How Many Times Do You Offer

[Wilbur&Charlotte'sMom]

food your cats don't seem to care for?

I've offered my kittens Natural Balance and Wellness canned food (both kitten varieties) and they sniffed and walked away. Same with Pro plan kitten w liver, though they like the fish version.

Should I try offering it again at some point or just go with what they prefer (fancy feast kitten of course)?

Thanks for any insight, this is our first time feeding primarily wet food.

 

[duckpond]

I have tried both of those brands, many rave about them and i wanted my cats to like them, they didn't. I find if my cats reject it they reject it always, thus the many cases i have donated to our local shelter, or friends and family.

Some say they have really good luck by adding a small amount, maybe just a teaspoon at first, and working up slowly to feeding all new food. This can take several weeks, going slow. I have read that many had good luck with this method, i did not, but i think its worth a try. Good luck!

 

[Furballsmom]

Thanks for coming here! Many many many times LOL.
Anyway, seriously, if you try toppers such as stinky tuna, tuna juice, sardines, shredded cheese, crumbled treats, that sort of thing, there's no guarantee but a possibility something will be accepted. They aren't being finicky so much as it's their noses telling them "ok, it's not food I've ever smelled before and new is not safe". --I guess that's what's going on anyway
With that said, the Big Guy often times will eat something, but then after refrigeration he won't. Or he'll dive into a new food for the first can, then the next fresh room-temp. can, won't. Or loves something for a couple feedings, totally fakes me out and I go buy a case, then no go.
However, to answer your question, yes, I have had some luck when I find an item he likes the first time but not the next, when I wait a few weeks and try again he will eat it up. There are several foods that I have to take this approach all the time because for whatever reason, he simply won't eat it for more than one can.
A note; there are a few ingredients to keep an eye out for as you're going through this adventure of cat food; carrageenan, sodium and the super nasty menadione (a synthetic vitamin K). I never did get my guy completely off of Fancy Feast so I began using a clean (no additives) Milk Thistle supplement for liver support.
And one other note or two--you probably already know this, but kittens need to eat a lot so don't cut back on quantity until later. There are adult cat body condition charts you can use when you get to that point which works as well if not better than trying to count caloric input. Also, there are a lot of thoughts about kibble, but in my opinion when it's offered in a ratio in the overall diet of mostly wet and a little bit of dry (say for instance 3/4 wet 1/4 dry or something like that) they should be fine. That is what my Big Guy gets

 

[Furballsmom]

Oh, and one other thing - if you can, find several foods they will eat, for several reasons. It helps their systems deal better with any one starch, protein or bad additive thereby hopefully avoiding allergies and worse.
It also helps avoid the really awful scenario of the cat eating only one thing, then a manufacturer changes their recipe/formula (which they do a LOT these days so even if your cats are still eating whichever food, keep checking the ingredient list every now and then to try and ensure you're not getting ingredients you're trying to avoid), --and the cat will only eat the old formula. I'll admit it, I'm a cat food hoarder although it looks to me as though more manufacturers are actually catching on to the fact that cat owners are getting a WHOLE lot smarter/better educated

 

[Wilbur&Charlotte'sMom]

Ok, I'll hang on to the extra cans and try again
I tried mixing them and heating them, but they were not impressed, I'll give it time!

 

[Furballsmom]

I never did have any luck heating up food - I'd forgotten about that option, as it works for some folks. Anyway, try some of those toppers, you never know you might hit the jackpot. Best of luck!

 

[mosimom]

I think you have to help them to at least taste it. I never had luck with just setting it down and letting my cat decide. Try smearing on their paw or lip. They may decide they like and want more.

 

[kirathecat]

Whenever I try new food or just new flavor I put it in a dish then scoop some on my finger and offer it this way. If he starts licking it off of my finger I bring the finger towards the dish while he is still licking it and he usually catches on and starts eating out of the dish. May take a few finger offerings before he starts eating out of the dish though. Just a suggestions

 

[duckpond]

I think everyone would have laughed tonight to see me trying to get cats to lick my finger....lol... it didn't work well, but it was fun. they don't seem to be fond of the new Nulo minced Turkey and duck

 

[Furballsmom]

 

[mosimom]

I think everyone would have laughed tonight to see me trying to get cats to lick my finger....lol... it didn't work well, but it was fun. they don't seem to be fond of the new Nulo minced Turkey and duck

I got a can of the medal series chicken and duck. Chased my cat around trying to handfeed. Got her cornered in a box and put a shred down. She ate it as long as I kept placing a shred down in the box. Weird cat.

 

[Furballsmom]

You're right, there's absolutely no doubt that cats are weird.

 

[Wilbur&Charlotte'sMom]

Furballsmom, what toppers do you recommend? Just some juicy packet is what you mean right?
I ended up getting them to eat the proplan kitten chicken/liver that they previously didn't care for by mixing in a fancy feast naturals treat (are those naughty? my kittens act like they're crack! but they're just a chunk of juicy chicken), so this might be a good solution!

 

[Furballsmom]

stinky tuna, tuna juice, sardines, shredded cheese, crumbled treats, that sort of thing, there's no guarantee but a possibility something will be accepted

Although W Wilbur&Charlotte'sMom it sounds like you have it worked out perfectly!! But you're right, there are lickable treats, the treats you used, fancy feast pouch juice, pumpkin if they like that, basically anything that they unwaveringly like in order to entice their noses to accept something new. You ROCK!

 

[Timmer]

My cats wouldn't touch the Wellness brand. I usually fed them Fancy Feast. I was worried about that but our vet told me don't fret, Purina products have been around for a very long time and they are tried and true.
Unfortunately after 7 years my cat Timmer developed IBD and he just passed away recently. I am not blaming it on Fancy Feast. I really don't know why, but I do know that Fancy Feast and lots of other pet foods have carageenan and guar gum in them, and even people with allergies need to avoid that, so I figure our cats do too. Trouble is, the only brands that don't have it as an ingredient are some very high end grain free foods. Again, my vet told me do not get up on the grain free bandwagon, it's a gimmick.
I trust my vet.
BUT
I do find a lot of vets are not nutritionists by a long shot and you start talking to them about cat food and they sort of fog over.
I don't know. But I don't think the gravy packets are good for our cats either tho I hear from a co-worker hers love them.

 

[Furballsmom]

Timmer (first of all I'm going to strangle my computer grrr) in any case, you're right on a lot of counts. There are some scary additives like menadione (a synthetic vitamin K) that I'd love to avoid at all costs. Pet food manufacturers, including Purina, have been bought and sold a lot over the past years, and to a large degree are looking to make bank off of us, so they aren't doing our cats or us any favors. However there are some like merrick that are better than others, and feeding a variety of manufacturers is a good thing I think and gives their systems a chance to better deal with it all. With all that said, I haven't been able to get the Big Guy completely off of fancy feast. The bottom line, with finicky eaters and most especially with sick cats, the absolute best food is the one they'll eat.

 

[Timmer]

Furballsmom -- I also read good things about Merrick but Timmer passed away before I could try it. I may have mentioned a brand called Dave's that I thought was good and he liked it but again the GI doc told me don't go grain free if he has IBD.
You got that right -- the best food when they are sick is the one they will eat. That's what the vet told me during Tim's last days -- feed him whatever he wants to eat.

 

[Furballsmom]