Feline hoover suddenly eating less

[funkiechicken]

 

haha Lilli!! you are required to be swift and prompt and Marmalades destain is proof you are failing their most basic of demands

Nuggie has devised a "I will get hur to feeds meh" plan....he goes to the patio door and slides his paws up and down the glass in a frantic "i must go out" motion. I sigh, jump up and open the door. To which he swiftly turns and darts to the living room door, only looking over his shoulder once to ensure that I am hot on his heels to present him with his banquet. If i dont follow he persists in repeating the frenzied patio door trick until i comply or just give in from exhaustion....they know every button and arent afraid to push them 

[mad_lilli]

Mine have all been suffering from this heat related anorexia. That is, until tonight!!! They have resumed their vulture-like ways and are eating for England!! I've had severe verbal abuse from Marmalade this evening as I appear not to be responding to her demands in a timely manner!!
   

[funkiechicken]

oh yes...this sounds so familiar, if Oliver hadnt of been an indoor cat, i'd swear we were sharing the same ones 
Like you, treats are the only consistant favourite and regular food is the problem. I try to be strong and not give in to demand but when it comes to battle of the wills, they win hands down  they have refused my offerings all day and look as though i have a darn cheek to offer such rubbish and dont i know they have standards!! hahaha but I have to give in, because one thing is for sure these boys wouldnt starve to death quietly 
They're definitely funny creatures 
Hopefully its just the weather or maybe he's a little bit under it? But as he seems alright, then a quick check over by the vet when hes getting his jabs will put any worries to rest   

[dolcetta46]

thank you for your reply & advice funkie    Oliver is a strictly indoor kitty, so there is no chance of external offering being sneaked in!!!  The story of your kitties sounds pretty familiar to me too, Oliver has gone through "I like this one - oh no I don't like it anymore no thank you" pattern several times with different items over the years, but it seemed really strange to me that he went off on almost everything all at once.  Ironically he still greedily eats his treats, whiskas temptations & whipped cream, but I am trying to hold off on them as I don't want him to get the idea he can eat them all the time if he fusses.  
He wasn't keen on his tea this evening either, he ate like two pieces of chicken breast, then someone in the house made a sudden noise and he scuttled away, and he never went back to eat more.   He is now peacefully napping in his usual position with his tummy all exposed, after he played like normal with the laser pen and a swinging toy.  So I guess I have to remain vigilant in coming days and watch out for any negative change.  He will have to be brought in to the vet for vaccination next week anyway, so I will start making a list of questions to ask before the trip!

[funkiechicken]

Does your cat go out at all? He could be getting rich tidbits from someone, somewhere, which have rendored your measley offerings an insult 

My cats eat significantly less in summer and although it never affected him in the past, as he is getting older he will also be burning less energy and if anything thing like mine, by aged 10 he will be sloth like all summer with days used to bake himself in the sunshine! As he isnt losing weight and if he is himself in every other way i wouldnt at the moment worry too much, but if his coat becomes grubby, down in the dumps....you know the sort of thing - then another vet visit might be needed.

Food is also a factor. Mine are fussy and at times i wish i had a dog the amount of food i throw away! lol they eat whiskers, then they dont, then they dont like certain flavours, then they do. Then one cat will prefer one brand but the other one will a different. I spend what is a small fortune on my cat food rotation programme and i spend more on them than myself 
When my adopted 2 year old came to us he was my dream cat! Licked bowls and ate like it might be his last meal. I could buy anything and never threw one chunk out. Then  .......he learnt (and very quickly too!) that if he simply fancied chicken and not salmon he just had to stare blankly and cry. I soon got another fuss pot 

But all in, I dont think it is massively unusual lol best thing is to just keep an eye on the fella 

[Dawn F]

mine always go off food in the summer but I suppose if he never has done before it is a bit odd

[dolcetta46]

A friend of mine came up with a strange theory, perhaps it is sort of a reaction to all the earthquakes happening in Italy, though Rome has been too far away to feel any tremour!!!  Also her cat lost appetite around the same time, and I know there are many reports about animals sensing and reacting to earthquakes in unexplainable ways... but this wouldn't explain the case with your furries I suppose, UK is too far away!!! 

[Gill (sneakiefeline)]

Yes it affects mine even with non cat food too.

No at 5 he isnt getting old and Lupin is only 1  3/4 yrs old!

[dolcetta46]

Thanx Gill for your reply!!  So it does happen with other kitties... the strange thing is, not only the tinned cat food varieties (which your explanation can be true), but also Oliver is no longer excited about the boiled chicken breast which he could never have enough of previously!!! 
Changes of weathers, while it has been suggested by a lot of people, has never affected his appetite, but now he is 5 is he starting to get old already???? 

[Gill (sneakiefeline)]

Afraid this is the same story with all of my cats, even young Lupin.

I am aslo sure they ....the food companies......mess around with the food so much, we cant tell but the cats can and it puts the cats off eating.

The weather is definately a factor too.

[dolcetta46]

Hello everyone, there is something definitely strange with my boy, I really hope someone can help solving the mystery surrounding my Oliver for the last few weeks...   
Oliver is a huge European Shorthair, 5 year old and weighs around 8kg, has been in excellent health, except that he has been issued an order to shed at least 1kg, and that he had an UTI an year and half ago.
He has always been a hearty eater, but for almost 3 weeks now he is eating much less. And when he eats, it has become a very slow pace and not the hoovering action that he always had done, he would leave some left over and he might come back after a while and finish it up, or he might not... he has always licked the bowl clean within a matter of seconds, and I wonder what is the cause of this sudden change.

We did bring him to the vet 2 weeks ago and he didn't find anything particular, and suggested feeding him a hairball removing paste for 2 weeks. We did this but things haven't changed significantly. It was also suggested that perhaps it is due to seasonal change, but such things never affected him in his entire life until now...

The points to note:

-I thought of the problem with teeth, as he also eats his biscuits significantly less. But he still wants his Whiskas Temptations and munches on them with his usual vigour.

-He also nips at us with the usual tenacity when we play or when he does feel like eating. (so I don't think his teeth are bothering him...)

-He hasn't lost his interest in eating, as he does protest when he feels like eating, but it has become less often and he became extremely fussy, much fussier than usual and refuses to eat 90% of the stuff he had been normally eating.

-He acts quite normal and doesn't seem to be ill at all, he is alert, plays, uses his loo, cleans himself and his fur is as luminous and smooth as ever.

-The most strange thing is, he hasn't lost any weight after almost 3 weeks of eating less, and it is not that we leave anything he can munch on while we are not looking around the house.

I really don't know what to think. My partner thinks he has been too spoiled and wants only things he really likes, while that may have a bit of truth, but I am not so sure if it is the only reason. 

Has anyone encountered such situations with any of your furbabies? And any idea what is the matter? Any input would be greatly appreciated!!!