Help! My Kitty Will Not Eat!
Cats have their own distinct personalities. I have never personally had two that were alike. They can be sweet and wonderful and also vocal, picky, and generally stubborn when it comes to how they feel you should be serving them – because you are not in charge and shame on you for thinking differently. But, what is best for kitty may not be their idea of your dedicated servitude. It is time to get creative!
When kitty refuses to eat, there could be a lot of reasons for this. For starters, if they liked their previous food and you have changed them over to lower carb food, kitty might snub it. I recommend buying one or two cans at a time of different flavors to see what your kitty (ruler) will tolerate. You do NOT want to give in and go back to a high carb or carb-based food! This is not good for the long game I go on and on about in every post. (Goal is remission and that won’t happen with high-carb food!)
- Spice things up! If kitty likes catnip, sprinkle some on top like parsley (bonus – a very pretty garnish for your little prince or princess.) Some cats prefer cat grass, and you can cut that up like chives and sprinkle on top or mix in. Parmesan cheese is okay too. I had one cat that loved and only loved swiss cheese, so there are other cheese options – just try to stay away from the processed stuff.
- Apply heat: If kitty does not have an appetite, we need to entice them somehow. Microwaving the room temperature food for about 10 seconds and giving it a good stir (we want to avoid hot spots that may burn kitty) often helps. Warning for human: It stinks A LOT! To kitty, however, this is like walking through a favorite bakery would be to you.
- Catnip tea:
This is another way to spice things up if your cat, like mine, sees
weird green stuff on their food and immediately look hurt and betrayed by their
servant (you). You can use anywhere from
1 teaspoon to 1 tablespoon in 8 to 10 ounces of hot water. If you have an infuser, it is a lot easier
but a fine strainer or cheesecloth after the tea cools will also work. I have used a small spray bottle like salons
use and sprayed the bottom and inside of the bowl before placing the food in
and also sprayed around the food area for extremely stubborn days. (This also worked wonders after one of mine
had abdominal surgery after an unfortunate encounter with thread when he
learned to open every door in the house).
Anyway, I would store this in a refrigerator for up to two weeks. You can also spray toys, bedding, etc. It is very versatile.
- Hand feeding. If kitty has been ill, it may take a little more one-on-one attention to entice them, and this is okay. My strategy has been to always do this in their normal feeding area. I have usually started with heated food because we are going all out here, and just let kitty lick my fingers. If they are not doing that on their own, you can try putting a dot on their nose, which they will lick off because no one wants wet anything on their nose. Petting and talking to kitty can help if their preferred servant is performing the duty. If that does not entice them, there is the syringe feeding with watered down food.
- When all else fails: Is kitty in pain? Hiding? Crying? Vomiting? Having any other troubles? If so, this may be time to get with your vet. There may be something else going on making kitty uncomfortable enough to not want to eat.
Many helpful people and suggestions are available on the Feline Diabetic Support Group on FB when it comes to all kinds of different issues, problems, and FAQs. Every cat is different, so there are hundreds of suggestions and success stories.
Remember, remission is actually likely, and you got this!
Next week, I will cover what to do when kitty wants to eat everything in sight and yells for more.