Is Your Cat a Picky Eater?
Cats will often eat the same food for years and then suddenly refuse to eat the food they loved yesterday. Others find their cat rejects everything except one brand and will eat only one flavour.
There are a few steps that can be taken to ensure your fussy cat eats.
- Generally, picky eating stems from concerned owners mixing in tastier food when they refuse to eat. They learn that by leaving their spinach, they eventually get ice cream instead. Steel your resolve and if they don’t eat their regular food, it gets taken away to try again later.
- It may be that you’re feeding your cat too often. Their digestive systems are very different from ours. They are designed to eat large meals infrequently, rather than little and often. Have set meal times for your cat, don’t ‘free feed’ or leave food out for them.
- Pick up any uneaten food after 15 minutes. If they know they can come back to it later, they may hang out in case something tastier is coming.
- You can try different brands of food to see if your cat prefers them, but stick to the high quality, nutritious foods rather than moving on to lower-quality brands.
Don’t worry too much – your cat will not starve themselves. Make sure they have healthy food available every day, and no opportunity to fill up on treats or other food.