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Gourmet Cat Food
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Changing from fishy food to land animal-based food may be perfect for your cat. Cornell Feline Health Center recommends enticing an anorectic cat with gourmet canned cat food before offering any other commercial cat food varieties. Gourmet food is nutritionally balanced, packaged in 3-oz. cans and made with mainly organ meats or special fish ingredients. A picky cat might need the tasty difference that gourmet canned food offers, and those varieties are often what a veterinarian will recommend. Most cat food manufacturers produce their canned food according to the national nutritional requirements for cats established by the American Association of Feed Control Officials.
Therapeutic Diets
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Anorexic cats are often treated for other organ or metabolic digestive diseases besides lack of appetite. Veterinarian-prescribed therapeutic diet foods are always extremely high quality and more expensive than other cat foods. Prescription diets that support a cat through its disease often do assist to reverse its anorexia. Your vet may choose a course of feeding with a targeted therapeutic diet that has a specific balance of nutrients not found in pet-store cat food. Therapeutic diets are only available by veterinarian prescription or at a veterinary establishment.
Human Food
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Small amounts of human food work wonders for anorexic cats. Try feeding your cat protein-based human food as an alternative to canned cat food, especially if it exhibits a complete lack of appetite. The best choices are macerated tuna mixed with water or strained baby food that does not contain onion powder. Human foods are not nutritionally balanced for cats. When needed, offer human-grade food only as a supplement to cat food. The exception is an ailing cat whose appetite loss is severe due to disease and that will not eat any normal cat food.
Warmed Cat Food
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Alter the smell and consistency of high-quality canned cat food to further entice the appetite of an anorexic cat. A cat's sense of smell perks at the scent of meats that are heated. Warm any flavorful and digestible canned cat food for less than 30 seconds in a microwave for the best temperature.
Watered-Down Cat Food
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Feline vets often combine equal parts high-quality, high-protein therapeutic diet food (preferably with a strong smell) and warm water, stirring the mixture into a "slurry." Slurries are preferred for anorexic cats that need to exert effort to eat, especially when meat chunks in commercial cat food are discouraging for the cat. To encourage licking, smear some slurry onto the cat's forepaws.
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What Kind of Food Is Best for Cats That Are Anorexic?
Anorexia in cats displays as lack of appetite or refusal to take any type of food, according to the Cat Health Guide. Anorexia can be a symptom of organ disease or a result of change to the cat's environment. If your cat exhibits severe appetite loss for longer than three days, it should immediately be seen by a veterinarian. At-home feeding is only appropriate for an anorectic cat that is under the care of a veterinarian.