Expert: Jessica - 10/7/2011

Question
I have 4 cats and they all like different foods.  This is getting ridiculous and too expensive to buy all of this high premium food.  How can I get them all to eat one food?  If I put one food down and ignore them will they eventually eat it or will they starve themselves?  They own me I don't own them. They have me over a barrel, need to get off.

Answer
Hi Ellen,

Generally, if a cat gets hungry enough, he'll eat any food that's available. But this isn't the healthiest way to go about things. Especially in the case of overweight cats, if one waits to long to eat (typically more than two days), it's possible to cause a liver condition called Fatty Liver Disease, which can be fatal.

I would recommend starting to mix the foods together. This way, each cat can get the food he or she likes, but they also start to get some of the other foods. Cut some of the food that you want to eventually switch to into the food that each cat is eating each day. This will not only prevent stomach upset, but it should help the cats adjust to the food without pushing themselves to the brink of starvation. Make the change over the course of a couple of weeks.

If the cats eat a little less of the new food they dislike, this is not so dangerous. It's only eating drastically less that will cause the Fatty Liver Disease. Depending on the ingredients and protein content of the new food, it may be completely normal for them to eat less. It may not be due to the taste at all. Some foods are simply more energy dense than others. However, if their body condition wastes (and not simply fat loss, which can be good in the case of overweight cats, but muscle loss), then you might need to consider going back to their old food.

Good luck!

Jessica