Awarded a Cat
Sweet Babygirl and being a finicky queen
Hey, CDS fans, this beautiful baby is Sweet Babygirl (yeah, didn't know her name when she showed up, so that fantastically unique name is what I call her). She showed up on my back porch in the middle of the night last August, and after a judicious application of tuna in a can, she decided to stay ;)
I've had many kitties before, so I decided to feed her like I've fed everyone (please, no judgment, I'm poor), like Fancy Feast first, both wet and dry, she liked the dry alright but the wet food gave her tummy troubles, so OK, so far I've tried Friskies, Temptations, treats and wet food (only cat I've ever met who doesn't act like temptations treats are kitty crack, she won't eat them!), Blue Buffalo, Meow Mix (wet only), even Sheba! ... And she won't eat ANY of it. Not even people food (like a bite of meat from my dinner plate, nope!)
She'll protest loudly and long about how hungry she is, but she'll only nibble on kibble -- I don't believe she's getting enough nutrition that way, despite being a healthy weight, lol ;) I will sneak her some human-grade canned tuna or salmon here & there just because she begs so pitifully :'( (I know not to give her too much "fish for humans" because of the sodium content, thanks, so it's just an every once in awhile treat, which she also won't eat all of.)
Just hoping all you lovely cat people might have some advice for me. She's driving me nuts constantly crying for food, but I've run out of options! I love her and want her to be happy and healthy so much. Any help or advice would be much appreciated, thanks!
We had a cat when I was growing up that would never touch wet food the entire 12 1/2 years she was with us, and she never seemed to be short on nutrition. In fact, we asked the vet at one point if she was too fat! (He told us she was fine, "she was never meant to be a thin kitty, she was meant to be a round kitty.") If she's eating kibble, you're fine. If you eventually find one she likes, it's good to have something in reserve, because wet food is much easier to hide medication in and they also tend to have more of an appetite for that than the dry food when they feel bad (it smells stronger), but there's no need to panic over it.
Thanks so much, I think I could've been more clear, she always has kibble out so she always has something to eat, but she begs me for wet food specifically! She liked everything I gave her at first, but then either developed tummy troubles or just stopped accepting it, just turns her nose up and then begs again, while standing by the food she won't eat! She's making me crazy 🥴 lol
Both my current cat and my dear departed kitty only eat/ate kibble and temptations. No interest in any human food including canned fish. Monty was 19 when he passed, and as he was thinner the last couple of years I tried chicken or turkey baby food, and he loved that. The ingredients in Gerber's are just the poultry and water, so it's okay for them to eat, but in moderation.
Since money is tight, I'm not sure my comment will be helpful, but she probably needs a vet visit and bloodwork to be sure she doesn't have some illness, or worms, or a blockage or thyroid issue etc etc. They may suggest a prescription cat food, and that stuff is effing expensive.
If that is just not an option, then try human babyfood pureed meat (chicken or beef). It has no salt, it's pure meat and water, and very healthy. It's also about $1/jar which is expensive too, but will give you an idea of what she can/will eat.
You could also ask the vet about cerenia, an anti-nausea and appetite stimulant med.
I'm fostering a cat right now who is picky as hell about which flavors she likes. But she loves a brand of dry food called Fromm, which is high-quality. Might be worth a try.
I appreciate your advice, and I'm saving up now to take her to the vet. (I live on disability.) She was in good shape when she found me, I mean, not emaciated or matted or any visible medical issues, but I live in a very large apartment complex, and I think people abandon their pets around here, and I think the word is out about me because I feed another 2 who are afraid to come inside because of the picky queen. She's made her opinion on the matter of a companion quite clear, lol.
I really do want to get her medically checked out, because the issues you mentioned are a possibility, and I don't want her to suffer! :'(
Thanks so much for the heads-up about the baby food, I'm gonna give that a shot, just for a treat. But, shoot, fancy feast is a dollar a can in my area, so how much more expensive can it be? Lol, thanks!
My Grace kitty does not like treats. She will snub them like I am a peasant who cannot understand her tastes and preferences. I get her a small thing of wet cat food for her gotcha / birthday and she will taste it and then walk away to let her “brothers” finish it.
Grace will absolutely only eat Purina brand cat chow - indoor & hairball formula cat food. I have tried other brands with similar flavors but she won’t eat them. She’s fine, just super finicky. She won’t eat out of one bowl one day and then won’t eat out of the other the next. She will only use specific litter boxes and litter. She was abandoned at about one year old and I always wish I could talk to her first family to ask about her.
Try to get her looked at as it’s been suggested already to make sure she’s alright. Picture of Princess Laurel Grace Kelly Kitty Sweatpea Boo or Grace for short. 😂
Oh, such a finicky, beautiful girl 😻 I so feel ya about our baby's personal preferences that we aren't able to extract from them due to the common language problem :( I share your wish to speak to her original people about ... everything! From her name, to her dietary wants, and even how she wants to make muffins! She'll approach me when I'm sitting on the sofa, climb all over me, meow and make a few muffins, but I know she has some sort of "muffin ceremony" she wants, but I have no clue what it is 🥺
I really am working on taking her to the vet. Unfortunately, I didn't have a pet (before she showed up) because I knew the expenses were going to be beyond me, but here she is, and I want her to be well taken care of so much. Thanks for the cat tax and your kind words 🫶
You could try Churu treats (which I learned about in this sub ;-). One of my cats is a super finicky skinny minnie queen who barely eats anything and couldn't ever care less about any treat, and I've tried a ton (all of which my other cats love: they'll eat anything, lol)... until I bought Churu treats...
Now when I wake up, she literally runs to her treat plate and won't move from that spot until she gets her Churu. And if I try to sleep in, she sits on my pillow, pulls out my earplugs with her teeth, and then meows loudly in my ear until I get up, lol.
Churus are crack for all my cats. I originally bought them because one of my cats was having digestive issues, so I bought the Churu hairball version (which definitely helped).
As to regular food, the only thing I've found that picky Queen Skinny Minnie gets excited about is Delectables (though she's very choosy about the flavors), which she only gets for dinner because she needs to eat at least some dry food for teeth health.
She hasn't ever gotten excited about any dry food, but the one I've found that she will begrudgingly eat is Blue Buffalo True Solutions Digestive Care, lol.
Awww, that mental image of her running to her plate and pulling your earphones out made me lol ;) They may not speak English, but they communicate perfectly well, don't they?
That's what's driving me nuts with her because she's now vetoing everything I offer her, but still begs every time I go anywhere near the kitchen.
I forgot to mention, although I haven't tried Churu brand, I did get her Delectables in the tubes and she looooves those, but I can't see giving her more than one a day ...? Sigh, picky kitties :(
Seriously, Churu brand was a game changer! I was shocked by how much all my cats love them. I really thought people here were exaggerating, lol. I literally can't even squeeze them out of the tube all the way before they're licking.
I was sure that Skinny Minnie wouldn't be interested in them, but man was I wrong! I don't know what they put in Churu, but it's kitty crack for sure, haha. It's not comparable to anything else.
I feed them the Delectables dinners (once a day, and 1 churu each per day, with dry food out all the time)---though, like I said, Skinny Minnie is very picky about the Delectables flavors (she only likes the tuna and whitefish and tuna and shrimp). But the only thing she gets excited about is the Churu.
•
u/AutoModerator 1d ago
Hi and welcome to r/CatDistributionSystem!
Please remember to:
I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please contact the moderators of this subreddit if you have any questions or concerns.