Help...Fussy Eaters!!!

Cypresstree

Hey there,

I have two cats, Shadow and Tyson and they have to be the fussiest eaters in Ireland!!

When I got them they were very close to death's door, but both made a full recovery! They're 6 years old now!

Tyson has a few problems over the years, Cysts between his toes, abscess on his eyeball etc etc but he's 100% now! Shadow is just a trooper!

The problem is I started them off on kitten food years ago, and they loved it, then they progressed to adult Whiskas, and then they went off it... then it was Kitekat... and they went off it... and so on etc etc.

Now, they are on Gourmet!!! At this point it is costing me 30e a week to just feed them! I've tried going back to the original catfood, i.e. Whiskas and not giving in until they eat it but they actually went two days and then I gave in!!!

I tried mixing dry food with the catfood, sprinkling chicken on top of the Whiskas etc etc but no joy!!

Any suggestions?

C3

lubie76

Hi Cypresstree. My two refuse to eat cheaper dry foods but will eat the good quality one like Hills 'Science Plan' or other vet recommended types. Seems expensive at about €16 per 2kg bag but it lasts quiet a while and seems to suit them much better than the wet foods

galah

definitely add some dry food - otherwise it'll cost ya an arm and a leg.

My two *can be* fussy as well - one of them went through a phase of only eating one particular flavour of GoCat (meaning that out of 12 pouches, he'd only like 3...) - idiot cat ;-) I changed to another brand for two weeks, and then got him back on GoCat (and now the bloody manufacturer took GoCat off the market and replaced it with Felix - which makes im sick...so we're on to Gourmet as well...)

Anyway, long story short, mix it up a bit, and don't be afraid to leave the food out for a while - if they're really hungry, they'll eat anything...

hadook

An entirely wetfood based diet won't be good for them in the long run - their teeth will suffer etc. From what I've read the best diet is a high quality dry food with sensibly small amounts of wet cat food or various meats for variety. And, if my lot are to be believed, they should also be allowed to eat the pet gerbils in that there tank beside the window now pleaz

If you try your local petshop they should have free mini samples from most of the big dry petfood manufacturers. That way you can test it on your cats without spending a fortune on foods they don't like I'd personally recommend trying Arden Grange catfood, Nutro and/or Royal Canin (RC Sensible is designed for fussy eaters iirc) as all of my cats adore those brands but aren't too fussed about Hills etc and refuse point blank to touch any of the supermarket brands. :rolleyes:

carwash_2006

Royal Canin do another food for super fussy cats called Exigent. Get them hooked by using the small bags as they will have kept their flavour better. Once they are hooked you can probably convert them to the bigger bags.

Might be an idea to get their teeth and mouths checked too. If they have any dental issues it could make them more reluctant to eat.

SMK

I had a fussy eater who would eat one brand, then go off it and I would buy another brand, then off that and on and on and on!!!!!!! In the end, I realised I was pampering him too much. So, I stuck with one brand and when he went off that, I just kept putting it down. It took about 5-7 days for him to realise that I wasn't giving in this time!! From then on, he never turned his nose up to the food!! Maybe try again sticking with one food and don't give in when he goes off it!! I know it can be quite stressful when a cat is giving out to you cos he's hungry but be brave!!!

Sharpshooter

l feed my lot a mixture of biscuits and wet food.
The cat gang(who patrol the surrounding area with
their Freddie Krugar Gloves and their Gatling guns) and
our two indoor felines,Hunter and Mammy Cat.
BUT...none of them will eat Whiskers food???????
Wonder if anyone can shed any light on this.
l did wonder if they did not like the smell(sometimes l got a perfume type smell when l opened the pouches.
Again they didn't eat it so l now give them a saucer
each of biscuits in the morning(Demolished) and half of
sheba with half of biscuits in the evening.
Mostly they will eat the sheba and leave the biscuits
for later.:)

tenandtracer

+1 Royal Canin
It is great stuff (although I've never tasted it). They have a large variety, so you might have to try out a few. Mittens is a long standing fan of Fit 32 and Woolly is firm fan of Vitality.:)

DenMan

Hey guys the ultimate cat food is the small little trays you get in Lidl. You peel off the cover, OPTICAT (with gravy). Funny you should say that Cypress, we have a cat called Shadow as well. More like a Panther cub than a cat really, she is huge. She loves that stuff. We got her another brand before and she refused to take it!!!A proper little Queen.

az2wp0sye65487

if they're hungry enough they'll eat. don't give them anything for a day or 2, leave them hungry, then they'll eat anything you give them.