A cat who cries for food and then refuses it is usually asking for something specific, and it is rarely more food. How to tell fresh-not-more from attention-seeking from a bad bowl, and the medical signs that mean it’s the body, not the behavior.
A cat who refuses an unfamiliar food is following an old safety instinct, not being difficult. The slow-bridge mixing method, the levers that tip the balance and the line where refusal becomes a vet visit.
A cat who suddenly turns choosy is often eating around mouth pain, not rejecting the food. How to tell dental pain from real pickiness, what’s going on under the gumline and when a sore mouth becomes a vet visit.