Cats have gone off their food

[Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 282
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I have two cats, a brother and sister, and they are just coming up to 2 years old. I have had them since they were 9 weeks old. As they reached adult age I tried every food you could buy before THEY settled on Felix As good as it looks.

They have eaten it for about 18 months now but the last week or so have started to just look at it and walk away. I know they aren't ill as they are both still playful and happy and are just eating the dry biscuits that I leave down for them instead.

I have bought other food again this week and tried them but they just leave it.

Does anyone have any ideas to get them eating again?

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  • [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 345
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    The trouble is that a lot of cat food recipes have been changed in the last year, and I don`t think they are better but different. Our old cat used to love Whiskas Rabbit (tinned) - and then one day I opened the can and straightaway I could see it looked and smelled completely different. And the cat wouldn`t touch it. Now I buy different brands of each every week and if she eats half of it it`s a miracle. I have now resorted to cooked plain chicken for a few meals.
  • Kay2000Kay2000 Posts: 3,906
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    chris4817 wrote: »
    I have two cats, a brother and sister, and they are just coming up to 2 years old. I have had them since they were 9 weeks old. As they reached adult age I tried every food you could buy before THEY settled on Felix As good as it looks.

    They have eaten it for about 18 months now but the last week or so have started to just look at it and walk away. I know they aren't ill as they are both still playful and happy and are just eating the dry biscuits that I leave down for them instead.

    I have bought other food again this week and tried them but they just leave it.

    Does anyone have any ideas to get them eating again?

    Are they not eating any of it? Do you have dryed food down aswell. I ask as, my cats mither me for food, yet when i put some out, they sniff it and walk off! They may go back and have the odd mouthful, even with poches, and there is not a great deal in them, im throwing half away. I just keep trying different brands. Have you tried Sardines or any strong smelling fish
  • dollymariedollymarie Posts: 3,562
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    Try warming it up a bit in the microwave, it brings the flavour out more.

    I think as its been a week they've been off their food, i'd certainly be thinking about having a chat with the vet, or a visit just to get them checked in case. :)
  • [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 2,470
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    When ever the food package has the words "New Ingredients" or any thing like that I hear alrm bells. Over the years I have found it best buy the odd satchet of food with completly new (to the cat) tastes in it. It could the cheapest or an expesive one but breaking the routine is a way of changing things. My last cats only would eat meat such as beef but the three I have at the moment only like fish so but there are all sorts of things that will put a cat off a food including a lack of smell or too much smell, even the weather can give you problems perhaps there is a new cat in the area that has eyes set on your cat's garden so don't panick. Try putting only a small amount of food down and take away what is left as soon as the cats walk away and don't leave it too long before removing it as in warmer weather if can soon become a problem. By the way being siblings mean nothing to cats and they may hate each other or love each other but they will be finding out in their own way just which cat is the dominate one, it has to happen and it will happen even if you do not notice it going on.
    Hope that helps and remember they love you in their own way.
  • [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 282
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    Thanks everyone for your replies. I have been reading them and appreciate them all.

    Spiderpig - they have a love hate relationship. Sometimes they are very affectionate with each other and play for hours and sometimes they are going at each other. The male cat is definitely 'top cat'. I just found it odd that they both refused the food at the same time.
  • BadcatBadcat Posts: 3,684
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    Hello Chris,

    Mine only eat felix as good as it looks as well, is it a flavour they don't really like? Half of mine like the fish varieties, the other half the meat so sometimes depends on what I put down. They can turn their nose up at it sometimes.

    Also when some got a cold a while back they stopped eating as cats tend to eat by smell (they couldn't smell anything so didn't eat) so it might be nothing more than they have a bit of a blocked up nose so can't smell it's yumminess. :D
  • hustedhusted Posts: 5,287
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    Mine went off Felix 'As Good As It Looks' (AGAIL) too. One was never very keen in the first place though.

    I mixed AGAIL with Felix sensations and Felix marinades (mixing beef with beef etc) as I had a lot of AGAIL left lying and they ate that for a while. You could also try Doubley Delicious Felix which is the same, but a mix of flavours.

    You could also try feeding them separately, see whether one is copying the other. But it's great when they both eat the same thing.
  • [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 17,123
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    Mine often go off food. They usually had Felix until they started to turn their noses up at it and refused to eat it. So I bought some Wiskas and they wharfed it down. I think they just get bored of the taste and want something else.
  • lem ramsaylem ramsay Posts: 1,076
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    My cat's favourite is Felix Agail. If I buy Whiskas he tends to eat the jelly or sauce and leaves all the chunks of fish. Same with KitKat. He eats supermeat but after a while he goes off it.
    I once bought Feline Fayre and while he could stomach the tuna and tuna-salmon pouches, he would absolutely refuse to eat the ocean fish and pilchard ones. He'd rather starve.
    I brought these to my sister's to see if her cat would eat them, she didn't wanna eat them either. She ended up giving them to an association so they didn't go to waste anyway.

    If they are eating biscuits, I suppose it's not that much of a problem (unless you have lots of Felix Agail to use up), as biscuits are a balanced food. They will need to drink more if they are only having dried food though.
    I think they just get bored of the same thing sometimes.
  • [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 282
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    Hi everyone,

    Thanks all for your helpful replies. Funnily enough they are now eating it again. I think they were just trying it on to see if I would offer them anything better. I did give them a pouch of Felix normal when they were refusing AGAIL and they ate the lot. They used to turn their noses up at it!

    Cats eh, who'd 'ave 'em?
  • dollymariedollymarie Posts: 3,562
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    Glad they're eating again. I've got the joy of switching my two onto adult food now they're heading for their first birthday.

    One has adapted fine (been mixing adult/kitten in together, and now he's eating full adult food) the other one is not so keen, again i'm still mixing half and half of the same food she's been eating (she won't eat the same as her brother, so she's always been on different) but she's being a little madam. I am persevereing though, as she needs to be a grown up cat now (much as i'd like her to stay a kitten)

    Feels like my house is full up with boxes of cat food at the moment though! :D
  • barbelerbarbeler Posts: 23,827
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    The usual answer is that they are either stealing food from somewhere else, or somebody else is feeding them. A hungry cat wouldn't turn down any properly formulated cat food.
  • hunter23hunter23 Posts: 3,097
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    try mixing some dreamies in with the cat food
  • barbelerbarbeler Posts: 23,827
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    Barbiturates?
  • Nesta RobbinsNesta Robbins Posts: 30,594
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    husted wrote: »
    Mine went off Felix 'As Good As It Looks' (AGAIL) too. One was never very keen in the first place though.

    I mixed AGAIL with Felix sensations and Felix marinades (mixing beef with beef etc) as I had a lot of AGAIL left lying and they ate that for a while. You could also try Doubley Delicious Felix which is the same, but a mix of flavours.

    Mine have also suddenly gone off AGAIL and the worst offenders are salmon and sardine. I'd given them a good rest and tried them again yesterday and they both staged a salmon and sardine sit in! :p My son didn't know and innocently put them down a bowl of sardine this morning and couldn't work out why they just sat there side by side staring at him. :D

    They won't touch the marinade or sensations, which are still in the box, so will try mixing....

    Edit - just tried this and they looked disgusted and wouldn't even go near the bowls! They do smell quite strong, maybe that's it? They're not even struck on the Double Delicacies or Whiskas. Little buggers. :D
  • [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 282
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    Hi Nesta,

    Yes they were the worst offenders for me too, particularly the sardine. My male would always eat the chicken AGAIL and then licked the bowl. Now, not so interested. Little buggers indeed!
  • Nesta RobbinsNesta Robbins Posts: 30,594
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    Hi Chris - I do wonder sometimes if I've brought this on myself, by offering too much variety, so they try it on to see if you'll come up with something better. One of my cats has even learnt to smile at me, to see if that works, he looks very silly, but cute! :D I did discover one technique that worked - put the food down, leave the room and shut the door just long enough for him to eat without distractions. He quickly realises that's all on offer and 5 minutes later, when I open the door voila, there's a good gap appeared in the bowl!
  • MaxatoriaMaxatoria Posts: 17,980
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    Ours get bored quickly it seems like but a good booting outside for 8-10 hours generally makes them very happy to demolish whats in the bowl especially in this weather
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