Help! Finicky eater, addicted to dry food

[Luvyna]

I am dealing with an extremely finicky eater and just about at my wits' end! After he turned 1, my cat went from being a voracious eater who would gobble down anything to an extremely picky eater. I familiarized him with different types and brands of food (canned, homemade raw, commercial raw, freeze-dried raw) when he was a kitten out of the hopes that this wouldn't happen as I've heard it can help prevent pickiness in the future if a change in food is ever needed, but now I wonder if maybe this actually contributed to it.

The pickiness started with him eating less wet food and when this was happening, I was worried he wasn't getting enough calories so I started supplementing the wet food with kibble since it's calorie dense. I now realized this was a big mistake as he is now addicted to kibble and starting to refuse all his other types of food including the homemade raw which was previously his favourite.

He has been to the vet and had exams and blood tests and everything is fine. I have tried every trick in the book to get him to eat wet and raw food and nothing has worked:

- Sprinkling crushed treats on top
- Putting Churu tube paste on top
- Sprinkling kibble on top
- Warming the food slightly with warm water
- Pouring tuna water or meat broth onto the food
- Sprinkling Fortiflora on top (shockingly despite this being touted as a magic solution by almost everyone, this had no effect on him!)
- Staying with him while he eats / leaving him alone while he eats
- Doing scheduled meal times and taking away uneaten food after 30-60 mins

I am feeling super defeated and wondering if I should just give up and feed him kibble. I really do not want to feed kibble and never planned to do so because cats get most of their moisture from their food and I know that it is likely to cause health issues in the long run. However, he will resolutely starve himself until I give him dry food - he can go 24 hours without eating and I always give in at that point because I don't want to risk hepatic lipidosis and I am pretty confident he would keep going until I gave in (he has never been very food motivated). He has lost a bit of weight as a result of me trying to get him to eat any form of food other than kibble and I don't know what to do anymore. Should I just give up or is there anything left for me to try?

Another thing to note is that I have two friends who also have cats who also started to display the same behaviour when they were my cat's age! Starting to wonder if this could be a young adult cat thing. Another possible factor is that this pickiness started when I started working in an office 3 days a week when I was previously fully remote - I'm not sure if this is a type of anxious or attention seeking behaviour related to that and it does seem like he eats better when I am home all day.

 

[Eurocat]

Hi there..
Reading this I just remembered a video I sent to a friend recently who had the same issue / so maybe this could be interesting?
Here Jackson Galaxy describes the dry food dilemma:
Get Rid of the Dry Food! #cats #catfood
Good luck! )

 

[lisahe]

Should I just give up or is there anything left for me to try?

This is always the question, isn't it?

One of our cats made a similar decision for herself this spring. We'd been using Dr. Elsey's Clean Protein (chicken) dry food as treats and toppers but Ireland decided she wanted those to be her primary food. We didn't realize how bad the situation was until she started vomiting stomach acid because she wasn't eating enough. And so we bought her a microchip feeder so she can eat Dr. Elsey's food whenever she likes without her sister eating it. Ireland's not a food-motivated cat and she's always been thin and a little picky so feeding her that particular food -- it's very, very low in carbs -- wasn't the worst thing in the world. She also drinks water, usually right after eating the dry food. Despite all that, I kept offering wet food to her when feeding her sister. Now, nearly six months later, Ireland's still eating mostly Dr. Elsey's but she's also eating at least one meal of wet food a day. Sometimes she eats a little more. Ireland's pickiness, by the way, is partly because she tends to get a little constipated.

I'm not sure if this is a type of anxious or attention seeking behaviour related to that and it does seem like he eats better when I am home all day.

Stress, yes, can make a huge difference in cats' eating habits. Maybe you could work out a pattern for him where you leave dry food for him while you're out but feed wet food when you're (always) at home? I added "always" because cats generally like established patterns for their meals.

Good luck!

 

[mrsgreenjeens]

When you have used the kibble as a topper, are you crushing it? If not, I would definitely try that. Also, have you tried using freeze dried meats like chicken or turkey or even liver as a topper? My extremely picky eater took himself off of eating raw and now rarely eats his wet food without some sort of topper. I have learned that I even need to switch up the toppers from one meal to the next or he's not happy. He also doesn't like FortiFlora, but our other cat loves it. Figures. Additionally, I recently learned (from experience), that not all 100% freeze dried chicken is the same. I normally use Life Essentials freeze dried chicken for both toppers and treats, but wasn't happy with them lately so bought Whole Life 100% freeze dried chicken. Neither cat is fond of that, so then I bought American Journey 100% freeze dried chicken. My picky guy absolutely loves it and my other cat can't stand it. But my point is that you need to try all different brands, and that goes for food as well. One brands turkey cuts can be totally different than another brand.

After saying all that, many, many cats eat kibble for their entire lives and lead long and healthy lives. There are no guarantees either way. Just try to make sure he stays plenty hydrated if he sticks to only kibble. Maybe get him a fountain if he doesn't already have one.

 

[IndyJones]

I have said this muliple tims on this site but the best food for a cat is a food they will eat. Even if it is dry supermarket store stuff it is better than a cat getting fatty liver from starving themselves because you want them to eat something they don't want to.

As always, rule out medical conditions first though.

 

[lisahe]

I have said this muliple tims on this site but the best food for a cat is a food they will eat. Even if it is dry supermarket store stuff it is better than a cat getting fatty liver from starving themselves because you want them to eat something they don't want to.

As always, rule out medical conditions first though.

Yes, this is exactly why I'm totally okay with Ireland eating all her dry food. She's a nervous rescue cat and (to paraphrase a holistic vet I listened to recently) cats like to be in control and get stressed when they're not in control. I'm just glad she's eating pretty consistently!

 

[Luvyna]

Hi there..
Reading this I just remembered a video I sent to a friend recently who had the same issue / so maybe this could be interesting?
Here Jackson Galaxy describes the dry food dilemma:
Get Rid of the Dry Food! #cats #catfood
Good luck! )

Thanks for the link! I've actually seen this video already and I've tried this method but it doesn't work for my cat Getting less dry food does not motivate him to eat more wet food - he will just eat less and lose weight.

This is always the question, isn't it?

One of our cats made a similar decision for herself this spring. We'd been using Dr. Elsey's Clean Protein (chicken) dry food as treats and toppers but Ireland decided she wanted those to be her primary food. We didn't realize how bad the situation was until she started vomiting stomach acid because she wasn't eating enough. And so we bought her a microchip feeder so she can eat Dr. Elsey's food whenever she likes without her sister eating it. Ireland's not a food-motivated cat and she's always been thin and a little picky so feeding her that particular food -- it's very, very low in carbs -- wasn't the worst thing in the world. She also drinks water, usually right after eating the dry food. Despite all that, I kept offering wet food to her when feeding her sister. Now, nearly six months later, Ireland's still eating mostly Dr. Elsey's but she's also eating at least one meal of wet food a day. Sometimes she eats a little more. Ireland's pickiness, by the way, is partly because she tends to get a little constipated.

Stress, yes, can make a huge difference in cats' eating habits. Maybe you could work out a pattern for him where you leave dry food for him while you're out but feed wet food when you're (always) at home? I added "always" because cats generally like established patterns for their meals.

Good luck!

Exactly the same thing happened with my cat and Dr. Elsey's Clean Protein chicken kibble! I started using it as a topper/treat and then my cat decided he only wanted to eat it just like Ireland. Your Ireland sounds a lot like my cat - he also still eats a portion of raw food each day but it's not much and sometimes he doesn't touch it at all and I have to throw it away.

My cat also has constipation occasionally but for him I think it's a symptom of the pickiness rather than the cause - it seems to be the lack of hydration + not eating enough. I'm worried it will lead to long-term health problems since I know how cats are prone to dehydration-related kidney and urinary tract issues.

Dry food when I need to be away and wet/raw food while I'm at home is a great idea, thank you for the suggestion, I'm going to try that!

When you have used the kibble as a topper, are you crushing it? If not, I would definitely try that. Also, have you tried using freeze dried meats like chicken or turkey or even liver as a topper? My extremely picky eater took himself off of eating raw and now rarely eats his wet food without some sort of topper. I have learned that I even need to switch up the toppers from one meal to the next or he's not happy. He also doesn't like FortiFlora, but our other cat loves it. Figures. Additionally, I recently learned (from experience), that not all 100% freeze dried chicken is the same. I normally use Life Essentials freeze dried chicken for both toppers and treats, but wasn't happy with them lately so bought Whole Life 100% freeze dried chicken. Neither cat is fond of that, so then I bought American Journey 100% freeze dried chicken. My picky guy absolutely loves it and my other cat can't stand it. But my point is that you need to try all different brands, and that goes for food as well. One brands turkey cuts can be totally different than another brand.

After saying all that, many, many cats eat kibble for their entire lives and lead long and healthy lives. There are no guarantees either way. Just try to make sure he stays plenty hydrated if he sticks to only kibble. Maybe get him a fountain if he doesn't already have one.

I have not tried crushing the kibble, thanks for the suggestion, will give that a shot! Yes I've tried freeze dried salmon, chicken, turkey, and beef liver and like with your cat, it will work sometimes but I can't use the same type of meat more than a few times in a row before it stops working. That's an interesting note about the different brands of freeze dried - I've only bought Purebites so will try switching it up next time.

I have said this muliple tims on this site but the best food for a cat is a food they will eat. Even if it is dry supermarket store stuff it is better than a cat getting fatty liver from starving themselves because you want them to eat something they don't want to.

As always, rule out medical conditions first though.

Thank you for saying this and it's a good point. The battle to get a cat to eat healthy becomes more trouble than it's worth if it's causing other health issues from the cat starving himself.

 

[lisahe]

Exactly the same thing happened with my cat and Dr. Elsey's Clean Protein chicken kibble! I started using it as a topper/treat and then my cat decided he only wanted to eat it just like Ireland. Your Ireland sounds a lot like my cat - he also still eats a portion of raw food each day but it's not much and sometimes he doesn't touch it at all and I have to throw it away.

My cat also has constipation occasionally but for him I think it's a symptom of the pickiness rather than the cause - it seems to be the lack of hydration + not eating enough. I'm worried it will lead to long-term health problems since I know how cats are prone to dehydration-related kidney and urinary tract issues.

Dry food when I need to be away and wet/raw food while I'm at home is a great idea, thank you for the suggestion, I'm going to try that!

Yes, Dr. E's food is a popular one! I'm glad it's so low-carb, otherwise I don't know what we'd be feeding Ireland. Just in case your cat and Ireland really do have similar taste, I'll mention that her very favorite wet food is Nulo Silky Mousse in the chicken/duck flavor. She loves that stuff and has, of late, been eating a big portion of it every evening. The stuff's expensive but I'm happy to buy it if she'll keep eating it! The big thing with her has been to keep offering her the wet food even if she doesn't eat any of it.

As for constipation, we give both our cats two Vet's Best Hairball Relief tablets a day. Ireland has never had a hairball problem -- I originally got them for the cat who's very fluffy -- but Ireland loves them and the psyllium husk seems to keep her constipation (mostly) at bay. Every now and then she still goes on a bit of a hunger strike: she did that last week. It's hard to tell what is and what isn't enough food for her since she's never been at all food-motivated and, like your cat, won't necessarily just magically start eating.

The water question is all the more important for you with a male cat... Does he like broth? Plain chicken broth can sometimes be helpful. I used to poach chicken thighs for a noodle dish, for the humans, and use the water on the cats' food: they loved it!

What is your cat's name, by the way?

The suggestion from mrsgreenjeens about crushing the food is a good one. We crush Dr. E's food for our other cat, who loves it on her food. We use a meat tenderizer for it! I also agree with her about how much freeze-dried chicken treats can vary. Ireland doesn't have any interest in them at all but Edwina loves just about any brand, including the Whole Life brand, which I like because it gets very powdery when crumbled. We humans hate the treats with gobs of fat in them. Ireland often thinks food with some of Grandma Lucy's Moxie (turkey) cat food, is irresistible. It's cooked/dehydrated and sprinkling tiny pieces or powder on Ireland's food often convinces her to eat. That said, I see that they've changed the recipe.

Anyway, good luck!

 

[Luvyna]

Yes, Dr. E's food is a popular one! I'm glad it's so low-carb, otherwise I don't know what we'd be feeding Ireland. Just in case your cat and Ireland really do have similar taste, I'll mention that her very favorite wet food is Nulo Silky Mousse in the chicken/duck flavor. She loves that stuff and has, of late, been eating a big portion of it every evening. The stuff's expensive but I'm happy to buy it if she'll keep eating it! The big thing with her has been to keep offering her the wet food even if she doesn't eat any of it.

As for constipation, we give both our cats two Vet's Best Hairball Relief tablets a day. Ireland has never had a hairball problem -- I originally got them for the cat who's very fluffy -- but Ireland loves them and the psyllium husk seems to keep her constipation (mostly) at bay. Every now and then she still goes on a bit of a hunger strike: she did that last week. It's hard to tell what is and what isn't enough food for her since she's never been at all food-motivated and, like your cat, won't necessarily just magically start eating.

The water question is all the more important for you with a male cat... Does he like broth? Plain chicken broth can sometimes be helpful. I used to poach chicken thighs for a noodle dish, for the humans, and use the water on the cats' food: they loved it!

What is your cat's name, by the way?

The suggestion from mrsgreenjeens about crushing the food is a good one. We crush Dr. E's food for our other cat, who loves it on her food. We use a meat tenderizer for it! I also agree with her about how much freeze-dried chicken treats can vary. Ireland doesn't have any interest in them at all but Edwina loves just about any brand, including the Whole Life brand, which I like because it gets very powdery when crumbled. We humans hate the treats with gobs of fat in them. Ireland often thinks food with some of Grandma Lucy's Moxie (turkey) cat food, is irresistible. It's cooked/dehydrated and sprinkling tiny pieces or powder on Ireland's food often convinces her to eat. That said, I see that they've changed the recipe.

Anyway, good luck!

Yeah Dr. Elsey's formula is maybe a bit too good! As far as healthy dry food goes it's definitely at the top. As if things weren't bad enough with my cat (his name is Zephyr! ) being picky, there is currently a shortage of Dr. Elsey's so I haven't been able to buy more I'm currently feeding Tiki Cat kitten food to help him gain more weight and still offering homemade raw food on the side although frustrating he ignores it about half the time. He also definitely does not seem to like the Tiki Cat kibble as much as Dr. Elsey's.

Thank you for all the different tips and food recommendations, I will have a look at all those brands. What do you do when Ireland goes on a hunger strike? Her behaviour sounds so similar to Zephyr's! He will have random weeks where he barely eats and then go back to eating normally like nothing happened.

Zephyr loves tuna broth but the last time he had some he puked after having it - your tip for plain chicken broth is a great idea and I'll give that a shot! Will also experiment with other broths I can buy to hopefully get more moisture into him.

 

[lisahe]

Thank you for all the different tips and food recommendations, I will have a look at all those brands. What do you do when Ireland goes on a hunger strike? Her behaviour sounds so similar to Zephyr's! He will have random weeks where he barely eats and then go back to eating normally like nothing happened.

Yes, Ireland and Zephyr really do seem to have a lot in common!

As for hunger strikes, well, I often sprinkle some of the dust from Grandma Lucy's food on a dish of Dr. Elsey's food. Ireland's also weird about where she eats: she mostly eats out of a MiBowl but sometimes when she's on strike she'd rather eat out of a pedestrian dish that cost about $2. Or right off the floor! So if all else fails, I'd suggest trying different dishes (particularly flat ones, to avoid whisker stress) and dining locations. The same goes for the wet meals, which are served on small appetizer plates... I let her lead me to where she wants to eat. This has been a ritual with her for some years now and we sometimes do a lot of wandering through the house before she settles. Sometimes, of course, she doesn't settle in. But I just try again later.

I'd say that Zephyr's 50% eat rate for the homemade food is pretty good! Ireland rarely eats Mom's home cooking, though, as mentioned, she really laps up the Nulo. She ate a huge portion of it yesterday. I put a supplement (Feline Gut Soothe) on it, which seems to make her more enthusiastic about it. Though sometimes she decides she's just not into Gut Soothe... she does better in general when she's eating the Gut Soothe (it's anti-inflammatory herbs and probiotics) but of course she likes to make her own decisions!

 

[Luvyna]

Thank you for all the tips, they're super helpful! Will try these things with Zephyr as well if he has a bad spell. I've also discovered a new method that helps - 10-20 mins of playtime before feeding seems to give him a better appetite so I've been doing that as much as I can.

 

[lisahe]

Thank you for all the tips, they're super helpful! Will try these things with Zephyr as well if he has a bad spell. I've also discovered a new method that helps - 10-20 mins of playtime before feeding seems to give him a better appetite so I've been doing that as much as I can.

Oh, that's good! And how funny (well, sort of): we have the opposite problem with one of our cats. If she plays before feeding, she's almost certain to barf. I'm glad that increases Zephyr's appetite!