Cat won’t eat out of his plate

[my_money_pit]

My cat has a history of being stubborn. I adopted him at age 9mo. It was a lot of work to get him to start eating but when he did, he was respecting the feeding schedule. Out of nowhere he decided he doesn’t want to eat anymore. At one point i switched him to dry because we travelled to an area where not many good options of wet food were available.
Then when we came back to Canada, i put him back on him wet food but it was a struggle. He wouldn’t eat it so i did 50/50 dry/wet before i switched him to raw.
When i switched him to raw i realized he is sooooo picky. He wants a different mix every single day. When i give him new food, he eats it in a blink of an eye. If i serve him the same thing the next day, he will start turning his head and licking his lips. My last resort was to hand feed him. Sometimes he will except it and other times he will refuse it. So i had to start putting food on the floor by throwing bits of it close to where he is sitting. This thing works the most but that is the most disgusting and annoying thing to do and to clean after. I cannot spend my day feeding him which has been the situation for the past 3 weeks. I am exhausted and he is draining my energy and my mental health.
I thought maybe he’s a nibbler. So i got him a surefeed to keep the food safe. We are still in the training process so i tried leaving wet treats in it overnight and to my surprise they were still there in the morning. He has eaten from it but it’s not consistent.
He hasn’t eaten his full daily requirement for at least the last 2 weeks and i’m getting worried.
Starving him so he eats is putting him in a situation where he is not getting his entire daily need. Yesterday i fed him at 1pm. So he didn’t get food for at least 14h. At this point, he ate from the plate. But he didn’t finish his plate so i had to hand feed him the rest. Then at night he only ate 1/4 of his food so he’s basically eating between 1/2 and a bit less than 3/4 of his daily needs.

forgot to add that i tried sprinkling:
Salmon
Sardine
Fortiflora
Nutritional yeast
Wet treats
Catnip
Eggs
On top of his food. Sometimes it works and some other times i have to run after him and hand feed him.

I am going to hand feed him today for the last time to make sure he is getting his daily needs. Tomorrow i will start feeding him every 13-14hours.

Any insight, suggestion or idea that can help is more than welcome. I am close to breaking specially that I pick the best meat for him and cook and prepare everything at home so he enjoys his food.

 

[Furballsmom]

Hi, there's another member who has a similar issue. One suggestion, although that person wasn't able to utilize it was to try boarding the cat and see if the same eating issue exists.

 

[my_money_pit]

Hi, there's another member who has a similar issue. One suggestion, although that person wasn't able to utilize it was to try boarding the cat and see if the same eating issue exists.

he was in a shelter before i adopted and he didn’t do well at all. He was there for 4 days during which he didn’t eat at all. When i adopted him, he was stinky and it took him 2-3 days to start cleaning himself.
How will boarding help? You think he is stressed at home?

 

[misty8723]

Most of the cats I've known are very picky. I have one right now it took me trying every kind of different wet food to figure out she would only eat two flavors of one brand. And honestly if I want her to eat I have to follow her around to different places where she nibbles a little hear a little there. And then I have to leave it down in where place and she'll go back later and finish it.

And my other one only wants Fancy feast just 3 different flavors. He rarely finish a dish or eat leftover, he'll come to me and meow for me to open another can for him. And no he won't leave me alone until I do.

I don't think they're being stubborn, I just think they like what they like and don't want to eat what they don't like. As a human picky eater, I eat it. Someone once told me put it down and when they get hungry they'll eat. No they won't. It sounds like what you have is a diva like mine. I can put a bowl down and put it in front of her (same thing she always eats) and she'll walk away. But if I follow her with it and put it down where she is somewhere else, she'll eat some of it. Then it's off to the next spot, 5 of 6 different places.

Maybe some advice would be don't try so hard to only get the "good" stuff. I did that for a long time only to find out that sometimes you have to settle for less than good as long as they eat. Also, maybe watch for clues when he's telling you he's hungry? I know mine tell me. One calico I had would sit with her front paws together and her tail wrapped around them. That was "the pose." Austin who I have now will either sit in the doorway to the dining room (where the food is) and meow or get up on my desk and walk back and forth in front of me until I stand up then he'll follow me all around the desk until I get the food, then he leaves. At night Cricket my tortie will come and stand next to the bed and meow at me. If I give her some treats, she leaves.

There is a prescription food if you can get it that is for cats who aren't eating. I've used it for two of my cats who were ill. One if you put a little bit on her tongue would eat more of it on her own. Unfortunately I can't remember the name of it. You can also try something that smells strong (like fish), or try an appetite stimulant (you can get from the vet). I've never had a cat respond to any of those things you can sprinkle on the food except the one who weight 25 lbs (big cat) who would eat anything).

 

[Furballsmom]

How will boarding help?

No, not stressed, but to see whether a different environment would make a difference in his behavior.

 

[misty8723]

he was in a shelter before i adopted and he didn’t do well at all. He was there for 4 days during which he didn’t eat at all. When i adopted him, he was stinky and it took him 2-3 days to start cleaning himself.
How will boarding help? You think he is stressed at home?

Boarding is NOT going to help!

There are some cats (a lot) who when stressed stop eating. Boarding them will be major stress. So is moving into a new home. I got Cricket from a rescue. They had a very very hard time there getting her to eat anything. They tried everything, wet, dry, you name it. Ran into one of the volunteers heading to her condo carrying about 5 bowls of different kind of food. Then they make a note if she ate of them. They have a program the cats go through, once they come in they'll give them the shots, etc., have them spayed or neutered then watch them in the back til they see how they're doing. At that point they move up to the cageless rooms ready for adopting. Cricket came in with her sister Sasha. Sasha was in a room and adopted before they even got to spay Cricket. We had to wait several weeks for her. Once we got her here, even though we visited with her a lot so she could get to know us, she wouldn't eat. Anything. Not even what she was eating there. I was to the point of panic, until I finally found one thing (dry) she would eat. Then I went on the hunt to find some wet. That was a long, expensive challenge and there's still only two flavors of one brand she'll eat. Now she gets the wet twice a day and has 4 different kinds of dry out to choose from. She was losing a little week so we switched one of the dry foods and she gained it back.

Honestly, it's a struggle. I've only had one cat who eat what was put in front of, and would eat pretty much anything. Most of them are picky little critters.

 

[misty8723]

Boarding is NOT going to help!

There are some cats (a lot) who when stressed stop eating. Boarding them will be major stress. So is moving into a new home. I got Cricket from a rescue. They had a very very hard time there getting her to eat anything. They tried everything, wet, dry, you name it. Ran into one of the volunteers heading to her condo carrying about 5 bowls of different kind of food. Then they make a note if she ate of them. They have a program the cats go through, once they come in they'll give them the shots, etc., have them spayed or neutered then watch them in the back til they see how they're doing. At that point they move up to the cageless rooms ready for adopting. Cricket came in with her sister Sasha. Sasha was in a room and adopted before they even got to spay Cricket. We had to wait several weeks for her. Once we got her here, even though we visited with her a lot so she could get to know us, she wouldn't eat. Anything. Not even what she was eating there. I was to the point of panic, until I finally found one thing (dry) she would eat. Then I went on the hunt to find some wet. That was a long, expensive challenge and there's still only two flavors of one brand she'll eat. Now she gets the wet twice a day and has 4 different kinds of dry out to choose from. She was losing a little week so we switched one of the dry foods and she gained it back.

Honestly, it's a struggle. I've only had one cat who eat what was put in front of, and would eat pretty much anything. Most of them are picky little critters.

I should add I now volunteer at that shelter and a lot of the cats when they first come in won't eat. I'm one of the volunteers who has had some success getting them to eat, so if it's my shift and they have any, they'll send me back to them. Putting food on a mat in small bits in one way, finger feeding is another, just sitting and talking to them. So cats are social eaters and will only eat if they have company. Some actually like to be petted while they eat. It's all in getting to know each indivudal cat.

 

[my_money_pit]

I should add I now volunteer at that shelter and a lot of the cats when they first come in won't eat. I'm one of the volunteers who has had some success getting them to eat, so if it's my shift and they have any, they'll send me back to them. Putting food on a mat in small bits in one way, finger feeding is another, just sitting and talking to them. So cats are social eaters and will only eat if they have company. Some actually like to be petted while they eat. It's all in getting to know each indivudal cat.

I don't think boarding him will help. I know that he will stress and won't eat unless it's dry food.
You are right about now always aiming for the best quality of food. He does like eggs and fish a lot so when those are mixed in he eats with a bit less effort.
He loves freshly cooked chicken, so maybe it's the solution to getting him to eat.
The whole issue comes from the fact that I can't keep food outside for a long time. I don't mind him nibbling but I can't keep food out for more than 45 mins or else it will go bad.

I will start by making him go hungry before serving him food. I will make it into 4 servings instead of 2. If we were not in the training mode with the surefeed, I could've left the food out without any worry but at this point, the lid doesn't close because it's just his 3rd day using it. My last resort will be feeding him whiskas and start slowly integrating new food to it. I know he will eat whiskas because it's full of cat msg.
I have 2 plans now, will see if any of them work. I'm exhausted and I need a break from him. He is so sweet but he makes me lose my mind.

 

[Furballsmom]

Boarding is NOT going to help!

Picky, and not eating, are two very, very different things.

My point was to try and see if a different environment, whatever that environment might be, would make a difference. I hesitated to suggest someone else's home such as that of a friend, but nonetheless I have seen that sometimes that sort of change is all it takes, particularly since the OP is becoming so stressed with things as they are now.

don't mind him nibbling but I can't keep food out for more than 45 mins or else it will go bad.

Unless you live in a very hot location, food can be left out longer. Otherwise use a small ice pack.

 

[Alldara]

My cat has a history of being stubborn. I adopted him at age 9mo. It was a lot of work to get him to start eating but when he did, he was respecting the feeding schedule. Out of nowhere he decided he doesn’t want to eat anymore. At one point i switched him to dry because we travelled to an area where not many good options of wet food were available.
Then when we came back to Canada, i put him back on him wet food but it was a struggle. He wouldn’t eat it so i did 50/50 dry/wet before i switched him to raw.
When i switched him to raw i realized he is sooooo picky. He wants a different mix every single day. When i give him new food, he eats it in a blink of an eye. If i serve him the same thing the next day, he will start turning his head and licking his lips. My last resort was to hand feed him. Sometimes he will except it and other times he will refuse it. So i had to start putting food on the floor by throwing bits of it close to where he is sitting. This thing works the most but that is the most disgusting and annoying thing to do and to clean after. I cannot spend my day feeding him which has been the situation for the past 3 weeks. I am exhausted and he is draining my energy and my mental health.
I thought maybe he’s a nibbler. So i got him a surefeed to keep the food safe. We are still in the training process so i tried leaving wet treats in it overnight and to my surprise they were still there in the morning. He has eaten from it but it’s not consistent.
He hasn’t eaten his full daily requirement for at least the last 2 weeks and i’m getting worried.
Starving him so he eats is putting him in a situation where he is not getting his entire daily need. Yesterday i fed him at 1pm. So he didn’t get food for at least 14h. At this point, he ate from the plate. But he didn’t finish his plate so i had to hand feed him the rest. Then at night he only ate 1/4 of his food so he’s basically eating between 1/2 and a bit less than 3/4 of his daily needs.

forgot to add that i tried sprinkling:
Salmon
Sardine
Fortiflora
Nutritional yeast
Wet treats
Catnip
Eggs
On top of his food. Sometimes it works and some other times i have to run after him and hand feed him.

I am going to hand feed him today for the last time to make sure he is getting his daily needs. Tomorrow i will start feeding him every 13-14hours.

Any insight, suggestion or idea that can help is more than welcome. I am close to breaking specially that I pick the best meat for him and cook and prepare everything at home so he enjoys his food.

Has he ever been assessed for food allergies? Magnus didn't eat well and had to be hand fed until we discovered his beef allergy.

Now he's usually a decent eater.

He had to be on prescription food for about a month and then we tried different proteins.

 

[my_money_pit]

Has he ever been assessed for food allergies? Magnus didn't eat well and had to be hand fed until we discovered his beef allergy.

Now he's usually a decent eater.

He had to be on prescription food for about a month and then we tried different proteins.

He’s been like that for almost 4 years now. He never had any reaction to any food. His stool was always good. He is currently on homemade food with 2 options chicken or beef with eggs or sardine. He is okay eating off the floor but doesn’t want to eat from his plate.

 

[Alldara]

He’s been like that for almost 4 years now. He never had any reaction to any food. His stool was always good. He is currently on homemade food with 2 options chicken or beef with eggs or sardine. He is okay eating off the floor but doesn’t want to eat from his plate.

Didn't say new allergy

Magnus was picky eater, never had issues with poop or vomiting, (aside from occasional hard poo when too much dry food), no itchy skin. Just picky eating until his toe nail beds swelled up. Very subtle and we wouldn't have noticed if he hadn't gotten a secondary infection in the nail beds.

So if he has previously been assessed for allergies or you haven't tried a limited ingredient diet with a novel protein, I'd definitely recommend. Usually you test this for 6-8 weeks.

 

[my_money_pit]

Didn't say new allergy

Magnus was picky eater, never had issues with poop or vomiting, (aside from occasional hard poo when too much dry food), no itchy skin. Just picky eating until his toe nail beds swelled up. Very subtle and we wouldn't have noticed if he hadn't gotten a secondary infection in the nail beds.

So if he has previously been assessed for allergies or you haven't tried a limited ingredient diet with a novel protein, I'd definitely recommend. Usually you test this for 6-8 weeks.

Sorry, i'm not familiar with food allergies. He was never diagnosed with any allergies. I think his pickiness started when he discovered he can have more than one option. When I first adopted him, I used to top his wet food with some exotic wet food like kangaroo meat, rabbit...
He is currently on a very limited ingredients diet. His meals are chicken or beef + hearts, liver and gizzards. Sometimes there will be bones added to the mix.
He was also picky when he was on dry food. I had to pet him after filling his bowl or he will walk away. Few taps on the head did the job.
I will keep the allergy thing on my mind in case nothing solves the problem.

thanks !

 

[Alldara]

Sorry, i'm not familiar with food allergies. He was never diagnosed with any allergies. I think his pickiness started when he discovered he can have more than one option. When I first adopted him, I used to top his wet food with some exotic wet food like kangaroo meat, rabbit...
He is currently on a very limited ingredients diet. His meals are chicken or beef + hearts, liver and gizzards. Sometimes there will be bones added to the mix.
He was also picky when he was on dry food. I had to pet him after filling his bowl or he will walk away. Few taps on the head did the job.
I will keep the allergy thing on my mind in case nothing solves the problem.

thanks !

You likely would have gone to a specialist vet or had a prescription food from the vet so you'd know they start you with a hydrolyzed protein.

Here you go in case it's needed: Allergies in Cats | VCA Animal Hospital | VCA Animal Hospitals