cat food

[blondegirly]

my cat has lost weight recently - not enough for me to want to take him to the vet but am concerned.  He only seems to eat the jelly from whichever cat food I buy and leaves the meat to go off in the bowl all day.  Other times he has eaten the dried food that stays out and left the tinned food entirely.  the same thing happened when I tried Felix pouches.  Has anyone else had this? shoudl I be worried?  

[Octavius]

My cats do this on and off, sometimes it could be because of the hot weather or they just don't feel like eating what you have put out - or as you say, just lick the jelly off and leave the meat.  Tinned food definitely gets a turned up nose.

Usually a cat will show other signs if there is something wrong, perhaps the way they walk or if they are more bad-tempered than usual - you know their personality.  Otherwise, there is no harm in getting a quick once over with the vet if you are worried.  

[Fern57]

Check his teeth. One of my cats had a tooth abcess one time. The only sign she displayed was she stopped eating solid food. Worth looking at I think.

[alan30]

Agree with the last post.  Have had 2 cats with tooth problems that only ate the jelly until teeth were sorted.

[Kimmiebear]

you could try mixing the cat food (tinned stuff) with some warm water to make it smelly and soft. Some cats like it better that way.

[blondegirly]

thank you for advice re abcess - would it stop him eating his dried food tho - he had polished that off overnight last night but again left the meat and licked off the jelly? Any suggestions about getting inot his mouth? he's not the most comliant of cats... I have resorted to wrapping him in a towel to avoid legs and claws all over the place before but always happy for further advice?

[maggie01]

I always used to give my cats a tin of pilchards or tuna. If they didn't eat that then I knew something was up.

[Fern57]

It sounds like he prefers his dried food to tinned. You could try another brand, and see if he's still picky. If he is eating only dried food, make sure he has access to plenty of frest water else he could get a urinary or kidney problem.

[blondegirly]

When I first got him from a rescue place at 18 months I thought the dried route would be ideal in terms of ease and health etc but he looked at me askance at me and refused it point blank so we resorted to wet.  he only sometimes eats it.  I had high hopes for the warm water route and that has failed.  it seems more and more like the vet.  he cries for food, takes a couple of mouthfuls then goes outside again and it is there ortting in the monring