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Donna
14-04-2006, 06:03 PM
CAT FOOD.

Posted before about Chloe, but she is really starting to worry me.:cry:

Gave her Whiskas Salmon in Jelly this morning and turned her nose up, put down some biscuits, turned her nose up :cry:

Came running everytime I looked like I was offering food but turned away.:cry:

Then I cooked a cod fillet and she ate it all.:-P

Are there cats that just dont like cat food??? :roll:

Mags
14-04-2006, 07:10 PM
Donna, I'm wondering if she could possibly have something wrong with her mouth. The cod fillet is soft and doesn't take much chewing so it is easier for her to eat. If it continues it may be worth a visit to the vet to get her checked.......

bobbie3917
14-04-2006, 07:18 PM
who old is she Donna?
if it keeps on for a few days then i would get her to a vet but some cats dont like "there" food

CJK
14-04-2006, 07:23 PM
hmm could be mouth like suggested.
Hope she is ok thoguh donna

Fran
14-04-2006, 08:26 PM
Donna, I think I suggested taking her to a vet in your other post just to rule anything medical out. I really think it would be worth just getting her checked over..

Donna
14-04-2006, 08:44 PM
Yes, think I will take her to the vets as soon as I can for a checkup. She is only 18 months old.

I keep trying to think of reasons why she is not eating much - wrong bowl, wrong brand of food, wrong place, wrong flavour etc etc.

But its getting a bit silly and she is only a tiny thing anyway so cannot afford not to be eating.

Donna
14-04-2006, 09:00 PM
Well so much for the sore mouth - just layed on the floor with her and hand fed her chrunchy cat biscuits and she ate them from me. But would not eat them for herself. Misty was there and soon barged in to see what she could get but I kept on offering Chloe her own bits and Misty some further away from Chloe.

Donna
14-04-2006, 09:38 PM
This makes interesting reading... what do you think??

THE FUSSY CAThttp://www.burns-pet-nutrition.co.uk/Images/Binx2_Christine_Welsby.jpg

Many owners overestimate how much food their cat actually needs. Cats are small animals and are not noted for strenuous physical exercise. These factors reduce their food requirements.
Consistent overfeeding leads to loss of appetite, fussiness and contributes to toxin production.

The main reason why a cat refuses food is that IT IS NOT HUNGRY!

However, the owner concludes that the cat no longer likes the food and decides to try something else (usually tastier) in order to get the cat to eat. The cat will eat this tastier food for a time until it tires of that. The owner will then seek out something else in order to stimulate the cat's jaded appetite. And so it continues. The owner does not seem to realise or care that the cat is simply not hungry.
The Feeding Programme below offers advice on organising the feeding of the fussy cat.
THE FUSSY EATER
Feed 2-3 times daily, on demand ensuring that the quantity offered is such that the cat will consume the whole amount. For most cats a few pellets at a time will suffice. This ‘rationing’ helps to avoid overfeeding and should stop the cat from seeking food elsewhere.
Any food uneaten after 10 minutes should be removed and none offered until the cat next demands feeding. Occasionally your cat may ask for more food but refuse Burns. Resist the temptation to try an alternative food. If you give in at this crucial stage all will be lost.
You will probably find the cat will eat happily a few hours later confirming that he/she wasn’t really hungry in the first instance.


SOME QUESTIONS ANSWERED
I CAN'T BE OVERFEEDING BECAUSE MY CAT IS NOT OVERWEIGHT
NO! ! ! Many cats which are overfed do not put on weight but discharge the excess giving rise to the symptoms described in the Development of Disease Stage 1 in the Guide to Natural Health Care (http://www.burns-pet-nutrition.co.uk/natural_health_care.htm).
I CAN'T BE OVERFEEDING BECAUSE MY CAT ONLY EATS WHAT HE NEEDS AND LEAVES THE REST
NO !!! If your cat regularly picks at his food and leaves food behind then this means that he is eating as much as he wants rather than as much as he needs. It is likely that he could manage with a little less each day, his health would improve and he would probably enjoy his food more if he was eating less.
IS IT HARMFUL TO ADD OTHER THINGS TO THE CAT FOOD
This depends on the individual cat and what you want to add. I do not recommend adding other pet food to the Burns but home-made food may be acceptable.
If the cat has a health problem it is best not to add anything to Burns without discussing this first with your veterinary surgeon or Burns Pet Nutrition.

A prepared pet food cannot by its nature be tailored exactly to suit every circumstance and we sometimes even recommend adding other home-made foods depending on the individual's needs. I do not necessarily agree with the advice which other manufacturers give that adding to the diet will "upset the balance". But it is not advisable to add things regularly to the food in order to get the cat to eat more.

Fran
14-04-2006, 10:31 PM
I have never in 20 years of owning cats had a cat that wouldn't eat cat food. I have had some fussy eaters in that they were choosy over brands but never had one that wouldn't entertain any form of cat food. Has she always been like this Donna? or is this a recent change?

Donna
14-04-2006, 10:41 PM
She has always been fussy Fran, but recently has got a lot worse. Although saying that I have been keeping a close eye on her. I have moved her bowl away from Misty as she is a gannet, and I tend to sit with her when she eating as she is very nervous (not sure of what).

Today she has eaten a small bowl of steamed cod fillet with a small amount of milk mixed, a few pieces of real chicken, small amount of dry cat food. She is a tiny cat and is as light as a feather so worry when she doesnt eat much.

Mags
14-04-2006, 11:05 PM
It sounds like she needs to be fed separate from Misty.......see how it goes like that Donna..

dinahsmum
15-04-2006, 10:15 AM
Donna - I think this previous posting from you could have a lot to do with her apprehension

"She did have a problem with a bowl once - stainless steel - it got stuck to her collar as she had a magnet on it for the cat flap and she was scared as the bowl stuck to her and as she ran it tipped up all over.

(Did look funny but looking back she might be a bit scared due to this incident)"


Could you just tip her food onto a feeding mat, as far away from where this incident happened as you can manage? Do without anything looking like a bowl or plate at all? It's amazing what hang-ups animals can have, from the silliest (to us) things, and this incident actually sounds quite scarey.

And I think it's also the case that many people overfeed their pets - vets see a lot more overweight than underweight animals.

Donna
15-04-2006, 10:47 AM
Donna - I think this previous posting from you could have a lot to do with her apprehension

"She did have a problem with a bowl once - stainless steel - it got stuck to her collar as she had a magnet on it for the cat flap and she was scared as the bowl stuck to her and as she ran it tipped up all over.

(Did look funny but looking back she might be a bit scared due to this incident)"


Could you just tip her food onto a feeding mat, as far away from where this incident happened as you can manage? Do without anything looking like a bowl or plate at all? It's amazing what hang-ups animals can have, from the silliest (to us) things, and this incident actually sounds quite scarey.

And I think it's also the case that many people overfeed their pets - vets see a lot more overweight than underweight animals.

Thinking about this further - at the moment I feed the cats in a lobby to the rear of the house. It is off the kitchen, but also leads to the bathroom and the WC. It also has my kitchen bin in there. Lots of coming and going at the busy times, when they are feeding I suppose. Also she is scared of black bin bags :roll: no idea why bin bags. But obviously with the bin being near where she eats it could be a problem :(

So in the area where she eats she has a scary bin, lots of people coming and going, and it is where the "bowl" incident happened!!

Hmm, its great when you get other people's viewpoints!!! The house is gonna be a complete tip for the next week or so, and when the builders are in, I am going to keep the cats in my bedroom so they will have their food up there anyway. When the kitchen is done, I might have to rethink everything.

Booktigger
15-04-2006, 07:50 PM
Pebbles has always been fussy, the only wet food she would eat as Gourmet stuff, and she kept going off that. Then I put her on HiLife and she hasn't been fussy since. I have always had weight probs with her as well, so I know how worrying it is.

Donna
16-04-2006, 11:07 AM
Been feeding Chloe Purina One (salmon and rice and chicken and rice) since yesterday - ONLY food I could find yesterday!!!

She seems to have trouble actually picking the bits out of the bowl as they slide around so that is why I think she prefers me feeding her - as when I take one out and put it on the floor it doesnt slide so much, so maybe I will just put her biscuits onto the floor and not in a bowl (?). She has a small amount of cod fillet last night, but that was it.

Today she has had a handful of the dry biscuits so far.