Cat refuses to eat cat food?

Question

I have tried EVERYTHING I can think of to get this cat to eat cat food. She refuses. I have tried letting her go without food, thinking she will eat when she gets hungry enough. Didn't work for 3 days. I tried just about everything. I have taken her to the vet and all he tells me is the same things I have been trying.

HELP! I can't keep giving her fresh turkey, fish and chicken all the time.

I appreciate everyone's suggestions. I have tried mixing canned and dry; I have tried adding fresh Turkey, Fish or Chicken with cat food; I have tried everything you have suggested to no avail. I have 2 other cats and the kitten goes up to their food and tries to bury it. She sniffs at it and then walks away. I have not given in to her when she refuses the cat food (canned or dry). Does it make a difference that when I found her wandering the streets, she was only 4 weeks old? I had to bottle feed her until I could get her to eat solids. But she wouldn't even eat kitten cat food then, either.

I have tried all of your suggestions. According to her vet, she is very healthy and at the proper weight. She gets a check up regularly. I just wish she would eat cat food. I offer a variety of cat food flavors for my other 2 cats and they eat cat food just fine.

Answer 1

I have 14 cats , some of them do not like Whiskas , and some others when they smell it they get crazy, but from my experience, I can guess your cat started to eat a human food from the beginning , however cats get addict for what they used to eat.

Answer 2

Have you tried Merrick wet food? It's the only wet food my 15 year old cat will eat. It has great flavors like Thanksgiving Day Dinner and Grammie's Pot Pie. You might also look up raw food diets. I believe there is a "supplement" powder you can add to raw food that will give a cat all the nutrients it needs. This is very important since human food does not have tuarine which cat's need or they will go blind. If you can mix the human food with this supplement (you might have to grind it up in a food processer or chop it really fine so it will mix together), your cat might be ok on this diet for a while. There's no reason your cat needs to be on a dry food diet at all, ever. This can cause health problems like Chronic Renal Failure and urinary crystals. I've had to deal with both. I'm slowly getting rid of the dry food and moving on to wet food only and my cats are healthier now than ever. I would suggest calling to ask your vet before trying this but I don't think it would be a problem or I wouldn't suggest it.

Answer 3

If the cat knows that she will get fresh food by waiting, she will wait. You can try a variety of different canned foods, but if you keep giving in, she'll learn that she's in charge, not you.

If it was me, I'd put down a dollop of canned food in the morning, and leave it for about 20 minutes. If the cat doesn't eat it, pick it up. Put down fresh food in the evening, and pick it up after 20 minutes or so. Sooner or later, the cat will eat. This teaches the cat to eat when it's there, because it won't last.

You can try different brands to see what works best, but you need to stick to this schedule.

One other thing you could try - get a 2nd cat. Maybe seeing one eating will trigger competitive instincts in the finicky one. Plus, 2 cats will entertain each other. Of course, you'll have to deal with introducing them, but that's up to you if you choose to go this route.

Answer 4

My mom's vet has, at times, recommended meat baby food (like for human babies). So that's one more thing to try.

My cat is really picky about texture. She won't eat the canned food that comes all mushed together in a can-shaped blob, only the kind that has bits of meat in gravy. (My mother's cat is the exact opposite.) So switching up the texture might help.

But I would also stop switching the food. Put out one thing for a week or two, see if she comes around eventually. She's probably holding out for real meat, so stop giving it to her. Cats can live for a while without eating, and she will eat eventually.

Answer 5

Cats can be very stuborned. Food can be an issue and if you think a cat will starve itself by not eating, the chances are truly slim to none.

Cats can go for long periods of time without food. As long as your cat drinks water, you have nothing to worry about.

I don't know if the vet has mentioned any appetite stimulant, which would be your last option. Vets don't like to medicate if they have your pets best interest in mind and it's not absolutely necessary. I am 100% with that.

You didn't say what food she does eat, I am guessing chicken or tuna, right? If so, you probably already know that tuna has tons of salt which is not good for any cat. Chicken, on the other hand can be very healthy as long as you make it at home and never give her any bones. Home food is the best food in the world for any animal, in the case of cats, you can supplement taurine and other vitamins very easily if you choose to cook for her.

The downside of soft food is that you will definitely have to keep up with dental work at least once or twice a year, depending how much you do for her teeth at home.

Knowing this, it's your choice. You can either cook for yoru kitty and suplement her diet with a couple of vitamins or you can be strong, let her go hungry for as long as she chooses, always making sure she is drinking water!!! She will give up in the end.

The best petfood in my opinion is probably one made by Merrick ( http://www.merrickpetcare.com/. It's the closest to home cooked I have ever seen. They make it for dogs and cats. You can try NutroMax (http://www.petsmart.com/global/product_detail.jsp?PRODUCT%3C%3Eprd_id=845524441776236&FOLDER%3C%3Efolder_id=2534374302033699&ASSORTMENT%3C%3East_id=2534374302023690&bmUID=1183144499131&itemNo=5&In=All&N=2033699 ) as well, it smells good and it's more affordable.

Good luck!! I know it's hard, but you can rest easy, she'll be ok.

Answer 6

I know it's horrible, make sure she has lots of water and eventually she will eat cat food buy a good smelling brand like fancy feast or purinas turkey with cheese in gravey Purina's food never was involved in the recall so thats alway what my cats get there favorite is the salmon and chicken in gravey and it does smell good even to my palate. So I would try those brands. Good luck, my son is going through this with his cat she only wants tuna, but there are things in good cat food that cats need. He says it's a battle but eventually she will eat just be sure to have lots of fresh water around so she doesn't become dehydrated. Good luck it's going to hard on you.

Answer 7

Give her only cat food for a longer amount of time... she can go a week without food and still be fine. Eventually she'll eat it.
If you're giving her wet food, be sure to clean the bowl and put out fresh food every day, regardless of whether she's touched it.
Good luck!

Answer 8

if a cat goes more than 2 days without eating they will start to go into liver failure!!! unlike dogs, if cats do not want to eat something, they wont eat it! you need to find something your cat will eat. try offering dry and canned, try mixing some together (although most cats prefer to have the 2 in different bowls). it is imperative that your cat eat!!! look it up, its called hepatic lipidosis.

Answer 9

grind up you turkey, fish, and chicken -one time mix the turkey in with her food, next time mix the fish in and then the chicken. We are talking about wet food are we not. Do this all the time then gradually stop putting the extra goodies in her / his food and then stop feeding people food to them.. If you are having problems with dry food - buy a few cans of wet food and mix it together this should help.
Best i can tell you at this point. Since you have tried everything else..

Answer 10

you should try putting chicken, fish, or turkey in a blender with a bit of milk and mixing it with your cats food, so your cat likes the flavor, but gets the nutrition. Hope it works, good luck!