Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. Only the apps you allow.

Meet the Other Phone.
Only the apps you allow.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
The litter tray

Join our community of cat lovers on the Mumsnet Cat forum for kitten advice and help with cat behaviour.

Original poster

My cat only eats the jelly on his food - any ideas ?

29 replies

Laska42 · 14/01/2014 21:51

only eats Whiskas ,, wont touch the gravy stuff, its driving me mad.. A war of attrition, How can I get him to eat the ruddy food?

Mind you hes not thin, that cat , is the jelly all sugar do you think?

He's a rescue cat ,8 yrs old never used to be fussy .. I think i've spoilt him .. I keep telling him he'll go back if he dont behave , but he just looks at me .

Hes also got no fangs (he didn't have bottom ones when we got him and since then has lost the top two fighting i think , hes a real outdoor country cat , but a neutered tom ) The vet says the tooth loss probably due to bad health as a kitten ( was only a year or so old when we had him . other wuse hes in good health and has his other teeth and can chew and crunch ( given he likes the odd Dreamie and seeing the mouse remains we find)

Anyone here with any advice or good knowledge ? he wont starve like i said, but i just cant keep affording to chuck food away

OP posts:
cozietoesie · 14/01/2014 21:59

Is he maybe getting his solids 'on the hoof'? Does he go outside?

Anyway, if he's not thin and the vets happy, I'd put out only small amounts and maybe warm them up just a smidge or add a tiny bit of hot water. (Save any little lidded pots you or your family and friends can find and freeze what you're about to use immediately. Cat food freezes really well.)

cozietoesie · 14/01/2014 22:00

.....freeze what you're not about to use.......

(I'm blaming Seniorboy for that one.)

moonbells · 14/01/2014 22:40

Our old lady cat was a jelly-licker. Wasn't daft enough to eat the fake meat bits. Have you tried putting dry out for him too, to help his remaining teeth stay healthy? Madam would eat crunchies happily, except the ones that had green vegetables in. She'd eat around those... don't blame her!

Current pair are hoovers no matter what Grin

Selks · 14/01/2014 22:46

I would have him checked for tooth decay as painful teeth can put them off eating the solid bits.

HazeltheMcWitch · 14/01/2014 22:50

You've probably done this already, but have you tried mashing the food? FOr one of ours, we have to mash it up REALLY well with the back of a fork, or he'll just lick the jelly off.

Re tooth decay, you can usually smell it on the breath (foul), or I sometimes notice that our other cat sort of mouths his food, like he wants to eat but cannot quite bring himself to.

No real decay issues with masher tho - he's just a fussy bugger. He only eats some Felix flavours. Does not really like red meat, prefers poulty. My heart sinks whenever I see 'New Improved' on his beloved Felix!

Original poster
Laska42 · 15/01/2014 18:56

he might be getting food elsewhere .. if so it will be 'wild' food ..and he used to eat dry food but doesn't touch it now ,,but i will get his mouth checked again (last time vet said he was fine.. and he seems fine what i can see mouth and gums look pink and healthy ..

but i will try the warm water trick and a little mashing..
Freezing ? hmm id definitely have to learn to label things better or it could be cat food con carne for us! Shock

My dh thinks i give him too much so he just eats the 'nice bits' .. ive f
ound though that putting down half a sachet doesn't make much difference to jelly -licking..

Anyway thanks .. ill report back ..

OP posts:
cozietoesie · 15/01/2014 19:08

Chilli con Whiskas - lovely. (Put them in a clear plastic bag or poly or two, once frozen, to distinguish them. Saves labelling precision. (I'm a dreadful labeller.))

stealthsquiggle · 15/01/2014 22:02

Have you tried him on senior food? Our ancient cat used to do that with normal adult food but would eat "senior" food properly.

MrsOakenshield · 15/01/2014 22:05

Felix Meaty Loaf. That's all our cats will eat, with jelly/gravy stuff the just eat the jelly/lick the gravy.

cozietoesie · 15/01/2014 22:15

The trouble is, stealth, that he's only 8. The OP doesn't need another - say - 10 years of being completely under the paw with regards to food.Wink

stealthsquiggle · 15/01/2014 22:34

OK, so DCat was 11 or 12 before she asserted her inalienable right to senior food - but she did live to 22 Hmm. Since she also vetoed having any other cats after DCat1 died, she was an only cat for all that time too so it was easier to buy the damned senior pouches than to fight her about it.

cozietoesie · 15/01/2014 22:40

I give in quite a lot of the time to Seniorboy but he has to have timed meds in his food so I'm a bit stuck. That's my excuse anyway. Smile

mooomeee · 15/01/2014 22:40

my cat does this too! he will also steal the dogs dinner and lick all of the jelly off.
He is a nightmare, will leave all the little 'meat' bits. He has kibble out at all times, but he spends his whole life convincing me to feed him more jelly.

He really enjoys the Gourmet cat food, and will actually eat it all, so that might be worth a try. failing that he gets nothing else!

Original poster
Laska42 · 15/01/2014 22:40

I Certainly dont..cozie the smug shyster (Barney is his name) is out right now but (just to prove me wrong of course) he actually did polish most of this evening's food off [we need a smug cat icon] ...so ill be having another stern word in the morning ..

I might go back (yeuch) to the stuff in tins that looks like (yikes) pate , but always has horrid best not to look too closely bits in he used to eat that but once the tin was i opened wouldnt eat it again at a second or third meal , but now I know about freezing cat food in portions it might be worth trying it ..

However , I'd really need to lable that carefully as i have been known to make my own pate and freeze it ..

Fancy Whiskas on toast as a starter any one ? ( better not come for dinner with me!)

Thanks for your help

OP posts:
cozietoesie · 15/01/2014 22:43

I wouldn't give in and go to the Gourmet too too easily, mooomeee. I think you need to have something in reserve for tempting a jaded palate if he's ill or needs meds.

mooomeee · 15/01/2014 22:48

DH is too soft. Meds get given by head, he is quite tormented and does not argue when i have to give him tablets! Grin

He gets gourmet for nothing. I was so sick of wasting other food - he would just not eat it!

shobby · 15/01/2014 22:48

I think this is a common occurrence, our three toms do exactly the same given a chance, but are all still over 4kg! I buy Aldi's senior mixed sachets and have found mashing them well and only giving them a small amount (plus some crunchies and fresh water which stay out all day) do them fine. They are all around 8 yrs old and only go out to wee during the day poor old boys, but still catch the odd mouse to lovingly present to me ...

Original poster
Laska42 · 16/01/2014 21:45

Ok this morning I left for work only leaving one sachet in his bowl so he was hungry when i got home ,and this evening he is getting his food a quarter of a sachet at a time.. and seeming to eat it like that ..

Is pissed off with me though..

maybe i've been giving him too much choice

OP posts:
cozietoesie · 16/01/2014 22:14

There you go. We all knew you weren't really under the paw. Wink

HellonHeels · 17/01/2014 13:01

One of mine does that too! He is a "high needs" cat and always wants to have me around when he's eating. I must dance attendance upon him at all times or he huffs Smile

Both cats were rescues, we got them as older kittens. Needy Boy was quite sick for first few months and I spent lots of time with him, spoonfeeding him to make sure he got all his medication. Made a rod for my own back!

When he leaves the meaty bits, if I crumble a Thrive freeze dried treat over the dish and he eats the lot.

pixielins · 14/01/2017 16:17

You need to ensure you leave dry food out all day as cats are grazers and the wet food is more of a treat than anything else.

Weedsnseeds1 · 15/01/2017 09:20

If he's eating mice, rabbits etc. he should be ok as that's a complete food.
With the sachets and tins, the vitamin / mineral mix, plus ground bone, is all in the chunks so he will miss out on essentials. The gravy / jelly is really just gelatin and thickeners. The chunks are formed from ground muscle, offal, bones and extras like vitamins, starches etc., formed, steamed, cut, added to the pack and gravy or jelly dosed in as a liquid, before autoclaving.
Lidl and Aldi do the pate in tiny trays so that might be worth a go.

hollinhurst84 · 15/01/2017 14:51

pixielins- most cats are better off being fed purely wet food. Mine isn't fed any dry at all as I prefer to raw feed

Misericord · 17/01/2017 23:57

I recommend Whiskas soups. Mostly thick liquid with soft bits of fish / meat. My middle aged lady would only lick gravy until we got her on these and after four months she hasn't tired on them - highly recommend.

Kandii · 25/11/2018 15:02

Try a different brand of food. Sounds too simple I know but I rescued a 2 Yr old female a few months ago, was getting co-op food as it seemed much better quality but she was only licking the gravy, tried her with some felix the other day and she's been cleaning the bowl ever since. Cats are individual, they have likes and dislikes just like us, especially when they're spoiled house cats :)