Running Out Of Canned Food Ideas For My Very Picky Cats

[destinyz12]

So I have 2 young, healthy cats, and they have both always been on the picky side...or at least my older one has, while the younger one will strangely only eat/copy what the older one approves of. I've always managed to find a rotation of a few brands/flavors that they will eat, but they've been turning their nose up at all of those varieties recently now....after buying full cases, naturally. I've tried a lot of brands in the past that they've refused so I'm running out of ideas. They have dry food that they eat without issue, but I don't want that to make up any more than half of their diet.

Soooo...I need suggestions for more (healthy) options that I haven't tried yet- preferably with no grains, no carageenan, and little to no veggie/fruit fillers

*Foods they started turning their nose up at that they used to love consistently: Nutro natural choice, Whole Earth Farms, Chicken Soup for the Soul, Sheba, Merrick Purrfect Bistro trays

*Foods they loved for about a day or 2, then decided they didn't like- Maybe I should give these another shot? : Soulistic, Weruva, Earthborn Holistic, Fancy Feast classics, Hound & Gatos, Canidae

*Foods I've tried that they hated right away: Tiki Cat, Wild Calling, Merrick Back Country, Evo, Fussie Cat, nature's variety instinct, Merrick LID, and probably others I can't think of.

*Budget can't be higher than what Weruva/tiki cat usually costs so the super premium brands like Feline Natural are out.

 

[Yanaka]

Mine too. It's driving me nuts. They love Rad Cat (not all flavors), but it's too expensive

 

[mrsgreenjeens]

With cats, what one person recommends for their picky cat won't necessarily work for the next persons picky cat. My only recommendation is to just keep trying other cans until you happen upon something they like. This is what I do. BUT, I will say that one day they won't like something, then a few days later they will eat it again. They're just weird that way . It's very annoying, to say the least .

 

[Furballsmom]

I had gone the route you did, sort of, and ran into pretty much the same reactions, either sooner or later.
Then a couple weeks ago or so, I read on this site the confirmation that Fancy Feast changed their recipe (he'd been getting fussy about this, the ONE AND ONLY food he was reliably crazy about) which explained his reluctance and also a certain amount of weight loss (he's healthy).
So, I took a different approach and went to a popular pet store and to my local grocery stores, and found a lot of varieties and brands I hadn't previously tried (there's a Tractor Supply in town but a bit of a drive).
Anyway, I'm mainly avoiding one frightening additive as much as I can, and attempting to utilize variety to offset bad additives and possible protein allergies, et al.
I'm currently having some luck with Applaws but it's not a "complete" food - the ingredient list is super short and has zero additives and according to the label on the can their wet food is intended to be fed as a compliment to their kibble --but, luck meaning he's actually eating it.
I'm still on the hunt to find something that'll eventually replace FF...
Bonito flakes are a topper that is getting him to eat, also freeze dried minnows, mackerel, some pouch treats and his kibble.
I also wanted to mention that there are a couple of websites that allow orders of small quantities, thanks to duckpond 's research, those being Only Natural Pet, and The Big Bad Woof.
Update, I see that Only Natural Pet products are available now at PetSmart.

 

[duckpond]

mine go through this too i just push the refused foods to the back of the pantry, and rotate back to them. Right now all my cats really want other than the elsey's dry, is Tiki cat after dark, American journey, mainly the minced poultry flavors, but occasionally the chicken pate, and when they can con me into a can of Earthborn Monterrey medley. Last month they hated Monterrey medley and only wanted Catalina catch for fish. this month the exact opposite.

American journey is chewys new food, if you have not tried it you might want to. and i think they have a 1/2 price on your first case of wet, and bag of dry. something like that anyway

 

[lisahe]

With cats, what one person recommends for their picky cat won't necessarily work for the next persons picky cat. My only recommendation is to just keep trying other cans until you happen upon something they like. This is what I do. BUT, I will say that one day they won't like something, then a few days later they will eat it again. They're just weird that way . It's very annoying, to say the least .

Same here, all around! I usually find that if I set a food aside for a few months, the cats will eat it again later. They're very picky about their canned foods -- they'll eat their freeze-dried raw, homecooked, and Rad Cat over and over, but not canned for some reason.

Two newer foods (for them) that I've been feeding them are Koha duck stew and Fromm's turkey. I don't like that the Fromm's has some tomato (paste, I think?) in it but there are no carby vegetables and I also avoid carrageenan, agar-agar, Even our pickier cat loves them both. Though I'm tempting fate here because it's been a few months now! I also feed an occasional can of a Weruva Cats in the Kitchen food that has chicken plus some sort of fish: I don't like feeding them much fish but they really love those so they're a nice treat for everything, including me because they're good for nights when I don't feel like having feeding hassles.

destinyz12 , honestly, though, the best thing for feeding problems is often toppers. Ireland (the picky one) will eat just about anything with Pure Bites chicken dust and/or egg yolk powder sprinkled on it. If it's a food she doesn't really like, it might need a second sprinkle half-way through but at least it will get her to finish.

Good luck!

 

[destinyz12]

Slight update- we tried moving around some things with their feeding arrangement last night, starting with giving them their dry food in the morning instead of at night, and giving the wet at night- and also tried using different bowls- shallow and wider ceramic ones instead of the tiny metal ones, and moved their food out of the kitchen and into a quieter room. Also re-introduced a food they haven't had in a long time, and they ate all of their wet food last night. Whether that will continue to work, we will see, but its a start! They were reluctant at first, but eventually all of their food disappeared overnight once they realized they weren't getting dry food

 

[Furballsmom]

 

[lisahe]

Slight update- we tried moving around some things with their feeding arrangement last night, starting with giving them their dry food in the morning instead of at night, and giving the wet at night- and also tried using different bowls- shallow and wider ceramic ones instead of the tiny metal ones, and moved their food out of the kitchen and into a quieter room. Also re-introduced a food they haven't had in a long time, and they ate all of their wet food last night. Whether that will continue to work, we will see, but its a start! They were reluctant at first, but eventually all of their food disappeared overnight once they realized they weren't getting dry food

Yes, sometimes changing things up like that can make a huge difference. Our pickier cat sometimes gets quirky about where she wants to eat: she has four spots she especially likes and I usually follow her to wherever she wants to eat. There's no point in trying to feed her anywhere else because she won't eat unless she's in the right spot. @cheeser has a cat who does something similar!

Anyway, fingers crossed that they keep eating!

 

[Furballsmom]

 

[destinyz12]

2 days in a row so far of finishing off their food. I think the quieter area helped a lot, since they get anxious with too much commotion going on, combined with re-introducing some old foods that they once liked but got sick of after a while.

 

[lisahe]

2 days in a row so far of finishing off their food. I think the quieter area helped a lot, since they get anxious with too much commotion going on, combined with re-introducing some old foods that they once liked but got sick of after a while.

That's great to hear! Quieter definitely works better for our pickier cat, too: little distractions can get her totally off track for her meals. That's also why we have to separate our two cats for meals, since the other cat eats very quickly and then goes to hover over Ireland, in hope of leftovers.

Here's hoping this continues to help!

 

[lokhismom]

have you tried toppers? I sprinkle freeze dried chicken on top of things my Loki may not like and that often works.

 

[lisahe]

have you tried toppers? I sprinkle freeze dried chicken on top of things my Loki may not like and that often works.

We use Pure Bites chicken treats, too, and it really works. Some crumbled freeze-dried raw food (usually Northwest Naturals or Feline Natural) also helps but Ireland really goes crazy for Pure Bites.

 

[destinyz12]

lokhismom We've occasionally tried adding cooked chicken pieces to the food and they would pick out the chicken and leave most of the food behind. Haven't tried actual toppers yet though, which I will keep in mind if they lose interest in the current set up I mentioned above.

 

[lisahe]

Speaking of toppers, I can't believe I forgot to mention that egg yolk powder works really well for Ireland, too. Plus it's supposed to be good to help motility and prevent hairballs, which is why I bought it in the first place!

destinyz12 , I know that "pick out the chicken" syndrome, too! The good thing about freeze-dried treats is that you can crumble them down to powder so they can't pick out pieces. It's definitely good to wait to try toppers only if you really need them, though: at least with our cat, she now expects something on a lot of her food. That's not a horrible thing because all the toppers we use are real food but once a cat learns to work the system, it's game over for the human feeder!

 

[destinyz12]

lisahe My cats have been working the system since the very beginning, and they know I can't resist their cute begging cries

 

[lisahe]

lisahe My cats have been working the system since the very beginning, and they know I can't resist their cute begging cries

They're probably emailing with Ireland, sharing stories and laughing at us!

 

[LilPenelope]

My cat is also extremely picky!

She much prefers fresh food over food that's already been opened in the refrigerator, so I tend to buy the smaller (5.5oz) cans.

I've noticed she really prefers more "gamey" meat like venison. But I find that a bit difficult to find!

So far, she really likes:

Go! Duck Pate (Her fav!)
Go! Chicken, Turkey Duck
Merrick chicken casserole
Natural Balance Chicken, Turkey, Duck
Wellness Core Beef, Venison, Lamb (also a fav)
Weruva Lamburgini

But I've also recently introduced her to a raw diet and she LOVES it!