Grazer Versus Greedy

[Levioosa]

Hi everyone,

I have been struggling with getting Aurora to eat. She got sick about a week ago, and I think she's lost about a pound. She's a small cat (7.1 lbs max weight) so a pound is noticeable on her. My biggest problem is she's a grazer, so she'll eat all of her food...it just might be four hours later. Jack on the other hand will eat her food and his own food pretty quickly. Feeding time has been a challenge because I'm not always home during the day to separate them. I've also tried giving her kitten canned food again to help encourage eating and try to get some of her weight back. Any suggestions on how I can encourage Aurora to eat a little faster/get Jack to leave her food alone? Jack is scheduled to get neutered on October 6th. Will that affect his appetite at all? I've never owned a male cat before.

 

[mrsgreenjeens]

How old is Jack? Can he jump up high yet? If not, then for now you could put Aurora's dish way up high so Jack can't get to it. If that doesn't work, then separating them is the only thing I can think of as far as keeping him out of her food.

To try to encourage HER to eat, have you tried using toppers like FortiFlora or crushed treats, even Parmesan Cheese? Plus you can try giving her a higher caloric food. It's amazing the difference in calories per can of food. Some 3 oz cans have just 45 calories and others might have 110 calories (per can)!! Plus, if she doesn't dive right in, perhaps try a whole different type/brand of food. She just may not be that enthusiastic with her choice of food at the moment and something else may click for her.

I doubt if Jack being neutered will alter his appetite, but again, that kind of depends on his age. If he's a kitten, his appetite may wane as he reaches adulthood. MAY...I have a little piggy who is now almost 9 and still tries to eat his brothers food if he's ever given the chance. I just have to watch him like a hawk at mealtime. I actually feed them in two separate rooms

 

[Levioosa]

Thanks for the suggestions, mrsgreenjeens ! Jack is about 4.5 months and he can jump up high. =/ We're actually struggling with keeping him off the dining room table now. lol. We've tried adding tuna to her food to entice her, and that helped a little when she was sick, but I'll have to give some other treats a try. Maybe she'll like parmesan as much as we do! I think the main problem is that she's satisfied after a few bites, and then she comes back later to eat, only he'll have finished her food. Your point about the type/brand is helpful. It doesn't seem like she really cares for her adult canned food as much as the kitten food. I'll have to confirm with the vet, but I'm thinking of switching her back to kitten canned food for a few more months.