Foodies vs Picky Eaters: The Wednesday Cats of Catsters' Food Habits

Welcome to the Wednesday Cats of Catster! Every month, we ask our cat-loving Catsters to weigh in on a new topic. This week, we asked them to tell us about their cats' eating habits: are they foodies or picky eaters? Here's what they had to say:

Crystal & Ivy

Hi Catsters!

Like most kitties, Ivy doesn’t play when it comes to her food. Breakfast is to be served no later than 8 am, and dinner not one second after 6 pm.

Failure to comply with the set feeding times will result in incessant meowing, intense side-eyeing, stalking from room to room, or the good old ‘climbing up the leg’ trick (which was cute when she was a kitten, but not so much anymore!)

And just like how she is set in her mealtimes, she only accepts one type of cat food.

When Ivy was a kitten, I fed her Whiskas wet cat food. Now, as an adult, Ivy still eats Whiskas wet cat food. She’s more open to different brands of kibble, but she is not willing to compromise on her wet food.

With so many unique options available in the cat food market, I’ve tried to get her to broaden her horizons. This was to no avail!

I’ve read up a lot about how some cats really appreciate food rotation, where they get served different brands and types of food over the course of a week or month. But Ivy was quick to let me know that she wouldn’t accept any other type of cat food. I’ve also tried feeding her raw food, which was a hard no from her.

Whenever I am at the store and I see a new type of food she hasn’t tried before, I still purchase it just to try it, in the hopes that instead of only having one option, we might now have two. I have yet to find a successful contender!

I’m just happy that she has a healthy appetite, her teeth look good for her age, her fur is shiny and soft, and her bathroom habits reflect that her diet is working for her.

I’m not entirely sure what kind of kitty-crack they put in Whiskas, but I find myself hoping and praying that they never go out of business!

It’s not the best or most expensive cat food brand on the market for sure, but she has shown me that this is what works for her, and as long as she’s healthy and happy, I shall oblige!

Isabel & Milly

If you've ever met a cat who’d knock over furniture to get a crumb of chicken, you'll understand why Milly is such a mystery. Unlike her snack-obsessed peers – I’m looking at you, Ivy and Raphy. Contrary to most cats, Milly isn't very food- or treat-motivated. Don’t get me wrong, she does inform me when she’s ready to eat, but very nonchalantly.

Almost like she knows, worst case scenario, if I never feed her again, she can head out the cat door and catch dinner fresh (she doesn’t anymore, don’t worry). But she knows the option is there. We love an independent queen!

Every morning, Milly does her signature breakfast ballet—an elegant prance across the bed with just the right amount of eye contact and whisker twitching to convey, “Good morning, human. Feed me or don’t – I don’t care.” But let’s be clear: this is not desperation. It’s performance art. By 5 pm, she graces the keyboard with another subtle reminder, all paws and persuasion, that dinner should be served soon or we’re going to have problems.

And your girl is picky. I dare not even think about trying to sneak in a new brand of food or one of those fancy treats that were on sale. Milly has been eating the same wet food since kittenhood and will continue to do so until the end of time. Variety? That’s for amateurs. She knows what she likes and she’s not about to compromise.

And as for tricks? Please. Milly is no dancing monkey. The moment she senses a treat is involved in any request for a paw shake or a high five, she gives you a look that says, “I didn’t sign off on this nonsense.” She's smart, sassy, and has better boundaries than most people.

So, is your cat a foodie or a picky eater? If she’s like Milly, she’s a culinary minimalist, a queen with a refined palate, and an unbothered boss who knows exactly what she wants—nothing more, nothing less. I love my picky princess!

Catch Milly and me next time with more golf course tales. She’s an ex-hunter who could’ve gone to the kitty olympics if that were a thing. (Not for sensitive readers). Plus, I share how we curbed the hunting with some (stylish) and classic tricks and tools!

Cheers vir eers!

(Cheers for now!)

Wes & Raphael

Raphael is, to put it politely, “extremely food-motivated.” The sole, abiding purpose of his existence is to maximise the volume of food permitted to pass his lips, escape his teeth, and slide down his oesophageal tract into the stomach.

There are a few key tactics he uses to achieve this:

1 – Shout as loudly as possible. Despite us always apportioning his food in exactly the same manner, Raphy is convinced that the louder he shouts, the more food we provide. He remains wrong to this day, and yet the decibels do not decrease.

2 – Trick us. This heartbreaking yelling sometimes convinces Steph or me that perhaps he hasn’t been fed. We often have to check with each other via a brief shout across the apartment. Every now and again, though, he still tricks us into a double lunch! He’s always very happy on those days!

3 – Look cute. When all else fails, and all food has been provided, Raphy knows treats are still up for grabs. That’s when he becomes the cutest, sweetest, most loving version of himself – with a gentle nudge to the treat box, of course.

Now, there are a few exceptions to this general rule of ‘more food = happy Raphy.’ He isn’t a big fish fan. In fact, we add extra Omega 3 into his diet because he’s so resistant to fish-based recipes. However, this false sense of security did lead to complacency in the past. Just as Steph came into the kitchen to eat the sea bass I’d cooked, the juicy fish was halfway across the apartment, in Raphy’s belly. That will teach her not to be two minutes late next time!