Cat question

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About a month ago a cat starting hanging around my place (I live in the country side), at first I wasn't sure if he was a neighbor's cat or a stray, he kept his distance as I worked and I left it at that. After a week or so it became apparent he was in fact a stray, I doubt he's more than 6 months old-- he's very small. So I adopted him because he's well natured and in need of a home and my dog passed about 3 months ago, so I have space and time.

Anyhow, I did like any good autistic would do and read everything I could on cats and caring for cats to make sure I was doing the correct things. One problem I have that I haven't found an answer for is food. I've tried four different brands of wet cat food of varying flavors and he refuses to eat any of them. I know cats can be picky, but goddamn. The only thing I've been able to get him to eat is canned tuna, of which I mix with generous amounts of water since I live in a hot dry place (semi-arid highland), hence the reason dry food is out, he's going to need the water content of wet food. One thing that concerns me is that there's no calcium in canned Tuna, and when I mix bone meal in with the tuna he refuses to eat that as well. I'm not overly concerned at the moment, I know he hunts small rodents and lizards around my place, but when winter hits those prey items will be long gone and his calcium intake with them. So my question is: does anyone have any helpful advice on how to get him to eat something with calcium in it?

Will he eat sardines?

Yeah I tried that, I tried chicken (cooked+chopped, partially cooked+chopped, and ground). I fish and I caught a few salmon last week, and he refused that as well. I don't know, perhaps when winter hits and the other sources are gone he'll be more agreeable to other food. He's an active cat, I want him to stay that way and be healthy.

If he's an outdoor cat and in good condition, then he's getting food in the wild. Talk about fresh. I'd leave dry cat food perpetually available, change it from time to time, in case it gets stale. Does your cat make figure-eights around your feet, begging for food? I would make a token offering to a cat who isn't hungry.

Water is very important, always have a bowl of that ready. And, as you say, these things change with the seasons. You sound like a responsible pet-owner to me.

You seem like a good person and a responsible pet owner. Good luck with your cat. Keep experimenting with different foods. I had cats who were picky eaters when they were younger, but who became more omnivorous in their later years. The funny thing is, Prince, the biggest cat I ever had, was the pickiest eater, eating only wet and dry cat food.

Cats love carnivorous "people food." But if you feed them this exclusively, they'll get spoiled.

That happened with a cat of mine named Floyd.

Claradoon is correct: the cat is probably getting decent nutrition from food found in the wild.

I had a cat, Samantha, who absolutely loved anything with butter in it. She put a lie to the myth that butter is bad for you, because she lived to be 20.

Cats need a thing called taurine in their diets. Manufactured cat foods have the required, optimal amount in them, so you will have to make sure he does get some food specifically for cats in his diet or he will be deficient in this supplement.

Try to get him to eat both wet and dry cat food.

An all-dry cat food diet is now increasingly thought to be the cause of the kidney failure that so many cats die from while all other health factors are fine. Even when access to plenty of water is given, eating only dry food is going to do their kidneys damage eventually. It's actually not good for them to be on only-dry food diets.

Also, it's been found that a cat tends to drink more of its water when the bowl is placed AWAY from the food dish, instead of right next to the food dish.

It sounds strange but apparently it's true. It's not that they do not drink when the water and food dishes are together, they DO drink.

But apparently they drink even MORE if the water dish is in fact out of sight of the food dish.

Don't ask me why, but you can google this and find out.

Also -- you would really be doing a good deed to get the cat neutered. There are too many unwanted kittens and puppies born, who wind up either feral or in kill-shelters unable to find homes because there are more animals than people wanting them. It's the responsible thing to get your pet neutered or spayed unless you have a prize-winning show animal you want to breed from or stud out. Only those people should not opt for neutering -- the rest of us need to neuter ALL our pets in order to help control the number of unwanted youngsters out there.

Neutering doesn't change their personalities or make them gain weight, those are myths. If anything it makes them happier animals because they don't get urges they are driven to fulfill or get frustrated from. All my pets have been neutered and they have remained healthy, happy, content, active and joyful with their world.

Canned tuna can be too high in salt for cats. Canned food is better for cats because of the moisture content. Dry is best used as a supplement to wet food.

If you have him neutered be aware that males can develop painful bladder crystals and wet food helps stall that or prevent it. It can happen anyway and then cat will have to be on prescription food from then on.
I've had 7 cats through the decades and 2 males developed struvite crystals, one in 1990s and one currently. The crystals can be fatal. Diet makes a difference. http://www.peteducation.com/article.cfm ... 2&aid=2729

May or may not be something you have already found: this is a superb cat blog for educational, daily care, and general health care information http://www.wayofcats.com/blog/

OP, you seem to be a good person. Cats are predators, try playing with his food. Throw pieces of meat around, he will catch them and eat. Simple as that.

Happy to help. It always works.

Unrelated to this, but I'm reminded of my ex's parent's fat cat. He was huge from his previous owners (he was a rescue cat I think) and he would overeat to the point of being sick if he was given too much food. Bless him. He was such a sweet cat. I liked him.

Someone needs to invent mouse flavored cat food