(Beth Clifton photo)

13-year-old tom asks for food,  then does not eat it

Question

Our cat Whitey shows occasional mild signs of wanderlust (he eyeballs the front door occasionally) and mild intermittent digestive problems, but he seems to be happy and well-adjusted, as is his female companion, Happy, who is about the same age––approximately 13 years old. But I’m a little worried about one thing.

Ernest Hemingway was famously fond of cats.

Cat history

My first cat, Cleo,  born circa 1949,  wandered off six or seven years later.  She was not spayed, because we didn’t know better.  Cleo would eat nothing but the kidneys of cows,  a common cat food in those days,  until she switched to lungs,  and from then on she never ate anything but lungs.

Most of my cats since Cleo,  and there have been plenty, beginning circa 1974, ate dried cat food without complaint—and so did Whitey and Happy,  until about five years ago when they went on a mainly-canned-food diet. (They do like a couple of brands of dried food for a change.)

(Alley Cat Allies photo)

“Turns up his nose at meals”

Now here’s what’s bothering me.  Whitey, in recent weeks,  turns up his nose at his meals,  even after having asked in no uncertain terms to be fed.  He does this when the food is at room temperature as well as straight out of the fridge.

We give our cats their favorites from regular-sized cans—about four types in all. Usually Whitey comes back later to eat. Happy’s habits are similar. It’s not serious; they are not underweight.  But Whitey is doing this so regularly that I am wondering what he may be trying to tell us.  We don’t really feed our cats regularly,  but on demand. And Whitey can definitely be demanding. So it is puzzling to me that he is often not really eager to eat when fed.  Possibly he is angling for a higher grade of fare,  but that is not my impression.  Unlike many of our previous cats, neither Whitey nor Happy show any interest in human food,  nor in meat other than cat food.

Our cats, Monkey, M, and Sebastian, all rescues, and Alley, Red Schoendienst, and Oops, three ferals who lived here before we did, fixed and added to our household.
(Beth Clifton photo)

So what do you think?  Is Whitey lacking some nutrient?  Happy likes nutritional yeast on her food,  but Whitey is not interested in it.

––Walter in Waterloo

Dear Walter,

You are obviously doing quite a lot right to have two relatively elderly and still active cats.

First,  be aware,  as you apparently are,  that your cats are aging,  and that significant changes in eating behavior can indicate metabolic changes,  including breakdowns of the kidneys and other parts of their gastrointestinal tracts.

This would require veterinary examination and testing to detect,  and at your cats’ ages,  their longterm prognosis would not be good.

(Beth Clifton photo)

Inability to eat

If your cats are suffering from an inability to eat,  or to adequately make use of the nutrients in their food,  a visit to the vet may be in order to check for problems with their teeth (if they still have any),  metabolic issues,  cancer,  and other physical issues.  A change of diet might help temporarily,  but euthanasia may be appropriate.  The key question is,  “Is this cat suffering,  and if so,  can the suffering be relieved?”

Beyond that,  I can definitely relate to the finicky eating behaviors of cats.  What we have done is find a couple of good quality dry kibble foods that our cats seem to enjoy and eat.  We alternate when one bag runs out.  We spend a little more for better quality cat food,  but you get what you pay for.

(Beth Clifton photo)

I do believe that cats appreciate some variety of menu.  And we also give our cats cans of wet food,  always accessible.  This might not be appropriate for cats who tend to over-eat.

Our cat care regimen

You can drive yourself crazy second guessing yourself and your cats––any cats.  Here is my advice about this.

 1.  Find one or two good quality dry kibble foods and leave a bowl of dry food out continuously.   If you have an apparent finicky eater,  put another bowl somewhere else.  If you have more than one cat,  the real issue may involve the household pecking order.  If you feed cans individually,  that’s fine too, but cats don’t usually eat on command.  That’s not a cat’s nature.

Tiger at Big Cat Rescue pond.
(Beth Clifton photo)

2.  Be sure to put out fresh water in several places for the same reasons.  Water is critical.

3.  Be sure you have enough clean litter boxes in quiet places and opposite sides of the house if possible.  A more passive cat may be intimidated by pushy cats.

Bottom line, I keep an eye on our cats’ behavior and physical health.  In particular,  I look for clear noses and clean butts.

If a cat can’t smell food,  the cat won’t eat it.  Put your hands on your cats,  if you can,  to check their body weight (this will not be possible with feral cats).   Try to watch each cat using your litter boxes.

(Cornelius O’Regan photo)

If there are fleas in the house,  your cats probably have tape worms,  which would eventually affect their weight and health.  You can see tape worms in their poop.  They resemble white rice.

Cats get tape worms from eating a flea; tape worms are part of the flea reproductive cycle.

If your cats go outside,  or escape to the outdoors occasionally,  they may have other parasites.

Check their ears to see if they are clean,  or brown and goopy.  Ear mites look like dry brown coffee grounds.  An infection looks brown and damp.

(Beth Clifton collage)

The best topical flea and parasite prevention,  in my view,  is Revolution for cats.  It takes care of ear mites and other parasites,  but not tape worms.  That is going to require a different medication.  Your local pet store may have the right medication,  but cats are tough to give pills.  Usually you get one shot to get a pill into a cat. If you miss,  the battle is on,  and usually involves the pill giver’s blood.

Merritt & Beth Clifton

I know this is more than you asked for so if you need clarification let me know.

Hugs, Beth

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