Food suggestions for fussy cat

[dougpeg]

My little persian cat is such a fussy eater. She's about 18 months old now and always has been. She tends to eat little and often and doesn't have a big appetite anyway. I thought I'd cracked it by feeding her royal canin mother and baby dry food. She still didn't eat big quantities but its packed with calories and she put weight on. The only wet food she will eat is Sheba. Again, not a lot of it but better than nothing. She seems to have gone off royal canin now and I'm pulling my hair out. I've spent a fortune trying different foods since I've had her.

She does have a flat face and small mouth and I imagine it's probably harder for her to eat due to this. That said, she eats Dreamies just fine and currently thats what she's living on

Any suggestions for tasty and/or high calorie food? Cooked chicken or fish aren't her thing either.

 

[Highmileagecob]

The usual offerings are tuna and liver - both have a distinctive smell, which encourages eating. I winder if her sense of smell is all it should be? Might it be worth having her mouth checked in case there is a broken tooth or something? My cat isn't a huge fan of meat based offerings, but adores Asda'a own brand of fish based food, and would kill for chicken in any shape or form.

 

[HappyHollyDays]

I have an Exotic so he is only half Persian but he has the same small face and jaw. He has always struggled eating anything with chunks in it and I found the Sheba Pate worked because he could just lick it off the bowl. Dried food tends to get chucked everywhere but I do know he manages to eat it if the kibble is small enough. Currently on the Purina One which he seems to like and he can also manage to a force a few Dreamies down by sucking them to death.

 

[Sussexbythesea]

I’ve found Purina One Chicken kibble seems to be be addictive to both my cat and the yard cat. My cat Merlin seems to only eat that or Dreamies I tried him on lots of different types when I first got him but that was the only one that he seemed to remain interested in. Not tried the other flavours or pouches.

 

[Fjord]

A pate type food may be worth trying? Gourmet Gold always goes down well with my lot.

 

[Fjord]

Also, she is beautiful, I love her eyes!

 

[Shady]

I'm having success with all of mine on Purizon lamb and fish dried. First time all 5 have liked something. I think part of that is the smell. Also the shape and size
It comes in sterilized and normal adult. The normal was too rich for one Oriental, and the oldie. It has a high fat content. Sterilized was fine for all with the lower fat content
They do wet too, but i've never tried it
I've had quite a few Persians, and they tend to prefer strong smelling food, be that wet or dried, and the one I have left now likes the mousse types. Gourmet does one
I could suggest a ton of different foods from supermarket to specialised!
Much depends on whether you want to order in, or buy locally. I do a mix of both. Dried grain free high meat content on order from Zooplus or Bitiba, and wet locally
I quite often go on zooplus and buy trial packs. I really hate spending out on a big bag of something , only for the fussy critters to turn their noses up.

eta. I agree with HHD regarding chunks and their face shape. Mine can eat chunks, but they do tend to get pushed around the bowl a lot. Same with dried !

 

[Boulty]

Is she maintaining weight and muscle and overall is she eating a vaguely appropriate amount for her size? Does the vet feel she’s underweight?

Cats aren’t actually designed to eat all their food in one go / to eat it as “meals” like dogs do. They are designed to graze on average 5-15 times a day and this is actually more healthy for them as they are more likely to stay at a healthy weight and not over eat.

Obviously this works with dry food but can be tricky with wet as it tends to start going off if left down too long.

Would suggest having dry down ad lib and offering small meals (maybe 1/4 of a pouch or tin at a time?) of wet as well so that she’s got both options.

With her shape of face then you’re probably going to want fairly small kibbles and she might find pate style wet or something with small chunks easier than big chunks / you may need to mash it up for her. You could also try warming the wet to make the smell stronger as with her face and nose shape she may not be able to smell as easily as the average cat and smell is a big part of the eating ritual for them.

You could also play around with bowl design and things like raised bowls or flat plates or saucers (this last option may just create more mess!)

 

[dougpeg]

Thanks for all your replies. She's been to the vet today as she is still not eating. No obvious issues, temperature fine. Teeth good. Colour good. Eyes good. Stomach and bladder feel normal. She's lost weight and is a petite cat anyway so it's a worry. Vet has given her an anti sickness and appetite stimulate and we are hoping she will eat something by the end of the day.
Food wise she always has food down. Ad-lib wet and dry and changed throughout the day so its fresh. Various bowels and fountain for water. All her kibble is small. Really just wanting her to eat something

 

[Shady]

Might be worth seeing if she'd eat one of the recovery options. Royal Canin do one, but it's hideously expensive. Your vet might sell it by the tin, so you could try her. They are nutrient rich.
Or perhaps some of the soup options ( not Felix)
It's very difficult to know how to advise you, but I would be making sure she has no nasal issues that could be impacting on smell. I fostered and then kept two Persians, and ended up having to have the nose lazered wider on one of them. He couldn't eat and breathe properly at the same time. It was a simple op and made a huge difference.
I have noted over the years that the Persians don't eat half as much as my other cats, and I always joke that they seem to live on air. They don't actually do much either, but I genuinely think they need less food.

Have a think about what her health is like in general perhaps. All ok in the dirt box?, no vomitting?, energy levels good? breathing ok ?
If she doesn't pick up I guess the next step would be to run some bloods.

I've just had a crappy time with one of mine due to an ecoli infection from god knows where. Just picking up now, so I do understand your worry and hope she eats something soon . x.

 

[Ratface]

When King Kevin Kat was on his last legs, due to a stomach tumour, he would eat thinly sliced roast chicken most of the time. Might this be worth a try?