Why do cats never eat what you give them?

[catlavender]

Any ideas?

[cyberfraggle]

because nothing is ever good enough for a cat. they're just very fussy animals.

[allotment10]

because cats are superior to humans! they train us to spend most of our money on buying them only what they want & will cajole us to feel sorry for them when we give them something they think is beneath them, always notice the condescending stare :-8( when they are in a huff! and the smirk ;^) when they get you to buy the most expensive thing in the shop!! BUT we still love them :-)

[Elfin]

Surprisingly, taste is the cat's weakest sense. They have many less taste buds than humans. It's all about smell for them. So what we think they'll like to eat (based on our own interpretation) is not necessarily what they actually go for.

Having said that, it's easy to fall into the trap of changing their food about because we think they'll appreciate it. I'd stick to one they do like and leave it at that.

[lindapinda]

Hi IAP!..Had to laugh at your cat's name there! We call our youngest cat "wee hoover cat"! He comes up to the bowl,the wee mouth never stops working for a minute,and he just "hoovers" the lot up! So cute.

[catlavender]

They're certainly fussy. Every time I shop for cat food there are loads of people stood around saying 'I wonder if they'll eat this'. IAP My Mum has 5 rescue cats but most of them are fussy too. I have 2 cats - 1 only has 2 teeth so I have to get her mushy food and she always wants the chunks if I put that down for the other one. The other won't eat anything except chicken at the moment. I suppose it's my fault for pandering to her. I didn't know that Elfin, so thanks, I'll bear it in mind. Glad to see there's lots of cat lovers on here.

[campbellking]

We have three cats, and one of these is known as 'junk food kitty'. Fond of curry, garlic sauce, peanuts, but in true pussy fashion, goes particularly barmy over tuna. The only thing she's fussy about is her biscuits, which must be the Sainsburys 'Tuna and vegetables' variety.

[annavc]

My cat gets given the GoCat complete dry food and he does eat it although he tries to pretend he doesn't - when I put it down for him he'll sniff it then glare at me with a "do you call that food?!" kind of look on this face and then walk off with his nose in the air. He comes back 10 minutes later though and eats about half of it then eats the rest during the course of the day or night.

When it comes to meat he is very fussy - any ordinary canned stuff - Whiskers etc - he'll eat the jelly and leave the meat. If you give him the supermeat stuff he takes about 2 small bites and leaves the rest. I was throwing out so much of the stuff it was ridiculous. The only meat he does eat is the really posh, gourmet stuff like those little cans of Sheba. He loves those and gobbles it all down in one sitting!

Tuna is a good one too - he can be at the other end of the house and will smell it and come running before I've even got the lid off the tin!

[catlavender]

Campbellking I know what you mean about the junk food. My Mum used to have a cat that ate twix bars and they all seem to love crisp and cheese. My toothless cat loves tuna but the other one won't entertain it. I think like you say though annavc they probably do eat it but weight until you're not looking, it's harder to tell when you've got 2 who eats what. It's funny to read the stories of other people's cats on here, they certainly ring true. Especially eating the jelly and leaving the food. Mine lick the gravy off chunks in gravy and leave the food looking like pathetic dried up chunks.

[bubbly girly]

because their picky duhhhhhh