The Pickiness Has Begun...send Help

[Rini]

I'm a moron. I was just here last week saying I felt lucky Aslan wasn't terribly picky.

The cat gods have struck me down for my arrogance. Foolish human.

He has completely refused to eat the Chicken Flavor Pate for ten days now. At first I thought it was a fluke but he really will not eat it. He used to like it. I am confused. He will then turn his nose up at the gravy kind which he normally loves! Or he'll lick the gravy and leave the food which he normally does not do, he eats the whole thing.

Maybe he's overfed and that's allowing him to be extra picky. I could try feeding him less so he's more likely to eat? He will literally sit there, sniff it and then walk to the cabinet where I keep the food until I fetch him something else. After him not eating for a whole day I broke down and gave him the beef pate (favorite) and one of the high in carb medleys, which are supposed to be just for treats once or twice a week. It's ridiculous. I pray this is not his new attitude towards food, I hate wasting a whole dish of cat food. He used to occasionally walk away from one of the flavors he is so so about, usually anything turkey related, but I chalked that up to him being full enough to where he didn't want to eat anything that wasn't a favorite. Now all of a sudden, the turkey is fine but no chicken. Ugh.

It's begun.

 

[catsknowme]

Welcome to the world of ultra-sensitive noses and delicate constitutions. As frustrating as it is for us humans, it is equally hard for cats because they can't tell us why they are refusing a food. This article from Candidae explains it well:
How the 5 Senses Differ Between Dogs and Cats
It is helpful to note that cats are much more susceptible to sickness and disease than humans and dogs, especially dogs. Dogs have very strong stomach acid so they can eat rotten meat and even cannibalize without ill effect. Even with their favorite foods, cats will turn their nose up at a batch whose ingredients were sitting in a barrel somewhere just a little too long.
I had a batch of baby food for my FIV+ feral that not only he but the other cats refused. Gerber stage2 meat baby food is kitty candy around here & is a great way to give medicines and herbs to non-social cats; there was definitely something off in that food and not even the chickens wanted it so I left it for the raccoons because raccoons have even sturdier systems than dogs; raccoons are asymptomatic to Parvo, just carriers.
Another consideration is physical - a cat who asks for food but won't eat may be having nausea or oral issues(toothache or mouth sores from feline herpes). It is a good idea to smell its breath and feel around the jaws and chin.....with our furries, it is always a lot of detective work, looking for subtle cues & connecting the dots.
I keep a can of powdered goat milk in the fridge and offer it to a cat who is off its feed. Goat milk, unlike cow milk, is typically easily digestible for lactose-intolerant people, dogs and cats. Fresh raw is best but unless you know a 4-Her or FFA student with dairy goats, it is hard to find as well as expensive.
Please keep us updated on what your sleuthing turns up! We all benefit from each other's learnings that are shared here

 

[Rini]

Oh my gosh, I had not thought that it may be an off batch. I re-ordered the same food so I'll try it again later. I think I'm going to hold off for a while and then try to introduce them back into the rotation later. Thanks fort the suggestion!

 

[Daisy6]

This thread might explain it:

Anyone’s Kitty Snub Different Batches Of The Same Food?

 

[duckpond]

Oh my.... you do not want to know how many cans of food i have thrown out to the out door animals. I have some of the best fed Opossums in the country. Same batch, new batch, same food, new food, mine will snub it all. I think they know i will keep opening those cans until they get the one they want

this is part of the reason i still offer dry. I have gotten a bit tougher about putting out 1 can for each cat, twice per day. if one or two does not eat the wet, they have dry to fall back on.

 

[2BSH]

I have found that feeding a variety of protein and brands keeps my cats from being picky ( for the most part). I mean I would get tired of eating the same things everyday so I figured so so my cats. I feed a rotating diet of different flavors, consistency and brands. I feed a different flavor for every meal. I have way too much fun making cat menus I always get super excited when I find a new food they like.
Do you feed just one flavor? That might be the problem. Try a variety

 

[tangers40]

My cat has now decided she doesn't really like her dry food that she's been eating since I got her last October.....right after I bought a huge 11 lb bag of it. She now picks at the good quality, "healthy" food I had her on, and insists on lower-quality "junk" food that I had a sample bag of. That is now the bees knees. I try to mix the 2 brands together, and she picks out the junk food and sometimes eats a bit of the rest. Sigh. Little monster. Thank goodness she's cute, or I'd have thrown her out with the trash already.

Maybe one of the big box pet stores will let me exchange the giant unopened bag of food for something else, even though I ordered it from Amazon. All I can do is try.....or donate it to the cat rescue.

 

[Rini]

Thank you wonderful fur caretakers. I do feed more than one flavor and texture, though I try to stick to pate mainly and feed the gravy kinds/anything else as a treat only because of the gluten they use to form the "bits" or "shreds" or whatever else. But sometimes he wears me down because that's what he wants. If I give it to him, he'll usually eat his pate after. Little monster wants dessert before dinner some days. I've done my research and the two kinds of treat foods he gets aren't the best but they aren't the worst either.

I order his food in variety packs from Amazon and this go round I have introduced a new flavor (salmon) so we'll see how it goes. I'll try introducing the chicken in again later, maybe he was just bored of it.

 

[2BSH]

Thank you wonderful fur caretakers. I do feed more than one flavor and texture, though I try to stick to pate mainly and feed the gravy kinds/anything else as a treat only because of the gluten they use to form the "bits" or "shreds" or whatever else. But sometimes he wears me down because that's what he wants. If I give it to him, he'll usually eat his pate after. Little monster wants dessert before dinner some days. I've done my research and the two kinds of treat foods he gets aren't the best but they aren't the worst either.

I order his food in variety packs from Amazon and this go round I have introduced a new flavor (salmon) so we'll see how it goes. I'll try introducing the chicken in again later, maybe he was just bored of it.

Sometimes my cats do get tired of a flavor. For the longest time they would not eat turkey ( right after I ordered a case of course). I just push it to the back of the pantry and try it again in a months time. They eat it again like it’s the best thing in the whole world.

 

[lisahe]

Sometimes my cats do get tired of a flavor. For the longest time they would not eat turkey ( right after I ordered a case of course). I just push it to the back of the pantry and try it again in a months time. They eat it again like it’s the best thing in the whole world.

I do this, too! The most recent example is Rawz, which the cats initially loved the decided just wasn't so great. I set it aside for a month or two and fed a can last week. Even Ireland, the picky cat, loved it and ate it like it was Fancy Feast. The only catch is that I'm not sure how it will go over this week, even if it's chicken instead of turkey this time around...

 

[LadyLondonderry]

Argh. Sylvie seems to have become jaded about most of the foods in our current rotation. She does eat them ... eventually ... so I'm not concerned, but sometimes she'll wait hours to do so. I think maybe she's waiting to see if something better will show up, like a bit of salmon or turkey from my dinner plate.

The one food she still dives into with some gusto is the I and Love and You rabbit that I've been feeding her for breakfast. Fingers crossed that she doesn't get bored with that one too!

Looks like I'll be visiting a pet food store or two this weekend in search of new and exciting offerings.

 

[LadyLondonderry]

I spoke too soon -- she barfed up the IALAY rabbit this morning. Fortunately, the Rawz turkey I fed her a few hours later stayed down, as did the Rawz salmon I gave her for dinner. And she loved both of them!

 

[catsknowme]

Poor Sylvie....I can understand how frustrating this is for both of you. When cats are seemingly bored or jaded with their food, it is usually because they are dealing with nausea, lack of ability to smell (warming the food may help) or there is pain associated with eating. And sometimes, if the food makes them hurl, or if it burns or hurts, they associate that flavor/consistency with that certain discomfort experienced. Our cat JC has been dealing with the painful condition of stomatitis so he is increasingly wary of various flavors, brands and textures. Fortunately, my outside cats are more than happy to eat the rejects most of the time and when they, too, sniff & refuse (it happens more often than you would imagine, indicating a vileness in the food), I have a retired laying hen & her rooster who free-roam in the daytime and will eat whatever is left in the dishes.
I hope and pray that Sylvie gets to keep her food down.