How do you deal with hunger strikes?

[Rini]

Aslan only wants junkier foods right now, it seems. He's started leaving Wellness and Nutro in the bowl half the time, refusing Weruva and Tiki Cat entirely. Even Fancy Feast classic pates, which he’s been eating since he was 6 months old with no problem, are left to dry up now. Pretty much the only better brand he will finish is Merrick Backcountry pouches. I have some Stella and Chewy freeze dried raw arriving tomorrow that I’m going to try. He’s been getting increasingly picky over the past few months but it’s gotten ridiculous.

I try to avoid wheat gluten at all costs, fish for the most part, and peas/tapioca to a lesser extent since it's harder to cut those out entirely. But it seems like all he will eat contains problem ingredients. So far I’ve thrown away numerous 2 dollar a can bowls of food and I’m so frustrated because I don’t want him eating McDonald’s but I need him to eat something and I’m tired of wasting money.

I am so blessed right now that money is not as much of an object for me, so I am open to any and all suggestions.

Aslan is currently willing to eat: Fancy Feast Savory Centers and Fancy Feast Elegant Medleys White Meat Chicken Variety Pack/Beef Ragu flavor. Both of which I kept on hand originally as treats or to mix medication into.


GRRRRRR.

 

[IndyJones]

Has he had a checkup recently? Changes in eating habits are often early signs of an illness.

 

[Rini]

Has he had a checkup recently? Changes in eating habits are often early signs of an illness.

He last went to the vet in late November so I believe so he is due. He hasn’t lost any weight and has plenty of energy so I assumed he was just being fussy.

I took him to the vet 3 times as a kitten because he wouldn’t STOP eating just for them to tell me that he’s fat.

 

[IndyJones]

Cats are extremely good at hiding illness it would probably be a good idea to at least consult with the vet over the phone or zoom.

Any change in behaviour could mean there's something medical involved. Especially if the cat is suddenly not wanting food they previously enjoyed.

 

[furmonster mom]

I read an article posted in a thread here that described how pet food companies are dealing with supply chain issues by tweaking their recipes essentially on the fly. I realize correlation doesn’t necessarily equal causation, but I wouldn’t be surprised if it’s a factor.

I know homemade food isn’t an option for everyone, but quality and ingredient control was one of the main factors in my choice to go down that road.

Perhaps you can supplement with some bits of unseasoned chicken, liver, heart to tempt Aslan with something new and interesting mixed with his food. Also, I think some folks use probiotic/enzyme toppers to tempt their picky eaters.

 

[Rini]

I read an article posted in a thread here that described how pet food companies are dealing with supply chain issues by tweaking their recipes essentially on the fly. I realize correlation doesn’t necessarily equal causation, but I wouldn’t be surprised if it’s a factor.

I know homemade food isn’t an option for everyone, but quality and ingredient control was one of the main factors in my choice to go down that road.

Perhaps you can supplement with some bits of unseasoned chicken, liver, heart to tempt Aslan with something new and interesting mixed with his food. Also, I think some folks use probiotic/enzyme toppers to tempt their picky eaters.

I honestly wonder about this! I will take him to the vet but in the meantime I guess I have to let him eat his lower end foods.

 

[Islandsportivo]

Here is our new family member, Bella. We had minor issues with her at the beginning as she didn't gain any weight. She looked unusual skinny and we where all worried a lot about here. https://www.cаtfoodpoint.com/best-high-calorie-cat-food-for-weight-gain/ our vet sent us this list and advised to change her food to something more high calories. After one week she started to look much better and now she seems to be very healthy and happy cat.

 

[Alldara]

This happened with Calcifer and after some bloodwork/checkup the vet concluded that it was from the changes to all the recipes lately. He eats Iams perfect portions now which is surprisingly low in ingredients. I had to call and report a batch of Wellness to the brand. I suggest you do the same.

If you're already giving tablespoon size amounts at a time at set times, then you're doing well. You can try mixing some Wureva in with the other food OR giving a small amount of both kinds of food. You can put them side by side or junk on top. If your cat is really refusing though, and the vet says they're in good health, consider that something may be wrong with the food that we don't know and that your cat is protecting themself so don't push too much. Just encourage to see where that goes.

They key, I found was to walk away afterwards to make it clear that they weren't getting something different. I've had good luck with the Wureva kitten lately. Nobel and Magnus have been enjoying splitting a can of that.

 

[artiemom]

This is before all the food changes and way before Covid. I spoiled Artie by giving in to his food demands. Then he got sick with IBD. Had to have a special food. He knew I would cave. I had to be tuff and not give in.
I got support from his Vet, saying; Cats will not starve themselves. They will eat. Dogs will starve themselves.

Then he got Megacolon, and had to have more specialized food. Then he had got worse, no appetite. I caved in.. it was a horror show.

Now, with Geoffrey, I refuse to cave in. He gets his rabbit food, and nothing else. Nothing. He can whine, cry, walk all over me, but I will not cave in. The only caving I do is to give the dry version instead of the wet. But I try to give both, so a bit of variety.

 

[lisahe]

I read an article posted in a thread here that described how pet food companies are dealing with supply chain issues by tweaking their recipes essentially on the fly. I realize correlation doesn’t necessarily equal causation, but I wouldn’t be surprised if it’s a factor.

I know homemade food isn’t an option for everyone, but quality and ingredient control was one of the main factors in my choice to go down that road.

Perhaps you can supplement with some bits of unseasoned chicken, liver, heart to tempt Aslan with something new and interesting mixed with his food. Also, I think some folks use probiotic/enzyme toppers to tempt their picky eaters.

Everything furmonster mom says here sums up our experience, too. Recipe changes can be brutal. And sprinkling treats of various types on top of food can work wonders. So can homemade food: it's the "ingredient control" that I like so much, too. Mixing proteins or making food with varying cuts of meat is a huge advantage. (Next up: pork tenderloin!)

One other thing to consider: a rotation of foods with plenty of variety. Our cats eat several types of food (freeze-dried commercial raw, frozen commercial raw, and homemade) in a variety of proteins (chicken, turkey, duck, lamb), too. They eat five small meals a day. It just doesn't work otherwise.

What artiemom says about not caving in works for us with one cat: sometimes she's just not quite hungry and will eat later. So the food sits and she'll usually eat it later if I stick it right under her nose. That doesn't work for our other cat, though, who tends to build up acid in her stomach (and then barfs it up) if she gets too hungry.

One other odd thing: both our cats can also be very particular about where they eat. Right now, one really likes eating on the veranda because the weather's nice.

I just went back to your initial post, Rini , and noticed that you said Aslan is off his Tiki. That's a perennial problem for our cats, too! They'll love After Dark... but then decide they hate it. That was a problem with the Tiki luau flavors in the past, too.

 

[Robyn5678]

My cats have always ate any brand or flavor of food I have put in front of them. 2 times this week I’ve had to toss it because they wouldn’t touch it. And like you, it’s the $2+ a can food. They seem to keep wanting fancy feast classic pates so I’m just going to stick with that for now. They will eat some tiki cat duck and chicken.

 

[Alldara]

My cats have always ate any brand or flavor of food I have put in front of them. 2 times this week I’ve had to toss it because they wouldn’t touch it. And like you, it’s the $2+ a can food. They seem to keep wanting fancy feast classic pates so I’m just going to stick with that for now. They will eat some tiki cat duck and chicken.

Most Fancy Feast isn't too bad for additives. Just check the flavours. If they're still eating a bit of higher quality, then that's great. Between costs and the ongoing food shortages, it's hard to throw cat food out!

At the cat hospital they always say to call if a cat goes without eating for 24 hours. They take it very seriously. I have personally had rescue situations where the cat has been stubborn enough to get close to the 48 hour mark while waiting on vet care. It can become very dangerous really quickly. The cat hospital told me to even try some plain chicken or fish to get something in.

 

[Robyn5678]

Most Fancy Feast isn't too bad for additives. Just check the flavours. If they're still eating a bit of higher quality, then that's great. Between costs and the ongoing food shortages, it's hard to throw cat food out!

At the cat hospital they always say to call if a cat goes without eating for 24 hours. They take it very seriously. I have personally had rescue situations where the cat has been stubborn enough to get close to the 48 hour mark while waiting on vet care. It can become very dangerous really quickly. The cat hospital told me to even try some plain chicken or fish to get something in.

I give them fancy feast classic and I only give them the ones that do not have fish in it. They haven’t gone over 12 hours yet without eating. They usually will eat the next meal I give them as long as I change it up.

 

[Alldara]

I give them fancy feast classic and I only give them the ones that do not have fish in it. They haven’t gone over 12 hours yet without eating. They usually will eat the next meal I give them as long as I change it up.

You might just have cats that need variety then. It's very common and can help prevent allergies and intestinal issues.
Make sure you are playing with them first and that they are truly hungry and you'll have less wastage even when feeding something higher quality.
When trying to switch to something higher quality, keep the protein the same. Wureva and Wellness both have fish, so that's not going to be suitable and might cause stomach upset which is why they might be refusing it.
Try Instinct or Merrick LIDs.

((I actually had to call Wellness about their food batch making our cats sick. I was a long time Wellness fan, but I've had to switch away from it. If you ever suspect its a batch problem, PLEASE contact the manufacturer. They can't know what we don't report. ))

 

[mizzely]

Lydia refuses to eat the same food two days in a row. I have to keep at least 4 to 5 flavors/textures/brands on hand or she will skip meals.

I'm not avoiding any ingredients because my philosophy is that feeding the best food in the world means nothing if it doesn't actually get into the cat, and time and time again mine has refused raw, freeze dried, cooked, and any of the "high end" brands. (And, she doesn't like any Friskies/9lives/Meow Mix style foods so no "bottom of the barrel").

So I stick mostly to Fancy Feast, WholeHearted, Soulistic, American Journey, Purina Pro Plan, Sheba, and Tiny Tiger.

I can afford wet food if she eats it. I can't afford it if she doesn't. She just had bloodwork done, and at 12 she's still healthy on "crappy" food.

If she needs encouragement, a bit of PureBites crumbled up on top, or Wysong's AddLife, usually gets her eating.

 

[IndyJones]

Two days in a row is Indy's limit. If I offer the same thing a third day she won't eat it. She also won't eat any grocery store brands like fancy feast. She will eat pet valu exclusive brand performatrin ultra though. It looks like actual food. There's chunks of actual chicken in the chicken stew one which is a favorite.

 

[Cat McCannon]

We feed Belle a daily variety. Once a day, she gets a random flavor of Sheba. She also gets a combination of chicken liver, hearts and gizzard, once a day, if we have it on hand. Then, once a day, she gets a meal of commercial raw. Sometimes, I’ll break her commercial raw into smaller portions and give them to her as treats or snacks.

Belle is still a young cat, having turned two just this year. She looks forward to meal time and usually eats her meals in one sitting.

While we let Belle eat all she wanted when a kitten, we didn’t get into the habit of free feeding and l think that’s really helped.

 

[IndyJones]

Free feeding is not only a good way to get an animal with weight issues but also takes away one of the earliest signs of disease. A cat that doesn't feel well will often change eating habits.