tricks for picky eaters?

[kwren]

can you please share some of your tried and true tricks to get a picky eater to scarf down their wet food?

i could really use some suggestions... treats and things to sprinkle on the food if they are turning their noses up at the second half of the same can they ate happily earlier that day

i don't want to waste food, and the pickiness drives me nuts!

they get a mix of things, wellness, evo, some authority, some natural balance, nutro natural choice, blue spa select...

is too much variety a bad thing?

 

[otto]

Warm the food. All my cats get warm meals

I run hot water over their dishes, leave a tiny bit of water (depending on the cat, some will tolerate more than others) and stir the wet food in the dish until all the heat is absorbed. If it's still cold, I let the dish sit in another dish of hot water for a minute or two.

Tolly, my picky eater, sometimes holds out for a few pieces of Mazy's prescription c/d kibble sprinkled on top.

 

[~*regina*~]

I had the worst time feeding my cat wet food, she was also picky. I also just add hot water to her wet food and she eats it up no problem.

 

[addiebee]

When my boys are not too fond of the wet in front of them, I crumble up some freeze-dried fish or chicken or some bonito flake onto the wet... and they make "all gone."

 

[sharky]

Originally Posted by AddieBee

When my boys are not too fond of the wet in front of them, I crumble up some freeze-dried fish or chicken or some bonito flake onto the wet... and they make "all gone."

that works for a couple of mine the others like the warm "broth"

 

[strange_wings]

Are those all pate style wet foods? If so, you might try one that's a cuts in gravy style. Some cats prefer those.

 

[kwren]

i do warm their food normally, and they will only eat pate style foods. they seem to like them more when they are soupy so i water it down. if i give them chunks in gravy they will lick off the gravy and leave the chunks.

i have some bonito flakes in the cabinet i will try that next time the food just sits!

can you buy freeze-dried meats at pet stores? i was thinking about maybe picking up some freeze-dried fish and some chicken livers or something but i'm not sure where to look for them. i haven't really given my cats treats other than the occasional bits of shredded chicken breast or a spoonful of yogurt.

i have one cat who will usually clean his plate but doesn't always like chicken based foods and one who is pickier. if he really loves the food he will finish most of it at once, then go back and finish it in a few minutes. if he is not as fond of the food it can take him up to an hour or two to finish. i try not to leave the wet out for too long, but if i pick it up before he is *done* he yells at me and tries to kill me on the stairs

(i love it when they try to circle my legs on the steps) if it is not a "good" batch of food or the right flavor he will eat a little, go back for a little later, and will just leave it mostly uneaten.

then we have mr chubby, who will inhale anything that is put in front of him at all. he's not picky in the least.

 

[nolia]

Do the warming thing, also you can try giving your cat a treat, and then drop the second one into the wet food. (add a little water to soften it).

If he's just not willing to taste it, wipe some on his leg. He'll lick it clean and then he can't say he didn't try it. XD

 

[littleraven7726]

For my picky one, he gets what he wants for wet food. Lately that is Fancy Feast.

He's almost 13, so what he wants is what is served.

I also sprinkle tuna flakes on his wet food if he's not interested at first. That usually works. He gets Cosequin sprinkled on his breakfast, and he actually won't eat if it's not on there. He likes different flavors each meal too. So I serve something in gravy for his breakfast, and a loaf flavor for dinner. If for example one meal is chicken, I will serve a different meat or fish for the next meal.

 

[merrytreecats]

Little bitta tuna oil. Even if the tuna's in water, sprinkle a little bit of that water on it. And like someone said try warming it up, like 5 - 10 seconds in the microwave, testing it when it comes out.

Also, don't be afraid to let kitty skip a meal then try again. Sometimes they just have to be a little more hungry before they finally cave. But I've never seen a cat turn down anything with tuna on it.

 

[sharky]

Originally Posted by merrytreecats

Little bitta tuna oil. Even if the tuna's in water, sprinkle a little bit of that water on it. And like someone said try warming it up, like 5 - 10 seconds in the microwave, testing it when it comes out.

Also, don't be afraid to let kitty skip a meal then try again. Sometimes they just have to be a little more hungry before they finally cave. But I've never seen a cat turn down anything with tuna on it.

I have five under my roof at the present who are not tuna fans... 3 with NOT touch it and two will only touch the tuna if nothing else is avail... Yes these are the First I have had like this

 

[brookesphynx]

My cats would eat cardboard if it had dehydrated chicken liver sprinkled on top! That's my "go-to" fix if one of them is being picky.

 

[merrytreecats]

Just goes to show you never can tell with cats! I was sure tuna was a universal favourite! My cats past and present have gone nuts every time I open a can of it! Even if they just ate. It doesn't matter. They stare up at me with their eyes all round.

 

[penstemon]

Kato has always been a prickly eater' but last July he developed aversion to chicken base foods. I had been using Whiska. reason he woulds eat, traveling we usually could find it. Upset stomach was occurring too often. I still getting up to feed him. I search the stores for a dry food without chicken, I came up with Purina Fancy Feast Ocean fish & salmon. He will eat it. he get a little meow mix with every feeding. I was going to switch to their food. Samples were given. After his experience at the Vets, he refused to eat anything that had the smell . I gave up and went back to Purina. All the packets were taken to Simply Cats, a local shelter.

BTW, he has never eaten a treat; he buries it. He doesn't like cat nip. Since his Vet's experience he no longer wants to be feed at 2 or 3 AM.