Lots to learn about cats in this article: http://feline-nutrition.org/the-blogs/the-myth-of-the-finicky-cat
One of the questions I get asked most is what to do about a cat that doesn’t want to eat the new raw meat diet you are offering. I hear words like “stubborn” and “finicky.” While that may describe what’s going on, it is from a decidedly human perspective. I think it’s time to delve into a little cat psychology to help us understand what’s happening in that little kitty brain.
People like to say that cats are creatures of habit. I would agree, but habit isn’t quite the right word. Cats stick with what works. That kind of behavior makes a lot of sense for them and they learn what works pretty early in their lives. It’s especially true when it comes to food. Notice I say “learn.” While cats are predators and have a hunter’s natural instincts, those instincts are basic. They learn the nuances and details as they grow up. All that cat play behavior is essentially practice for the hunt. They may look like they are just having fun, but don’t be deceived, this is How-to-Be-a-Cat 101 for them. They are practicing the skills they will need to survive.
Read the whole article, please – it’s very informative!
Who are you calling “finicky”??
All that said, they can learn to change. Any cat can. You just have to find what works for that individual cat. For example, when I switched all of my cats to raw diets years ago, they all took to it right away except for one. Kai absolutely refused to eat the new food. I tried mixing a little raw food into his canned, but he’d eat around it. I figured he just didn’t understand this was food. He knew what food was – and this wasn’t it. I tried a different tactic. I fed him his canned food on a plate and put a small spoonful of raw food next to it. I knew he wouldn’t eat it, but that wasn’t what I was trying to do. I wanted him to start associating the subtle smell of the raw food with dinner. I knew he could learn. He had already proven he was actually very good at learning. I told him that I could keep this up as long as was necessary. For three months the raw food was there on his plate, at every meal, no exceptions. For three months he ignored it. But, his cat brain, the part that can learn, wasn’t ignoring it. One day, after those three months, I turned around to find him wolfing down a plate of raw rabbit. He just needed time to learn something new or more accurately, to unlearn something he already knew.
Read more at http://feline-nutrition.org/the-blogs/the-myth-of-the-finicky-cat
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