What is it with cats and food?!

[PinkSparklyPussyCat]

Harry has been having dry food (James Wellbeloved) in the mornng and a Natures Menu pouch in the evening. At first he devoured the pouch in one sitting but now he's not eating all of it and it's taking him most of the evening. Because of the hot weather I decided to give him dry for dinner last night as well and he practically inhaled it!

Doesn't he appreciate high quality cat food?! Surely meat must be better than dry biscuits, especially if you're missing half your teeth!

I'll never understand the way his mind works!

Apparently not!

Seniorboy, who has only ever eaten wet food, has a morning 4/5 pouch and an evening 4/5 pouch. (Of Country Hunter.) He likes them fine - ie they're actually eaten! - but they're definitely not eaten at one sitting. It's rich stuff.

If Harry hasn't finished the pouch by the time I go to bed it gets taken up - I don't want that down all night in the hot weather!

We also had a maggot infested bin thanks to the pouches (even rinsing them doesn't get them clean) so I'm very anti pouch at the moment!

Ah. That's a pity. We don't have maggot issues here - no fly problems I guess. Pouches work well for us.

I keep part-pouches in the fridge in their own special spot on a door shelf. They're fine there for a day or two which is all that's needed to rotate the flavours on the 5 meal turnaround.

We haven't had it before but this is the first time he's been on pouches in the summer. He seems happy with his biscuits so I'll let him have his junk food binge while the weather is warm!

Mine only have dry food. They've had cat pate and cat soup and weren't over keen. So sticking with what they like.

Seniorboy dislikes cat pate and soup also - I was staggered that he took to the Country Hunter so easily.

Mine is going through an awkward phase of eating

She is refusing to eat her wet food but will happily scoff the dc chicken nuggets and ham sandwhiches

Every evening she's round my ankles meowing for dinner, I serve it up, she has one bite and then turns her nose up. Every sodding night

Mine too - it's a constant struggle to keep up with ever changing faddy tastes!

One thing that's critical with Seniorboy - a real fusspot these days - is to have variation of flavours. The same one for more than two successive meals doesn't go down well at all.

See toots was eating a pate type when I noticed she preferred a gravy food. Bought her a gravy based food and now she doesn't want it

I think dry and cheap food is like McDonalds. Unhealthy and processed, but tastes so nice! For occasional consumption only in this house!

I don't feel bad giving it to him as I think James Wellbeloved is reasonable quality. He's not allowed cheap biscuits!

Oh I agree with that and if I have to feed dry, then it is the James Wellbeloved. I just think wet is better, but it's all on a scale. I also think they, like us, are attracted to less healthy food! What we like is not always what's best for us.

Toots dry biscuits are Royal canin

Whiskers, felix and cheap alternatives don't enter this home

I spoke to the vet after being told on another cat forum that I was killing my cat by feeding him dry food and she has always been happy for him to be on dry, providing it's not the cheap stuff.

I'm planning on keeping him on dry until the weather cools down and then he'll be back to a pouch in the evening - I can't afford more than one a day! Hopefully he'll have realised what he's missing by then!

There are, for sure, practicalities involved. We don't have a fly/maggots issue at the moment but I know that some people are bedevilled by them.

Cozie, I think given his age Senior boy has every right to be as fussy as he likes. Your sole purpose in life must only be to pander to his every whim!!