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We have been feeding our home-cat a particular variety of cat-food (Type A) since its kitten-hood. But, now, I am beginning to feel that the cat is getting bored with that same food, and is seeking variety. Now, there is one more neighbourhood cat, which we feed with a different variety of cat-food (Type B). Our home-cat does not like Type B, and prefers only Type A.
Now, I would like to have one more alternative food for our home-cat, in addition to Type A (since I am sensing the cat's boredom for this Type A food).
1. How to determine which cat food to try for our home-cat, which he will like? and
2. How to go about introducing this new food type to our home-cat?
Note: In our house, we are vegetarians, and the only meaty stuff in our house is cat-food.
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The fact that you're vegetarian ruined my would-be catty answer.
Only now do I realize what I've just done.  As if the site doesn't have enough of it already!
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Never easy.
There are two problems:
1) You feed him Brand C. He eats it while purring, scarfing it down like a cat possessed. Yay! You buy loads of the foul smelling stuff. He refuses to ever touch it again. Little git. I have boxes of Harringtons, after trying a couple of trial packs which fur-face couldn't get enough of. He'd rather starve for three or more days than eat it...
2) Their little digestive systems don't like change. If you switch too quickly, they can get diarrhea and / or vomiting which is both messy and unpleasant for everyone involved.
Do it slowly: ensure the new food is at room temperature to start with - cold food isn't as appealing to them, and hand feed them a little as a treat. Then start introducing the new food along with the old a little at a time, gradually increasing the ratio until the old food is pretty much homeopathic.
Currently Dij is on three foods: Adsa Tiger, Felix meaty, and Sheba Poultry, with the flavour and cycled so he gets a different flavour and brand each meal and he's been eating that (with the occasional Harringtons thrown in) for months now.
Another difference I did make back in July was to change his bowl for really shallow ones - about 2cm high rim - and make him a stand to hold them about 16cm off the floor so he can stand or sit to eat; he doesn't need to "lie down" or crouch.
After these changes he is now food obsessed: instead of wandering in for his lunch around 2 or 3 and leaving half of it he's yowling for food from around 10:30 and scarfing the lot down. He's also growing muscle mass and putting on a little weight (possibly length as well, though he's 10 this year so he shouldn't really be growing) and seems to be having a lot less problems keeping food down. Which is a relief!
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Thanks OG, for your valuable suggestions.
I have tried mixing Type A with new Type C, and giving, with small proportion of Type C mixed with large proportion of Type A (which he likes). However, even a trace of the smell of Type C seems to put him off, so he starves rather than eat the mixture.
Cats are indeed fussy about food.
Our earlier cat used to catch the nearby rats and squirrels, but this one does not know how to hunt.
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I've always wondered why there was no mouse-flavored cat food.
Anyway, have you looked at "hunting cat feeders"? "Wet" food isn't all that good for them, in the long run.
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GenJerDan wrote: mouse-flavored cat food
Interesting point.
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GenJerDan wrote: I've always wondered why there was no mouse-flavored cat food.
How do you know? You've compared them personally?
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It seems the first mistake you guys, (cat owners), are making, is feeding them! Where's their incentive to go out and catch stuff, if you keep giving it to them on a plate?
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A cat will learn to hunt food if its mother has taught it, during its kitten-hood. Looks like our cat got separated from its mother before this training happened, so it does not hunt its own food.
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I grew up with a farm next door. Around here, most farms have an abundant cat population.
They all quickly learn that they're either gonna eat what they're given (if they're that spoiled), or they're gonna have to hunt for their own food.
Cats have no business being fussy.
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Make the switch and stick to it. He will eventually start eating - no animal let themselves starve in presence of food.
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It really feels bad when the cat turns it face and goes away, as though saying "I DON'T WANT THIS".
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*facepalm* Ah, of course, you like cats. Ok then ignore my hint 
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Amarnath S wrote: It really feels bad when the cat turns it face and goes away, as though saying "I DON'T WANT THIS".
One of mine pretty much won't eat unless I'm in the room with her. "See, Daddy? I'm eating. Aren't I good kitty?"
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I have exactly the same situation. As soon as I leave the room, he immediately follows me. Sometimes I laugh at it, but sometimes it's annoying. 
modified 14-Jan-21 11:07am.
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My grandpa used to say (paraphrasing), in my 80+ years on this earth, I've never seen the skeleton of a cat next to a full bowl of food.
[Edit]
No, wait, I've got it wrong. He'd never seen the skeleton of a cat stuck in a tree.
Who knows. He's probably said both. It's definitely the sort of thing he believed in. He wasn't wrong.
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Is the current food a land based meat (cow), fowl (chicken, ducks, etc.) or seafood? Select foods from those same categories for the best results.
Other things to look for is does your cat like pate (paste) or chunked up food.
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Ocean fish. Have tried giving salmon, mackarel, etc., but none of them seem acceptable.
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Tried lobster or caviar ?
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Don't get such flavours in India.
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Amarnath S wrote: Note: In our house, we are vegetarians, and the only meaty stuff in our house is cat-food.
You know what they say about playing the "spot-the-vegetarian" game: Don't bother, because they won't miss any opportunity to point it out themselves.
I try to reject stereotypes, but I'm almost always proven wrong. In spite of myself.
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dandy72 wrote: because they won't miss any opportunity to point it out themselves.
I've noticed that as well, we'll be talking about something unrelated to food or health, but at some point they will bring up the fact that they are vegetarian. I then feel obligated to shift the discussion to juicy, medium rare porterhouse steaks or bacon.
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Nice. Personally I always say the cuter the animal, the tastier it is. It's amazing how some people can't handle that, or just take the comment for what it is.
The big movement right now is to get people off of meat, and eating bugs ("it's all the same proteins, and it's good for you!"). So you're going to deprive yourself to reduce the greenhouse gas emissions linked to farming, but you're going to keep feeding your pets what you're avoiding yourself. Yeah, that makes a lot of sense.
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A truly tasty animal will never go extinct.
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There's wisdom in that quote. 
As long as vegetarians don't take over. Then they're in trouble.
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