Q:

Cat extremely finicky. At the end of my rope!

My 2 year old female tabby has been getting more and more finiky over the last year. We usually feed her canned wet food twice a day at the same times every day, then leave a measured amount of dry food for her to munch on through out the day if she gets peckish between meals. At first I thought she stopped eating her wet food because she was getting bored with it, so I tried giving her something different. We've tried different flavours, textures, and brands. She refused them all. She's stopped eating wet food completely. Now she's starting to refuse to eat her dry food also. Her bowl is a relatively shallow, round ceramic bowl. She's always eaten out of it before and I wash it between every meal, so it's not like it's dirty. The odd thing is... Is that she will occasionally eat out of her brother's bowl. It's the same food  she was given and exactly the same sort of bowl, but she doesn't do this to often. Her brother is also starting to get increasingly finiky, not eating the food he used to gobble down (and he can be quite the piggy). I can't think of anything that might've caused this, like environmental stressors or something of the sort. They are both strictly indoor cats, so it's only us that feed them. They have all their shots and vaccines and what not. Both are spayed/neutered... I don't know what to do anymore. I'm just buying cat food just to have it sit there and go to waste everyday. Both cats act the same as always aside from the increasing pickiness. 
Sorry for the length of this. Just thought I'd put in as much info as I could. 
Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Thank you!

A:

First, and foremost, a vet visit is in order.  There could be several medical reasons why a cat would stop eating.   A cat will not eat what she cannot smell.  She could have an upper respiratory infection (a kitty cold), especially since the brother is now not eating as much. URI is very contagious.  
Your cats could be developing anything from dental problems to much more serious illnesses.  Cats are notorious for hiding illness and injury.  Even if you don't notice other symptoms, your kitties could feel very sick.  So, please get an appointment as soon as possible.  
When a cat suddenly or gradually stops eating, it is not normal.  Healthy cats do not get tired of eating food they've always eaten.  They do not have this characteristic like people do.   
While you are waiting for an appointment, try warming their wet food.   Make sure it is not hot, only warm.  This will increase the smell.  
Also get some Gerber's chicken and gravy baby food.  Read the ingredients. It must only have chicken, water, and cornstarch - no other ingredients.  No onion powder.  This is toxic to cats.   I feed this to sick cats when I can't get them to eat anything else.  First try putting a little on your finger.  You may have to touch it to her lips, so she has to lick it off once.  Then, she should start licking it off your finger.  Baby food is only a temporary solution.  It does not have the ingredients needed for a healthy cat.   However, it gets water and some protein in them.  
I wish you and your kitties the best.  Make that appointment, and let us know how it goes.  

