My kitten runs away, now he's picky. What food should I offer him?

The best thing you can do to cut down on Oliver’s interest in roaming is to neuter him and keep him inside at all times if it is feasible. If you do want him to be an indoor/outdoor cat then I would not worry too much about him missing his meals. He may be hunting while outside and/or being feed by others while he is out. As long as you consistently offer him food at your home he will always come back. I would not recommend leaving his food outside though, as this could cause you to have unwanted visitors, like stray cats and wild animals, at your home. Keep in mind that if you continue to allow Oliver access to the outside he will need certain vaccinations to keep him from contracting other diseases. I hope this helps. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. Best of luck!

Since Jerry gets into fights when let outside I would definitely recommend keeping him as an indoor kitty. To help decrease his tendency to roam I would recommend having him neutered. You should also increase your interactions with him by doing things such as playing with a laser pointer and grooming him. If he is stimulated enough in the home he will be less likely to want to go out. I hope this helps. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. Best of luck.

If there are only two available foods for kittens in your geographic region I would feed the one that your cat is most likely to consume without problems. If for some reason your cat begins to have issues with that type of food I would feed the other one but consider adding something like chicken broth or tuna juice to it. Hope this helps!

I'm not sure how old Carolus is, but unfortunately it's very common to see this kind of behavior change in unneutered males once they reach social maturity - he is probably out looking for females to mate with, or fighting with other male cats, as both of these are more important to him right now than anything else. I would strongly recommend having him neutered when you are able to - this should curb his tendency to roam and not come home, and will make him a much better pet overall :)

I see that Bagpuss isn't neutered. He's likely roaming for females to mate with, which is why he's disappearing for days at a time. It could also be that there is another home feeding him as well, and he's been staying there. To cut down on roaming behavior, I would have him neutered. He's a domesticated cat used to being handled, so he won't become feral by being around feral cats, but because he isn't neutered, he could get into fights with them over females and territory. After you have him neutered, you can keep him indoors all the time, and set up a litter box for him inside. That will keep him safe from the feral cats and home all the time. It's perfectly find to make Bagpuss an indoor only cat. Many people do it, and cats are perfectly happy with that arrangement. I have four indoor only cats, and they are happy :-)

Choose one brand of food, or a couple flavors of the same brand, and feed that exclusively. Pick a food that has a named protein source of animal origin. Avoid by products or meat meals. Stay away from store or discount brands as these typically contain low quality ingredients and more fillers. Feed on a consistent schedule as opposed to free feeding or allowing grazing throughout the day. Do not constantly change diets if/when your cat does not eat. This can create a finicky eater and may lead to gastrointestinal upset.

Thanks for the question. There are some dogs and cats that are picky eaters like Baluu. When you bring home a new food if Baluu is willing to eat it, this is likely what is going on. You can approach this two different ways. One is to stick to one food and see if after a couple days Baluu gets hungry enough to eat it. The other is to simply buy small bags of food, and switch to a new food every few weeks. My own dog is quite picky, and after months of trying, I gave up and now we just rotate through different foods. He is happy, and I am no longer frustrated trying to get him to eat. I do recommend that when you switch foods you mix the old food and the new food together for a few days to avoid stomach upset. I hope this helps.