Why are cats so fussy about their food ?

Answer 1

Because they are prissy. They don't call some women "catty" for no reason!

Answer 2

Why are people so fussy about food?There are alot of factors that go into it - here's an article for you....
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Finicky Felines

Cats are very choosy diners. A cat can enjoy a food for many years, only to turn her nose up at it one day out of the blue. What causes cats to be so finicky? If there is no medical reason for the behavior change, there are several other things to look at.

Palatability

Palatability is the word used to describe how well an animal likes the flavor, aroma and texture of a food. While taste and smell are very important to a cat, the shape and texture are equally as important. When approaching a food, the first thing a cat does is sniff it. If it passes the sniff test, they'll give it a try. Shape and texture determine whether or not the cat will continue to eat the food. The way it breaks apart in the mouth, the size, and moisture content are all considerations. Studies show that cats continually prefer a new or fresh shape or flavor of food. Moisture, fat content, meat additives, proteins and acidity are also things that will determine palatability. Pet food companies consider all of these things when formulating pet food.

Flavor

Cats are notoriously picky and their eating preferences are greatly individual. Some cats will starve before eating a food that they find offensive. It can be useful to bring in an assortment of flavors and textures to a cat’s diet. Some things that can sway a cat’s perception of flavor include aroma, taste, consistency and temperature. Cats possess taste buds on their tongues that react favorably to substances classified as salty, tart or acidic. Cats do not appear to be attracted to sweet tasting substances.

Odor

Cats have a far more sensitive olfactory apparatus (sense of smell) than do humans. The apparent aroma from food is especially necessary for your pet to start eating. If the aroma is notably delicious, that alone is enough to get her to eat a particular food.

Texture

Cats are incapable of chewing efficiently. Therefore, they must reduce the size of food by slicing or cutting it into smaller pieces, which can then be more easily swallowed. Moist food can be eaten quickly, while comparatively, dry calorie-dense food is usually consumed more slowly.

Temperature

The warmth of food seems to play an important role in palatability of food as well. Warm temperature increases the aroma of the food and also resembles freshly killed prey more closely.

Stress and Nutrition

Adult cats under stress are inclined to decrease their food intake, and they tend to refuse foods that remind them of a stressful experience. The area of feeding can also affect a cat’s stress level. Noise and harsh lighting can make a cat refuse to eat. Cats will also refuse foods that are deficient in certain trace minerals and vitamins like thiamine.

Age

The ability to smell and taste can diminish with age. Some cats refuse a food that they have been eating for years due to decreased olfactory senses.

Answer 3

Their sense of smell is 10 times greater than ours, so they can sense something being off while there's no difference apparent to us! Sometimes a new batch of the same food and flavor will carry a strange scent causing rejection.

Cats are also very sensitive to texture, so you need to give them what they recognize as food -- be it ground, sliced, shredded or chopped. This is an evolutionary trait which cats developed for their survival: they only eat what they smelled on their mother's breath and recognize it as food. Think about it - how else would they tell nutritious prey from the poisonous kind? It makes sense!

It also makes things very difficult in rescue as cats will refuse to eat - even starving themselves - if you can't figure out to what food they are accustomed. Sometimes a cat will attempt a new food by observing you or other cats eating it, but this usually takes lots of time and motivation. And you don't have that much time! Cats who don't eat can die from dehydration in 48 hours or liver failure in 5 days.

It's important to feed them a consistent diet of the best quality food they are willing to eat that you can readily afford and reliably obtain. It's an investment in health, just like your own diet is!

It is also important to encourage broader acceptance, so if the brand and formulation comes in different flavors, it is a good idea to rotate amongst them, to AVOID teaching your cat to accept only one thing. If the manufacturer drops the flavor or changes the formulation, the chance of your cat accepting a new food is increased.

That said, avoid brand-hopping or feeding different foods on different days. Always plan a slow transition by adding a spoonful of new food to the familiar dish, and gradually change proportions. Stop if there is digestive upset or food rejection.

Answer 4

Cats will be cats, they are fussy about almost everything, and sometimes its just the cat's personality, I have two cats, one is really fussy, he won't eat anything cold or cut in big pieces and the other one eats raw onions and garlic so there is no way of telling with them. Just love them, don't try to understand them...lol

Answer 5

I'm not exactly sure. Maybe they don't like change like my boyfriend. hehe. It's not good to switch their food multiple times. I think maybe their digestive system gets used to a certain brand. And maybe since all the different brands have different ingredients their stomach can't handle all the switching. Anyways, I feed my cat science diet. I've had her for 11 yrs. and it makes her coat really shiny and clean and she's very healthy. They have a huge selection to pick from. I think it's the best cat food out there. You can usually find it at Petsmart or a farm feed store. Vet's carry it, but sometimes it's more expensive.

Answer 6

Well i have 2 cats and they are fussy because usualy the first kind of food you give them you they get used to that then and then if you go and change their food right away they wont like it. when i changed the type of food they eat i put 1 bowl of their regular food and 1 bowl of the new kind.

Answer 7

Thousands of years ago, cats were worshipped as gods and they have never forgotten this.

Seriously though, cats can be very fussy. Mine is but I now give her Kit-e-Kat fishy pouches and she just loves them. The only thing she gets more excited about nowadays is a roast turkey.

Answer 8

I think it usually depends on the cat. Because my old cat she ate anything and everything that my mom and I got her. My new kitten is eating everything and anything we've bought for her. I would say, if they're kittens, try them on Science Diet, then when you run out of that get the food that's on sale mix a little of the nex food with Science Diet, and keep going on and on with that process, and different foods.

Answer 9

Because they are cats; being fussy is just a part of catness; remember; dogs have owners- cats have staff!!!

Answer 10

it depends if you spoiled them as a kitten or some one else did.
My cat will only eat Science plan from hills. lots of money. Try something really strong like fish or just buy normal cat food and get a flavour enhancer from your vets if they havent got it, they will be able to get it for you.

Answer 11

Mines not.
Eats what its given ( reasonably priced cat food) or it strarves.
She learnt that being fussy = hungry kitty