Heating up the food

Peanut has been such a sweet boy lately, but he is gaining weight and I am worried. He used to love his wet food, but now he just looks at the bowl and walks away. I have tried different brands, but nothing seems to stick.

Does anyone know if warming up the food helps? I feel like the cold smell might be off-putting him, especially since he is a bit older. I don't want to overdo it, but I am desperate to get him to eat something healthy.

I do this with Rex all the time. He is a 10-year-old Maine Coon and he is very particular. I put a little bit of water in the bowl and then microwave it for about 10 seconds. It needs to be warm, not hot, because cats have sensitive noses.

If you heat it up too much, you destroy the nutrients and it smells burnt. I always test it with my finger first. It definitely helps bring out the scent for him.

I have found that for my cats, Cleo and Mimi, the temperature matters less than the consistency. Cleo is deaf and Mimi is blind, so they rely heavily on texture cues. But for a cat like Peanut who is just being picky, I would say yes, warmth can help.

There was a long discussion about this in a thread about smell sensitivity. The consensus was that cats often eat better when the food is closer to their own body temperature. It signals that the food is fresh.

Careful with the microwave. I read somewhere that uneven heating can create hot spots that burn the roof of a cat's mouth. I just add a spoonful of warm water to the top of the food instead. It mixes in better and is safer.

Milo has been having skin issues lately, so I am trying to change his diet too. I wonder if the temperature affects his appetite as well. See his current skin situation for more details on what I am trying.

We don't really worry about this for Maple since he is mostly outside, but when he comes in, he prefers the food cold. I keep it in the fridge and take it out only when he wants to eat. I think it has to do with the fact that he is a hunter and cold food smells more like fresh prey to him.

But for indoor cats like Peanut, I understand the need to entice them. I wrote about our feeding routine before, and it is quite different from yours. Maybe Peanut just needs a different texture?

Oh, I am so sorry to hear about Peanut. Bella is in stage 3 kidney failure and she has lost all interest in food. I have tried warming it, I have tried freezing it and letting it thaw slowly. Nothing works.

I am so scared that he is going to get sick like she did. I just want him to be happy. Does anyone else have a cat with weight issues who is also becoming a picky eater? I feel like we are all in the same boat, even if our cats are different.