When Your Cats Become Food Critics
Scene one:
You give your cat a freshly opened can of pureed meat, the cat sniffs it and turns around and turns his butt to you.
Scene two:
You buy premium raw bone-in meat and the cat still won’t eat it.
Don’t panic! As an owner who has experienced 8 picky eating cats, today I’m going to share a set of hands-on programs from canning makeovers to whole diet restructuring.
Method 1: Canned Minced Meat Makeover
(How to Make Pate Cat Food More Appealing)
Water Temperature:
Operation: 1 spoon of warm water + 1 spoon of puree → stir until yogurt texture
Scientific evidence: 40℃ can stimulate the flavor of meat (cat’s sense of smell is 20 times more sensitive than human’s!)
Use unsalted chicken broth instead of water for a better aroma.
Put a little bit of freeze-dried crumbles, but don’t put too much and mix well, otherwise your cat may only eat freeze-dried.
My pairing:
canned chicken + chopped quail freeze-dried meat
canned fish + crushed Antarctic krill
Canned beef + porcini powder
Finger Spreading Method:
Specific steps:
Dip your fingers in a small amount of puree → tap the cat’s nose/corner of the mouth → when it starts to lick, quickly hand over the food bowl.
Heating: Microwave at 800w for 8-8 minutes.
Microwave at 800w for 8-10 seconds.
If there is a popping sound, stop immediately, otherwise the nutrients will be destroyed.
The bottom line for mixing
Allowed: Mix in <10% of staple-grade cat bars.
No: Long-term mixing in snack cans (can lead to nutrient imbalance)
Method 2: Breaking away from a single diet
Stage 1: Transition from pureed meat → canned meat chunks
Week 1: Beat canned meat chunks into coarse particles with a cooking rod
Week 2: Retain 30% of the small meat chunks (3mm size)
Week 3: Give standard canned meat chunks straight away
Stage 2: Getting rid of dry food dependency
Spray nutritional yeast powder on dry food (natural food attractant)
Soak dry food in broth for 5 minutes before giving it
Use freeze-dried rehydrated food as a transition bridge
Stage 3: Raw Bone Meat/Freeze Dried Attempts
Raw bone-in meat is coated with a layer of staple canned puree.
Freeze-dried meat is broken up and mixed into familiar canned goods.
Raw bone-in meat removed from freezer and brought to room temperature
Stage 4: Palatability Tips for Homemade Cat Meals
Steamed chicken breast water + 1 drop of fish oil
5% animal liver
Trace Brewer’s Yeast (Source of Vitamin B Complex)
Chapter 3: Treating an Especially Picky Eater
24-Hour Reset Method
For stubborn cats that only eat a single food item
Operation Procedure:
07:00 Offer new food → 15:00 Take away → 19:00 Offer the same food → Repeat at 07:00 the next day.
(Note: This method is not applicable to diabetic cats)
Multi-sensory stimulation of feeding
Auditory: play the sound of tearing the bag during feeding
Visual: Use a red food bowl (cats are most sensitive to the color red)
Tactile: smear pureed meat on the food leakage toy
Protein rotation calendar
Monday: duck | Tuesday: rabbit | Wednesday: horse mackerel
Thursday: Beef | Friday: Ostrich | Weekend: Mix Day
A final read on the psychology of cat eating
Prioritize safety
Keep new food in the same place where he always eats
Keep a quiet environment for the first few feedings
Surface Moisture Theory
Dry pieces of meat can be sprayed with a small amount of water to create the moist feeling of “fresh prey”.
Case Study:
My pickiest orange cat “Fatty”, through:
building trust with warmed chicken mash
Gradually mixing in raw meat and bone pellets
and finally transitioned to an all raw meat diet.
The whole process took 2 months and required a lot of patience!
All the methods mentioned in this article need to rule out health problems, please consult a doctor first if you persistently refuse to eat!