Why is my cat picky?

Why is my cat picky?

No cats are born picky. So, when your cat(s) start to become picky at their food, it's most likely caused by your behavior. YES, YOUR BEHAVIOR - HOW you feed and WHAT you feed them. 


So, why do we say it's our behavior?


You overly pamper your cat, so you constantly change their food whenever they don't eat.


For example, when you feed your cat(s) food, they'll smell it and then look at you (quietly waiting for something else). And you couldn't resist their twinkling little eyes   so you either changed it or added something extra so they would eat it... Put your hands up if you've done it a million times!    Because we all did... a long time ago. (And yup, Soju was once a picky eater)


SO what you can do to improve this is:


Stop providing free flow food for your cats. 


Readjust your feeding time and the amount of food you give per meal. For example, you can feed a specific amount of food at 7am, 6pm, and 11pm, then remove the remaining food (finished or not) after 30mins to 1 hour. By doing so, you're readjusting their meal time and training them to empty their bowl on time because they won't get another meal until the given time.


Don't worry if your cat(s) only eat a little bit from the beginning. This is very normal as you've changed their meal time and the amount of food. But this process may take more than a month for them to get used to the new schedule. So please be patient, or else your effort will be wasted. 


Stop giving too much of snacks per day.


Regardless of what snacks you give, the amount shouldn't be more than 20% of your staple food. Because when you give too much and too frequent, they'll assume they can still have a full belly without eating and completing their staple food. So what you can do is, for example, give them snacks only when they finish their staple food. This is a positive reinforcement method where we train them to complete their staple food (complete a task) so that they get snacks (get rewarded).  


Tips: During this process, (1) Spend more time playing with your cat(s) so that you can exhaust their energy. And when they're tired, they'll have to eat. (2) Please be patient. Don't expect an immediate result when things don't work out. Because you can never force a cat. (3) Stop worrying if your cat(s) don't eat much. Cats are more towards having multiple small meals.


Let us know how it goes! And feel free to ask Ju媽 if you've any questions    



Disclaimer: This content is not meant to substitute for diagnosis, prognosis, treatment, prescription, or formal and individualized advice from a veterinary medical professional. Any exhibiting signs and symptoms of distress should be seen by a veterinarian immediately.