Fussy Cat - Food Suggestions

[Squeak]

My beloved cat is a really fussy eater and it's costing us an absolute fortune. At the moment he has dried food down all the time and wet food twice a day that he can then pick at as and when or eat it all if he wants.

He used to be a prolific hunter and so I think it was a bit less of an issue as he could pick at our offerings but would still have had what he was catching if he wanted. He catches the odd bit now but doesn't hunt like he used to (he's 12 now). I don't think there are any health issues - he's been checked by the vets and he eats no problem if he's enjoying the food and seems well and happy in himself, this has also come on gradually as he's got older rather than being a sudden change.

The problem is that he likes a variety of food. We buy a couple of different packs of wet and dry food and rotate them so he gets different food every meal but even after a week or two with them being rotated he can just go off a type so we can only buy small packs and it's costing a fortune and we're having to go online to find a wide enough variety as it can be a couple of months+ before he decides he likes a type of food again.

We've tried just using food that he used to like and thinking he would eat if he was hungry but it turns out he would rather starve and so we had to give in.

Any suggestions? He doesn't like fish flavours or the pates and his bowls are washed between every meal and the dry ones washed daily.

 

[SantaVera]

Chicken thighs are quite cheap,he might like a bit of cooked chicken every now and then.

 

[HopOnTrot]

My cat doesn’t like fish or gravy, he likes the Waitrose essential pouches so I’m just saving all the fish flavoured ones to donate to charity!

 

[MiJodsR2BlinkinTite]

Mine likes a raw egg occasionally.

I used to be a Cats Protection fosterer, and one of the hints I was given about feeding fussy pussies is to not over-feed - a teaspoonful of something is better than overloading their bowls. Leave them that little bit hungry and hopefully they'll come back for a bit more later on.

Also as someone else has suggested, try a bit of chicken or fish: you can keep it in the freezer and lightly cook it before putting down a small amount.

 

[scrat]

My 17 year old cat has become increasingly fussy about his food. He only has 2 teeth left but can manage dried food if it's small (Perfect Fit). I buy chicken thighs, you'll get 6 to 8 for about £2.85. He has felix doubly delicious pouches but goes off them frequently too. I've just had cod and chips from the chippy and he tucked into the cod. He'll eat most cooked meat if its chopped up small. If you have a roast chicken keep any juices that set into jelly, also strip as much off the carcass as you can and chop it up small. We've also tried pilchards in oil and basic tins of tuna in water. It is frustrating when you put food down and he just walks off but he's old and I'm happy to indulge his requests. He did murder a bird the other day and happily chewed it's head off so perhaps I should try some raw meat. I hope you find a solution.

 

[The Xmas Furry]

Mine (now 14) has been very fussy the last 3 years, wet or dry. Completely changed when we got D dog just before xmas, shes still lighter than him by about 1.5kg....
I feed them both in the kitchen, just the water bowl between them. E cat now shovels food down, even much detested dry food too, apparently a greedy puppy kick-started him eating.....

 

[FinnishLapphund]

Essy, and Fröjdis recommends the dry foods Royal Canin Renal Select, Bozita Indoor & Sterilised Reindeer, Bozita Active & Sterilised Lamb, and occasionally some Royal Canin Satiety can be acceptable.

 

[Honey08]

Mine have gone gaga over Sheba Fine Flakes.

I’m looking at cat food through different eyes currently as one of mine is just diagnosed with diabetes. Lots of dry food is full of carbs and sugar, so he’s not allowed it anymore.

 

[Nudibranch]

Have you tried raw? Mine do well on it, one of them can't digest anything with cereal in so most dried and many wet are out. You can buy specific raw cat food but some of the dog "complete" is suitable and a lot cheaper. Just check it has the 80-10-10 ratio with offal for taurine. Or try a really high meat content wet like Bozita or Animonda.

I use Durham Animal Feeds or Southcliffe. There are various brands like Luna but they're a lot more £££. If you're still not sure, you can buy taurine as a supplement to add.

Honey08 - my brother's cat is in total remission from diabetes since they switched from dried to Bozita wet.

ETA - just seen skinnydipper's post about TB. Off to try and find out which company is involved!!

 

[claret09]

my three always have dry and wet food about in various places around the house. finally found that they all seem to like whiskers and some sheba - my guys all like fish in preference to meat, although they love fresh chicken - wednesday night chip shop chicken is a particular favourite!!!. i have recently used the sainsbury own brand dried food. all of their poo's have improved - it seems to be wheat free and they all love it. can't say it would work with everyone's cats, but mine seem to be doing well on it

 

[Squeak]

Thanks all, I'll try some chicken and see what he thinks. Tins of tuna have been tried and rejected.

Raw could well be a way to go with him as he's used to his fresh catches so will have a look into it.

I've given up worrying too much about the nutrition in all of them as he's not on any of them for long enough. I tried putting him on a good quality food, swapping between their flavours and he could not have been less grateful. It ended up as an expensive present to the neighbours cat

Eta Whiska's and Sheba are in the cycle of foods he'll eat for a week and then go off but I haven't tried Royal Canin or Bozita yet so I'll give them a go.

 

[Peglo]

We feed Sheba and felix ‘As good as it looks’. We often have to sprinkle felix Crispies on top to get them to eat. Sometimes dreamies.
I will do anything to get Loki from under me feet when cooking and the crispies works almost everytime.

 

[FinnishLapphund]

Thanks all, I'll try some chicken and see what he thinks. Tins of tuna have been tried and rejected.

Raw could well be a way to go with him as he's used to his fresh catches so will have a look into it.

I've given up worrying too much about the nutrition in all of them as he's not on any of them for long enough. I tried putting him on a good quality food, swapping between their flavours and he could not have been less grateful. It ended up as an expensive present to the neighbours cat

Eta Whiska's and Sheba are in the cycle of foods he'll eat for a week and then go off but I haven't tried Royal Canin or Bozita yet so I'll give them a go.

I just came to think of something, if his fussy eating continues, it might be worth considering asking your vet to take a blood sample to check his B¹² levels. Because low B¹² can sometimes cause a lack of appetite, and when they lack appetite, they often need variety to keep up their interest in eating, if that makes sense.
Alternatively you could perhaps try giving him a B¹² supplement pill for a few weeks, and see if that makes any difference. E.g. https://www.petdrugsonline.co.uk/protexin-cobalaplex-vitamin-b12-b9-cats-dogs

 

[Squeak]

I just came to think of something, if his fussy eating continues, it might be worth considering asking your vet to take a blood sample to check his B¹² levels. Because low B¹² can sometimes cause a lack of appetite, and when they lack appetite, they often need variety to keep up their interest in eating, if that makes sense.
Alternatively you could perhaps try giving him a B¹² supplement pill for a few weeks, and see if that makes any difference. E.g. https://www.petdrugsonline.co.uk/protexin-cobalaplex-vitamin-b12-b9-cats-dogs

Thanks FL that sounds worth a go. He seems bright and happy in himself but you never know. I might ask the vets whether it's worth doing a blood test when they next see him but in the mean time I'll give the tablets a go and see if there's any difference.

 

[RLS]

When my cat got older and fussier I found warming up the food helped encourage him to eat. I just put the cat food on his dish in the microwave for a few seconds. Food gave off a bit more smell when it was warm, too.

 

[Griffin]

I have a very fussy kitten but she absolutely loves Marro. It's from the same people who make Butternut Box for dogs. She also likes KatKin.

They are not cheap but I am not wasting any wet food now.

 

[Squeak]

Have you tried raw? Mine do well on it, one of them can't digest anything with cereal in so most dried and many wet are out. You can buy specific raw cat food but some of the dog "complete" is suitable and a lot cheaper. Just check it has the 80-10-10 ratio with offal for taurine. Or try a really high meat content wet like Bozita or Animonda.

I use Durham Animal Feeds or Southcliffe. There are various brands like Luna but they're a lot more £££. If you're still not sure, you can buy taurine as a supplement to add.

Honey08 - my brother's cat is in total remission from diabetes since they switched from dried to Bozita wet.

ETA - just seen skinnydipper's post about TB. Off to try and find out which company is involved!!

Well Bozita has been met with a resounding no I haven't tried warming it so I'll do that for the next meal and see if it makes a difference

 

[Squeak]

I have a very fussy kitten but she absolutely loves Marro. It's from the same people who make Butternut Box for dogs. She also likes KatKin.

They are not cheap but I am not wasting any wet food now.

Thanks, I'll look it up. We're only able to buy the small boxes/ packs of everything so it's making even the good quality food expensive,

 

[Griffin]

Thanks, I'll look it up. We're only able to buy the small boxes/ packs of everything so it's making even the good quality food expensive,

You're very welcome, I hope you find something that works. My local cat rescue did very well out of my kitten's discarded food, it really does become expensive.

 

[HollyWoozle]

I would get the Zooplus app - they sell lots of small packs of tempting cat foods and occasionally single ‘tasters’ as well. They’re super efficient and often have great deals too. Our new senior cat loves the Cosma ‘mini jelly cups’ best of all (for a little treat).

 

[Squeak]

Well Bozita has been met with a resounding no I haven't tried warming it so I'll do that for the next meal and see if it makes a difference

Nope - warmed was met with even more disgust. I need a friend with a cat that I can give his cast offs too

 

[Squeak]

I would get the Zooplus app - they sell lots of small packs of tempting cat foods and occasionally single ‘tasters’ as well. They’re super efficient and often have great deals too. Our new senior cat loves the Cosma ‘mini jelly cups’ best of all (for a little treat).

zooplus was actually who I just used for our most recent order as I've tired out the non online selection. They were really efficient. I'll keep an eye on them to see what deals they have

 

[Boulty]

Would say if not had bloods checked in the last year would be an idea to give them a check. Renal issues can sometimes cause them to feel nauseous some of the time which can then put them off eating whatever it was they happened to be eating when they felt sick. (As can other health issues common in older cats) Not saying it is that & might just be extremely fussy & easily bored but would say worth checking given his age as it’s something that the earlier you pick it up the better.