Question

Feeding liver

I am seeking advice about feeding my kitten. She is a six month old Persian and since we have had her she has always been a poor eater. She only ever picks at her food and we have a real problem keeping weight on her. I have tried all sorts of foods but the only thing she shows much interest in is lamb's liver. I understand it is high in vitamin A and that too much is bad for cats – is it OK to feed in small amounts?

Answer

It would be best to refrain from feeding liver to your cat more than once a week because of the risk of hypervitaminosis A (excess vitamin A) – indeed I would encourage you not to feed it to your cat at all! If your cat has a generally poor appetite this may be an indication of underlying disease which may need to be investigated and treated. It would be best to visit your vet and discuss this after he or she has examined your cat. If your cat is just fussy, then you may need to offer commercial cat food but no liver and do your best to encourage your cat to eat this. If your cat is not interested in the food that you offer, you should remove it and offer some fresh food a few hours later. Leaving uneaten food can put some cats off eating it in the future as it often becomes dry and unappetising. Warming the food, or adding Marmite or fish oil may help to make the diet more appealing to your cat.