Fussy eater now refusing cat food completely

[AmandaCooper]

Worried about our Persian tom. He's always been picky about what he will eat but it's gone pear shaped since his usual food was discontinued. We managed to wean him onto the new product in the same range - although he would only eat one flavour. Now he's refusing it point blank and will only eat roast chicken or cat milk. Fine, if that was healthy - but it's not a nutritionally complete diet and because we've been persisting with the cat food rather than delivering as much chicken as he wants, he's losing weight, over a kilo now. The vet is doing blood tests but I'm pretty sure he's just being stubborn and only wants to eat roast chicken. If we just indulge him and supply as much chicken as he wants will it make him ill? Can we add anything else to his preferred diet to make it whole? Or better still how on earth do we get him onto a different cat food when he won't eat the one we've got? Have tried mincing up a bit of food with lots of chopped chicken but he just turns his nose up at that. Can anybody help?

Oh dear. I presume you've tried posh dried food too? I really don't have much in the way of suggestions, however two of my cats who have always refused to eat anything except dried food and chicken or tuna, have both loved the James Wellbeloved sachets (which came free with a 10kg bag of the dried food), so now I'm having to buy it for them. I presume you've also tried Encore, which is almost like just chicken and tuna but with added nutritional stuff?

Tinned tuna in spring water is a little less salty and could make a change.

But, if he is being fussy (and I hope it isn't due to illness) have you thought of buying the cheapest cat food. After a few days of not eating anything / having his bluff called, he should give in and go back to what he usually has.

My cats have always had Hill's Science Diet, water only, and the odd Felix pouch, supplemented by tuna and food begged for from the table / fresh from the oven.

thecatneuterer he's always refused dry food, even just a tiny bit crushed up and mixed with the wet. It would make life a lot easier if he'd eat dry, posh or otherwise. When we've given him fish in the past he's developed rodent ulcers, so we've tried to source foods without too many fish products in them which rules a lot out.

We haven't tried Encore yet but have tried James Wellbeloved. Problem is whenever we've had to change his food before we've always done the dab on the side of the bowl, gradually building up to more and more of the new mixed in with the old over about ten days. Now he won't eat anything we've got nothing to mix the new stuff in with.

greenhill I like your thinking with the cheap food! It might just work! If not we'll try tuna I'd rather he had rodent ulcers than waste away.

Have you tried foods made by Royal Canin? We have a very fussy cat who will eat tuna in spring water, cooked chicken (sometimes) and anything in the Royal Canin Range. It is expensive £11 for a box of 12 pouches but it is never wasted. She will also eat the dried food "Exigent" by Royal Canin (specially made for fussy/picky cats).
The only other wet food she will occasionally eat is Felix "Marinades" (in pouches) However it is difficult to find a stockist for this as none of our local big supermarkets stock this.

I have taken to buying my cat food from Amazon, as I can generally get the varieties that the fussy madam will eat from them and the prices are pretty okay too.

oldwoman thanks - that sounds quite promising! We're just heading out now on a cat food buying mission but will check that out on Amazon as well. When the old food was discontinued we started buying that on Amazon for a while and it's quite convenient getting your cat food in the post instead of having to trek out to whatever stockist.

Gourmet pate. And get his teeth checked out.

Well what do you know he turned up his little nose at the tuna but wolfed down the cheap cat food! Little devil!

Thanks Cozie he is due for his teeth cleaning but vet says it's plaque rather than decay. If only he'd eat dry food. We'll definitely try that Exigent.

At least your cat ate something! As soon as it reads the price tag, it's guaranteed to go off it!

I hope the teeth cleaning sorts the appetite out.

Ha ha we will make sure we hide the till receipt! He's eating a second sachet now!