Picky eater with hairballs, fishing for ideas?

Buy hairball control food.

Coach

I've got one of those! Except he's now 3 and a half and is only marginally better than he was at your son's age. Not to discourage you, but this is a long, hard, frustrating road. If you've ruled out the obvious stuff - medical issues, recurrent ear infections, bowel problems (chronic constipation, etc...) and he's just picky, here's a few ideas to help keep you sane: - maximize the foods he likes - let me guess - noodles, pizza, hot dogs, chicken nuggets, cheese? Rotate these foods on a daily basis, but at the same time and on the same plate, give him small portions of the foods you are eating as well. Always provide many options - each meal you should give him at least 2-4 things on his plate, starting small, and whatever he eats, just give him more of that one thing. - start encouraging him to take just one bite of something. If he doesn't like it, he can spit it out, but always try to make sure he at leasts tastes the different foods. - don't talk about it in front of him - if he hears he's a picky eater, he will be. Kids that age understand more than you think. - watch his drink consumption. Picky eaters are often heavy "drinkers" and try to fill the hungry feeling with drinks which can be "filling" Make sure the kid comes to the table hungry. - a hungry child will eat - he won't starve himself. Try to be as low-key as possible at mealtimes. Pretend to not care whether he eats or not. Put food on his tray, go about your business. If he doesn't eat, get him up when the rest of the family gets up and leave him be. Try again an hour later. Repeat until he eats. - Some days will be worse than others. Do the best you can. I can't emphasize enough to not make a big deal out of it in front of him. If he knows it upsets you and gets plenty of attention, he'll continue. I'm not saying it will resolve itself - like I said, mine's 3 1/2 and is still very picky. But he now eats every meal with us, even if he eats only one bite of what we eat and then gets a peanut butter sandwich after dinner to fill in the void. Good luck!

It's nice that you try so hard for you fluffyface!

I'm using Tree Bark supplement from Dorwest, great product to ease stomach upset.

In my experiance, with cats is all a question of habit, and persistence.

Mix a tip in a small amount of his food and he will look at you like you fed him a shoe and walk off. Leave it there. After half an hour put it in the fridge.

When he comes back for more, offer that again. Change it the next day, but still put a tip of herbal remedy in. Eventually he will get used to the smell. No cat will let himself starve if he is offered good food, unless they are seriously ill.

Also, try more natural foods, like Eaglepack, Arden Grange, Almo Nature, all hypoallergenic foods that are easier on the digestive system than commercial brands, and made with natural ingrdients. Also, VERY tasty to the cat! Or natural meat diets, like Nature's Menu, Innova or

Hills, Purina, Iams and Eukanuba are good foods, but a bit aggressive, in my experience. Besides, they all test on animals by chopping their muscles off after feeding them their food so that they can write "new and improved" on the packet. So by feeding your pet you kill another. That's off the thread, but gets my blood boiling.

Here are some links to better quality foods and supplements that could help. Good luck!

You say he won't eat Science Diet - have you tried more high quality, organic food? Like the above poster, I recommend at least trying this. My mom's cat sounds a lot like yours - refuses to eat wet food, will only eat certain dry. She has had success with Innova. You won't be able to find this type of food at a grocery store/PetSmart, etc. Some vets carry it, but usually you will have to find a smaller "boutique-ish" pet shop that is not a large chain. Try the brand's website and search through your zip code to find a local supplier. Sometimes just upping the quality of food can work miracles.

Try Nutro Natural Choice Indoor Complete Care. My cat loves it and so does my co-worker's cat. They eat it like they are treats. It has a moneyback guarantee so if kitty won't eat it, you get your money back. Helps to prevent hair balls, shiny coat, maintains pH to prevent urinary infections. It's not the best premium food you can buy, but is a step up from Purina I'm sure. This food has no by-products in it, but it does have corn in it as a cheap filler. You can find it at your local pet store.

http://www.nutroproducts.com/ncccia.asp

There are hairball formula foods he can eat. You will have to experiment to see which he likes.

I've heared that you can put a dab of vaseline on their nose, they will lick it off, and that will loosen up the hairballs. I haven't tried it myself. Your vet doesn't have any other ideas for you?

i honestly think you might be spoiling him. give him a good food to prevent hairball and wait. when he is hungry he will eat.