Is Your Cat a Picky Eater?

Have you been there? Your cat is looking up at you waiting to be served something else. The notoriety of cats picky eating is one thing, but you also have to think about taking responsibility for creating an environment for them to enjoy their meal and in line with their natural instincts.

Mealtime Success

Remove food between meals. This is a very important practice to implement if you are not already. The smell of food triggers a cat’s brain to prepare the body for digestion. The metabolism slows down and prepares the stomach for food digestion, while blood flow and waste disposal slow down. Finicky eating, indifference to all food, digestive slow down, and lethargy can result in letting them graze as they please.

Keep the water and food dish separate. The water dish should be in another spot in your living area. Wild cats never drink near their fresh kill. This instinctual preference avoids contamination of the fresh clean water source. If their water is near the food they may write off the whole scene. Even if they like the food it may be too close to their water. The two together can also lead to less water consumption.

Serve food on a flat clean dish. The shape could be bothering them. Bowls with high sides can irritate their sensitive whiskers and make eating an uncomfortable experience. Secondly, cats like to eat on clean dishware just like us, so ensure there is no trace of a prior meal and the surface area around the plate is clean.

Add a “topper” on their existing meal to sweeten up the deal. Your cat may just need a little convincing with a treat you know they love. Preferably make the topper the same protein source as the main course for efficient digestion. Try to wean them off the topper by giving less and less each meal. It is also good to know that cats are very particular about the texture of their food, so they may just need an adjustment period of the familiar texture to the new one.

Change the Food and add variety. Are you wondering why suddenly after years of the same food they once loved, now turning their nose up? It is because they are bored and need a food change. Or, their current diet is not working for them in some way. Try adding a variety of foods from time to time which will prevent boredom to their regular meals. Experiment with different proteins, vegetables, and grains. Not sure on how to introduce new foods? Check out Should Your Cat Eat Vegetables? to learn more. Observe how your cat responds to each new food. Are they curious but still won’t touch it? Reduce the amount and make sure it’s well combined with the food you know they will eat. Remember, getting the texture right is a big key to the puzzle.

Last Words

Cats that stop eating altogether and skip regular meals could point to a health issue that you will want to investigate more deeply. Speak to a health professional if your cat continues to display signs of unusual behavior at mealtime.

While you are exploring and changing things up, keep in mind that patience and open-mindedness will promote your cat to follow suit. Getting stressed over what to feed them may be interpreted as “this is unsafe because I sense negative energy”. Go through each tip with a light heart, optimism, and joy!

Darla Cameron
Homeopathic Practitioner, DHHP
Natural Cat Health Specialist

Darla has always had a love and interest for cats. Since natural health and healing has been a part of her life for many years as well, it was a perfect fit to focus her skills on caring for cats and helping them to live healthy, long, and happy lives.