One of my cats sometimes wont eat unless i hold his bowl up to his face

If I put it down he just walks away. I feel I have to stand there bent over or he will starve. He wont eat at all unless hes hungry.
How did this happen and how do I make it stop?

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Oneofthestormboys · 100+, M

My cats do the same. They’re fussy buggers.
There was a documentary on the BBC a few years ago about domestic cats - the research suggested that because cats are evolutionarily mostly solitary and kill/eat their pray in the wild, they are programmed to eat the freshest food (whereas dogs are generally scavengers that will eat pretty much anything).
Try cleaning out the bowl meticulously before putting food in it. Their sense of smell vs a human is equivalent to a bandana vs the human’s postage stamp.
Btw, a dog’s sense of smell would be a football pitch on the same scale. Interesting eh?

MushroomFaerie

@Oneofthestormboys yip I have to thoroughly wash the bowls everytime or they wont touch it

xixgun · M

@MushroomFaerie Also put smaller amounts of food down, but more often.