Tips and Traps for Feeding Faddy Cats

Cats are naturally careful eaters as their digestive system is not good at breaking down toxins. Because cats are so sensitive to poisons, their senses of taste and smell must prevent them from eating food which could be harmful to them. An excellent sense of smell warns them of stale or contaminated food and if their sense of smell fails, so does their appetite. Unfortunately, the same mechanism which helps cats avoid harmful foods can turn it into a faddy eater.

Faddy eaters may be fixated on one or two types of food. This may lead to an unbalanced diet if its preferred foods are 'treat' foods or to problems if the food becomes unavailable. For these reasons, it's unwise to allow a cat to become a faddy eater. Unfortunately it's all too easy to be manipulated without realizing it. You avoid one or two flavors because your cat isn't keen on them. It will eat them once it gets hungry enough, but it knows you will crack before it does. Instead, you stock up on the flavors it eats readily. In this way, you reinforce its food fads until they become fir habits which can be very hard to break.

Before deciding that your cat is simply a faddy eater which is training you to buy only certain types of food, look for good reasons for it to refuse food. Make sure there are no underlying problems before you before label it finicky and try to reform it.

Fussy, Off-Color, or Full-Up?

Make sure your cat is healthy before you tackle any food fads. A number of medical problems can make cats finicky eaters - like ill humans, they won't eat unless the food is especially tempting. A cat with a stomach upset won't eat till it feels better. If a bunged-up nose is the problem, offer pungent foods or warm the food to make it smell more appetizing. If your cat's appetite doesn't return within 24 hours or it appears ill, consult your vet as there may be a more serious problem.

Cats are highly intolerant of mouth pain. Dental or oral problems including bad teeth, gum disease, sore tongue, wounds inside the mouth or mouth ulcers make it hard to eat and can completely stop a cat from eating. Sometimes the mouth pain may make it difficult to eat certain types of food, but the cat still eats very soft food, giving the impression of finicky habits. If your has groomed contaminants from its fur it may have burnt its mouth or throat - it needs urgent medical treatment as it may also have ingested poison. Sometimes a cat requires tube feeding while the mouth heals. Throat infections can make it uncomfortable for the cat to swallow.

Stress can also upset feline appetites. Factors range from a new baby, a house move or a new cat next-door (spend time reassuring your cat) to the smell of paint when redecorating (feed the cat away from the off-putting smell - al fresco if necessary!).

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