What do you do with a kitty that's a fussy eater?

B

BAM

Cathlete
As some of you know, a kitty has recently adopted me and man oh man, she has quite the discerning palate. :mad: She was o.k. with the dry food I started feeding her a couple of weeks ago when she first found me but now barely likes that. She does not like tuna or any type of seafood. I found one canned food that she likes but that's it. I've tried others and they just sit in her dish and eventually she will eat it but she's obviously holding out for something better. I just put a new dry food in her dish and she snubbed that as well. Should I just say the heck with it knowing she has food and will eat when she can't stand the hunger anymore? Quite a few posters had recommended Wellness Formula cat food but it is quite expensive and with her challenging tastes, I'd hate to spend that kind of money to have her eschew that as well. Also, do you feed your cat a combination of dry and moist or mostly one or the other? Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

Also, are there natural things you can spray on plants or furniture that has a scent to discourage her from those areas? I haven't had a cat in many ages and am out of practice.

Thank you.
Bam
 
It's also possible she's just a light eater and prefers to eat many tiny meals. You could pick up a few cans of the Wellness wet and see if she likes it. They have these pouch meals that I give my kitties for a special treat--apparantly they are crazy delicious. She could also have an upset tummy that will go away; cats really react to even small changes in their food.

I split 1 or 2 cans/day of the Wellness wet between my 3 kittens (was just 2 and then another one came along this week). I mix Wellness dry with Purina dry and they like that and it's a bit cheaper.

From what I hear now it's important for cats to get some wet food, and I also add a bit of hot water to the wet food to improve the hydration factor. Cats on all-dry diets tend to be a bit dehydrated. You can get one of the those kitty drinking fountains to encourage her to drink enough water--they really love those.

They do make sprays like you are describing. I'd say avoid the harsh chemical ones and look for some that include non-toxic natural smells that kitties don't like (lavender, rosemary, citrus). Good luck with your special baby!

Amy
 
Are there cats that are not "discerning" eaters?! Just to say--my cats hate Wellness dry or wet. The one food it seems like they all eat is Fancy Feast in the can and even then some flavors more than others. I once met a guy in the supermarket in all his motorcycle gear--black leather, chains etc rough looking guy, standing in front of the cat food moaning that he just didn't know what she liked anymore. I spend more time cruising the cat food then I do for my own dinner. But she is new and I guess she is testing you. I don't know how concerned you are with feeding her a premium food but I find that Fancy Feast is usually acceptable and it was never on the recall list as far as I remember.
 
My last cat would only eat Friskies canned food - the prime filets ONLY. My current cats eat Wellness canned food, but I think they would eat any kind of cat food. The vet has told me canned food is very important for cats to have and that dry food is not good for their teeth, like I had always thought. I would recommend feeding your cat whatever you have found he/she does like. Cats don't need variety like we would think they may enjoy!

Good luck with your kitty!

Sherry
 
I appreciate everyone's input!!!

Thanks Amy for posting the link to that article. It has great information!

Sherry, I really thought cats needed variety. I'll have to work on that concept. She got really hungry yesterday and finally ended up eating what she had snubbed earlier. Oh, this is so much fun trying to figure out......NOT! :D

On another note, she was treated for ear mites last week and has still been scratching that ear a lot. Last night when I got home, I noticed redness/rawness at the base of that ear. It is worse today. It looks like a bubble but I'm thinking it's the skin I'm seeing. Any thoughts on what I should do? Boy, new responsibilites are great, aren't they? :(

Bam
 
I have a small dog, who I know isn't the same as a cat...lol...BUT she is an extremly picky eater, and everyone I know always says she has the appetite of a cat! So I guess that says something right there! :)
 
i had a VERY hard time switching dry foods. she has switched from purina one to wellness core, thank god. it has no by-products,corn,wheat,rice,or soy
deboned turkey,deboned chicken,chicken meal,and white fish are the first ingredients. she eats very little for an adult cat so i would worry that shes not getting enough when i was trying to switch. if u try giving her canned food do not give her fancy feast.it has natural flavors so cats get addicted to it. i am trying to get her hooked on wellness canned but she does not seem to like it.

laura
 
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