Help Tempting My Newly Adopted Stray Cat To Eat

[CharlieandBuster]

I work at Olive Garden (Italian eatery) and have a Fogo de Chao (Brazilian steakhouse) right next door to us. Our area has a feral cat colony, and a few of them were being fed regularly by employees at the steakhouse next door. However, just before Christmas, they had a kitchen fire and their doors have been closed for repairs and renovations ever since.

At that time, a young, beautiful short-haired black cat (1 1/2 years old, I remember when she was a kitten) started coming around to the front door of our restaurant asking for food. She had no qualms about making her presence known and, though somewhat skittish around people, she is a very sociable kitty.

"I don't like cats," has always been my motto, but Buster did something to me. I started feeding her and building her shelters for the cold, and she would just melt my heart more each day. She had no qualms about rubbing up on me and letting me pet her, pick her up, and just hang out with her at any time, singling me out from any group of people even if someone else was offering her food.

So, just a couple days ago, I took her home and gave her my bedroom that I don't use. She was naturally frightened at first but has since become an imprinted duckling at my feet wherever I go (it's a battle trying to walk around the apartment with her rubbing, bunting, and kneading at me). Yesterday, I took her to the vet for a check-up, vaccines, microchip, and preventative medicines, and the doctor gave her a clean bill of health to my relief.

That said, I am still concerned about her reluctance to eat. She would devour a grilled chicken breast like a starving dog before I picked her up, but now she is reluctant to eat anything even if I mix piece of chicken breast into her food (I have been trying different flavors of dry and wet foods). Her room is hers alone and she only wants to eat after a good 30 minute or so petting session, if even then. Thankfully, she is drinking plenty, but I want to make sure she isn't malnourished. I understand that it takes a couple days after bring them indoors for a feral or stay to begin eating again, but it has been 4 days and she only eaten 3 times since.

Is there anything I can do? I love my baby so much and am worried, but don't know cats well yet. I am reading up everything I can find but feel like I can't let this go on another day without blowing a blood vessel from worrying so much. Please help! Anyone!

 

[cheesycats]

She is basically a wild cat that you’ve now brought into this tiny world. It is better for her in the long run. She’s safe and warm and has constant water and food now. Which is good but she’s likely very confused and maybe a little scared. If her being with you gets her to eat some that’s good. Just make sure she’s eat a little, as much as you can get her to. It’s good she is drinking water. I would just keep offering different things if you can. And see if there’s anything in particular that she seems to like more. Maybe try the food again that you offered that she did eat before. It’s just about taking it slow with feral cats. When I brought my boy feral in he literally hid in my closet for a month. just be patient and let her adjust to regular food and her new environment. If it gets to the point where she’s not eating for days I would return to the vet. Going days without eating can be dangerous.

 

[abyeb]

Since she has been to the vet, we can rule out medical issues, which is a good thing! My guess would be that it’s stress-related. Have you tried a Feliway diffuser? Feliway mimics feline pheromones, which helps cats to relax.

You’re awesome for taking Buster in! I’m glad to hear that she’s being affectionate toward you. I’m sure everyone would love to see pictures of her, if you have any.

 

[CharlieandBuster]

Since she has been to the vet, we can rule out medical issues, which is a good thing! My guess would be that it’s stress-related. Have you tried a Feliway diffuser? Feliway mimics feline pheromones, which helps cats to relax.

You’re awesome for taking Buster in! I’m glad to hear that she’s being affectionate toward you. I’m sure everyone would love to see pictures of her, if you have any.

Thanks, and thanks to cheesycats too! I haven't tried any pheromone products. She has been growing braver each day, at a much faster rate than I expected, seeing as how she is already jumping on kitchen counters and roaming the apartment (she does retreat frequently unless she is here in the living room getting some love).

At any rate, when I tried to feed her tonight, she would look at the food and paw at it (she did eat a can of wet food earlier thank heavens!). She seemed very anxious to eat, especially since she tried to get up in my business while I was chowing down a bowl of Hamburger Helper while sitting at her food bowl. I grilled a chicken breast to mix in with the wet food I just laid out for her and she seems to nibbling at it (I am not walking over to check since she would probably abandon eating for petting). I am okay with the idea of it being stress and something that will ease up over time, but I am concerned that high-grade steaks and grilled chicken have spoiled her palate.

Here is a pic I just took of her at her food bowl (I put out a bowl of dry food as well, just in case). Gawd, how on did I go from "I hate cats" to "I love my kitty" like this?

 

[duckpond]

She is a beautiful cat! and yes, if you give one a chance they can steal your heart.

Don't know if its true with yours, but i find with my cats if i put a few choices of food down together they seem to get confused or something and wont eat well. I put dry in one area of the house, a quite area that they can go eat without distractions, and feed wet meals in a different area, water bowls in different areas. I also use flat bowls and plates as cats dont like their whiskers to touch the side of a bowl. I do put out small amounts, and throw any dry left after 24 hours and put out clean.

What brands and flavors are you feeding her? I have found that many of my rescue cats wont eat the "highest Quality" brands of food at first. Fancy feast classics are usually good, or Friskies the shredded flavors have worked well for me. for Dry the Purina cat chow naturals, or purina pro plan savor, the shredded chicken and rice formula. I don't think i have ever had a cat refuse those foods.

Its early days for her, so hopefully she will start eating soon, as she gets more confortable in her new home. enjoy your new cat.

 

[rubysmama]

Welcome to The Cat Site. And congrats on becoming a "cat person". Buster is beautiful. She also sounds very friendly for a feral. I'm glad her vet checkup went well. Does she still need to be spayed?

About her being finicky over food, we once had a kitten (not a feral though) who scratched at the floor when given wet food. We always thought she was trying to "bury" it, like it smelled bad. Eventually she came around and ate regular canned food.

It's quite possible Buster doesn't know what to make of "cat" food, if she was always getting restaurant quality meals. Maybe try some of the stinky fishy flavours.

 

[CharlieandBuster]

Welcome to The Cat Site. And congrats on becoming a "cat person". Buster is beautiful. She also sounds very friendly for a feral. I'm glad her vet checkup went well. Does she still need to be spayed?

About her being finicky over food, we once had a kitten (not a feral though) who scratched at the floor when given wet food. We always thought she was trying to "bury" it, like it smelled bad. Eventually she came around and ate regular canned food.

It's quite possible Buster doesn't know what to make of "cat" food, if she was always getting restaurant quality meals. Maybe try some of the stinky fishy flavours.

The city has a TNR program for feral cat colonies and she has been abducted to be spayed and vaccinated before (her ear is clipped). The vet verified that she's spayed, but we went through with the whole package (vaccines, deworming, preventative medicine, microchip, blood tests) to make sure that she is healthy and safe. I almost had a heart attack when the vet walked in frowning and telling me, "Okay, we got the results from her blood work and tests for leukemia and other viruses, and she came back . . . negative." Everything in her manner was telling me to give up hope and I was freaking out LOL. As it turns out, the vet thought she was just speaking normally and slowly to make sure I was aware.

I think the food change and her sense of security might be the issue. She is eating more now, but with strings attached. I am mixing in a bit of grilled chicken into wet food, and she will paw at it and try to filter out the chicken. Too bad my mixing skills are strong! Also, she must receive between 15-60 minutes of love. I have to sit at her food bowl and pet her and rub her, and let her bunt, rub, knead and start purring before she moves to the food. Then I have to sit there and watch her eat; if I make noise (aside from love chatter) or try to move away, she stops. I don't mind giving her attention and watching her eat; in fact, I enjoy loving her and seeing her taken care of. The chicken part is something I am hoping to wean away over time since that might end up being her "treat" (she has completely avoided all hard food and treats that I have tried to give her so far).

Would putting a little bit of catnip in the food help, or should I avoid that? She has started taking to the catnip-filled mouse I gave her but still avoids all other toys so far.

 

[CharlieandBuster]

Don't know if its true with yours, but i find with my cats if i put a few choices of food down together they seem to get confused or something and wont eat well. I put dry in one area of the house, a quite area that they can go eat without distractions, and feed wet meals in a different area, water bowls in different areas. I also use flat bowls and plates as cats dont like their whiskers to touch the side of a bowl. I do put out small amounts, and throw any dry left after 24 hours and put out clean.

What brands and flavors are you feeding her? I have found that many of my rescue cats wont eat the "highest Quality" brands of food at first. Fancy feast classics are usually good, or Friskies the shredded flavors have worked well for me. for Dry the Purina cat chow naturals, or purina pro plan savor, the shredded chicken and rice formula. I don't think i have ever had a cat refuse those foods.

Its early days for her, so hopefully she will start eating soon, as she gets more confortable in her new home. enjoy your new cat.

Thanks for your feedback!

I recently got a can of each flavored pate by Purrfect Bistro and mix that with a bit of grilled chicken. The hard food I got is Hill's Science Diet.

I intend to have hard food left out at all times in her room and feed her wet food in another area of the apartment. However, I am still waiting for her courage to grow as she explores the rest of her home since she only comes out briefly and retreats back to her room within a couple minutes. I have a few water stations set out for her, one near her food bowl, one in the living room near the balcony door, and one near the kitchen. With respect to her food bowls, I am using the same kind of food bowls we used to feed her at the restaurant and she seems more comfortable with that set up since she will avoid the flatter feeding plate completely. That may well change in time, but I'll let her decide.

I tell you, this site is amazing. The stories, support, and feedback are invaluable and encouraging. You all are amazing!

 

[rubysmama]

She sounds like a wonderful, sweet kitty. Glad she's been spayed, so you won't have to deal with that.

I only gave my Ruby catnip once and she threw up the next day, so I got paranoid and never gave it to her again. So I can't advise about catnip in Buster's food.

 

[1 bruce 1]

Isn't it amazing how one bold little cat can change the way we think about the entire species??
Cool story on this little feral cat. I'm so glad you found each other.

 

[CharlieandBuster]

So Buster is coming along well! She is now eating canned food regularly and anxiously twice a day, drinking water, never had a problem with her litter box, is learning that she won't be hurt when I pick her up, and she's like a duckling imprinted to my ankles (though she backs away from my head, perhaps thinking I am trying to eat her) to the point that I have to be mindful of every step I take in the apartment (I love it).

I put out a can of food in the morning (she has taken to the flat plate now) when I wake up and let her eat her fill while I get ready for work (after giving her as much love as I can before duties call) and a can in the evening as well. However, since she should be eating but a can and a half a day, I pull the evening food after her first or second bout with the food and she has eating a solid majority of the food. Whenever I pull her food though, I put out a small bit of dry food in its place, but she hasn't touched it. In fact, she won't even eat hard treats. I have tried wetting the food and even mixing it in with some shredded, freshly cooked chicken breast but she avoids the dry food and has apparently mastered the art of filtering it out while getting the chicken.

It's only been 1 1/2 weeks so I am not worried about anything as long as her courage keeps growing as she takes ownership of the rest of her home and I slowly modify the place for her. In fact, she is even beginning to hone in on the feather-on-a-string toy and paw it at here and there during play time rather than run from it as it appears.

 

[lavishsqualor]

Most vets will agree that dry food isn't really good for cats, so don't be disturbed that she doesn't care for it.

Thank you for taking her in! You're awesome!

 

[1 bruce 1]

So Buster is coming along well! She is now eating canned food regularly and anxiously twice a day, drinking water, never had a problem with her litter box, is learning that she won't be hurt when I pick her up, and she's like a duckling imprinted to my ankles (though she backs away from my head, perhaps thinking I am trying to eat her) to the point that I have to be mindful of every step I take in the apartment (I love it).

I put out a can of food in the morning (she has taken to the flat plate now) when I wake up and let her eat her fill while I get ready for work (after giving her as much love as I can before duties call) and a can in the evening as well. However, since she should be eating but a can and a half a day, I pull the evening food after her first or second bout with the food and she has eating a solid majority of the food. Whenever I pull her food though, I put out a small bit of dry food in its place, but she hasn't touched it. In fact, she won't even eat hard treats. I have tried wetting the food and even mixing it in with some shredded, freshly cooked chicken breast but she avoids the dry food and has apparently mastered the art of filtering it out while getting the chicken.

It's only been 1 1/2 weeks so I am not worried about anything as long as her courage keeps growing as she takes ownership of the rest of her home and I slowly modify the place for her. In fact, she is even beginning to hone in on the feather-on-a-string toy and paw it at here and there during play time rather than run from it as it appears.

This kitty is growing in leaps and bounds in the short time you've had her! Some cats, even young adults, can be a truly hard sell when bringing them inside to a new environment and asking them to learn the rules of our house. Super cool!!!!!
I'm still extremely touched by your former self not caring for cats at all taking this little one in and doing so much for her. Caring acts like this, one by one, make the world a better place.

 

[CharlieandBuster]

Most vets will agree that dry food isn't really good for cats, so don't be disturbed that she doesn't care for it.

Thank you for taking her in! You're awesome!

I am a bit divided based on what I have been reading about wet and dry food.

Maybe I am missing out on something, but here is my breakdown so far:

1. Wet food is more readily eaten and can be mixed with little bonuses (apparently not a pill though) but is bad for their teeth if that is all they eat.
2. Dry food demands that your cat drinks more water but also allows you regulate their feeding to a degree with games, puzzles.
3. Dry food apparently is linked to treats (which are almost always dry). Just as Buster will avoid a kibble like the plague, so too does she scoff at treats (even those Feline Greenies dental treats). She will eat some jerky treats that I found at PetSmart reluctantly at that.

I am mostly interested in getting her to accept dry food (though eat mostly wet food) so I can make her active during meal times and have her accept treats since I don't want to have to cook up chicken breasts every time when I want to play or have a training session.

 

[CharlieandBuster]

Just an update on Buster.

My baby is AMAZING! She has come so far, so quickly. Buster now eats dry food, wet food, kitty treats, and any fingers I put near her midline. I have even managed to pull her away from human food completely (not that she wouldn't devour that stuff too). Perhaps, the only thing that gets me is that she is a hungry one. Hungry all the time. I have managed to get her on a diet appropriate to her age and weight, but she is always ready to devour food; even when it comes to dry food, she will eat it all up quickly rather than space it out over a bit of time. I understand that she was wild and eating was not a guarantee for her so she eats all she can when she can, but I am going to have her eating routine fixed, perhaps curing her constant hunger.

She is still a little restless indoors as well, but took to her 7-story cat tree within a couple hours. She is an avid mouse hunter, as I get to watch her hunt a mouse on a string every day (she stalks, pounces, and chases with a speed that is incredible and can predict and react to movements like no other). She loves to sleep at my chest, lick me, rub, knead, cuddle, and sit at my feet when I am doing other things (right now), but she doesn't talk to me. While she does have a strong fear factor running at most times, she has learned to trust me and has grown accustomed to most movements I make.

I swear, Buster is a dream come true! So much love, so much energy, and she just knows how to love.

Some of my plans going forwards are to try to get her old friend (she used to take care of a younger cat in the colony) that was adopted by another person. I may have to cajole her to let me take her in so the two can be together. When I am away, I want her to have more than her toys and apartment to ransack.

 

[maggiedemi]

Hi. It sounds like it's going really well. That's a cool idea that you might adopt her buddy. You said that she's hungry all the time. How much food is she getting per day?

 

[rubysmama]

Thanks for the update on Buster. Good to hear things are going so well.

It's not unusual for former strays/ferals to be food obsessed. My Ruby wasn't feral, but was a stray before she ended up at the shelter, and for the first several months after I adopted her, she like your Buster would vacuum food up like she was never going to be fed again. And I suppose in their little minds, that exactly the fear they have. Plus, the need to eat it all before someone else does.

Eventually, and I can't remember exactly how long, but less than a year, Ruby finally started pacing herself with food, and would actually leave something in her dish for later. So as long as you are feeding Buster enough, and you can check the back of bags/cans for feeding amount recommendations, she probably isn't "really" starving.

Since Buster was used to being around other cats, she might enjoy having her buddy around.

But you should keep in mind they might not hit it off again right away. As different smells, plus Buster being at your house first, could change the way she feels about her former buddy.

TCS has an article all about How To Successfully Introduce Cats: The Ultimate Guide which may come in handy if you decide to get the other cat.

 

[CharlieandBuster]

Hi. It sounds like it's going really well. That's a cool idea that you might adopt her buddy. You said that she's hungry all the time. How much food is she getting per day?

The recommended portions for her would be 1 can of wet food or 1/2 a can of dry food per day. I give her half of each across 2 to 3 meals a day (usually 3, but it has to be 2 on the weekends because of my weekend work schedule). She also gets treats for catching her mouse (she is fast and stalks like a pro), taking her medicine (she doesn't do it willingly), and just being my baby. She isn't starving in any true sense, but she sure acts like she is. She used to be fed liberally by myself and others (those grilled chicken breasts and steaks are something else), but is now on a controlled diet. She was used to eating all she could whenever she got the chance seeing as to how meals were unpredictable before and hasn't realized that she will be fed multiple times a day now.

To illustrate her hunger. Last Friday, I decided that her 2nd week on a controlled feeding plan (the first 2 weeks, I would put out as much as she would eat and getting her to eat was the challenge) was moving along well, despite her gaining almost a pound since I took her in. So, after I gave her dinner and she still kept begging for food, I decided to feed her as she sees fit to see just how hungry she is. I laid out a full day's portion of wet food; she ate it all within 2 minutes. Okay then, I laid out a full day's portion of dry food, she it all within 2 minutes (I th ought they take their time with dry food). At that point, I just stopped. She would have eaten anything and everything I throw at her; I am just glad that I am too big to be her prey (right? RIGHT?!?!).

 

[CharlieandBuster]

Thanks for the update on Buster. Good to hear things are going so well.

It's not unusual for former strays/ferals to be food obsessed. My Ruby wasn't feral, but was a stray before she ended up at the shelter, and for the first several months after I adopted her, she like your Buster would vacuum food up like she was never going to be fed again. And I suppose in their little minds, that exactly the fear they have. Plus, the need to eat it all before someone else does.

Eventually, and I can't remember exactly how long, but less than a year, Ruby finally started pacing herself with food, and would actually leave something in her dish for later. So as long as you are feeding Buster enough, and you can check the back of bags/cans for feeding amount recommendations, she probably isn't "really" starving.

Since Buster was used to being around other cats, she might enjoy having her buddy around.

But you should keep in mind they might not hit it off again right away. As different smells, plus Buster being at your house first, could change the way she feels about her former buddy.

TCS has an article all about How To Successfully Introduce Cats: The Ultimate Guide which may come in handy if you decide to get the other cat.

Buster used to beg and bring food to Patches (the woman that adopted her calls her Cali). Cali was the shyest and most fearful one in the colony and would only come out near people if Buster was present and food was a part of the equation. I did managed to feed her directly from my hand once, but only after Buster did it a couple times to show her that it was safe. I realize that they might not hit it off right away, but we are planning on a meet-and-greet between the two sometime so they can see each other again. If they take to each other like they were before, I am going to make the best case I can for her to let me take in Patches.

 

[rubysmama]

LOL at you being her prey! Even though she got all that gourmet food, she obviously still had the "don't know when my next meal will be" fear.

As I mentioned, my Ruby used to eat all her food without stopping. Yes, dry too. But it did eventually settle down, so hopefully it will for Buster too.

The meet & greet sounds good. Let us know how it goes.