fussy eaters

[bluecat]

I think it has a lot to do with cats being free fed so they are never actually hungry, if i nibbled every few hours id never feel like eating all my dinner
I feed 4 meals and nothing is ever wasted, good job cos it costs me enough

Thing is with Mary it was wet food so that normally gets eaten above anything and she has hoovered it down before tuna was one of the pouches i bought to try to see if she liked the tesco pouches. 

It was still untouched this morning   and it was going so well a complete food she would eat that was good on the budget 24 for a fiver and i would class them as the same quality as normal wiskas, Felix she had the shrimp one this morning which was hoovered down must have been hungry.

I opened the window this morning and i could see Marys eyes go as she could hear the birds out side so i lifted the netting up so she could see them and soon as she did she bolted to her hiding hole

[Desley (booktigger)]

That's interesting MM, I have to say I dont really free feed mine, used to, but have had 2 long term overweight fosters, so stopped it and never really got back into the habit of it - in fact, I have cut down on their dry a lot, they are only allowed it once a day. Can't say if I noticed any difference or not in them eating their normal meals. Tiger is fussy at the moment, but she is poorly, so I am giving into her.

[Gill (sneakiefeline)]

My cats are far less active and yawn more at this time of year.

Probably cos heating is on most of time and although mine still go outside its not for as long as in the summer.

I think I yawn more and am more lazy too at this time of year 

[unseeliechylde]

Oliver is another unfussy eater, eats just about anything like a hoover.  You can tell there are certain things he likes better or less, anything he likes he inhales it in two seconds, things that he is not particularly crazy about he eats it in much more leisurly pace, maybe not all at once but in 2 or 3 goes over a couple of hours.
But I know plenty of cats who are extremely finicky, so I feel blessed when I watch Ollie joyfully chowing down every time filling in his gorgeous tummy!! 

With you there - Riley is exactly the same. He's not much of a foodie, and though he isn't picky about catfood, he won't eat just anything - he's fine with his catfood, turkey, steak, chicken, turkey etc., but he's not one for "junk" food. Skye, on the other had, is the ultimate unfussy eater - eats ANYTHING and EVERYTHING. We have to watch her, because she will eat things that really aren't good for her, so we can't leave stuff lying around or she's into it in seconds. She's a real foodie, but it's hard to say if that's how she will always be, or if it's just because she's a growing kitten (only 5 months ATM).

[bluecat]

Marys having a stropp as i gave her tuna chunks in jelly         

I know its winter  etc  and it will sound like a daft question but marys yawning an awfull lot lately and eating a lot  more and just seems to sleep  all the time now is this a normall  reaction and how does winter affect your cats if at all ???

[Millys Mum]

I think it has a lot to do with cats being free fed so they are never actually hungry, if i nibbled every few hours id never feel like eating all my dinner 
I feed 4 meals and nothing is ever wasted, good job cos it costs me enough

[Bazsmum]

Yes some cats will starve themselves and I used to have one just like this, she was a nightmare to feed and I used to have a supermarket of different cat food in the kitchen. It was shocking how she would go off a hard to find food as soon a s i bought it in bulk 

My Maisey...the baby is like this and will only eat gourmet or sheba....but she loves dried food and the one I buy has 30% chicken, if I cant get that dry she will eat any dry (thank heavens) 

[dolcetta46]

Oliver is another unfussy eater, eats just about anything like a hoover.  You can tell there are certain things he likes better or less, anything he likes he inhales it in two seconds, things that he is not particularly crazy about he eats it in much more leisurly pace, maybe not all at once but in 2 or 3 goes over a couple of hours.
But I know plenty of cats who are extremely finicky, so I feel blessed when I watch Ollie joyfully chowing down every time filling in his gorgeous tummy!! 

[blackcat]

yes, easier if they are indoor cats, but mine, if they were silly enough to refuse their food get it taken away after 10 minutes and it is offered again an hour later, and so it goes on. None has ever stood out for over a day.

modified to add: neither of the present residents is fussy. If they were, Shadow would eat it for them  and we can't have that now, can we...

[Desley (booktigger)]

I have had fussy cats, but I am also quite strict, and I dont tend to open something else for them, they have dry if they are really hungry, but I dont want to pander to them too much and have umpteen tins/pouches open, although if I only give them half and it is still there at the next meal, I will give the remainder to another cat. Some cats will rather starve than eat things though, and it is important to realise that cats cant go too long without food, i allow mine a day before i will give in (mine are oldies though).

[Susanne (urbantigers)]

Mine are totally unfussy too.  They will eat anything.  Occasionally they get something that doesn't go down too well but I don't give them anything else so they just eat what's there but a bit slower!  Jaffa likes his food too much to not eat so he will just throw me dirty looks while he's eating it but sometimes Mosi will decide he's not keen on something.  If he doesn't eat it all I just put what's left on top of the fridge where Jaffa can't reach it and he will be up there finishing it off when he realises that nothing else is forthcoming. 

I think some cats will starve themselves, but I also think that sometimes we create fussy cats by panicking and giving them something else as soon as they turn their nose up at what we give them.

[Gill (sneakiefeline)]

Yes some cats will starve themselves and I used to have one just like this, she was a nightmare to feed and I used to have a supermarket of different cat food in the kitchen. It was shocking how she would go off a hard to find food as soon a s i bought it in bulk 

[madkittyrescue]

mine have all come to realise that if they don't eat what they're given they won't get nowt else!  lol

Only cat here that I pander to if you like is old Toots.  She has been here about ayear and will probably stay for good.  She's about 12 yr old and is not trouble so I don't mind going out my way to get somethign she likes.

[bluecat]

marys a bit of fussy eater she was 7 before she came to me so made a bit that way i think.  Though i was told she hated dry and loved whiskas which i found not to be the case  I think she was fed one of the special royal canin type dry before so prob not as tasty as Jwb or high life.  She changes all the time she left all the wet the orther day and fed up on dry 

[Dawn F]

mine weren't fussy at all until I started trying to get them on to a higher meat content diet and tried all kinds of new foods, basically they now all like a different one each and none of them like natures menu  which is what I wanted them to eat in the first place!  I am definately to blame

[Gwen]

Gladly I have two wonderful cats who aren't fussy attall and will always eat what I put infront of them.  But I keep reading about people having fussy cats and I can't help but wonder,is this the owners doing because they panic their cat won't eat or is it genuinly that the cat won't eat the food they ate the week previously,if they have eaten it before,obviously they like it. 

Basically my question is will cats starve themselves until they have what they want or are we just spoiling them too much?