Starving A Spoiled Cat?

[macyaji]

My cat Rose is very spoiled! She will not eat any dry food so I been feeding her can food for the past 13 month. Now she got into a point where she won't eat the can food either if it is not a flavor she likes. About two month ago I started to intentionally not feed her for half day, so that she will eat whatever I gave her. Every time I starve her for half day she would eat all the food I gave her for the next 5-6 days; but then she goes back to her spoiled self. I want to mention that she is completely healthy and doesn't any digestive issues, If I gave her the food she REALLY loves she can eat 2-3 cans of wet food in one setting. I am thinking about starving her for longer duration so she will learn not to waste food; however I don't want to hurt her in the process. Will she develop any digestive disease if I starve her for a day or two?

 

[Willowy]

No, cats shouldn't go very long without food. They can go into liver failure if they don't eat enough---a very overwieght cat can go into liver failure as soon as 24 hours without food (their body tries to live off their body fat and the fat cells clog the liver), although most cats can go longer than that. But it's not worth the risk.

Also, cats will never "learn not to waste food". Their minds don't work like that. It would just be vindictive.

Just feed her normally, if she doesn't eat than she doesn't eat. But don't let her skip more than 2 meals without doing something about it. If missing one meal usually gets her back on track, that's just fine.

 

[maggiedemi]

I wouldn't starve her for even one day, it's just too dangerous with cats. They go into liver failure very quickly. My cats are very picky too. What brands and textures have you tried? Maybe take a 5.5oz of canned food and feed half in the morning and the other half at night. Then maybe 1/8 to 1/4 cup of dry food for snacking. Try different textures like Shreds or Pate to see what she prefers.

 

[maggiedemi]

What's the wet food that she loves? Can you just buy that?

 

[rubysmama]

As W Willowy and M maggiedemi posted, a cat can develop a serious liver condition called hepatic lipidosis, if they go too long without eating.

Per the below TCS article, if it's been more than 24 hours since your cat last ate, you need to step in and try to convince him to eat. If it's been 48 hours since Kitty last ate, contact your vet immediately.

Why Has My Cat Stopped Eating And Is It Dangerous?

I understand your frustration, and have read before about cats who will starve themselves, before eating something they don't want, but you still have to do everything you can to ensure she gets enough calories each day.

Here's another TCS article that maybe helpful:
How To Get Your Cat To Start Eating Again

 

[Hellenww]

Other have explained the dangers of holding back meals. As humans we get bored with the same thing everyday, I'm not sure that's true for cats. I've even heard that variety can create a finicky cat. We used to feed a different flavor at each meal and sometimes they would eat it all and sometimes turn their noses up at a flavor they liked a few days prior.

Yoshi developed a skin problem so we switched to Blue Buffalo Indoor Fish flavor for both dry and wet. They each get a 1/2 small can each night (more as a treat than a meal) and free access to dry. They both finish their dry everyday. Sqeeker likes to take a few hours to finish and Yoshi gobbles his down so we put a pot lid on Sqeekers and he sqeeks at us when he wants to eat.

I don't think a healthy cat will let them self starve if food, even not their first choice, is available. Be patient with your little one.