shake with your paw, and jump, and I used them to teach him to eat other dry food. Eat some dry food, get a Temptation. So now he eats his dry food, and he gets a Temptation. And I put them in his roll around mousie and a puzzle box for him. Patience. But don't let her go too long without eating.

I tried every kind of dry food there was. I took so many bags of pet food back to Pet Co I think they thought I was trolling them. The only one he will eat is Purina Naturals, but he will eat Indoor or Original. Like your cat, Homer won't touch any people food. Not even tuna. Recently though I bought some really cheap dry food for the ferals, and I think they must spray it with animal digest too, because he likes it. But he gets constipated when he eats it so I won't let him have it.

I also feed Homer fresh grass every day. He drinks about 2 cups of fresh water a day, and when he drinks I would always say "Good boy, drink your water" so now I can say "drink your water" and he will go have a drink of water.

 

[lisahe]

How long ago did she first get the treats, W Wreek ? Since you mentioned that your cat is losing weight, it sounds like it might have been a while.

Your most recent post came in as I was typing. Based on what you said -- that your cat (what's her name? ) isn't a big eater to begin with -- I'd be concerned about the possibility of fatty liver disease, which be caused by not eating enough. I think a trip to the vet would be a good idea, particularly if your cat is older -- sometimes a shot of an appetite stimulant can help. Or Fortiflora, which gets sprinkled on the food and contains the ingredient (animal digest) that makes dry food irresistible to cats.

I guess this is stating the obvious, but it sounds like you'll need to wean your cat off the treats while simultaneously finding something that's not treats that she'll actually eat. The reward system that Kefa mentioned might work. Or just totally taking her off the treats.

Our previous cat was fixated on Temptations. She didn't avoid her other food for them but she got so focused on treats that I swore we wouldn't give our next cats any regular treats just for being good cats! They only get treats -- and they're Pure Bites, just plain freeze-dried chicken -- sprinkled on their food or when something scary happens, like a cat getting her paw stepped on or a very loud noise.

Anyway, good luck!

 

[Kflowers]

If you're going to totally take her of the treats, I suggest you put the remaining bag of them in the car. As long as she can smell them in the house, she'll believe there's a chance she can persuade you to open the bag. It was what worked with mine, who was also eating her dry food, but the treats had gotten seriously out of hand.

 

[lisahe]

If you're going to totally take her of the treats, I suggest you put the remaining bag of them in the car. As long as she can smell them in the house, she'll believe there's a chance she can persuade you to open the bag. It was what worked with mine, who was also eating her dry food, but the treats had gotten seriously out of hand.

This is a really good point! I remember reading the same thing about keeping dry food in the house if you want to take a cat off dry food: if the cat's waiting for it, it's best to get problem stuff out of the house.

 

[Kflowers]

The reason I suggested not throwing it away but keeping it in the car is in case kitty slap won't eat anything else. Some really will starve themselves to death.

However, I'm glad to see I'm not the only one who thinks the smell might be too tempting to reach beyond persuasion.

 

[tarasgirl06]

Hello everyone. I hate that my first post is one begging for help but I'm desperate.

My boyfriend bought her a different brand of treats than usual, her behavior changed. She constantly nagged for treats, constantly following and circling us. We put a few in her food bowl hoping she'd eat the food too. Instead, she picked out the treats. Now she won't eat any of her food, still nags for treats. She's lost weight. How do I break this vicious cycle? I don't want her to get sick, she's my everything.

I would strongly suggest a vet visit, and if the treats are Temptations, there is a thread here at TCS about them. One of my girls was obsessed with these, and I strongly believe they made her sick. I will not buy them any more. My cats get high quality wet food 3 times a day and high quality dry, plus high quality treats, are available free choice. It is extremely important to keep your cat eating, for reasons others have already posted. It is essential to keep her eating.

 

[PushPurrCatPaws]

The first thing you have to do is train your boyfriend to not give any more treats!



Seriously, though, I wanted to ask - how old is your kitty? When was her last check-up at a vet's office? It's possible that something more is going on than just not liking a certain type of food... maybe you could take her in for a "well-check" visit with your vet and get some general tests done. It's good to tell the vet, too, how long she may have been having issues with eating particular types of foods -- or even with eating just any type of food! Do you think you have noticed any other types of behaviors or actions that might be worrying you, along with the finicky-about-food issue?

 

[PushPurrCatPaws]

(ah, tarasgirl06 and I posted at nearly the same time!!)

 

[jen]

If they are Temptations then they have complete cat nutrition and they can live on those.

They may be complete and balanced to meet a cats needs based on feeding 15 treats per 10lbs of body weight per day... However, their own website says they always recommend to offer them as treats in addition to a regular balanced cat food, not alone.

Like any dry food, that is way too many carbs for a meat eater and like with a dry only diet, you risk things like obesity, diabetes, kidney issues, etc as they age.

3 months on Temptations is one thing, how about years and years? I would love to see bloodwork and organ function then, particularly blood glucose levels.

 

[Kefa]

According to the Vet and the Bag of Temptations, they are complete and balanced and about the same if not a bit better than your average grain based dry food. Since the only other thing he will eat is grain based dry food, I think I am okay. The vet told me to make sure he gets fiber (the daily grass) and lots of water (the drink your water request), and don't let him get overweight, keep him at 10 lbs. He can have 240 calories a day. I haven't stopped trying to get him to eat wet food, in fact I dip his regular Purina chow in water and hand feed it to him, and I feed him his grass wet too. I thought we had a breakthrough with the feral cats last week, when he took two bites of wet food after watching them eat it. But no, I fed them their can and gave him a plate at the same time, and he sniffed it and walked away. He does the same with people food. I offer him a small bite of anything he seems interested in, and sometimes he takes it, but most of the time he just sniffs it and bats it off the table.

I have never had a cat like this. All my other cats would eat anything they could get their little paws on. My oldest cat was 21 when she died, most of the others lived to 16 or 17, and not on expensive food either. I always fed kibble and canned and table scraps.

I am thinking of buying him a mouse, and seeing if he will eat that. But I suspect he will just make friends with it, and groom it, and then I will have a mouse to take care of!

 

[tarasgirl06]

According to the Vet and the Bag of Temptations, they are complete and balanced and about the same if not a bit better than your average grain based dry food. Since the only other thing he will eat is grain based dry food, I think I am okay. The vet told me to make sure he gets fiber (the daily grass) and lots of water (the drink your water request), and don't let him get overweight, keep him at 10 lbs. He can have 240 calories a day. I haven't stopped trying to get him to eat wet food, in fact I dip his regular Purina chow in water and hand feed it to him, and I feed him his grass wet too. I thought we had a breakthrough with the feral cats last week, when he took two bites of wet food after watching them eat it. But no, I fed them their can and gave him a plate at the same time, and he sniffed it and walked away. He does the same with people food. I offer him a small bite of anything he seems interested in, and sometimes he takes it, but most of the time he just sniffs it and bats it off the table.

I have never had a cat like this. All my other cats would eat anything they could get their little paws on. My oldest cat was 21 when she died, most of the others lived to 16 or 17, and not on expensive food either. I always fed kibble and canned and table scraps.

I am thinking of buying him a mouse, and seeing if he will eat that. But I suspect he will just make friends with it, and groom it, and then I will have a mouse to take care of!

You can buy frozen mice online -- search it and you'll find. There may be threads on TCS that include that info, too. Some people believe that raw food is the best for cats, and of course, mice and small rodents are cats' natural prey.

 

[Kefa]

I don't think his mother told him about that. If he won't touch fish, tuna, salmon, chicken, turkey, duck, pork, ham, beef, liver, bacon, or any other meat, raw or cooked, I have serious doubts he would eat a mouse, live or frozen. He mostly just grooms his real fur toy mice. He thinks small felt things with bubble wrap inside are to be killed.

 

[tarasgirl06]

I don't think his mother told him about that. If he won't touch fish, tuna, salmon, chicken, turkey, duck, pork, ham, beef, liver, bacon, or any other meat, raw or cooked, I have serious doubts he would eat a mouse, live or frozen. He mostly just grooms his real fur toy mice. He thinks small felt things with bubble wrap inside are to be killed.

Well, so do I. But that's another subject altogether.

 

[Wreek]

How long ago did she first get the treats, W Wreek ? Since you mentioned that your cat is losing weight, it sounds like it might have been a while.

Your most recent post came in as I was typing. Based on what you said -- that your cat (what's her name? ) isn't a big eater to begin with -- I'd be concerned about the possibility of fatty liver disease, which be caused by not eating enough. I think a trip to the vet would be a good idea, particularly if your cat is older -- sometimes a shot of an appetite stimulant can help. Or Fortiflora, which gets sprinkled on the food and contains the ingredient (animal digest) that makes dry food irresistible to cats.

I guess this is stating the obvious, but it sounds like you'll need to wean your cat off the treats while simultaneously finding something that's not treats that she'll actually eat. The reward system that Kefa mentioned might work. Or just totally taking her off the treats.

Our previous cat was fixated on Temptations. She didn't avoid her other food for them but she got so focused on treats that I swore we wouldn't give our next cats any regular treats just for being good cats! They only get treats -- and they're Pure Bites, just plain freeze-dried chicken -- sprinkled on their food or when something scary happens, like a cat getting her paw stepped on or a very loud noise.

Anyway, good luck!

I called my vet shortly after I posted here. Mobile vet coming Thursday.

She's Tiger, 7 years old. I've had her since she was a tiny kitten. She's always been a grazer and a very finicky eater. When I had other cats, they ate anything. Not her! Lol! I moved out of state and the other cats stayed with my best friend of decades. Broke my heart but they have a good home and I still talk to them on the phone. Lol

She won't touch table food, milk, catnip, meat. Barely eats a nibble of cheese. I've tried for years to vary her diet but gave up. Tried to switch her to wet and that failed miserably.

I noticed the weight loss yesterday which is what made me panic. She's been refusing her food for days, barely nibbling. Last night and today, she hasn't touched her food.

She's very active, still thinks she kitten but ultimately that can mean nothing as cats don't show illness. Called the vet just in case. And for the weight loss.

Thus far, no luck. So treats for food it is.

 

[Wreek]

If you're going to totally take her of the treats, I suggest you put the remaining bag of them in the car. As long as she can smell them in the house, she'll believe there's a chance she can persuade you to open the bag. It was what worked with mine, who was also eating her dry food, but the treats had gotten seriously out of hand.

Once I get her back on a normal diet, I swear I'm never giving her treats again.

We had a minor issue a few years ago when she nagged for treats and responded by not giving her any for weeks. Now this. Ugh.