Got a picky cat who just refuses to eat anything you serve her? We know how stressful it can be! Rejecting food doesn’t just mean you’ll have a hungry cat on your hands, it can also lead to weight loss over time if she continues to turn her nose up at every serving.
Luckily, the answer is generally quite simple: switch up her food! Just like humans, cats tend to crave a bit of variety in their diet. Your finicky feline might be looking for a different kind of flavor, smell, taste, and texture that’ll appeal to her unique palate and get her gobbling up lavish portions.
So before you get frustrated and wind up feeding your cat the food off your plate, we’ve got a few more options you can try! These tasty, nutritious cat foods have been well-praised by parents of fellow fussy kitties, offering loads of health benefits and coming in a wide array of scrumptious flavors. You never know, you might just find your cat’s new favorite food!
1. Fussie Cat Premium Wet Cat Food: Designed for Picky Cats
Specially formulated to appeal to the pickiest of cats, Fussie Cat Premium Wet Cat Food uses a “meat first” philosophy for all its products. Each can of wet food has real meat as its primary ingredient, providing a prominently meaty taste and soft yet chunky texture that’s sure to tempt your picky cat.
This wet food is designed to meet the nutritional standards of AAFCO Cat Food Nutrient Profiles with a protein-rich, low-carb recipe that’s chock-full of vitamins and minerals. Its recipe is also grain-free with no animal by-products, so you can be sure your cat gets complete and balanced nutrition from wholesome ingredients.
Many pet parents have attested to this wet food’s ability to entice finicky cats with its chunks of shredded meat. Best of all, there’s a wide variety of flavors you can choose from, including tuna and chicken liver and tuna and salmon. You can try different variations and see which one your cat likes best!
Pros:
- Appetizing meaty taste with a chunky texture
- Grain-free and low-carb recipe
- Rich in protein
- Full of essential nutrients
- No corn, wheat, soy, artificial flavorings, or artificial preservatives
- Wide variety of flavors
- Suitable for cats of all ages
Cons:
- Expensive
- Contains carrageenan
2. Tiki Cat Grill Grain-Free Wet Food: Appetizing Variety of Seafood Flavors
Strong seafood smells and flavors appeal to cats’ natural cravings—and these are exactly what Tiki Cat Grill Grain-Free Wet Food has to offer. It comes in 6 irresistibly appetizing flavors that even extremely picky cats who may be averse to poultry will love, including ahi tuna, tuna & crab, and sardine cutlets in lobster consommé for felines with fancier tastes.
Only select high-quality ingredients can be found in this wet food, with real fish as its first ingredient and main source of protein. Its low-carb, grain-free seafood recipe without fillers or by-products is perfect for diabetic cats, cats who may need to watch their weight, and cats with allergies.
Sunflower oil also features in its ingredient list as a great source of fat and essential nutrients that promote skin and coat health. This cat food is also rich in moisture and packed with vitamins and minerals, offering your cat a complete and delicious meal your cat is sure to enjoy down to the last bite!
Pros:
- Comes in 6 tasty seafood flavors that appeal to picky cats
- Rich in protein from high-quality seafood sources
- Low-carb with no fillers – perfect for overweight cats
- High moisture content keeps cats well-hydrated
- Full of essential vitamins and nutrients
- Promotes healthy digestion & skin and coat health
- No carrageenan
Cons:
- Sunflower oil may not offer enough healthy fats
3. Hill’s Science Diet Canned Wet Cat Food: Complete Nutrition With Savory Meat & Gravy
With chunks of mouthwateringly tender meat in a savory gravy, Hill’s Science Diet Canned Wet Food has even the most finicky of cats looking forward to mealtime and begging for more of it! Its strong smell, meaty flavor, and flaky texture make it almost addictive for our feline companions.
This wet food strikes the ideal balance of delicious taste and complete nutrition, offering high-quality protein and essential nutrients in each tasty morsel. Ocean fish, chicken, and pork liver make up its bulk of protein, while soybean oil and fish oil serve as its main sources of healthy fats.
Food products from Hill’s are also known for having easy-to-digest ingredients. This particular product contains oat fiber, which promotes quick and healthy digestion for solid and regular bowel movements. It also comes loaded with vitamins and minerals, ensuring your cat gets the nutrition she needs from every serving.
Pros:
- Tender meat with delicious gravy offers an appetizing taste and texture
- Strong smell encourages picky cats to eat
- Comes in chicken, tuna, and seafood flavors
- Offers complete and balanced nutrition
- Protein-rich and loaded with vitamins and minerals
- Promotes healthy digestion
Cons:
- Contains gluten, modified rice starch, and artificial colorings
- Not suitable for kittens and senior cats
4. Fancy Feast Grain-Free Classic Pâté: Great For Picky Cats With Difficulty Eating Meat Chunks
If your kitty seems to dislike chunky, sliced, or flaked meat, you can try prefer smooth pâtés with enticing flavors like the Fancy Feast Grain-Free Classic Pâté! This wet cat food comes in 3 indulgent flavors in 1 variety pack, offering your picky cat a wide array of delectable options with juicy, savory meat.
Each can of this pâté is crafted with real meat that serves as excellent sources of protein, including beef, chicken, turkey, and liver. These meats are ground up to achieve a fine, delightfully smooth consistency that retains its rich meaty taste: a fancy meal for your fancy feline.
Grain-free and packed with essential vitamins and minerals, this pâté offers complete and balanced nutrition for cats—all in a delicious serving they’ll chow down on with gusto. Pet parents of senior cats, picky cats, and cats with dental issues and other health problems have all praised this cat food for providing appetizing yet nutritious meals their precious felines love.
Pros:
- Smooth pâté with delicious meaty flavors and a soft, tender texture
- Offers beef, turkey, and chicken options
- Sources protein from high-quality meat
- Grain-free recipe with essential nutrients like taurine & B vitamins
- Easier to eat for cats with dental issues
- Provides complete nutrition in every serving
- Suitable for cats at all life stages
- Fairly cheap compared to other options for picky cats
Cons:
- Contains artificial flavorings, colorings, and additives
- Uses meat by-products
5. Blue Buffalo Wilderness Dry Cat Food: Best Dry Food Option For Finicky Felines
While wet food is typically more appealing to cats, some felines may prefer the crunch and taste of dry food. Blue Buffalo Wilderness Dry Cat Food is perfect for your picky kitty, made with premium natural ingredients that offer a deliciously fresh and meaty flavor.
Inspired by the lynx’s carnivorous diet, this meat-rich dry food is formulated with a high protein content sourced primarily from deboned chicken which helps maintain your cat’s lean muscle mass. Its grain-free recipe makes it ideal for cats with allergies or weight issues, featuring fruits and vegetables that offer loads of vitamins and minerals.
With the ideal balance of carbohydrates, fat, and protein, this food offers cats the quality nutrition they deserve. It’s also rich in fiber from peas and sweet potatoes to boost your kitty’s digestive health and aid in fast metabolism. Overall, this dry food will help your cat eat more while ensuring she gets essential nutrients from wholesome natural ingredients!
Pros:
- Crunchy texture and chicken flavor appeals to picky cats with a taste for dry food
- Protein-rich food that’s palatable to and healthy for cats
- Grain-free recipes features real fruits and vegetables
- Contains easy-to-digest ingredients
- High in fiber and antioxidants from natural sources
- No soy, wheat, corn, or by-products
Cons:
- Contains tapioca starch and other ingredients with complex carbohydrates
Quick Tips For Feeding A Picky Cat
It’s well-documented that cats tend to be—often frustratingly—picky with their food. Apparently, it can’t be blamed on stubbornness or even a taste for more expensive food options. Research shows that cats have evolved to thrive on an almost exclusively carnivorous diet, and anything that strays from their established preferences may immediately be rejected.
Now getting a picky cat to finish a meal may seem like an insurmountable feat, but there are a few measures you can take to please your little food critic. Here are a few quick tips to help you feed your picky cat:
Take your cat to the veterinarian
There are a number of health issues that can cause your cat’s pickiness, especially when it comes up out of nowhere. If she refuses to eat completely, it’s important to take her to the veterinarian right away. They will help determine whether there’s an underlying cause for her sudden loss of appetite.
Switch up your cat’s food
If the veterinarian sees no medical cause for your cat’s finicky tastes, you can try switching up her food instead. Cats may find certain flavors off-putting, and introducing a new taste and texture may excite her enough to eat more.
It’s important not to withhold food from your cat to force her to eat new food. Doing so over a prolonged period of time can lead to a condition called hepatic lipidosis. Instead, you can slowly introduce the new food by giving her small portions to see how she likes it.
Wet food is generally the best option for cats since it offers a meaty taste and texture akin to their food in the wild. As much as possible, opt for grain-free versions with no additives, as cats may reject food with lower protein content.
It’s also a good idea to warm up your cat’s food before serving it to her instead of giving it straight from the fridge.
Change the location of your cat’s food bowl
Just as we don’t enjoy eating beside our toilets, cats prefer not to eat near their litter box. If your cat’s bowl is in this location, try moving it away and putting it in a cool, isolated area.
Changing the location of your cat’s food bowl can also awaken her hunting instincts, making her want to search for her food and devour it.
Consider changes in your cat’s feeding environment
Some cats prefer not to have an audience while eating, so stepping out of her sight during meals may help. Others may want a little more encouragement from you, so sitting beside her and praising her when she eats can help boost her mood and subsequently her appetite.
If you have multiple cats at home, make sure to feed them separately. Having her food snatched away by other cats can cause undue stress in your kitty, leading to a loss of appetite.
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Stick to a schedule
By nature, cats don’t like change and prefer predictability in their routine. Your cat’s refusal to eat may be resolved by sticking to two to three full meals a day.
Cut down on treats
As much as we love overindulging our cats, treats may be spoiling their appetite the same way snacks tend to keep us from eating a full dinner. The different flavors found in treats can also be overwhelming to your cat, making her actual meals less than tempting. Keep treats to a minimum as much as possible.
Serve human food
If all else fails, you can resort to feeding your cat human food. Boiled chicken or liver with chicken broth may be a good option that encourages your cat to eat, along with fresh leafy vegetables.
Take note that this is only a temporary solution and that you should consult your veterinarian before feeding your cat any type of human food.
In Closing
Having a picky cat who turns her nose up at every meal can be both frustrating and worrisome. Don’t worry, though—there are a lot of high-quality cat food options on the market that offer temptingly delicious flavors with complete and balanced nutrition. Feel free to use this list in your search for the right food for your finicky kitty. With a delicious new meal and a few changes to her feeding environment, you can get your cat to once again devour every last morsel of her food!