My cat won't eat his cat food. Is it safe to feed him human food?

Hi there and thanks for posting on Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! If Wilkie is not wanting to eat, there could be medical reasons behind this behavior such as dental disease or a tooth or oral infection. Other possibilities may include something infectious, organ dysfunction, an endocrine disorder, or other causes. If all medical conditions have been entirely ruled out by a veterinarian, then my best advice is to just stick with one brand of food and try not to change the food or add other food items to it to entice him to eat as this will allow him to become a very picky eater. Try giving him only one type of food-if he is healthy and well, he will not starve himself! He will eventually learn to eat what is given to him. I hope this helps and thank you for posting!

Hi there! Yes this is very likely. Wilkie has tasted something he likes much better (but is not as good for him) and now is holding out for what he likes to eat. When he is hungry enough, he will eat the food that is better for him, just don't feed him the bones and guts anymore so it doesn't happen again.

It is ok to feed human food as long as you make sure the diet is balance and safe. You could use a website called balance-it to devise a recipe that is balance for a cat. After the recipe is picked you have to buy a supplement that they make to balance your recipe. https://secure.balanceit.com/index.php

Try giving her another brand of wet food, such as Fancy Feast, or warm up her regular wet food. Freeze Dried is not wet food and I would be concerned about bacterial contamination. You may also want to have her teeth and mouth checked by your veterinarian.

Most cats only need to eat around 3/4-1 cup of food daily (1 cup= 1 can). So if you are feeding him more than this, you are likely putting too much in the bowl. Also split up the daily meal into two so that the leftover food isn’t sitting there getting stale. Most cats graze anyway, this is normal. However if you are already doing those things then you do have the choice to relinquish ownership of Wilkie. This is a hard decision to make when considering giving up a pet. Which is why when you adopt a pet you have to assume full responsibility for them, even when they are not perfect. However, if you feel it is detrimental to his health for him to remain with you and have a good no-kill shelter or home for him to go to, then adopting him to a more suitable forever home can be considered. Here is a website link too that may help you with tips to try and build the bond you have with Wilkie if you do decide to keep him. Indoorpet.osu.edu Jacksongalaxy.com Best of luck in deciding how to best care for Wilkie moving forward. Take care.

It is pretty likely that he has a tooth ache, has severe gingivitis or other problems in his mouth that make eating hard dry food difficult, so he will not eat enough to satisfy his hunger. Keep giving him more wet food and schedule an appointment with your vet for a dental exam. Older kitties often have dental problems and eating with a tooth ache is horrible.

The problem with feeding cats a homemade diet is that it is very difficult to get the correct balance of nutrients cats need. They are obligate carnivores, meaning they have to eat meat in order to survive, and their diet has to provide essential amino acids as their body cannot make them on it's own. I can put links below to websites that provide recipes for homemade diets for cats, and I would check that out if you want to try making a homemade diet for Orieo. I hope this helps! https://secure.balanceit.com https://www.petdiets.com