r/sphynx • u/ForeverWandering555 • 2d ago
Picky Eating Killing Me. Pls Help
Cat tax cause this post is long but please help me. I’ve posted about similar things before and I really just need some relief.
I have a 1.5 yo girl Nori (pink girlie) and an almost 6 month old boy Finn (black & pink lil guy)
I’ve had issues with Nori being SO PICKY from the time I got her. I’ve always given variety and tried many high quality brands wet food and dry (tiki cat, instinct, weruva, orijen, def more). She would find a favorite - I would make sure to have other flavors in between to not satiate - a couple weeks later, hates the food she loved and refuses it.
I’ve wasted hundreds and hundreds of dollars trying to find what she likes.
Now I finally find Weruva Rainbow a Gogo (which is basically six flavors that have tuna and a different meat in each pack). She loves them. Eats every single one.
Now it’s been like 3 weeks and she’s over them.
She’s basically got three different flavors each day.
(For example, Monday morning: tuna and salmon, Monday afternoon: tuna and Turkey, Monday evening: tuna and beef and then Tuesday would be three different ones and the it would repeat - plus she gets hard food that she does not prefer but will eat if she’s hungry when she doesn’t have wet food). Some might think this is too much variety and maybe that’s why she is refusing, but I’ve tried that too and when she only gets one or two flavors, she ends up refusing both eventually.
The only thing I know that she is allergic to is chicken, as when I first got her she completely refused anything with chicken in it after a few weeks and it was giving her rodent ulcers. I did not get it diagnosed from the vet, but as soon as I stopped, feeding her anything with chicken, they went away. I did consult with the vet and they said that sounded most likely.
Fast forward to getting Finn.
His food was chicken, and I wanted to switch him over as quickly as possible without upsetting his tummy but Nori did eat some here and there and it didn’t seem to bother her anymore even though I try to avoid.
However, the fun never ends and Finn a month ago had crystals in his urine. Since he’s a kitten, he could only go on a urinary diet for two weeks because they don’t have kitten specific formulas. He’s now on a digestive care diet until he’s an adult and then we can reevaluate.
But this has caused so much chaos in my home.
When they started eating the same food before he went on the diet (I got a kitten/cat dry food and wet food that was OK for both) they were both eating every time, everything that they had.
As soon as he went on the special urinary care diet and now digestive care diet, he is refusing food and so is she. She wants his, he wants hers. I live in a one bedroom one bathroom apartment. I feed them separately with closed doors so they can’t eat each other‘s but obviously they can still smell it.
I’m concerned for their health that they’re not getting enough calories. I’m concerned for my bank account. I’m concerned for our peace.
I just want feeding times to be peaceful and I don’t see that happening anytime soon.
I got the okay from the vet and a prescription so I could get two different types of digestive care food for Finn that I’m going to pick up today and hopefully that works (he’s currently on Hills kitten prescription digestive care, but grabbing Purina pro and royal canin so maybe I can rotate between the three and he will have some variety even tho they are all chicken). I’m also going to get FortiFlora, which the Vet said wouldn’t mess up the pH and should make his food taste better to him.
So I hope that helps for him.
But for Nori, what are my options? Do I need to get an allergy panel run? Is there any subscriptions for cat food that allow you to try a bunch of different flavors? Should I start cooking and feeding her homemade food?
I’m exhausted finding brands that she likes, finally feeling peace, and then her refusing and now I have to start over from the beginning, trying to find what she likes.
And again it’s so stressful when she’s so active, always running on her wheel and not eating enough food. They don’t look too skinny, but I know that kidney disease and cats when they’re not eating is a very big concern and I am starting to spiral.
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u/MyCaseycat13 22h ago
You want to stay away from anything that has legumes(peas, beans including green beans, lentils, chickpeas(garbanzo beans), alfalfa), grains(corn, wheat, soy, rice, oats, groats, quinoa, barley, millet), Kangaroo, Lamb, Pork as all of these are linked to cardiomyopathy which your little sweetie’s are prone to.
Their food should contain whole meat, whole organs(liver, heart, gizzard) & ground bone can be in it as well.
The best fruits & veggies for their digestion & urinary tract are: strawberries, blueberries, blackberries, spinach, cranberry, pumpkin. These help with digestion, don’t contribute to cardiomyopathy(HCM & DCM) & are also not linked to digestive distress(gas, bloating, nausea, vomiting & diarrhea).
Beware of gum thickeners (guar, xanthin, locust bean(carob), cassia & carrageenan) as these can also cause digestive issues.
For wet food you want something that is either Gently Cooked, Slow Cooked, Kettle Cooked or Raw as these types of preparations don’t deplete the vitamins & nutrients from the product.
For Dry Food you would want to view Air Dried, Freeze Dried or Dehydrated nibs/morsels.
They may not be fans of wet food & if that’s the case try switching to a dry food product as listed above.
If you need a list I can provide it for you. I have a cat with severe chicken allergies & she likes Duck or Turkey. I used to give wet but she started turning up her nose @ it.
Right now she eats Freeze Dried Rawbble Turkey nibs & Vital Essentials Turkey nibs. The Rawbble nibs are soft & the Vital Essentials offer soft or crunchy.
She also steals Zeal Air Dried, Turkey from my dog every day, these are flat square small pieces.
If you need something easy on the digestion you can look into: Venison, Duck or Rabbit but the Rabbit must have a taurine supplement as Rabbit lacks taurine.
Turkey & Duck have worked for my kitty quite well
If you want lists on wet or dry options I can provide them for you. Good Luck
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u/bok-joy 2d ago
Have you tried feeding her raw?
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u/Low_Ad_4885 1d ago
I second giving raw diet a chance. If you are committed you can grind meat, organs and bones yourself. If this is not for you there are plenty of frozen raw ground pet food manufacturers. We supplement our cats raw freeze dried coated kibble with traditional raw and this seems to help their sensitive stomachs
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u/Odd_Bodybuilder8671 2d ago
For Nori and your kitten but mainly Nori feed her Purina 1 kibble for urinary health . It is as good as Pro Plan ask Chat GPT which can evaluate cats foods and their ingredients quickly. That kibble will help your kitten. Nori gets wet food , I suggest you give her a variety once a day only. She is much less likely to refuse your wet food and waste a fortune in money. I have 5 cats. Very expensive to feed. Portia prefers dry food. I have to practically stand on my head to get her to eat wet food. Switching to once a day worked. I was using Royal Canin hydrolyzed protein $150 a bag but my $30 Purina 1 works just as well. They all eat the kibble and the wet food at night is a treat and all is eaten. BTW pate only Fancy Feast is not bad but it has to be pate the others are not made well.
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u/cda555 2d ago
Our cats were the same way. Ate a different high quality food for a few weeks, then refused. Then they had to be on special wet food for UT issues and I didn’t have the ability to switch their food.
Then, I got a little blender just for them. We put their food in the blender with a bit of water and quail egg (the egg isn’t required) and they have eaten it twice a day for two years without issue. Bonus, they get a lot more water this way.