On a mission to find something my cat will eat

[dotty12345]

My cat is on hunger strike (again!) He only has a small list of requirements:

1. Nothing brown
2. Nothing cheap
3. Nothing in gravy
4. Nothing previously liked
5. Only fish flavours acceptable
6. No human food

Please tell me other cats are as fussy!

Does he eat dry or only wet food?
My cats are good at eating dry but are very fussy with wet food and I still have no idea which one they will eat.

Mine will only (expensive) eat fishy cat food in gravy, but that’s the side dish to the (equally expensive) dry food.

It must be quite hard to avoid brown cat food though?

Only wet food, used to eat dry but has refused for a long time now, likes certain flavours of Dreamies and all Felix treats.

He was on hi-life tuna fillets in jelly (pink coloured) or Wilkos tuna loin and mackerel in jelly (also pinky) but has gone off. Bought some expensive Iams yesterday but alas is brown!

Ones my cat likes
Blink
Lilys kitchen
Scrumbles
Encore
Thrive

That might be it. We have an elderly rescue who despite being previously half starved, is the fussiest thing ever. She went on hunger strike once - we were trying everything to get her to eat, she's about 15 so I was thinking this was it - when DH pipes up that the only thing he can get her to eat is dreamies. She'd been eating nothing but dreamies for 4 days, she'd never had them before, he'd given her some and she'd thought to herself they're nice why would i eat anything else? It was like those old 110 year old ladies who declare they've outlasted everyone else because they've had a glass of wine and a cigarette every day for the last 99 years.

Fish sheba fine flakes in jelly?

Thanks @Kyse off to the shops, will see what I can find!

Canagan Herring.

We had to up the quality of our food to stop our thug going next door to raid for Whiskas.

Canagan Herring is far and away the most popular food we have ever served.

@SomeRolyPolyLittleBatFacedGirl you could be right, he's not exactly rescue but came to us age 6 due to his owners emigrating, had always lived with a dominant rag doll cat but is an only (and much indulged) cat here and I think asserting his dominance / independence. I worry about nutrition though with him only wanting to eat treats.

If you've got a pets at home try there as they usually sell individual ones - then you aren't wasting money!
Applaws is popular but they're not all complete foods so check if it says complete or complementary

@SomeRolyPolyLittleBatFacedGirl mine sometimes states he will only eat human food and it has to be dairy. So milkshakes, rice pudding, cheese, yoghurt.....
I can't drink a protein shake without being mugged for it off a 3kg ancient cat

Mine eats 99% dry food with an occasional lick of gravy from the pouch she demands every morning. The dry must be chicken flavoured and not grain-free. She also requires a human present when she eats.

Yeah, mine always ask for wet food and then act as if you've crapped in their bowls once you've presented it to them

I currently have 11 different types of cat food in my cupboard and she doesn't like any of them 🤷‍♀️

Encore fish in broth (not gravy). My cats love it (and it fits the expensive remit 😑)

My local tesco has a deposit point for the SSPCA. Do any shops have similar? I have made several donations to it over the years! Think pets at home might take food too

Arthur will appear from several miles away for a prawn. Open a packet and he goes mental. He is also a fish lover, but at the moment seems content with Felix As Good As it Looks.

Harry would only eat the tuna version of that before he died. I couldn't believe the price! New cat Eddie will not be having Canagan!

OP I have nothing to offer but my sympathy!

If mine goes on strike she goes hungry. She caves before I do. We change her food about so she doesn't get the chance to go off something. But occasionally she'll get some tuna and try and hold out for just that.

Can't be pandering to stuff like that.

Have you tried blink? I just got a sample pack from them and my cats have gone crazy for it!
Expensive though 😭

Giving mine minced turkey/chicken breast for one of their two meals a day. Other meal is lilys kitchen tin and some dried kibble.

Our hates blink and anything which resembles shredded chicken. However his favourite food is chicken (preferably leg, thigh then drumstick) fresh from the BBQ. Also partial to steak, brisket, sausages, unsmoked streaky bacon, cheese, custard, mayonnaise, oh and current cat food of choice is Purina 'Gourmet Gold Succulent Delights' (I wish they did more flavours!)

Can't help feeling that having multiple cats reduces the risk of this.
My four eat whatever is put down (usually Felix AGAIL) but also snaffle any human food going. I suspect when they are in competition with each other they are less likely to be fussy.
So OP - just go and get three more cats 😹

My sensitive tummed one only eats. EXPENSIVE Katkin.

The other one eats and loves the Lidl 60% meat and fish in pouches.

She also likes the pellets made out of crickets.