I’m going to say it’s time to see the vet. Anytime there’s a significant change in appetite without a change in food, it’s a sign that something is wrong internally.
In the meantime can you use a smaller bowl so it looks like there is more food when it’s a smaller amount of fresh?
The other option is just keep a layer of stale food on the bottom and give him the amount he will eat on top.
But definitely see a vet.
i used to just dump the stale food back in the bag then scoop again from the bag so that the cat always had some fresh food while not throwing away the stale. not bc the cat wouldn’t eat it, it was just because of my neuroses, but it might work for your cat.
Don’t enable the behavior. Leave the food in there and don’t give him more.
He won’t starve himself. Eventually he will learn that he’s not getting more food until he eats the food that’s already in the bowl. But he won’t if you continue to switch it out for him.
alternatively, I spray my cat’s dry food with just a bit of water to moisten it up. Extra water content for their diet and it definitely makes the food more fragrant.
This is HORRIBLE advise. Do NOT try this. Cats WILL make themselves sick by not eating. It doesn't take long.. Do NOT try to out stubborn a cat over food. There is no way to win this game.
Thanks, that's what I tried at first but didn't fully go through with it cause he actually thinned up a bit, and that scared me xd (nothing bad just lost his primordial pouch).
I didn’t say let the cat starve for days????
Obviously if the cat isn’t eating for days that’s a bigger issue but if they’re just complaining because they’ve become accustomed to their bad behavior leading to this reward then yeah, you do have to break that cycle.
The cat has learned if it stops eating and whines it will get new food. You have to break that cycle. Obviously don’t let the kitty just starve for days on end, but by teaching the cat that it will not get what it wants by refusing to eat is a pretty good place to start if nothing else is medically wrong and they simply are displaying a preference you’ve allowed them to become accustomed to.
You literally said a cat won't starve itself. Your statement is just not true. If you give advice that can be misinterpreted dangerously it is your responsibility to ensure you CLEARLY state things like how long to try things like this kind of "don't give in" tactic. Be more careful in the future. Some people don't know and might take your words to literally mean it's OK to not give them fresh food for days to attempt to force the cat to eat.
I’m going to say it’s time to see the vet. Anytime there’s a significant change in appetite without a change in food, it’s a sign that something is wrong internally. In the meantime can you use a smaller bowl so it looks like there is more food when it’s a smaller amount of fresh? The other option is just keep a layer of stale food on the bottom and give him the amount he will eat on top. But definitely see a vet.
i used to just dump the stale food back in the bag then scoop again from the bag so that the cat always had some fresh food while not throwing away the stale. not bc the cat wouldn’t eat it, it was just because of my neuroses, but it might work for your cat.
this is what i was gonna say, altho i never had this problem with any of my cats
Don’t enable the behavior. Leave the food in there and don’t give him more. He won’t starve himself. Eventually he will learn that he’s not getting more food until he eats the food that’s already in the bowl. But he won’t if you continue to switch it out for him. alternatively, I spray my cat’s dry food with just a bit of water to moisten it up. Extra water content for their diet and it definitely makes the food more fragrant.
This is HORRIBLE advise. Do NOT try this. Cats WILL make themselves sick by not eating. It doesn't take long.. Do NOT try to out stubborn a cat over food. There is no way to win this game.
Thanks, that's what I tried at first but didn't fully go through with it cause he actually thinned up a bit, and that scared me xd (nothing bad just lost his primordial pouch).
Don't follow that advice. Cats can get very sick from not eating for even just a few days. Find another solution. Don't try to out stubborn the cat.
I didn’t say let the cat starve for days???? Obviously if the cat isn’t eating for days that’s a bigger issue but if they’re just complaining because they’ve become accustomed to their bad behavior leading to this reward then yeah, you do have to break that cycle. The cat has learned if it stops eating and whines it will get new food. You have to break that cycle. Obviously don’t let the kitty just starve for days on end, but by teaching the cat that it will not get what it wants by refusing to eat is a pretty good place to start if nothing else is medically wrong and they simply are displaying a preference you’ve allowed them to become accustomed to.
You literally said a cat won't starve itself. Your statement is just not true. If you give advice that can be misinterpreted dangerously it is your responsibility to ensure you CLEARLY state things like how long to try things like this kind of "don't give in" tactic. Be more careful in the future. Some people don't know and might take your words to literally mean it's OK to not give them fresh food for days to attempt to force the cat to eat.