THE FUSSY CAT

Many owners overestimate how much food their cat actually needs. Cats are small animals and are not noted for strenuous physical exercise. These factors reduce their food requirements.

Consistent overfeeding leads to loss of appetite, fussiness and contributes to toxin production.

The main reason why a cat refuses food is that IT IS NOT HUNGRY!

However, the owner concludes that the cat no longer likes the food and decides to try something else (usually tastier) in order to get the cat to eat. The cat will eat this tastier food for a time until it tires of that. The owner will then seek out something else in order to stimulate the cat's jaded appetite. And so it continues. The owner does not seem to realise or care that the cat is simply not hungry.
The Feeding Programme below offers advice on organising the feeding of the fussy cat.

THE FUSSY EATER

Feed 2-3 times daily, on demand ensuring that the quantity offered is such that the cat will consume the whole amount. For most cats a few pellets at a time will suffice. This ‘rationing’ helps to avoid overfeeding and should stop the cat from seeking food elsewhere.

Any food uneaten after 10 minutes should be removed and none offered until the cat next demands feeding. Occasionally your cat may ask for more food but refuse Burns. Resist the temptation to try an alternative food. If you give in at this crucial stage all will be lost.

You will probably find the cat will eat happily a few hours later confirming that he/she wasn’t really hungry in the first instance.

SOME QUESTIONS ANSWERED

I CAN'T BE OVERFEEDING BECAUSE MY CAT IS NOT OVERWEIGHT
NO! ! ! Many cats which are overfed do not put on weight but discharge the excess giving rise to the symptoms described in the Development of Disease Stage 1 in the Guide to Natural Health Care.

I CAN'T BE OVERFEEDING BECAUSE MY CAT ONLY EATS WHAT HE NEEDS AND LEAVES THE REST
NO !!! If your cat regularly picks at his food and leaves food behind then this means that he is eating as much as he wants rather than as much as he needs. It is likely that he could manage with a little less each day, his health would improve and he would probably enjoy his food more if he was eating less.

IS IT HARMFUL TO ADD OTHER THINGS TO THE CAT FOOD
This depends on the individual cat and what you want to add. I do not recommend adding other pet food to the Burns but home-made food may be acceptable.
If the cat has a health problem it is best not to add anything to Burns without discussing this first with your veterinary surgeon or Burns Pet Nutrition.

A prepared pet food cannot by its nature be tailored exactly to suit every circumstance and we sometimes even recommend adding other home-made foods depending on the individual's needs. I do not necessarily agree with the advice which other manufacturers give that adding to the diet will "upset the balance". But it is not advisable to add things regularly to the food in order to get the cat to eat more.

Any information above is given in good faith by our Nutritional advisors and may not necessarily reflect the opinion of Burns Pet Nutrition. The advice of Burns Pet Nutrition or a qualified veterinary surgeon should always be sought before changes are made to the diet in the nutritional management of health problems. Burns is a food and not a medicine.