Help My Cat's A Picky Eater!

Tips and guidelines for encouraging your cat to eat her dinner

- Gina Hartoog

If our article title caught your attention, rest assured you are not alone. Both dogs and cats may become fussy eaters, with the problem being more common in our feline friends. It’s not uncommon for two cats in the same house to be extremely different eaters. One may be willing to try new foods, while another may turn up her nose at the slightest menu change.

Let’s take a closer look at the feline anatomy to understand better how cats enjoy their food.

Cat food facts

 Cats are obligate carnivores – they need meat to live, so whichever diet you give your cat, it must be protein-based. Cats have a good sense of smell, about 14 times better than that of humans. They use their sense of smell to learn more about the world around them and to find food that is safe to eat. Your cat’s Jacobson’s organ, an olfactory organ found on the roof of the mouth, detects chemicals in certain odours. Have you ever seen your cat curl up her lips in a kind of grimace? This is called a Flehmen reaction and she’s ‘tasting’ the air to detect very faint smells. Cats don’t have many taste buds on their tongues (under 500) and don’t show a reaction to sweet foods.

What’s good or not good