Every once in a while, as Bud happily dances around the kitchen because he knows it’s Yums O’Clock, I’ll look through the available inventory and give him a choice.
“Hey, Bud!” I’ll say, holding a different kind of food in each hand. “Which one do you want?”
And without fail he’ll mrrrrrp enthusiastically and select his dinner by choosing one can – or more often, a Perfect Portions tub – and rubbing his face against it while trilling.
I’ve addressed the topic of meal variety before on PITB. One great piece of advice I got before adopting the king was to feed him as many different varieties of food as possible. Turkey, his absolute and longtime favorite, chicken, tuna, salmon, beef, duck, trout, pate, chunks, shredded cuts in sauce. Sheba, Iams, Nutro, Blue, Fancy Feast, and occasionally even the Temptations “catnip-flavor” pate, even though that’s probably not great for him.
It has many benefits, the most obvious of which is that he enjoys his meals, he looks forward to them, and he reliably eats his wet food. That’s important because cats have a low thirst drive and he needs the hydration. It’s also satisfying as his caretaker to remove his bowl when he’s done and see that he’s licked it clean. It means he’s happy, healthy, has a good appetite, and he won’t be yowling at me for snacks because he’s still hungry.
It also means we won’t be put in a tough spot if, say, one particular brand changes its formula or discontinues a flavor. I’ve heard stories of frustrated people taking weeks to find a food their finicky cats will accept when a particular favorite is no longer available.
Still, I wonder if given the choice, he’d want even more variety. I don’t even know if he’s actively making a choice when I give it to him. Can he smell the food through the sealed packages? Is he really selecting what he wants, or is he just picking one at random?
Has anyone else tried this?
Pain In The Bud 
Some people might find this cruel but my feral must eat wet so i stopped giving him dry. He get Friskies. After 2 days of not eating he began to eat it. No cat will starve themselves says Jackson Galaxy. You just put down one food and they will eventually eat it. My cat, who will be put to sleep tomorrow, never really had much of an issue after 3 days of not leaving dry food. I was warned by my vet 5 years ago when he had issues urinating.
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I’m so sorry that your cat is dying. Kidney failure? I hope your last night with the little one is a comfort to you both. You doing okay?
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His white blood cell count was low about 16 months ago. He lasted longer than anticipated and grateful but still hurts. In a fog right now. He wants nothing to do with me which means he is in distress. He lays on kitchen counter all night instead of bed with me.
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My thoughts and prayers are with you both.
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I hope you’re okay and you got to spend some time with him. This is the worst thing about having cats without a doubt.
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He’s gone. They found a tumor in his abdomen. That’s why he was hiding in unusual places and laying on kitchen counter all night long the last 2 weeks.
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I’m really sorry, Gilda. Are you doing okay?
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I’m so sorry about your kitty.
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We’re so sorry your kitty isn’t well, Gilda.
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It’s so sad to have to say goodbye to a friend, because I believe that animals become more than just pets, they’re our friends. I don’t have any words of comfort, but I’m sure you gave your cat the best life and that you won’t let him suffer because of his illness. So thank you for loving and caring for him while he’s alive; I’m sure he was happy by your side.
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I will be following this with curiosity. I recently had to transition my Charlie to a different wet food because the variety she was eating was discontinued. But I am realizing now that switching to a store (Petco) brand probably wasn’t the best idea, since they could stop making it, close the local store, etc. (She gets a grain-free pate AM and PM, and dry food in between.)
She made the transition pretty seamlessly and seemed to love the new food, but she has gotten fussier as this summer has worn on. She used to be a great eater all the time; now she’s great in the morning (extra hungry, of course!), but over the course of the day, you just never know. She seems to lose her appetite when it’s very hot (we have no central air, so keeping her cool is a challenge; I recently bought her a cooling pad, but so far she won’t lie on it). She also hates rain and t-storms, so if they happen around meal times, all bets are off. (She hides.)
So now I’m thinking I should try adding different foods, but I don’t want to make things worse or cause her digestive disruption. . . . Sigh.
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I mentioned above mixing in a small amount of another food and then slowly increasing it. There was also a recent study that said feline appetites are stimulated by new smells. I just saw this July has been the hottest on record and cats have a really difficult time regulating body temperature once it gets past a certain point, so it makes sense that Charlie would be less interested in food at those times.
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My cat Wander only eats one brand of cat food, Chiki. If I offer him another brand of cat food or meat, he just ignores them and eats the Chiki. I honestly don’t know if it’s nutritious enough for him to eat only that brand and nothing else, but that’s what he likes. My other cats do eat a wider variety of cat foods.
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That’s fascinating to me, since Bud would be a garbage disposal if I let him. Ever try mixing a small amount of another food into his Chiki?
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Haha, my other cats are like that too, they’ll eat just about anything. I have one kitty who’s particularly interested in cheese, though I’m not really sure if it’s safe for cats to eat cheese. As for Wander, I have tried mixing his food with something else, sometimes it works and he eats it if the majority is Chiki food, other times it doesn’t work and he leaves it all there. What surprised me the most was one time when we cooked shrimp, and all the cats went crazy for it except for him. To him, a shrimp was about as interesting as a rock.
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Thank you everyone for your kind words.🩷
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The pain sucks but that is part of owning a pet. 10 years of joy. Not sure how long the grief and depression will last. I have photos of him on my refigeration.
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