I recently picked up a new cat from my buddy/co-worker about 3 days ago. She had been an outside cat up until recently (they were spit-balling 2-3 weeks ago). She was extremely err.. "introverted" is the word I want to use. She would be afraid every time I got near her, but the last couple days have been a complete flip flop. She's always around me and wants to be coddled it seems.

My question lies with her eating habits. they gave me some of the food they'd been feeding her over the passed few weeks, but she hasn't touched it since I sat it out (3 days ago). Instead she's been eating dead insects. I used to have a spider problem, but I sprayed some very powerful non-toxic insecticide a few weeks ago and it seems to have killed everything that isn't me or her. I've seen her pounce and eat dying spiders and it's really epic to watch, but she still hasn't touched the actual food. Should I be worried? Should I change brands?

8 years ago

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There's no such thing as a cat owner. They own you :) A vet visit, once she's settled, wouldn't be a bad idea to rule out worms or other parasites which might be interfering with her digestion. But I agree with most of the above advice. Food samples from the pet stores, wet and dry, would be a good idea. The stores usually have them, companies want to encourage their food.

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8 years ago
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And don't forget to give her some milk after all this insect eating.

8 years ago
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8 years ago
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The cheapest cat food in Brazil costs 2 US dollars now...

8 years ago
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8 years ago
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Its insane. We pay twice the price north americans pay for gasoline, for example.
Its even worse considering our minimum wage is US$220 (monthly).

8 years ago
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there is no thing as non-toxic pesticide. really. it's designed to kill. hence toxic.

and buy her a plastic game, and take all hte spiders... next, go see a vet and try new brands.

8 years ago
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Sometimes cats don't eat if they're unaccustomed to their environment. Make sure she knows where it is, and perhaps try another bowl to see if she'll eat from that. Cats can sometimes have strange eating habits; make sure that she doesn't lose too much weight. Another thing to consider is that cats sometimes respond to social stimuli- my cat has the odd habit where she won't normally eat unless she things the humans are about to eat for some reason (when people are out and near her food dish, which is in the kitchen), though it's hard to know because this is her second (good) home and she was abused as a kitten so she has a lot of strange habits compared to most cats.

Edit: Just saw Zelg's post and your response. Sounds like meat is solution, which is good. If you want to try to convert her over to cat food, you can mix the two (meat and cat food) for a while and see how it takes.

8 years ago*
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Cats can be so picky. Especially if they've been spoiled with food before. My cat spends a good deal of time both inside and outside the house and sometimes refuses to eat the biscuits I give him. If he's hungry enough, he'll eat them. But generally topping them up with a few fresh biscuits gets him to eat all of them quick. I think it's to do with the smell or something.

8 years ago
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You defiantely want to change brands btw it`s a little cat or grown up cat?... I got 4 cats in that case 2 are very delicate (spoiled i can say) and i have to change brands from time to time...

8 years ago
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On top of all the other advice here, I'd also recommend that you keep some smaller portion of wet cat food in her diet. Mine loved his kibble and didn't seem to care much for wet food. When I had to give him wet food at least once a day so I could mix in his kidney medication his coat improved dramatically compared to all the years before, becoming much more glossy and soft.

8 years ago
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Your cat won't eat cat food? What a pussy!

8 years ago
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I see some people are suggesting milk or cheese and that can be bad. Be very careful about giving a cat any sort of dairy products, some cats lack the necessary enzymes in their digestive system to break them down properly and it can cause problems like vomiting or diarrhea. Cats may like the taste and even if they can digest it properly it's not exactly good for them and should only be given in small amounts as a treat every now and then.

And much like with dogs, chocolate is toxic to cats. Don't give your cat chocolate.

8 years ago
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