Ok, they are on hunger strike and I have made a rod for my own back. HELP!

[MedusaIsHavingaBadHairday]

Until a month ago, the kittens and Portia were happily scoffing Animonda Carny for wet food and various (Royal Canin, Iams, etc) for dry.

Then they suddenly (having ordered a load of course) went off it. Felix and Whiskers give Ophie the runs and I don't think they are good enough anyway. The LOVED Gourmet of course (and for 3 greedy cats that was costing us more in their food than ours!) but now are licking the jelly off/ nibbling a bit.

They love tuna or chicken fillets, but frankly my budget won't stretch to that every day..and seriously... they ARE eating better than us!

Today they rejected the Gourmet, pathetically nibbled a few Royal Canin crunchies and have taken to following me round the house, flopping to the floor in a dramatic manner!!!! Honest to God these cats could beat Eddy Redmayne at the Oscars

I need to somehow regain power here!!!!! Do I hold firm.. just put dried down for a day or so? Is there anything else I can give them? I'm more willing to be ruled by Portia as she has elderly cat rights..but whatever she has they want anyway.

They are hoofingly big beasties too.. Obie's around 16 pounds, Ophie is now 11 (coming on nicely for a girl MC) and both very slim..they need lots of food!

I am being held to randsom!!!

Portia's the difficulty - difficult to hang tough with an elderly cat. Do they all eat together?

They usually do.. only because they have hearing like bats and if one hears the slightest hint of me being in the kitchen, they all come running! Plus they actually slap me out of bed at 6.30 am every morning and line up in the kitchen. Portia has always been fussy ..and as she is a very light 7 pounder I am keen to make sure she eats as well as she can. The other two are just abusing my good nature .

You know my kitten was a picky beast and I've tried all the shop brands she would just lick the jelly off... until I went to lidl 20p for a little tray and the plates have been clean going on for three weeks now!

I have an instinctive feeling that one of the reasons cats can get picky (apart from being plain thrawn etc) is because dished food occupies too big a role in their lives and they then get obsessional about the nature/flavour of it. What sort of activities do they get?

I did exactly the same with one of my dearly departed cats. Ended up so he'd only eat prawns and lightly sauteed steak. Which doesn't provide the right nutrients for them, because it's muscle meat, and they need offal to get their taurine and such-like.

I had to be Very Firm when I made the decision to put him back on proper cat food. I began by mixing a little cat food with his steak, and gradually weaned him off it.

Portia, being older, you probably let her eat what she wants, because she's a fussy old lady, set in her ways. To stop the kittens stealing her food, could you put her bowl in a place where they can't reach it?

Mkitten's got fussy of late, maybe it's a stage they go through. Because as young kittens, they'll investigate and munch anything remotely edible.

Obie goes out a fair bit and is active so I don't think it's boredom. Ophie refuses to go out at all but loves her flying frenzy.. she might need more occupying I guess but I'm not sure how as she has dozens of toys and several worshipping humans :) I'm hoping as the weather improves she will decide to start going out.

I suspect they have simply sussed out that I'm a soft touch :/ Interestingly if I put their rejected food out the front for the neighbours cat, they seem much keener to eat it...

I think I'm going to have to be firm aren't I? I am not good at firm :(

Outside is pretty cold, wet and boring right now - at least it is here although it may not be with you. Hopefully, the arrival of spring (properly) along with small flobbly birds and mammals will perk them up.

I'd give them their dry food in foraging toys and their wet food to a strict routine - to the quarter hour strict. Small portions, vary the flavour each time and then take it away and dump it if uneaten. (Don't leave it lying to become dry and unappetising.)

And then, Yes - hang tough. You can do it.

(How many wet food mealtimes do they have by the way?)

I definitely think you're right Medusa, they suss when we're a soft touch.

When MCat and DH came to live with me, he'd eat anything, even crumbs off the floor. Floor-food dining I called it. Now the little man has to have a range of various delicious foods to tempt him.

They train us well.

On a workday they have breakfast at just before 7am, afternoon tea at about 4pm when I return and then at least one more meal in the evening.. often two! so 3-4 meals a day and dried down at all times(they seem to eat this at night). Obie and Ophie eat a whole sachet each meal, Portia less.

In the holidays like now, they wait til each member of the family appears and pretend they haven't been fed yet... DS1 is the worst (he is autistic, loves them and will always give them food and they KNOW he is the soft touch!) So if given the opportunity Obie at least will get in one extra meal!

I think 3 times a day (and poss a snack for supper) is fine.. Portia has thrived on it for 15 years, but three times a day, sniffing at it, and yowling at me for prawns..has to stop!

Ah - DS1 is a complication. Any way of persuading him not to give them food? (Or if the situation is desperate, not to give them scraps from the fridge/plate/table. (Human food is often so tasty to them and that can put them off their special cat food - think morsels of ham/cheese/chicken/you name it.))

Children and cats are treated the same in this house there is the food I am offering you either eat it or you don't. Currently the felines are less keen on the arden grange grain free salmon and potato dry, but I put it in the bowls each morning and whilst they don't get up and eat it at that time it is nearly all gone by their evening meal of wet food.
I don't pander to anyone.

It's hard not to pander to cats though. They're little feline gods. With a massive sense of entitlement.

A vet gave me a tip which has been working with fussy alfiecat. Try putting the food in another part of the house, seems cats then worry there is another cat who will be eating 'their' food, works every time with the ginger peril.

Oh I will try that!
This morning hasn't started well... they are sulking at what was offered and hassling DS1 for tuna! I am going to remove the food and just leave crunchies down..and go out!!!

Good idea.

Maybe try to impress on DS1 that if he gives them any food, it should be a pouch or tin/dry food in a food ball? That might just work for him.