My cat's suddenly become a 'picky' eater!

Another visit to the vet, I think. Depends on the age of the cat, but anaesthetic can have an effect on some organs. No cat is likely to starve itself unless it's not feeling well. I would get him checked if he were one of mine.

Sometimes it helps to offer a strong-smelling food like mashed tinned pilchards or sardines. My cats will almost always eat cooked chicken, minced so that it need not be chewed. I suspect your cat's mouth is still sore, maybe the vet should check it out.

I've given my cat some prawns, warmed and chopped up. That's the first time he's cleared his dish in many days. If that's what it takes just now, then it'll have to be prawns, though he'll need more than that for correct nourishment. I may be able to introduce other foods in with the prawns in the next day or so. At least he's eating! If this doesn't work, I'll take him back along to the vet, though.

My cat had a similar problem - vet suspected something was affecting her sense of smell and recommended strong foods slightly warmed. She gave us (correction - sold us - vets never give you anything but bad news and bills) some tinned cat food which smelled so disgusting I could hardly bear to feed it to her. She wouldn't eat it, but wolfed down some warm sardines.

Did you get her back onto normal cat foods again, artygran? How did you do it, if so?

Well, one Saturday morning, she started sneezing blood down her nose (frightened me silly) and the vet thought that she may have had a blood clot in her nose or her sinus that was affecting her sense of smell - hence the loss of appetite. She had antibiotics and a vitamin shot and is now eating normal food again. She is old and doesn't eat much in hot weather, but she will sell her soul for sardines in tomato sauce. I suppose it's just as uncomfortable for cats to have teeth out as it is for humans and your cat may just have been feeling out of sorts. I hope he picks up soon.

Thanks artygran - today he's had prawns AND cod fillet.......! If he doesn't return to eating normally soon, I'll take him along to the vet - maybe a vitamin injection is what he needs.

I have had cats for all of my married life and spent much time looking at shelves of cat food along with other cat owners all looking for something that their troublesome felines might fancy even though there is a box of tins/pouches of last week's favourite food sitting unwanted in the cupboard. I started my rescue cat on Hills even though where he came from he probably got the cheapest on the market. Hills according to the Vet is fine for them - as she said, and I quote, 'in the wild big cats only live on one type of meat - what they can catch - there is no choice of duck, turkey, salmon, tuna etc. etc.' I thought biscuits on their own a bit dull so went down the route of mixing dry and wet food at separate meals but found he only settled for the really, really expensive wet food with posh gravy! My daughter has two pedigree cats, one of which has had permanent tummy problems (irritable bowel in a cat!) and was recommended by the vet to give them special food (expensive) from them. The breeder recommended the cheapest on the market and, guess what, they love it and have not had any problems since starting it. Good luck Greenmossgiel - hope your moggie picks up.

Bellesnan - At the moment there are about half-a-dozen different types of food on the cat-food shelf in the kitchen! There used just to be the one sort, and that was Hill's, as that was what the vet recommended when my cat had his 'dental hygiene' treatment carried out a couple of years ago. The cat was fine with this until his extraction a couple of weeks ago. The vet gave me a 'free' (from the vet? - no I don't think so!) pack of another type of biscuit which is only obtainable from them....in other words, you MUST use this, because we'll know if you don't, and give you a jolly good telling off when you bring him back in for his booster! She gave me this free pack when I picked him up after having paid £380 for one extraction! Of course that cat has turned his nose up at everything. Then today, I think I struck oil! He's actually eaten a pouch of Whiskas!! Fingers crossed! It was good to read your post, because although we all know how manipulative cats are, we still need to know that they're happy!!

Absolutely - happiness is all important. It is true that cats have servants! Just another thing about my cat - he likes drinking from the utility room tap (as long as my finger is under the drip and aiming it towards his mouth), the bathroom sink, the walk in shower (as long as the mini shower at the side of the big shower is turned on strictly for his drink), the family bath and any other grotty water including the fishpond. Anywhere apart from the clean bowl of water sitting at the side of his food!

Mine is his twin, by the sound of things! He also drinks out of the bath-tap, balancing on the edge of the bath and catching the drips that I organise specially for him at the right rate. He also drinks out of the watering can and the little pond at the bottom of the garden. He wouldn't dream of drinking any water that I'd put down for him! Oh and of course the bird bath...!