Fussy eater

[jaq1964]

Hi, can anyone help? My cat (Bobby) is a year old. Up until he was 10 1/2 months he was fed on a popular branded cat food which were in pouches.

Now he is eating a lot more I would like to start giving him tinned cat food as this would be a lot cheaper.

However, Bobby has a different opinion. Although I'm still feeding him on the same brand/kind of cat food, he totally refuses to eat it, he just sniffs it and starts 'pawing' the floor and bowl (his way of asking for more).

He is a bit of a fussy devil anyway. He won't eat food that is in gravy, prefering food in jelly which he licks off before tackling the meat. He will not touch dry food. I don't give him milk of any kind only water, which again he won't drink from the bowl only the running sink tap (a 'trick' from when he was a kitten) or the water left in the bottom of the shower.

I've tried just refusing to give him anything else, but end out chucking the food away as it just sits there going off. In the end I have to give in or he'll just starve. I've even tried the same trick as the cat food advert and put tinned food into a pouch, but he's a canny cat and knows what I'm doing!

Any ideas? As I say, it would be a LOT cheaper and more convenient.

Thanks in advance,

Jacqui

[gessoo]

Stubborn individuals aren't they and they can twist you round their little fingers (well toes!). Did you know all that pawing of the ground around the bowl and the bowl is an attempt to cover the food up and is a natural instinct from their wild origins? It's to stop others eating it.

Have you tried the good makes of dried food. I use Hills Diet Food which all my cats have always liked. I buy a huge pack for �20.00 and it lasts for simply ages, but you can get trial packs. It won't at least go off in the dish. If he likes it you can then start mixing a little tinned food with it if you like.

Just an idea. By the way, he won't starve himself! I have found that having more than one cat makes them eat most things 'cos they don't want the others to get it!!

Good luck.

[gessoo]

Just a thought - it often helps to leave little bowls of dried food hidden away in several places. Some cats are very happy to steal food they think is not for them.

[gessoo]

This question might help you too.

http://www.theanswerbank.co.uk/Animals_and_Nature/Question243997.html

[gessoo]

Sorry

http://www.theanswerbank.co.uk/Animals_and_Nature/Question244096.html

[Kozmic Blues]

leave the food you want him to eat down every so often.He will have to eat it sometime.he wont starve.

kozmic

[Litchick]

Jaqci, it may be a good idea to try to get him to eat some dry food because it helps clean their teeth. Eating only soft (tinned) food is not ideal. If you can't get him to eat the dry food, you could try to brush his teeth (yeah, right! I know believe me..lol!) but worth a try... :)

[Kozmic Blues]

Just a website to look at.hope it might help a little.

http://www.statelinetack.com/global/articles/a rticle_detail.jsp?CONTENT%3C%3Ecnt_id=10134198 673267276&FOLDER%3C%3Efolder_id=9852723696 503976&bmUID=1147823710495&In=Books+%2 6+Gifts&N=2024178

[CheekyChops]

I thought you were talking about my cat for minute there! He is exactly the sam, sniffs it and looks at me as if I have laced it with arsenic.

He loves Felix pouches, especially tuna flavour, but won't touch tuna favour tinned Felix. He will only eat the stuff in jelly, not gravy and won't eat the (expensive) 'roasted' variety. Its a flippin nuisance 'cos apart from the cost, if I ever run out of cat food my local shop only sells tins, not pouches!

[Filbert]

My cat is an extremely fussy eater.

He will only eat tins of Felix in jelly. We've tried other brands but he doesn't want to know. (He too tries to paw it away and bury it!)

Due to a recent health problem, he's had to go on special dried food from the vets...he is not happy!!

[jaq1964]

Hi Everybody.

Thanks for your replies.

I forgot to mention that Bobby loves eating cucmber, melon,pasta and curry! His favourite being cucumber. I keeo guinea pigs and feed them cucumber. When I cut it up fpr them I have to be careful that the little beast doesn't swipe a piece!

About feeding dry food...

When I got Bobby, at 6 weeks old, he was the runt of the litter and was very small (11oz). He wasn't being fed properly by his mum as his siblings bullied him when it came to feeding. I contacted the RSPCA for advise and was told to feed him Iams dry food, which Bobby wouldn't touch. I then tried him with Felix, again with no success. However, he ate Whiskas pouches.Whiskas Kitten food is sold in pouches and small tins, but Bobby didn't like the consistency of the tinned food (like pate).

If Whiskas sold kitten tinned food which is the same as the pouches, I would have started feeding him the tins from the start. Instead he has become 'spoilt' by the more expensive food.

I had to take Bobby to the vets for his injections. The vet there was very much against feeding cats with dry food (something to do with their kidneys). So I haven't made a big effort to feed him with it. I would be grateful for your opinions on this matter. Thankyou.

Anyway, must go, Bobby is driving me nuts for atttention.

Jacqui

[Litchick]

Hi again, Jacqi -- interesting...my kitten was also very tiny about the same weight in ounces as your Bobby (now she's a big girl 8 pounds!!!)...anyway, she started off on the Whiskas pouches too and then suddenly at around 10 mos didn't care for it anymore and we switched her to Fancy Feast tins and Purina O.N.E. dry food. She didn't like the Iams either. I honestly have never heard a vet (at least mine) say that the dry food was not good for them. If anything, they said too much tinned is no good. It does make sense how the dry food would help clean the teeth. Hope this is a help.

[lady_ghana]

well, firstb you njeed