I love my cat, but he is driving me MAD! He has always been quite fussy (he's 5 years old), but over the last year I just cannot find a food that he will eat. I have tried everything from expensive top of the range wet foods, top of the range dried food, cheap wet food, cheap dried food- but he turns his nose up at everything that isn't freshly cooked chicken- I can't afford to feed him fresh chicken every day.
The other day I gave him a whole piece of fresh salmon, and he looked at me like I had just pooped in his bowl and refused to touch it. He is hungry ALL the time, but wont eat anything I give him. Occasionally we stumble across a brand that he likes (last week it was the whiskers braised meat in gravy), so I buy a big box thinking FINALLY we're on to a winner, and then he'll eat two from the box, and protest that he no longer likes it. I even sometimes buy a variety of brands so that he has something different every day, but still no luck. We have a big bag of IAMS dried food that is constantly in his bowl, and sometimes I refuse to feed him anything else, but it always makes me feel so guilty as he eats it and looks at me like he is hating every mouthful.
Does anyone else have a fussy cat? I just don't know what to do with him. I have a toddler that will eat anything, and a cat who turns his nose up at everything...this makes no sense!
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The litter tray
Give me strength- VERY fussy cat!
fruitloopsandfruitshoots · 06/11/2014 15:41
How often do you feed him? You say he is hungry all the time so are you offering him something every time he asks for it? If you put down meals twice a day (leave the food out for ten minutes and take away what he doesn't eat) and nothing else in between at all he should soon learn what's what. I wouldn't give him any more chicken - he's a cat, he'll hold out for that all the time 
My Nan's cat would only eat chicken breast. If she took some leg meat off the bone - without letting him see - he somehow knew, and wouldn't eat it. He also had a whole room (!) to himself and only slept on a special cushion throne in front of his fire.
When Nan died, the people who gave the cat a home sent us some pics. He was lolling on someone's old fleece on the floor and tucking into actual cat food! 
Cheeky beggar, he'd had my Nan well and truly wrapped around his paw!
He was a lovely Persian thing. My Nan just adored him. But he did rather fancy himself Lord of the Manor!
I have to say I've had that 'going off sachets within a few days' thing with almost every cat I've had. I've always had better luck with a good quality dry food, sometimes with some experimentation to find the one they like. Sounds like yours will eat the dry if he has to - but he'll give you a hell of a guilt trip while he does! They are such clever, pesky animals.
Oh good grief - what a faff!
Put food down at breakfast and dinner time -stop watching him you might be putting him off
Seriously though cats feel vulnerable so stop watching him and give him the recommended portion- mine have dry food weighed out (vet recommendation) and one pouch of high quality per day.
Leave for an hour remove and don't feed him until dinner time.
It took my fusspot 2 days to realise that was the new routine .
I would just put him outside if he whined < heartless> or play with him.
Nothing more, no treats, no begging
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