Cats

[Jimk]

Dont let it out. If still fussing, offer same sort of food every other day (or two) until you break deadlock

[FMurtz]

Is there anything other than poison that you could put in cats food to make them eat it, I have an inherited an extreemely fussy eater that will not eat for days if not given what it wants.

[Broadback]

Exterminate

[polygonum_on_google]

Our cat needs one of us, (from cat's PoV) preferably partner, to be with her in order to eat. Sometimes we have to crouch down and stroke her for the duration of her meal.

She was a "rescue" cat and clearly is prone to anxiety. Spent the first two weeks with us under a sofa. At that time, she would (the evidence showed) come out at night and scoff. But when she finally felt able to be sociable, she exhibited this need for company when eating.

[nightjar]

If you have recently inherited it, the cause could simply be stress caused by the unfamiliar surroundings. However, there can be a number of medical reasons, ranging from bad teeth to some quite serious illnesses, that will stop a cat eating, so a check up at the vet would be a good idea.

Otherwise, cats prefer food that is closest to what they eat in nature. That means wet food which should be at room temperature or even warmed to body heat. They don't like food straight from the fridge and many won't touch dried food. There are various things you can try adding to the food, which help with most cats - a few drops of cod liver oil, a little grated parmesan cheese or crumbled cat treats or veterinary yeast tablets, for example.

[Tim Streater]

Ours only eats dried food (which is a plus), supplemented with fresh mouse. Previous cat - wet food and Emmental cheese (no other type).

[FMurtz]

When do you give in, when I first got this cat it was kept in, did not eat for 5 days sent it to the vet who fed it with syringe at first kept it 6 days, came home and only ate select things (lucky my son is a vet or it would have been expensive)

[FMurtz]

Son is a vet. When I got it was told it would only eat this one specific type of aldi food (bi coloured tuna chunks with prawn in gravy)Lightly braised chicken necks (which I am not giving it, bad for cats) lactose free milk, son says milk not good for cats but lac free if you have to, I have got it to eat cooked chicken and a certain mixed chicken and meat mince. But any other normal various mixes for cats it will not eat. It did eat one sort of dried food for a few days but no more.

[tabbypurr]

Find out what the cat likes. Don't serve food chilled. Always have backup options available, ie dried food. Cats are creatures of habit yet like a little amount of change. Don't overdo the treat foods, they're not suitable for feeding beyond about 10%. Some cats need to be settled/content before they'll eat. Sniff the food before giving it to them to understand what's going on, you do get bad catfood sometimes. Never buy catfood in bulk, the cat will see & go off it. Water should not be put next to food. Use a clean foodbowl every time food is put out, not doing so kills many from kidney failure as well as producing refusal to eat. Don't forget the other things, love, play, grooming, attention, protection etc.

NT

[tabbypurr]

I have one that has to have milk. He has no better tolerance of lactose free than regular milk. In small amounts he's fine with it, too much causes dire rear. It can be a good addition when a cat has an underweight issue.

NT

[tim...]

did you catch them

or buy them

tim

[Andy Burns]

Maybe it'd get less fussy if it was a bit hungrier?

[whisky-dave]

It's a cat give it what it wants, or is there a reason you won't or can't do that. Cats aren't like dogs that are happy toi eat their own shit.

[whisky-dave]

I think cats seem to lke what the are bought up with, or this could just be my experince of them. A flatmats cat used to love chicken, and you only had to make a clucking noise and it'd come running. This must have been learnt. My present cat doesn;t like any human type food, I've tried ham, chicken, fish just not intrested and never pesters me when I'm eating. One thing I have noticed is that cats don't like drinking near where their food is, my cats water dish is in another room. Obviously they don't like eating in th4e same room as their litter tray either.

I can never remmber how to spell that word either. Your spell checker has found a very good replacement though :-D

There's also many things cats don't like and sometime that could be the cause of not eating. I saw a post about a christmass tree that had fake snow that made a cat ill and gave it serving breathing problems and coukld have killed it.

[FMurtz]

now that it is let out it does bring in livestock, frogs,cicadas, a mouse etc but does not kill or eat.

[FMurtz]

Do you not think 5 days would make it hungry?

[Andrew]

Depends what other people are feeding it :-). Do you have a cat flap ?

[Andrew]

Cats have servants and look down at you. If you die suddenly, cat will think nothing of chewing lumps out of you when it is starving.

Dogs have packs and you are the pack leader. If you die suddenly, dog will wait patiently to be fed.

[whisky-dave]

That is rarely true I inherited my cat who was in a room with it;s dead owner for 3 days without food or water, it;s didn;t do anyhting to it's previous member of staff.

Dogd will atact people they are told to atack they can't decide for themselves what to do their owners have to tell them what to do.

Try this with a dog and a cat.

Place a treat in a bowl and in another bowl put a pile of treats. Now try to get the dog or cat to go to the bowl yuo tell it to, try to tell the pet to go to the bowl with a single treat in it. Point to the bowl go over to it, pretend to eat it yourself or do anyhting you want ot attract attention to that bowl.

A dog will go to the bowl you want it to even if there;s just one treat in it. Tru that with a cat it'll look at each bowl and go to the one with the most in it, it won't care what you say or do.

Cats can also pretty much look after themselves all day and longer dogs need their master, cats are the master ;-)

[whisky-dave]

As they say dogs are descended from wolves.

In it they ascertained a disobliging truth: that your pet dog would probably eat your face or your testicles if you unexpectedly died or maybe even just fell into a deep, coma-like sleep.