I have a dilemma!

[papa cat]

My cat has always been a bit of a picky eater. He is fed from microchip feeders and I put down 2 pouches of wet food (or similar) per day and another bowl is always full of dry food (also water) and he would eat what he wanted.
Often there is wet food left over which I have to throw away, I live in a semi rural area so I started putting it out for the local wildlife and it was being eaten and not wasted as before.
A day or so ago I heard the outdoor bowl moving so I looked out and saw my cat eating from it and he had eaten all of it!
The food outside is AT LEAST 24 hours old and he has fresh food indoors. I am concerned that stale food might make him ill.

My dilemma is:-
Has he developed a dislike of eating indoors? (His bowls are in the same place they have been for a long time)
Should I stop putting the uneaten food outside?
Should I put his fresh food outdoors? (I have tried that and he does eat but, I would have to make or buy something that would protect the bowls from the elements)
Or, carry on as I am and let him choose?

Your comments would be welcome.

[susand]

Was it in a different kind of bowl? It may be the bowl in the automatic feeder that he doesn’t like. Either the shape or the material (doesn’t like plastic?) or something. Either that or he’s just being contrary! You know how they are. I always put clean fresh water out for Harvey but he will walk straight past it on the way to the pond to drink from that instead, despite it being full of algae, bird poo and god knows what else. What can you do?

[papa cat]

He eats and drinks from a variety of types of food** and water bowls and almost all are plastic, but mostly the microchip feeder (I prefer that as it covers the food after eating)
(** in summer I sometimes put his food in a bowl with an ice chiler to try to keep it fresh but it doesn't keep it covered. Microchip feeders don't come with a chiller option)

Youre right about them being contrary ! For years he wouldn't go out now he stays out almost all the time.

[Mollycat]

Chip feeders can however come with stainless steel bowls rather than plastic. Expensive, but also should stay cooler and be easier to clean hygienically, no microscratches.

[susand]

Well if it is the chilled food he is rejecting, it might be the temperature he doesn’t like. In the wild, his food would be slightly warm (freshly killed) and they tend to prefer that. I’ve been told that plastic smells funny to cats and they don’t especially like it so getting the stainless steel bowls might help (or might not!). The shape of the bowl is also important as high sided bowls can cause”whisker fatigue” as the cat has to pull back his whiskers using the muscles in his face to stop them rubbing on the side of the bowl when he eats, which they don’t like either.

Of course you can buy the most expensive bowl on the market, designed by the most senior cat scientists in the world, filled with gourmet food warmed to the optimal temperature and there is no guarantee he will eat it. My cat once rejected fresh chicken and then started on my vegan pasta with canned tomatoes and soya when I wasn’t looking.

[Mollycat]

I think plastic absorbs and keeps some residue from the washing up liquid, if I remember right. For that reason I don't use any detergent whatsoever on cat food dishes, just boiling hot water and let soak until it's cooled enough for my hands, wipe with a cloth that is only for cat dishes, and rinse under the hot tap. She also has a glass for her water, and prefers not to share water bowls with the dog who slobbers and drops mud and leaves in them! The only cleaner for the cat is elbow grease. And Miltons for litter trays.

[Ruth B]

Cat are contrary, the only bowl I've ever had that caused a real problem was a large metal one that i bought to put water in. They all refused to drink from it. It wasn't until I replaced it with an old Tupperware container would any of them drink from that spot. I ended up replacing the Tupperware one when we got Freyja as she liked to play with it and would up turn it onto the carpet. it was then replaced with a large ceramic one as it is was too heavy for her to over turn, but you can still hear the tink, tink, tink of claws against pottery as she tries her best.
Most of the bowls i have are plastic, but the wide low rimmed ones and just get washed with everything else in a bowl of soapy water (no dishwaher in this house unless you count me) We have a few ceramic ones that I got from Zooplus when they were in the rewards section and a couple of small metal ones that came with a raised bowl system I won. The ceramic ones get used for water and crunchies, and the metal ones just for treats, the cats just don't seem as keen on them.

With my cats the shape of the bowl seems to bother them a lot more than what it is made off with the exception of that one metal bowl.

[papa cat]

I may have got an answer.
It would seem he has developed a dislike of eating indoors (goodness knows why!)
I put his microchip feeders outdoors, firstly unsheltered then inside a largish cardboard box laid on its side (to shield them if it rained) and he ate without hesitation.
So, I have ordered an outdoor cat shelter that is big enough for his food bowls and for him to lie in if he also chooses not to come in when the bad weather comes.

[Mollycat]

They like to keep us on our toes!

We have a lovely 8-9 year old black cat who has been camping outside the block of flats for months now. All through the winter he slept on a pile of wet leaves until first we gave him a cardboard box and then he took up residence under my husband's van. His "home" is a couple of hundred yards away, warmth, food, company and cat flap, but last autumn he just decided he didn't want to be indoors and liked it better camping out here. He accompanies us and our dog on walks and is there to greet us when we come home and when we let the dog out. Loves a fuss. Just won't go home. Funny animals.