We are out of the cats’ favorite kind of food.
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This is a crisis because all cats rely on whatever has worked before. They are like small children in their willingness to explore new flavors; as anyone near small children knows, that’s not very much.
So when a cat has a good experience with a food, it’s not only a favorite; it goes on a short list of what they can consume with confidence. Anything else is regarded with indifference or outright suspicion. A cat’s instincts will urge them to incredible feats of patience and persistence when it comes to hunting down their prey. In our home, all of that energy gets diverted to what they can control; namely, what we open for them.
Likewise, if our cats have a bad experience, that food is now ruined. It’s similar to how we humans might have gotten sick after a particular food. Even if that had nothing to do with why were got sick, (like eating a perfectly innocent dish and then coming down with stomach flu,) our bodies will tell us to avoid that food. It will make us feel sick to our stomachs before we even eat it.
I once picked up a box of canned that the cats liked, thinking it contained a variety of flavors. But they turned out to be all variations on turkey; never a house favorite. After eating their way through the box, even though we tried to space it out, the cats had a liking for turkey that was distinctly less than it was before.
What happens when cat favorites aren’t their favorites any more? It can be frustrating to bring home a popular flavor and have the cats spurn it, but the explanation is simple: it isn’t the same. The manufacturers have switched around the recipe, or downgraded the ingredients, and we probably don’t have the labels from the previous recipe; that’s why we got more. So we must be philosophical, (because the cat is always right,) and donate the food to someone whose cat might love it.
If our cat has been sick, they can associate the taste of their favorite foods with being sick, and are now afraid of eating it again. We can’t do anything about it; we are the same way. Tempt them with tuna juice or sliced meats from the deli to bring their appetite back, and let them find new favorites.
Variety, if we can manage it, is a good insurance policy. Offering a blend of foods from different companies means less exposure to contaminants, coverage for missing nutrients, and safeguards against the grocery running out, not stocking it any more, being discontinued, or ruined by meddling with the ingredients.
We wouldn’t be very happy if we are anticipating a favorite dish at dinner; and get our least liked vegetable instead. So, once alerted, I stopped by the store on the way home. We needed other things, and I picked them up while I’m there, but the real reason I stopped was because the cats would complain if I didn’t.
They would be right.
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Mr WereBear
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Killsy used to only eat poultry-based wet food, while Byron would only eat tuna-based food. Salmon, whitefish? FEH! he’d say. And she’d turn her nose up at tuna.
Then DJ came along. His taste is about as discriminating as a woodchipper’s. If it’s there, in it goes! And then he steals from the other cats’ bowls, whether they’re done or not.
Just as Byron’s indifference to thunderstorms (as he’s deaf) has changed the other cat’s reaction to them from fear to a shrug, DJ’s “Eat it NOW, eat yours NEXT!” philosophy has made them very receptive to new flavors. Or maybe they’ve just learned to eat theirs before he does!
We recently put Spot on a duck and green pea food because she lost fur on her belly, so as is usual, everyone ate duck and green pea food. Fur problem wasn’t fixed, and Spot lost weight she didn’t need to loose. Unfortunately our two biggies, who will eat anything they can reach, looked like they’d checked into the Kidspeak cat-fattening service (our vet’s comment). Much like Bill’s DJ, it’s “Mine is MINE and yours is MINE, too!”
We recently put Spot on a duck and green pea food because she lost fur on her belly
How did she lose it? Ms Killsy licked hers down to peach fuzz. The vet said that she was okay, and “for some cats, it’s an OCD thing.” She started it when Byron came home, and stopped it 6 years later when DJ arrived. Since Byron never groomed her, and DJ loves to, I think that was the reason. She just wanted that grooming sensation.
I wish we knew why she lost it. At first the vet was sure it was fleas. I’m vigilant about fleas, but we treated for fleas anyway, with no change. Vet’s next idea was an allergy, thus the duck-green pea food. That didn’t work, nor did another lengthy round of special foods. I’m half inclined to think it is stress, given that her fur loss coincides with a terrible year for spouse and myself, and when we recently came home after 3 weeks away, Spot had lost a great deal of fur. At any rate, back to the vet…
Yes, that sounds like it’s probably caused by stress. You’re right in getting a professional opinion.