More tips on feeding stubborn cats!

[Candy&Company]

Hi! *waves* My name's Candy and my FD kitty is Fena - female name for a male cat, ha! Yeah, I was shocked too - check my profile and posts if you wanna know more but I can't sleep, it's 5:45am EST.

I've been through hell and back with my babies already and I've been a lurker here long enough to know that all of you have been in the same position - but I wanted to post some more tips, just in case they help. They're outside the box, I haven't really seen them mentioned here while I've been in the shadows - not to say they're NOT around, just that I haven't found them, but in case it helps?

FOR STUBBORN, FINICKY, ANNOYING EATTERS (listed in order of my babies for best results):

1.) WAKE UP = make a big deal of it! I've NEVER been a morning person, but I swear my cats are always awake before me even if it's just 10-15 minutes. Wake up, stretch, yawn, and talk in your most "kitty-licious: voice about HI, and I LOVE YOU, and HOW DID YOU SLEEP?! and WHO'S HUNGIES?! (SAID: hun-geez). Love on them if you can, pets, kisses, snuggles, etc.

2.) Keeping your voice happy and upbeat, love on them if they're around or you encounter them - pets, scritches, kisses, etc. and keep up the happy voice if you can. If they follow you, reward them! Keep small pouch or bag in a drawer, or a fav. toy, or just your own playfulness - engage them. It'll wake you up too.

3.) Talk to them and show them stuff! Even if you're not doing food, show them what you're doing - coffee, cleaning, clothes from the dryer, makeup, etc. show them EVERYTHING - and talk to them. They might not know what you're on about, but they'll know you're trying to communicate.

4.) If they DON'T wake up/get up with you, BUG THEM. This probably seems like a bad idea but in my experience it's really not - my mornings are especially are CRAZY to get them settled, to get ready for work, etc. and honestly they don't hate me when I wake them up - I take to them in my "I love you" voice, I pet and snuggle and kiss and snuzzle and ask about brekkie, they catch on QUICK!

 

[Candy&Company]

Hm, not sure where all of my edits to add to my list are.. I posted an edit, plus #4 and 5. *sigh* I think I messed it up. Oops.

 

[Candy&Company]

Ok so I'm free for a moment!

5.) If you have a multiple cat household, try as hard as you can to feed them all the SAME THING - if they think, even 1 of them, that someone has something different it'll mess with your feeding so whenever I'm feeding I always show the cans to Fena and Maom crack them open all the way and show again to see them sniff/lick/get interested, then go about dishing out. Unless you know some of uyour cats hate/don't like certain things, it's a bit like school - "Do you have enough for the rest of the class?" - and even if they DON'T like all they smell, watch them - sometimes they'll get abit sad so keep a treat or a trick on hand just in case to give them or put in their bowl.

6.) SECRETIVE - some cats need to eat ALONE, and others get sad when they can't eat with their family. Make sure you can tell which personality type your cat is. Fena can eat anywhere, she doesn't much care and honestly she tends to eat more when I'm at LEAST 10-20 ft. away (if she's feeling in the mood). Mao however, wants to eat BY me, within 10 ft. and if he can't he won't eat as much and act depressed. If I have to chase Fena around to eat, I bring Mao and his food with me - talking to him the whole time, pumping him up, he loves it and thinks it's a game.

7.) FOOD TOPPERS - Halo treats, other dehydrated treats, parmasean cheese, etc. do NOT put it on their food when they can't see it. MAKE SURE THEY CAN SEE IT. Show it to them, let them smell it and watch you as you sprinkle it over their food - don't leave them guessing, keep them in the moment and usually they'll eat.

8.) Do NOT buy their "I'm not into it" routine - do NOT. If you offer food and they eat a little then leave, let them go. Give them 5 - 10 min, and in the meantime either add a little bit more warn water or some kind of liquid enticement (like tuna water, homemade chicken broth - WOW IS THIS A HIT! etc.) then try again. Make a big deal of it - "Oh this is so yummy, look Fena, see how good this is? Numnumnum, mm.. it smells so good, do you wanna try some?" Waft it under their nose, dip in a finger and wave that, lightly (LIGHTLY!) dab it on their nose or cheeks, paws, etc.

--TIP: once their eyeballs zero in on the bowl/dish, put it down and walk away - DO NOT HOVER - stay at least 10-15 feet away and "act" busy" even if you're not. For my cats the trick is 5-10 min of being left aone THEN offering their food again - good results. Chase them with it but DON'T overly harass them. Also, only add "toppers" at the "end stages" of feeding - NOT the beginning.

9.) PARENT - does your cat insist on eating near/with you like a limpet? Scoop up some food with your finger and feed it to them! They'll lick, nibble, grab, chew, etc. usually involving the "bits" in the pate brand of wet foods, they need help sometimes getting it into their mouths. It's annoying as hell but it's bonding time!

10.) GROOOOOOOOOMING! I don't think enough people realize how AWESOME this is! Grooming! At LEAST 10 min before feed time, groom your baby - brush, comb, fingers, it doesn't matter - GROOM! It can make them perk up and take notice - in their surroundings OR in what YOU do if you present the food like a server, etc.

11.) PLAY - dear god, PLAY! Feather on a stick, ribbon on your wrist, balloons, mice with pockets for catnip, etc. PLAY, it can make them hungry!

12.) Hold their bowl - sometimes cats want a servant, someone to "hold" their food if they're in a weird position/space especially - do it, until you "sense' your cat will follow the BOWL when you put it down or move it to the left, right rtc.

13.) DO YOU HAVE A LICKER? - keep it topped with water, just a "sprig" - a quick dash so the food doesn't get dried out and keep offering. Also think about "blending" - either half the can with the gravy/graze or with at least 1 tablespoon water. Blending means a food processor or blender, turning at least half food portion into liquid with aid of water/etc.

 

[Bama Kitty Mom (GA)]

This is great! You are so right. I do or have done all of these things. Even let Bama eat off the spoon. Cut the chunky pate into bites, stir the droppings with warm water to make "gravy", pile it up, spread it out, praise and say what a good job he's doing even when I could just scream. Mealtimes are upwards of 3o minutes sometimes. Who was it that spread the falsehood that cats are easy pets, can practically take care of themselves and are clean? Bama is none of these things. I have the biggest mess to clean up after he has eaten, shaken the loose bits off his whiskers, face, neck and paws, and the pair of us have tracked it all over the room.

 

[Veronica & Babu-chiri]

Thank you very much I do have 3 stubborn eaters so any and every tip helps. Has anyone tried cat nip as topper I've heard about it but haven't done it ( I think I'm down the list of every other topping )and I'm already spoon feeding ( not just letting him lick it ) one of them who would not just eat out of a plate with his mouth he's too well mannered to not use cutlery while eating

And I'm pretty sure who ever spread the rumor about cats being easy had a dog or a parrot or something else!

 

[Candy&Company]

Thank you very much I do have 3 stubborn eaters so any and every tip helps. Has anyone tried cat nip as topper I've heard about it but haven't done it ( I think I'm down the list of every other topping )and I'm already spoon feeding ( not just letting him lick it ) one of them who would not just eat out of a plate with his mouth he's too well mannered to not use cutlery while eating

And I'm pretty sure who ever spread the rumor about cats being easy had a dog or a parrot or something else!

Hi Veronica and company! I've actually tried catnip itself on the food but only twice and both times I've gotten a bit odd results - the first time with Fena she was confused, she's used to getting it on the floor or on her "board" - which is essentially a big piece of thin cardboard like a totally unfolded cereal box, 30pack beer box, etc. so she can eat it, roll in it, dig her claws into the cardboard, etc. but on her food the first time she was excited but kept looking at me, then the bowl, then me, etc.

I ended up having to spoon some to her on my finger, then she dug RIGHT IN - but she ate too fast and gave herself gas, so I had to jiggle her tummy off and on so she could burp.

The second time worked much better but only because I thought... huh. I dug out my grandmothers old school metal "tea ball", filled it with catnip then boiled water and steeped it. I might've made it too potent, I'm not sure but the teapot water was a slightly lighter, swamp looking "green" - but I waited for it to cool a bit then put 1 tablespoon into Fena's food and she was a VERY happy kitty!

The downside, after just a minute or two of eating she wanted to roll around, groom, play, basically kittycracking out. I still have the saved water, I froze it in ice cube trays but I haven't tried it again. I'm thinking if I add it to food in the future I should do less than a tablespoon - maybe 1 teaspoon of it, then 1 tablespoon plain warm water and save the cubes for treats or something?

Not sure, still working it out. Also haven't tried cat grass but it's also on my list of things to experiment with off and on.

 

[Candy&Company]

This is great! You are so right. I do or have done all of these things. Even let Bama eat off the spoon. Cut the chunky pate into bites, stir the droppings with warm water to make "gravy", pile it up, spread it out, praise and say what a good job he's doing even when I could just scream. Mealtimes are upwards of 3o minutes sometimes. Who was it that spread the falsehood that cats are easy pets, can practically take care of themselves and are clean? Bama is none of these things. I have the biggest mess to clean up after he has eaten, shaken the loose bits off his whiskers, face, neck and paws, and the pair of us have tracked it all over the room.

Ooh gosh, same here! Mao is the one who gets it everywhere sadly but has the cleanest face ever afterwards. Fena though, wears it, the poor thing, so I've had to start incorporating "wiping her mouth" into the feeding - she's ok with it now and seems to like it a lot actually, just a folded up, wet paper towel (but not dripping). If she sees THAT coming, she knows once it's over I'll leave her alone and won't bug her again for awhile. I haven't gotten either of them used to cutlery yet, they seem to prefer my fingers.

So there I am, trying to scoop it up, balance it on my index and/or middle fingers.. or letting the water run out a bit (after tons of their licking) and then "press forming" the pate bits into kinda... er, balls? Then trying to hold/offer it without it breaking apart or having them lick-launch it 5 feet away. Fun times! LOL.

 

[Candy&Company]

MORE TIPS!

14.) LITTER BOX - depending on what your cats is like, they might take their box/s VERY seriously. In my house we have 3, even though 2 are used the most. The one upstairs gets used MAYBE 1-2 times a week by Mao, but the 2 downstairs (1 in basement, 1 on ground floor) get used often. Fena prefers the ground floor one, Mao is the basement unless he wants to be an ass and DESTROY the ground floor one just to spite Fena. I'm constantly "fixing" it when he does that, sigh.

--BUT, make sure they see you clean their box, if you can - sometimes them knowing that they have somewhere "clean" to go during or after food, makes them more comfortable to eat even if you keep it immaculate, try and let them see you clean it, or on a strict schedule. Sometimes Fena can't even wait until I'm done scooping it, etc. and Mao gets SO excited he gets the "zoomies"! If you can, try to clean it the most or only, before meal/mini meal times to boost the possible "effect".

15.) MAKE A GAME OF IT - some of these tips I only use myself when it's more dire, and this is one of them. Take a can of pate and mush the heck out of it with a spoon, but add no water yet. Using about 1/4 or 1/2 of it, form it into smaller "balls" as best they'll stay together and put on a plate. The rest of the food, do it up as your cat likes - blended until liquid, water added, etc. and put in their bowl. Then take the bowl out to the area you want to feed but don't put it down yet. Go back for the plate, then put the "balls" down to make your cat "eat and follow" until you're out and you finally do put the bowl down. I've had to do this 3 times, which is a pain but it allowed Fena to get her shots in the early days.

16.) PRETEND TO EAT IT - if your cat is a bit territorial over their food or even just their "bowl", pretend to eat it! Make tons of noises, slurping, numnum'ing, etc. then try offering it.

17.) EGG YOLK - reheating is best done with hot water or a microwave for a few seconds, but to get to that point: I soft boil 4 large eggs, usually 3-4 minutes in boiling water. TIP - boil the water FIRST then slowly spoon the eggs in. This way the white will set (quick due to shock) but most of the yolk won't and stay liquid (if you live in higher elevations though this might not work). I don't often "cool them down" in ice water, I just drain the boiling water then put the pot with the eggs under the cold water tap until the pot overflows for a minute or two.

---once cooled enough, stand an egg on its end and give a quick, sharp "tap" with a butter knife or its handle to crack the shell, then you can carefully peel. Seems to work the best if you can figure out where the "air bubble is", top or bottom. It might feel a bit "wobbly" so take some care. Once peeled, set it on its side in a dish and cut in half slowly with a knife. The yolk should run out so you can "drain" each half and can scoop out a bit more with your finger. Spoon some yolk on the top of their food. I split 1 yolk between my 2 cats.

---you can eat the whites yourself as a snack! I actually fill the "white cups" with hummus, yogurt, etc. for a snack for myself.

---reheating unshelled extra eggs - you can either stand the egg up in a microwave safe dish and "crack/tap" the top per above then heat for 10-15 seconds on high, or you can shell it, cut in half, spoon on food and then put the yolk/cat food into the microwave to warm it up.

---SALMONELLA, this is always a concern but I haven't had any problems. I used to do this with my dogs, a bit different of course, but no troubles and I've done it for Fena and Mao about 4 times now when I've needed to and so far, so good but do be careful. Also not sure if it's recommended for cats with further/more complicated issues?

18.) MOMMA BIRDING - this one's a bit tricky but if your cat, in the past, has gotten food from you from your own dinner they might go for it. Mine have! Whenever I make my own chicken pot pies, chicken breasts, etc. I'll bust off pieces the "suck them clean" in my own mouth before shredding it on their food/offering by hand to get them started (on top of their wet food). Sometimes if I offer fresh cooked chicken pieces, this is the only way they'll get interested. Not sure why!

19.) WHICH SIDE? - if you chase your cat with the bowl, or when feeding they're already laying down, figure out WHERE to put the bowl. Sometimes they want it between their paws, sometimes to the left, the right, etc. place it down and wait a few seconds and if nothing, reposition - hopefully your cat will tell you where the sweet spot is.

20.) DECORNED ON THE COB - this is a weird one, but I was desperate one night and had corn on the cobs for my dinner, etc. I cut the kernels off with a sharp, thin, fish filet knife so there's virtually next to nothing left on it except some corn juice and/or butter residue. My cats were curious, so I thought.... huh. I patted it dry a bit with a paper towel, blended their food into mostly liquid, then "rolled" the "decorned" cob in the food and they licked/bit/ate it off of that! Took a good while but they had fun, and they got enough for their shot.

21.) SCRAPING - sometimes when my babies eat, their food gets "smooshed" on the sides of their bowls, like it was mortared there and they have trouble licking/biting it loose so I keep a spoon handy and "scrape? down the sides of their bowl to keep making a mound in the middle, to make it easier for them. Keep a bit of water, etc. handy too in case you want to add a dash more.

22.) STUCK IN CHEEK - keep an eye on your babies when they eat, my Mao sometimes takes too big of a bite and he'll spend the next 2-3 minutes "trying" to get the food out between his cheek and gums/teeth. If you see that and your cat doesn't mind help, gently massage your fingers along their cheeks and jawline to help free the food and their annoyance.

23.) ROMAINE LETTUCE - I've always heard/known that a lot of cats enjoy greens or dark greens. I've never tried anything other than romaine with my cats, but if I use my fingernails to pinch off little bits and sprinkle it on top of their food, then let them see the "big leaves" on the main bunch and smell my fingers, then show them the bowl they saw me sprinkle some into, they'll eat.