Will a Finicky Cat Starve Itself?

[purrrdy]

I have been a dog person my entire life, and I am here researching and learning before my new kitten arrives in a month or two. I cant help but notice over and over how cat owners constantly say their cat is picky, it wont eat a certain food brand due to a slight variation in texture, or flavor, etc. I see people jumping from brand to brand, throwing food away and going to extremes to cater to their cat's pickiness. Giving away very expensive, high quality foods and switching to bottom shelf junk food filled with sugars, dyes and chemical flavors because the cats want to eat the junk food instead. In my mind, its like a toddler crying at each healthy meal because they want to eat Fruit Loops and Ice Cream instead of a chicken salad. Surely cats in the wild have, for millions of years, eaten extremely varied diets based on whatever they can catch or forage each day.

With dogs, it is common knowledge that a picky dog is spoiled and has its owners trained, and that if you set the food down, (even for a dog that has learned how to manipulate its owner into giving it the wrong foods), it will eat in a day or two when it gets hungry enough and realizes that no one is going to give in and keep swapping out foods. It's all about the dog training the human, and the human giving in.

Is there something I am missing about cats when it comes to food issues? Is there a legitimate reason why cats cannot or will not eat certain foods? Will a cat literally starve itself because it prefers chunky style textures over pate? If people posted all of these picky feeding issues on any dog forum, the advice would be the same always - "feed the dog the healthiest food you can afford, set it down, and when he is hungry he will eat it." Anyone who switched brands 20 times, threw away high end food and switched to junk food, or let their dog eat 2 bites of a can then throwing the rest in the trash would be scolded for training their dog to be picky by doing these things.

I'm not trying to insult anyone, its just as a dog person, the common mentality I see for feeding cats is 100% polar opposite of what I am used to. Also, it seems very common, discussed on many threads, and seems to be accepted behavior by all of the other cat owners.

Is there a legit reason? Will a cat literally starve itself to death and die if it is forced to eat chicken -vs- tuna or pate -vs- stew against it's will? Is there a reason why no one ever leaves the food sit there until the cat is hungry enough to eat it?

 

[nora1]

I've also wondered this myself! I've heard horror stories of cats who literally go days without eating, where they lose weight and become sick. I personally have never experienced this as my one and only cat is not picky in the slightest and loves whatever I put down for her!

You're right on with dogs. They will wait it out for as long as they can, then eventually give in, and eat what's given to them. 

I'm very interested to see how others respond to this!

 

[Willowy]

Yes, cats WILL refuse to eat and then get sick. I had one do it. . .she went into liver failure and I had to force-feed her for 2 months :/. All because I ran out of her favorite food and didn't notice she wasn't eating the other stuff.

The main thing, I think, is that maybe a cat won't actually deliberately starve themselves, but if a cat doesn't eat for a few days, usually they get hepatic lipidosis and go into liver failure and then they can't eat and there you have it. But, yep, absolutely true. Not all cats are that picky but some just are.

I do think that exposing them to a lot of different textures/flavors while they're young makes a big difference----if they weren't exposed to something when young enough to imprint they just plain don't recognize it as food.

 

[catsallaround]

YES!  My one cat will NOT eat wet.  He is also a bit fussy about dry brands and if you mix 2 brands in will pull out the one he wants.

 

[ldg]

:heart2:

I also think picky cats often are cats that don't feel well. That has been my experience. I thought Lazlo was being picky. Turned out he had a large cancerous mass in his stomach. That's uncommon. But inflammation we can't see, excess bile they don't throw up, accumulation of hair... so many things can cause a cat to feel "off."

2.5 years into remission, Lazlo still has issues. When he feels well, he eats well. When he's a little nauseous, even if I don't see it, his sniffing, but not eating, his food tells me there's a problem. It would be easy to chalk it up to being "picky."

 

[Kat0121]

 
I have been a dog person my entire life, and I am here researching and learning before my new kitten arrives in a month or two. I cant help but notice over and over how cat owners constantly say their cat is picky, it wont eat a certain food brand due to a slight variation in texture, or flavor, etc. I see people jumping from brand to brand, throwing food away and going to extremes to cater to their cat's pickiness. Giving away very expensive, high quality foods and switching to bottom shelf junk food filled with sugars, dyes and chemical flavors because the cats want to eat the junk food instead. In my mind, its like a toddler crying at each healthy meal because they want to eat Fruit Loops and Ice Cream instead of a chicken salad. Surely cats in the wild have, for millions of years, eaten extremely varied diets based on whatever they can catch or forage each day.

With dogs, it is common knowledge that a picky dog is spoiled and has its owners trained, and that if you set the food down, (even for a dog that has learned how to manipulate its owner into giving it the wrong foods), it will eat in a day or two when it gets hungry enough and realizes that no one is going to give in and keep swapping out foods. It's all about the dog training the human, and the human giving in.

Is there something I am missing about cats when it comes to food issues? Is there a legitimate reason why cats cannot or will not eat certain foods? Will a cat literally starve itself because it prefers chunky style textures over pate? If people posted all of these picky feeding issues on any dog forum, the advice would be the same always - "feed the dog the healthiest food you can afford, set it down, and when he is hungry he will eat it." Anyone who switched brands 20 times, threw away high end food and switched to junk food, or let their dog eat 2 bites of a can then throwing the rest in the trash would be scolded for training their dog to be picky by doing these things.

I'm not trying to insult anyone, its just as a dog person, the common mentality I see for feeding cats is 100% polar opposite of what I am used to. Also, it seems very common, discussed on many threads, and seems to be accepted behavior by all of the other cat owners.

Is there a legit reason? Will a cat literally starve itself to death and die if it is forced to eat chicken -vs- tuna or pate -vs- stew against it's will? Is there a reason why no one ever leaves the food sit there until the cat is hungry enough to eat it?

I have been a cat person who has only had dogs her whole life until recently for reasons beyond her control so I understand what you're saying about dogs. I have also become one of those cat people who will go through can after can after can of cat food to find the brand, flavor and texture that each of my girls will not just eat but truly enjoy. They have just recently become very, very picky and there are only a few foods that they will both eat. more than a few cans of high end food have gone in the garbage but I have not gone down to lower quality foods out of frustration. It was the other way around. they were eating Sheba and Fancy Feast pates until they put their paws down and said, "enough, no more" and simply refused to take another bite. they now refuse pates regardless of who makes them. My dog, however, is not picky at all and will eat any food happily including cat food which I found out the hard way does not agree with her at all. 

From my experience and also what I have read from the many experts on this site, you cannot make a cat do something it does not want to do. I found, through trial and error ( and recommendations from members here) a rotation of very good quality foods that received each kitty's seal of approval. I have a shelf in my pantry set aside for cat food. Lilith's is on the left, Sophie's is on the right.  That way if my daughter feeds them, she will know who gets what. they were the teachers and I was the student. To me, just putting down any kind of food with the mentality that they will eat it if they get hungry enough isn't how I want to do things. They were eating the Sheba and FF just fine and then no more. I am not going to force them (as if I could) to eat something they don't like. I have seen (and posted on) most of the threads you refer to. Yes, it seems to be common behavior but IMO if tossing some cans of cat food in the trash was what needed to be done to ensure that the girls were getting enough to eat, then so be it. I don't see myself tossing anymore food any time soon since now have a decent variety that they both really enjoy in their rotations. Peace has been restored (for now) 

Soon you will understand. when the day comes and the kitty's dish is still full and she/he is looking at it, then at you with that, "I don't like this stuff." look on his/her face and you find yourself looking for something to replace it with because your sweet little baby is hungry, you'll understand. we all understand. Cats are quirky creatures but it's part of their charm and part of why we love them so much.  welcome to cat parenthood!! you're going to love it!

 

[bigperm20]

My father always reminds me of a comedy tape he loved when i was a kid anytime I mention my cats being finicky. On the tape the comedian speaks with regards to "Morris" of 9 Lives cat food, and his finicky antics.

He'll say in his broken Tennessee dialect: "Well... If you'd tho 'ol Morris in that closet for a week or so and turn 'em loose, he'd eat turnip greens..."

This is a joke so no one get offended. He'd never hurt a cat and with his cat Presley who passed recently, he was a great Dad.

Unfortunately, (thankfully ) this approach wouldn't be successful. My girls were so picky I eventually switched them totally to a grain free dry food. Which they both absolutely love. This isn't recommended as cats need extra water intake due to their lack of thirst.

However my girls drink water like crazy so they should be alright. Their coats look much better too believe it or not. I think the cheap canned I was feeding was not very healthy.

 

[catsallaround]

My father always reminds me of a comedy tape he loved when i was a kid anytime I mention my cats being finicky. On the tape the comedian speaks with regards to "Morris" of 9 Lives cat food, and his finicky antics.

He'll say in his broken Tennessee dialect: "Well... If you'd tho 'ol Morris in that closet for a week or so and turn 'em loose, he'd eat turnip greens..."

This is a joke so no one get offended. He'd never hurt a cat and with his cat Presley who passed recently, he was a great Dad.

Unfortunately, (thankfully

) this approach wouldn't be successful. My girls were so picky I eventually switched them totally to a grain free dry food. Which they both absolutely love. This isn't recommended as cats need extra water intake due to their lack of thirst.

However my girls drink water like crazy so they should be alright. Their coats look much better too believe it or not. I think the cheap canned I was feeding was not very healthy.

Lol

I tell my Mom to send her spoiled little ones over here.  She has been known to open a different flavor per cat(and then they do the crosswalk of I want what that one has...)

 

[p3 and the king]

I am probably going to get some backlash for this as it does not agree with the popular opinion, but according to textbook and vets I have consulted on this matter... Cats will not puposely starve themselves. There is always a reason for them to not want to eat, besides not liking what is offered.  However, it can sometimes be difficult to discover because cats are good at hiding illness, pain and weakness.  It's a natural survival mechanism to hide it well.  They always asks these questions at the clinic I work at: How long has your cat not been eating? Is it acting normally otherwise? How old is the cat? Is it neutered/spayed, or not?               

 

[bigperm20]

Opinions are like ... Everybody has one...

 

[Willowy]

I am probably going to get some backlash for this as it does not agree with the popular opinion, but according to textbook and vets I have consulted on this matter... Cats will not puposely starve themselves. There is always a reason for them to not want to eat, besides not liking what is offered.  However, it can sometimes be difficult to discover because cats are good at hiding illness, pain and weakness.  It's a natural survival mechanism to hide it well.  They always asks these questions at the clinic I work at: How long has your cat not been eating? Is it acting normally otherwise? How old is the cat? Is it neutered/spayed, or not?               

I would think that, but why did Fluffy just not eat when I ran out of her favorite food? She was eating just fine, then I ran out, and about a week later I noticed she had lost weight and was jaundiced (I seriously believed she liked at least one other flavor I was offering, so I didn't take special notice of her eating habits ). The vet said there wasn't a thing wrong with her except for the hepatic lipidosis and not eating, and after I force-fed her for a while, got her past the nausea and her liver cleared out (and I stocked up on her favorite food) she started eating again, and is doing great now, eating just fine and not a thing wrong with her :dk:. I honestly didn't think a healthy cat would really starve herself before the Fluffy incident. I will allow that Fluffy is a weird cat who has never been quite right in the head (she was an undernourished orphan kitten) but she is/was perfectly healthy in body.

 

[p3 and the king]

I would think that, but why did Fluffy just not eat when I ran out of her favorite food? She was eating just fine, then I ran out, and a few days later I noticed she was jaundiced

. The vet said there wasn't a thing wrong with her except for the hepatic lipidosis, and after I force-fed her for a while, got her past the nausea and her liver cleared out (and I stocked up on her favorite food) she started eating again, and is doing great now, eating just fine and not a thing wrong with her

. I honestly didn't think a healthy cat would really starve herself before the Fluffy incident.

It never hurts to get a second opinion.  Maybe another vet can think of something or notice something the other doesn't?  Before I started working where I do now, I had 2 different vets actually.  Now, I have 3.  They all agree on my statement.  The myths out there about cats, many need to be forgotten and dispelled.  Because they create a false mindset and people write of finiky as just "natural for a cat."  Not so.  I am not saying they don't get bored and tired of the same ol same ol or even reject (temporarily) something different, but for the most part, this is a myth.

 

[Willowy]

If you say so. . .having experienced it myself I'm rather inclined to believe otherwise. I will never advise anybody to starve their picky cat out like you'd do with a dog. It's just too dangerous, IMO.

 

[p3 and the king]

If you say so. . .having experienced it myself I'm rather inclined to believe otherwise. I will never advise anybody to starve their picky cat out like you'd do with a dog. It's just too dangerous, IMO.

Um, I don't recall saying that?  I was saying that the cat won't starve themselves to death, according to textbooks and professionals.  The only reason they would starve themselves would be because something is wrong with them.  I didn't say you have to agree with me.  But, don't just twist my words into something I didn't say just because it doesn't agree with you or the myth.

 

[catsallaround]

P3 and the king-Would you be willing to take my cat to get him off dry!? He will gnaw on you/random objects if he does not see his food and wants it(could be minutes after being in room with food-1 cat is food controlled diabetic and CAN NOT have dry)  I truly think he will go into failure before eating wet. Now he is not the sharpest cat(I say that in the most loving way possible)  He will eat any dry but has preferences among the dry too.

I am terrified if he becomes diabetic or even if he needs a RX dry down road...

Now the rest of my gang.  They eat anything put down.  They may not love it and look at you like is something better coming?  

 

[p3 and the king]

Regardless of "opinions" the fact remains that if a cat is starving themselves and refuses to eat at all, you need to have them checked out by their vet.  That is the fact.  It may be something unrelated to food.  I knew I'd get flack for this, I said so in my first post.  People really need to learn to read and respect other viewpoints and not attack someone for offering a different perspective.

 

[Willowy]

Regardless of "opinions" the fact remains that if a cat is starving themselves and refuses to eat at all, you need to have them checked out by their vet.  That is the fact.  It may be something unrelated to food.

Now that I definitely agree with. If a cat won't eat ANYTHING, something is definitely wrong.

But refusing to eat a food they don't like, even to the point of getting hepatic lipidosis ("starving"), yes, I do think a lot of cats will do that. (since that was the point of the OP).

 

[quiet]

I have seen owners who's regular vets put their cats on a restricted diet come in to the hospital I used to work at with hepatic lipidosis. this isn't a completely anorexic cat either. I have seen it with cats with reduced intake of food. I honestly think if there is one food they like then stick with it. I don't think that as long as it is a balanced diet,  they do  not need  variety. Even 24 hours of not eating is a potential life threatening situation in a cat. If you think there is something wrong with your cat there is. Cats will hide any sort of illness until they are to sick to hide it anymore. Then they are very sick. Often times the cause of the anorexia that will bring on hepatic lipidosis is never discovered.

 

[p3 and the king]

 
P3 and the king-Would you be willing to take my cat to get him off dry!? He will gnaw on you/random objects if he does not see his food and wants it(could be minutes after being in room with food-1 cat is food controlled diabetic and CAN NOT have dry)  I truly think he will go into failure before eating wet. Now he is not the sharpest cat(I say that in the most loving way possible)  He will eat any dry but has preferences among the dry too.

I am terrified if he becomes diabetic or even if he needs a RX dry down road...

Now the rest of my gang.  They eat anything put down.  They may not love it and look at you like

 
I have seen owners who's regular vets put their cats on a restricted diet come in to the hospital I used to work at with hepatic lipidosis. this isn't a completely anorexic cat either. I have seen it with cats with reduced intake of food. I honestly think if there is one food they like then stick with it. I don't think that as long as it is a balanced diet,  they do  not need  variety. Even 24 hours of not eating is a potential life threatening situation in a cat. If you think there is something wrong with your cat there is. Cats will hide any sort of illness until they are to sick to hide it anymore. Then they are very sick. Often times the cause of the anorexia that will bring on hepatic lipidosis is never discovered.

Thank you!  Well said... My point exactly.  My point was that people are inclined to believe a myth that cats are finiky and will starve themselves on purpose, this is not true, not unless there is something really wrong.

 

[Willowy]

Um, I don't recall saying that?  I was saying that the cat won't starve themselves to death, according to textbooks and professionals.  The only reason they would starve themselves would be because something is wrong with them.  I didn't say you have to agree with me.  But, don't just twist my words into something I didn't say just because it doesn't agree with you or the myth.

That's the implication, though, isn't it? If a cat won't starve him/herself, then if you want a cat to eat a particular food you just have to put it down and wait them out, like with a dog? That's what I would get from the statement.