they liked them but didn't eat it all. I don't like wasting food. I wish I had a pig.

Any wet food still in the dish half an hour after I put it down gets saved for the next meal. Their dishes are small enough to fit in a Ziplock sandwich baggie. I make the exception that if there are signs one of the cats is flat our refusing to eat something, it goes in the trash on the grounds that there could be something wrong (Seriously, on the odd occassion that Sammie turns up her nose at meat, it is time to either burn the food or get her to the vet) with it and/or has some ingredient that does not work for the sensitive tummy of Harvey.

Zenkitty, is there any possibility that your cats stopped eating those foods after a certain amount because they were satisfied? After looking at the ingredients lists for some of the Soulistic and Tiki varieties, I would expect Harvey, who weighs in at 10.5-11 pounds and is a reasonably active senior cat, to be satisfied with 1/4-1/3 of a 5.5oz can twice daily. This level of quality yields satiety at portions half the size required for satiety with Hill's. I am not familiar with Soulistic, but Tiki is one of those brands that I have looked at and would buy if I could find any varieties with no fish, chicken, or beef.

Zenkitty, is there any possibility that your cats stopped eating those foods after a certain amount because they were satisfied?

Oh, yeah, they only eat a little at a time -- a few bites, leave it, and come back in a bit for more. (I think it's a cat thing -- I've seen how some cats eat wild-caught prey, they eat a little and then hide the rest for later. Lions gorge, domestic cats don't unless they're really hungry.) The soft food stays in the bowls for a little while, waiting for them. They don't really like it when it's given again, unless I warm it up. The waste happens when I give them more than they'll eat at once, and then don't "rescue" it in time to keep it fresh. It's not them, it's me.

The only food they've ever straight-up refused to eat was Newman's Own. Don't know why. I took their advice and threw it out. I don't agree at all with the "they'll eat it when they get hungry enough!" philosophy. I've got two rescues; they're not gonna go hungry ever again, certainly not over 0.80$ worth of cat food.

After looking at the ingredients lists for some of the Soulistic and Tiki varieties, I would expect Harvey, who weighs in at 10.5-11 pounds and is a reasonably active senior cat, to be satisfied with 1/4-1/3 of a 5.5oz can twice daily.

I'll second this. With the quality foods, Finn (who is a food vacuum) doesn't actually need a whole lot. I'm trying to wean Eddie off the kibble he had from the shelter, which feels a bit like trying to wean a child who is used to Fruity Pebbles onto a diet of free-range chicken, whole grain bread and kale.

Thank you all for the suggestions re. Finn's matts! Bev, I will definitely give the letter opener a try before I subject him to the trim. His natural summer coat is plush but not long, and he doesn't have an undercoat. Basically, his coat consistency/behavior fits that of an Angora or Van. I suspect that he's got a good deal of one or the other in his ancestry.

Anyhow, he doesn't seem too traumatized, and enjoyed his morning brushing as usual.

One time, due to emergency circumstances, Darby had a bag of dog frootloops, aka Beneful. It took about a month to get her back to any king of regular feeding. Including a five day hunger strike.

Tiki is one of those brands that I have looked at and would buy if I could find any varieties with no fish, chicken, or beef.

What meat do you feed them?

Tiki makes one that's duck, but I think it's got chicken mixed with it.

I bought a new, healthier, grain-free dry food for Oz last month and he does not like it. He eats it, because he eats everything (he ate lemon curd the other night) but this is the most reluctant he's ever been to eat anything. I've got a some sample sizes of a couple of other types for him to try now. I just never imagined him being picky about anything.

What meat do you feed them?

Turkey, lamb, venison, pork, duck, pheasant. Brands include Natural Balance, Nature's Variety, Evanger's, Merrick, and Wellness. I prefer to keep a wide variety on hand and rotate between them. That way whenever I want to introduce a new food of similar quality I don't have to worry about gradually introducing it, because their digestive systems are accustomed to a variety. Also if ever any of their usual foods is unavailable because it is out of stock, or heaven forbid, another massive recall, I can immediately switch to something new. Here prices range between $1.29-2.09 per can. I find myself disappointed that Blue Buffalo offers mostly fish and chicken and no buffalo. Harvey tolerated beef quite nicely up until the last few months, and I suspect that it has more to do with age-related digestion problems - rather than causing itching, it just wouldn't stay down. So maybe buffalo is no easier to digest.

And Harvey could use some anti-inflamatory ~ma. This morning he was walking slowly, couldn't extend his hind legs as usual, and the muscles in his hind legs were shuddering when I picked him up. So as per vet's instructions, I gave him one of the special-for-cats-NSAIDs leftover from December before the cortisone injection. (And called the vet's office to update them).

Sue, when I first started feeding Harvey better quality foods out of medical necessity, he went through a brief period of refusing to eat. (He had done ok with the food during the gradual switch-over, so I knew it was not because there was a real problem with the food) At one point, Sammie gave him this look that said plain as day, "Come on, Daddy, you have to eat." He went to his dish and ate. And once he got used to eating quality food, he became more enthusiastic about it. I figured it was like making a kid who was used to chicken nuggets and mac & cheese every day eat freshly prepared meals from scratch - at first there would be resistence and things wouldn't taste as good because there was less salt, but after a period of adjustment the kid would be able to really taste things and enjoy them.