Cats Not Eating
Tips on Getting Your Cat to Eat
Cat owners are very familiar with the "fussy-eater" syndrome that most cats have. Many worry that their cat will become malnourished or just be constantly hungry all the time. There are several reasons why cats will not eat what's put before them. Here are a few tips on how to get your "fussy-eater" to try their food.
If your cat just suddenly refuses to eat or gets fussy about what you are feeding, then it could be there is a health problem that you know nothing about. It is best to have your pet checked out by a veterinarian just in case illness is the cause.
One way to try and get your cat to eat is to warm the food to body temperature. Warmth makes the food have a stronger smell making it more appetizing. If the food is dry, warm it in the oven for a few minutes on low heat. If it's wet food, a few seconds in the microwave should do the trick.
Another thing you can do to encourage an appetite is to mix a tasty canned food with your cat's usual food. Also, mixing a little of canned tuna, salmon or sardines would work just as well. The smell of fish drives cats wild.
A recommendation by veterinarians on this subject is to clean your cats' nose to improve its smelling abilities. It may not be able to smell the food enough to get a good appetite going. Smell is half the joy of eating for cats.
Take up your cats' food after about ten minutes. If they don't eat any food in that amount of time, take up the bowl. Animals are more likely to eat if they think food is in short supply and only available to him at certain brief times.
It helps some cats to eat from your hand to start off the meal. Many times they will continue to eat after that voluntarily. Also, place the food in a quiet, traffic-free area of the house or yard as sometimes there are too many distractions for them with more nervous cats.
Feed smaller meals several times a day when your pet asks for it. A small amount of food is sufficient for most cats. This will help overfeeding problems and will stop your cat from looking for food in other places. Obesity in cats is very common, so it's best to monitor their feedings if at all possible. All natural pet foods seem to be a key to getting your cat to eat better. They generally love the taste and smell. Also, treats now and then help keep your cat interested in food. Treats that contain some sort of fish is recommended.
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Cat not eating enough and fussy eater?
I have a rescued 1yr old female American Shorthair cat (she is spayed & up to date on her shots). She seems to be a picky eater & doesn't eat enough? We feed her canned food, she does not like dry kibble at all. She seems to prefer a varied diet (eg. seafood canned food one day, chicken canned food the next etc.)...maybe because prior to adopting her from the street, she used to eat birds.
She is lean, but not skinny & is healthy (uses litter box fine, extremely playful, alert, bright eyes, coat is nice & smooth). We feed her half a can in the morning, then the other half in the afternoon. We don't do free feeding because we always keep our animals on feeding schedules. Sometimes she won't eat her food, but will beg for me to give her my food...which I don't do because she gets spoiled very easily. The next day she'll eat her food though.
Any suggestions as to how to encourage her to eat more of HER food and not begging for our food?
Please no mean comments, thanks...
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Why did my cat not eat while I was away?
I was away for two days and left enough dried food and water to last her. Also a neighbour to keep an eye on her in case of problems.
On my return I find that she has not eaten anything at all and only came in once for a couple of minutes.. I know this because I have a camera on her door to record all her movements
Now I am home she follows me everywhere and is always under my feet.
http://youtu.be/KZeGDk8II_s
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Why is my cat not eating but putting on weight?
She is eating very little food and is an outdoor cat. She seems to spend a lot of her time now in other gardens instead of with me. How can she be putting on weight when she is eating less and less each day?
She is spayed so can not be pregnant
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PLEASE HELP! 12 y.o. cat not eating/breathing hard?
PLEASE help! Since last night (its 4:45 p.m. where I am now) my cat (who's 12) has been laying around, barely moving, breathing in softly, then breathing hard out. He usually eats dry food, and we put a few pieces in front of him, not even looking at them. We gave him the water bowl, and he pretended to drink by flicking his tounge, but not doing it anywhere near the water...so we went to the store to buy Fancy Feast Chicken and Tuna, to see if he'd like soft food better. Not even sniffing it, he backed away. PLEASE HELP! We already scheduled a vet appt. for tmr, but will he make it until then? WHAT SHOULD I DO?!
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Vital Essentials Raw-Advice Harmful to Pets?
I recently switched to raw diet for my cat (Vital Essentials). He (my cat) wouldn't touch the stuff so I called for some advice on how to get him to eat it. The lady I spoke to told me to not "give in" to my cat and that cats have a way of "training" their humans to give them what they want. She told me that if he wont eat it within 15 minutes, take it away and try again at the next feeding time and that if he won't eat just keep doing this until he does. She said it's normal for the cat to stop eating and lose weight. She told me that from her own personal experience, her cat stopped eating for about 3 weeks and finally started eating the raw. She told me to not let my cat not eating force me to give in and feed my regular food again.
This seems seriously off and unhealthy, any advice?
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