You open one of the littleirs that you have bought your cat and flips with the good f see, it almost makes you want to try it, but when you offer it, all bad. It smells it, looks at you with contempt and leaves. Yes, it has happened to me and I have thought that my cat enjoyed watching me money on food that was not going to eat. Your cat does not hate you, it is its nature.
Food neopobia in cats
A search on the subject returns us hundreds of results of tutors who ask for advice to get their cat to eat something new and advice to get it. The most common are usually cats that reject wet food and They just want to eat their feedwhich is not recommended because it can lead to the dreaded kidney disease. What happens to cats?
Neophobia is the fear of something new, in this case new foods. Although food neophy Fame of Sibaritas. It is not a feline whim, it is pure instinct, an adaptation strategy to protect itself from possible intoxication.
It is not a feline whim, it is pure instinct, an adaptation strategy to protect itself from possible intoxication.
Beyond the inheritance of its wild ancestors, neophy and domestic cats may appear for other causes and one of them is stress. Cats are very sensitive to changes. In this study they analyzed stress in cats and the consequences it can have on their behavior and health. A stressed cat tends to eat less, but it is also more prone to develop neophobia. If a new meal is offered in a stress situation, it is more likely to reject it.
Cat’s food preferences
In this complete article of Vet Times, they delve into the mechanisms that form the food preferences of cats. In his first months of life he is strongly influenced by his mother’s. In fact, this influence begins even before birth, by transfer of flavors through amniotic fluid and milk. It has been proven that kittens whose mother ate unusual foods in the cat such as milk or banana, showed inclination for these foods.
“Eat it”
Genetics only plays a small role, but the food to which the cat is exposed in their first months of life will be decisive when forming their adult preferences. In this sense, a kitten that only eats a type of food is more likely to develop neophobia towards unknown foods, while A more varied diet will become familiar with more flavors and textures.
Experience is another decisive factor and is the one that is defining how the cat selects food during your life. For example if they eat something and feel bad, they will create a negative association and will not eat it again.
The food to which the cat is exposed in their first months of life are decisive when forming their adult preferences.
Of course, palatability also influences, that is, how nice the smell, taste and texture find of a specific food. As strict carnivores, they are attracted to protein -rich foods and tend to reject bitter or sweet flavors.
In the case of feed addicted cats several factors come together and palatability is one of them. Feed manufacturers have “hacked” the feline palate With flavor enhancers (palatal) to make them more attractive and want to eat it all the time. If we add that we usually have the feed at the disposal of the animal, the habit is reinforced to the point that some cats do not want to eat anything else. In addition, the crunchy texture of the feed further reinforces that preference, making wet food something strange to them.
My cat rejects food. What I do?
The first, be patient. Getting a cat with a very strong neopobia start eating new foods is a background race. The first step is Get familiar with the new food. In this study, fourteen adult cats met that showed neopobia towards a lamb flavor food. What they did was vaporize the smell of food while cats ate their usual food. The result was that neophobia was reduced considerably.
I like this.
You can start by putting A bowl with wet food by feedso that I associate that it is a safe food. It is important to offer variety, because it can be the case that we are determined to eat a single option and that it turns out that you simply do not like.
If your cat does not eat any wet food, there are nutritionists who advise starting with little latitas that are unhealthy. The reason is that they usually have a very attractive and flavoring smell more similar to those of the feed. In this way, it is first familiar with wet food and little by little you can introduce healthier cans. It is also recommended slightly heat the fooddo not give it directly from the fridge because it will almost certainly reject it.
To start eating something new, the obvious is important: to be hungry. I think freely is not recommended.
To start eating something new, the obvious is important: to be hungry. In this sense, I think freely 24 hours is not the most recommended. You can serve food three or four times a day or use an automatic feeder. Yes indeed, A cat should never be more than a whole day without eating since it can develop liver lipidosis and even die.
Each cat is a world and there are many more tricks that you can use, such as soaking or crushing the feed and putting a little on wet food. Also You can use others toppings as a churu -type liquid snack and sprinkle supplements such as fortiflo (it is a probiotic) or powdered green lip mussel.
In WorldOfSoftware | Genetics offers some clue to answer the eternal question: What the hell goes through my cat’s head?
