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Our 7 year old Maine Coon seems to have decided she's no longer a fan of her food. Right now, she gets a mixture of a wet Hill's Prescription Z/D and a wet fancy feast variety. The Z/D was recommended by a Vet when she was a juvenile because she has a bit of a sensitive GI system and it's low residue/hyperallergenic.
For the past week or so, she has been turning up her nose at the Z/D, trying to eat around it. I'm guessing she has decided the texture and/or taste is not appealing when it sits for several hours or longer. In fact, this change came about after we were away for a day and left her at home alone, but with plenty of food (though we have done that before with no issues).
Any suggestions besides making sure I mix the 2 more thoroughly? Another, more appealing sensitive stomach food besides the Z/D? If so, any ideas? Thanks.
Have you tried putting a tiny amount of chicken baby food on top?
Without getting too detailed, I'm not a fan of any Hills product. IMO it's overpriced, low quality food. Have you considered trying a grain-free canned variety instead? She might also do well on a raw diet--many cats with digestive issues do.
Curious about the ramifications if she doesn't eat the Z/D? Gastro distress of some sort? Wondering if she could tolerate just the Fancy Feast (the Classic variety)?
Curious about the ramifications if she doesn't eat the Z/D? Gastro distress of some sort? Wondering if she could tolerate just the Fancy Feast (the Classic variety)?
Good point, I have not yet eliminated the Z/D altogether and used just the Fancy Feast (which is chicken and she really likes). I also have the Z/D kibble, which she does eat when she needs to, but she does (did) prefer the wet. I have no pressing desire to continue with it, and, as has been pointed out, it is pricey. But I don't know how her gut will react without it.
Obviously, the easiest thing would just be to eliminate it and see how she does. I'll do it slowly over a few days, less each time and see how we do.
Thanks for the suggestions. I am just hesitant of making major changes to things like food, litter etc. You know how cats are
Good point, I have not yet eliminated the Z/D altogether and used just the Fancy Feast (which is chicken and she really likes). I also have the Z/D kibble, which she does eat when she needs to, but she does (did) prefer the wet. I have no pressing desire to continue with it, and, as has been pointed out, it is pricey. But I don't know how her gut will react without it.
Obviously, the easiest thing would just be to eliminate it and see how she does. I'll do it slowly over a few days, less each time and see how we do.
Thanks for the suggestions. I am just hesitant of making major changes to things like food, litter etc. You know how cats are
So right that when there's a change, cats have ways of telling us that they approve or they don't!
Turning her nose up at Z/D may also be just a temporary thing caused by who-knows-what. A few months ago all my cats stopped eating Fancy Feast - they'd been eating it for years and then boom nope. First they turned their noses up at the Turkey and then at all the seafood/fish types, and then no Fancy Feast at all. I tried all kinds of other foods similar, none of which thrilled them. In frustration I went back to Fancy Feast and they started eating it. I have no clue other than perhaps they all conspired to drive me nuts.
My only thought is that there was some minor change in the ingredients, that perhaps Purina had changed suppliers of something and the food tasted differently. Or the products I had been purchasing over the years were from one particular manufacturing plant and the cans I had been more recently purchasing were produced in a different plant.
For your cat, and since cats have fabulous memories, maybe that one particular day she was home alone for a while and the Z/D didn't taste very good is key. Perhaps she now equates that food's smell with yukky taste (even if it's not yukky) and goes around it. Wish we could encourage our cats like we do our kids: try a bite and you might like it.
I know some people will say that if a cat gets hungry enough, they will eat what is given them. But in my experience that has not been the case, the cats just would not eat it. I had to experiment with different foods and eventually they decided on a new food and just started eating again. This happened with different cats on different foods - Natural Balance and then with Friskies. In the Natural Balance, both cats stopped eating it so I suspected some minor change in the ingredients. With the Friskies, it was just one cat so who knows, I guess she just got sick of it and wanted better food. All cats ended up having other medical issues though - whether related or not, I don't know.
So that's not much help is it? Just letting you know it's frustrating but try out some other food options and you'll find the right mix. Not sure what the gastro issues are, but they could be related to eating grains which some Hill's foods still have.
I have an extremely picky eater that was raised on cheap crunchies before I got him. He's much rather eat Meow Mix or some such garbage and the only canned he will eat is Fancy Feast. We have a Pets Plus close by and they carry all the varieties of the Classic pate which is very low carb. I rotate the flavors and feed him one can in the morning and one at night. Sometimes the one from the morning goes uneaten and I hated throwing it away, so I bought a second bowl. Now I put the new food down and "freshen up" the old food. Half the time he takes a bite of the new and then goes over and eats the old. I'm throwing away a lot less food these days and he's eating the equivalent of the two cans he is supposed to.
My adult cats hate canned food, but I did eventually find they would eat a little Nutricat kitten mixed in with water. One day they refused to eat it anymore, maybe the manufacture changed their recipe? Anyway, we tried other brands but usually avoid store brand food....until we tried Trader Joe's. They do like the Trader Joe's chicken or tuna for cats. We try to be sure they get plenty of water so it only takes a little cat food to flavor their water and keep the litter box full!
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