Senior cat has now become a (very) fussy eater

[fridgegrazer]

She is now about 14. When we first got her she was one year old and would eat anything and everything. She would wolf down all her meals in minutes and ask for more. I had to make sure she didn't put on too much weight and she used to be just under 4 kilos, which the vet said was her limit really.

She ate Whiskas pouches in jelly and Hills Science for neutered adults. Then I moved her to Whiskas 7+ and the Hills for senior cats. She went off the Whiskas a couple of years ago so I changed to Sheba in jelly which she liked at first - but now she doesn't like that either. I keep trying other foods - Lily's kitchen, Seriously Good, Felix, Purina - and she eats them at first but then goes off them, sometimes just after a couple of days.

She was last weighed in the summer and was 3.5 kilos, previously she had gone down as low as 3.2 kilos (when she needed some dental work doing - which she had done).

Can anyone recommend any food a fussy senior cat might eat. I'm tearing my hair out here.

Photo as required (sorry her head looks so big, it's my lack of photo skills.)

Our late elderly boy used to love the little Gourmet Gold tins because he didn't have to chew anything - he could just lick them. He was a greedy gorb!

Don't think that because she went off any particular food she won't eat it ever again. Our MrCat likes variety. He regularly goes off last month's favourite, but a couple of months without it and he's shoving my hand away to get at the bowl even before I finished emptying the pouch into it. So try one she hasn't had for a while.

Have you spoken to your vet to make sure her teeth and mouth is all ok?

Does she like lick-e-lix because I’ve found that something getting a cat to start eating is enough as they will then carry on, so encouraging with something tasty might be enough.

Has she had her teeth checked again recently? If she had dental problems before, it could be the same thing this time.

Otherwise I've noticed older cats often prefer pate-type foods - presumably because it's nicer and easier to eat.

Her teeth were ok at her last check up and she is due another one - i think it's August/September. She's not showing signs of discomfort (but I know they can mask it well) and does snack a bit on her dry food, so is OK crunching. I will certainly ask them to check up on her at her next appointment though.