Is It Cruel

[matt1991]

to keep a certain food out till they eat it?

2 of my cats are extremely picky both 4 years old now they finally eat wet food now for years they refused wet food at all cost but have developed a love for it.
i use to give them either frisky's or meow mix dry food. i got them a more expensive brand that was on sale 3 days ago and they wont eat it.

they are out of wet food right now and keep screaming bloody murder every time i go into my kitchen hoping i give them wet food. but makes me mad they got dry food right there they wont touch

is it cruel to say if they really are that hungry they will eat whats in front of them? in the wild they'd have no choice.. just makes me mad that bag was like 8 bucks to be tossed out i don't want to be mean to them but at same time i want them to eat the food i got them they wont even eat tuna lol my boy in profile pic will at times but they are so damn picky never seen at who wont eat any human food lol

 

[Purr-fect]

Can you try mixing a small portion of the dry food with water. Mush it into a paste/"pate" and see if they will eat that.

 

[matt1991]

Can you try mixing a small portion of the dry food with water. Mush it into a paste/"pate" and see if they will eat that.

nah hey wont i even i use t get their wet food with tiny bit water in a blender t make a paste since they seem t love broths ect and they wont touch it im gonna mix some in with some more dry food but im gonna use it for emergency food like if i have t leave few days ill force them t eat it

 

[Jem]

ill force them t eat it

Speaking from experience, you can't force a cat to eat what they don't want to. Cats (not all mind you) can and will starve themselves.
If your trying to find a new food for them, ask for samples so you do not waste your money, but also keep in mind that many pet stores will take the product back if your cats won't eat it.
I think you need to take a trip to the store to get them their wet food!
I have also seen it where they will refuse to eat until they have eaten their preferred food first. So if you put the bowl of the new food down next to what they want, you may notice that they will nibble on the new food but only after they have eaten their wet food serving.

 

[MissClouseau]

I recently accidentally gave the food my cat dislikes to her. She ate a bit. Then I cleaned up puke in three different spots.

 

[Libby.]

You run the risk of them developing hepatic lipidosis (fatty liver) if their hunger strike goes on for a while and they lose weight. Cats cannot handle a sudden weight loss as their liver becomes 'fatty'. It's best if you mix a small amount of new food with the old food. I'd recommend you switching permanently to a higher grade of food than fancy feast and meow mix anyway.

 

[Willowy]

Cats WILL starve themselves rather than eat something they don't like. So be careful. You don't want to deal with liver failure.

If they really don't like that brand, buy some of their regular food (I'd recommend sticking to Friskies or Cat Chow; Meow Mix is very low quality) and mix it in. Once it absorbs the flavor and scent of the food they like, they might deign to eat it.

 

[Kflowers]

Cats refuse food when they feel ill.
Cats refuse food when the food is bad. Just because it looks okay to you or smells okay to you doesn't mean it is.
Wet food left out is the same as meat left out. Some people think it's okay to leave meat out for hours. Some people live in cold climates. When you live where it's hot you know meat spoils fast and spoiled meat can kill you.

 

[matt1991]

Speaking from experience, you can't force a cat to eat what they don't want to. Cats (not all mind you) can and will starve themselves.
If your trying to find a new food for them, ask for samples so you do not waste your money, but also keep in mind that many pet stores will take the product back if your cats won't eat it.
I think you need to take a trip to the store to get them their wet food!
I have also seen it where they will refuse to eat until they have eaten their preferred food first. So if you put the bowl of the new food down next to what they want, you may notice that they will nibble on the new food but only after they have eaten their wet food serving.

yeah just did i usually get it at walmart or dollar general they love the friskies extra gravy's they have now pisses me off how half the meats left though and they lick all the gravy out lol but they are cheaper than those dollar tiny packs of gravy paste

just got them 6 big cans and 2 packs of whiskas chicken in the pouches they like those too and a 3 pound bag of purina cat chow complete balance they are eating it at least

 

[matt1991]

I recently accidentally gave the food my cat dislikes to her. She ate a bit. Then I cleaned up puke in three different spots.

lol wtf whata picky cat t puke it up its a cat lol and the foods designed for them

 

[Libby.]

You run the risk of them developing hepatic lipidosis (fatty liver) if their hunger strike goes on for a while and they lose weight. Cats cannot handle a sudden weight loss as their liver becomes 'fatty'. It's best if you mix a small amount of new food with the old food. I'd recommend you switching permanently to a higher grade of food than fancy feast and meow mix anyway.

I posted too quickly. Hepatic lipidosis is basically liver failure as Willowy pointed out. With fatty liver, the liver is compromised and bilirubin is no longer flushed out of the body, rather it builds up causing jaundice. When you start seeing signs of jaundice in a cat (yellow tinged skin and sclera - eyeball) then you have a very sick cat in need of emergency treatment. Cats die from HL.

I've had a cat go on a hunger strike before because I could not get the kibble I had been buying. He ended up in the hospital for several days being force fed. Once he got home I continued with the oral feedings and gave him milk thistle and sam-e. He started eating on his own a few days later. I continued the oral feedings to supplement what he was eating and the milk thistle and sam-e until his liver enzymes and bilirubin was normal.

The treatment for HL is hand feeding via oral syringe or nasal gastric tube or PEG tube feedings if the cat is noncompliant to get the calorie intake up to reverse the lipidosis. Anti-nausea, appetite stimulants, pain meds and liver supporting supplements are typically used to help in the recovery.

 

[MoonstoneWolf]

I don't know. These cats here will eat the food if they get hungry enough whether they like it or not. But I'm no expert and these are stray/feral cats that pretty much are used to eating from dumpsters. My only issue with the food is making sure the food does not spoil or get bugs which I now sit outside with them when they eat and keep the rest in the fridge. I can always go back inside to my mini fridge to get more.

 

[Kflowers]

Cat's ability to vomit is no different from a human's.

 

[fionasmom]

I have thrown some really expensive food out to the crows, although I do agree that if you can return unused portions that is the way to go. Cats can be very unpredictable about their tastes. I have bought cat food that looked good enough for me to spread it on a cracker and eat it and the cats looked at me like what is that junk.

 

[maggie101]

One of my cats will not eat her canned food unless I mix in some shredded chicken . It used to not be a problem. Now she is very picky.

 

[Uncled]

One of mine is not crazy about the "Mixed Grill" canned cat food, rather than take it personally I just gave the cans to a coworker who's cat enjoyed them.

 

[maggiedemi]

Have you tried the Friskies Shreds? That's basically the only type Demi will eat. Maggie likes the Pate.

They eat Cat Chow Complete in the blue bag for dry food. They won't eat anything else. I'm sick of throwing expensive kibble away, so I'm sticking with this.