Feeding a fussy cat

Some cats will eat anything, others, like Delilah, are picky and have to be tempted.   The first thing is to check the reason for their apparent lack of appetite – are their teeth alright?   A trip to the vets for a dental check up is needed.  Most cats over middle age need teeth cleaning and have dental problems, some younger cats too are prone to gingivitis.   Symptoms are not always apparent, except for not wanting to eat much, sometimes a damaged tooth is causing the problem.   We’ve recently had a young cat who has had to have extractions.  Oh, but I feed my cat biscuits.   That doesn’t always mean that the teeth will be fine, the cat who has had his teeth out loved biscuits.   They didn’t save his molars though.

If you’ve established that the teeth are o.k. you should ask your vet if there is any other underlying problem, it might be hormones or a mineral defficiency and only a blood test and further investigation will find out.   When everything has been checked it might just be that your cat is very particular about food.   Is it fresh?    I only eat organic.   A small mouse please. Perhaps your cat is recovering from an illness and wants a bit of pampering till he feels better.   Go for it.   It’s a myth that a cat will eat if he’s hungry.  More often than not he’ll just starve.

Try different food – a cat who spurns adult cat biscuits will often munch happily on kitten biscuits.  It’s a texture thing and small is beautiful where some cats are concerned.   Again, kitten pouches are liked, small chunks go down easier.    If you’ve exhausted every variety of petit pate’s and dainty foils and pouches it’s time to try fresh food.    It is, after all, the natural food for a cat.   All manufactured cat food is made in a factory and has some age to it – ingredients, processing, packing, storing, transport, storing again and eventually the supermarket shelves.   The advertising and promotion is specifically targeted – at you!    If you love your cat……. etc. etc.   Companies make pet food because it’s a profitable business.

Not all cats like convenience food (quite right too) so try a more natural diet.   Lean mince, raw or cooked, finely chopped chicken (free range please), fish of any kind (tuna is on the verge of becoming endangered so we don’t use this at present).   Sardines are good because they are highly scented which makes them attractive to a fish loving feline.   Mackerel and coley are good also, we poach the latter with a splash of goats milk.   It only takes a few minutes to cook fish – make sure you wait till it has cooled (to blood heat) before you offer it.

Chicken livers are inexpensive and most cats adore them.   Some like them raw, our cats prefer them cooked and chopped up fine.   Boiled ham tempts most feline palates, we don’t feed too much as it’s a bit salty but if’s good to get them going again.  Cooked liver is much liked but shouldn’t be fed more than once a week as it is damaging to the bone structure if fed more often.  Grated cheese is popular, also prawns, again chop them up and don’t feed them straight from the fridge – it’s all about texture and temperature.

Cats have their likes and dislikes, just like us and they know what’s best for them.   You will most likely find that once your cat has started eating again, his appetite will build up and he’ll start asking you questions again ‘where’s my tea mum?’– a bit of fuss and t.l.c. is all it takes.