Friday, March 29, 2024

Cat Not Eating Food But Eats Treats

Don't Miss

Cat Not Eating Food But Eats Treats

How to Make RAW CAT FOOD (RECIPE) Homemade Cat Food for Healthy Cats

This is a common problem for cat owners and comes from acting with good intentions. Many of us like to give our cat a special meal or some cat candy from time to time. It can help relieve boredom for your cat and make you feel good about your cat as well!

Whether you give your cat treat meals or formulated dry food treat snacks, a cat that turns picky and will only eat the treats, becoming treat addicted, instead of the normal meal is a problem. It can sometimes seem as if your cat will starve itself rather than eat normal food and all you can do is give them their favorite treat! How do we resolve this and do we even need to?

Is Your Cat Breathing Faster Than Usual Have You Seen Them Panting

Cats with problems further down the respiratory tract, with their lungs or heart, are generally too busy concentrating on breathing to want to eat. These cats may pant or sit with their neck extended and elbows out, making as much room as possible for their lungs to expand. You may also have noticed that your cat is less keen to exercise or stops part way through play to rest. Breathing problems like these in cats are serious, and you should contact your vet without delay.

Reasons Your Cat Stopped Eating Dry Food

Cats are renowned for being finicky eaters.

They will refuse to eat certain foods at a whim and become stubborn about it. This is why many cat owners assume each situation is the same and their cat is simply being fussy. Unfortunately, thats not always the case.

There are situations where the cat has a legitimate issue whether its physical and/or psychological.

One of those situations can involve a cat that suddenly stopped eating dry food.

Cats can stop eating dry food due to environmental or physical changes. This can include stomach pain, moving to a new house, parasites, an inflammatory digestive issue, anxiety, depression, or a lack of routine. Its best to find the root cause of the problem to get a cat eating dry food again.

If you dont do this, the cat will continue to refuse dry food.

This article is going to look at 11 reasons a cat has stopped eating dry food and what to do about it.

Read Also: Are Lemon Trees Toxic To Cats

Before You Decide Begin By Observing The Dogs Behaviour

You can monitor your pets food intake as you feed them and just see what your dog eats. Pay attention to the dogs stool and urine and if all is normal, you can let your pet skip a meal or two. If your dog is vomiting, has diarrhea, is lethargic and dehydrated, talk to a vet online. If apart from reduced appetite, your pooch is hiding, sleeping all day, or losing interest in play and other usual activities, it can be a sign of dog depression. Appetite wise, you may want to ask your vet to check about kidney disease or liver disease.

Change The Type Of Food You Provide

Why Is My Cat Not Eating Much But Acting Normal?

So, if youve tried buying small portions of dry cat food brands and your cat still doesnt eat, try buying the wet variety. Dont forget to buy only small containers to avoid throwing them out in the end because your cat didnt even try eating it.

Take note of whatever your cat will do during this time so that if there is a need to visit your vet, you can enumerate the steps youve already taken so that you wont have you needlessly repeat what youve already done.

The vet might also advise you to prepare the food yourself by providing you certain portions of ingredients that you need to mix and match. This is done to see what will work for your cat and what wont.

Also Check: How To Clip Cat Nails Alone

What Can I Do If My Cat Does Not Drink Water

There are several reasons why your cat isn’t drinking water. When vomiting is concurrent or they are showing obvious signs of dehydration, you will need to take the cat to a veterinarian. Since this shows there is likely an underlying disease, hey will need to carry out various tests. They may even need to implement emergency care, depending on how far the dehydration has progressed.

An otherwise healthy cat may also stop drinking water, although they will not also be vomiting. This may have to do with how you provide water for them. Here are some tips to encourage the cat to hydrate properly:

  • Change the water regularly: if the water in their bowl is left standing for too long, it is posible the cat will not want to drink it. This may also happen if it is at the wrong temperature. Replenishing the water regularly can help the cat to drink more water,.
  • Do not move the water bowl: if the cat is used to their water being in a certain space, it is possible the act of moving it can cause them stress. It is also better to have more water bowls or even drinking fountains to encourage hydration.
  • Offer better water: cats are individuals and what some will tolerate, others will not. While one cat will be happy to drink out of a puddle in the yard, others may refuse to drink water from the faucet. This could be due to chemicals in the water or even flavor issues. You can try a different type of water in case this is the problem.

Theyre Already Full From Eating Kibble

If you feed your cat a mixed diet of wet food and kibble, its important to present your cat with wet food when theyre likely hungry. If theyve already filled up on kibble, most cats wont eat much of their wet food. They may nibble at it or come back and eat more later, but most cats dont like to overeat.

You May Like: How To Tell If A Cat Is In Heat

Why Has My Cat Gone Off Their Food And Only Eats Treats

This is usually straightforward to answer. Your cat simply prefers the treats because they taste better! If your cat licks their food but doesnt eat this is a sure sign the food doesnt taste that good or something is off! Compared to their reaction to the treat the answer is obvious

Some cat owners even refer to cat treats as kitty crack such is the preference for the treat snacks! The treats are often manufactured containing animal digest that is irresistible to cats.

Additionally, your cat has probably learned that when they refuse their normal, plain food you break out the treat food in order to ensure they eat something! So, they simply consistently demand the food they prefer!

Reasons Why Your Cat Won’t Eat

Obese Cat Won’t Stop Begging For Junk Food | My Cat From Hell

Lets start with an important question. Is your cat ACTUALLY hungry? First, we must remember, cats are not very big! Additionally, the type of food you are feeding them may be very energy-dense, and depending on their activity level, it could more than satisfy their energy requirements.

We have a preconceived notion of how much we think our cats should eat based on how much we eat. Oftentimes, I would have owners come to me saying their cat isnt eating enough. Based on their cats body condition and the numbers on the scale, I knew that wasnt the case.

A Good Rule of ThumbIf you notice your cat is: 1) eating each day 2) they are not losing weight3) they appear to be happy and acting normallyThen your cat is most likely just fine! Usually cats will let you know if they’re hungry, as our fun “Feed You Now” video demonstrates.

It’s important to know why your cat is not eating. Is it simply because they are full, or are they being difficult or truly picky? A cat might stop eating for any number of reasons, varying from medical to non-medical.

Some medical reasons can include:

  • Dental/tooth pain: broken or fractured tooth, abscessed tooth root, oral tumor, tooth resorption
  • Pancreatitis
  • Cancer
  • Stress or a change within your home

Questions? To chat with a veterinarian about why your cat isn’t eating,

Read Also: How Much Food Should Cat Eat In A Day

What Is A Good Diet For A Cat

Your cat may be turning its nose up at the food you offer because it is not the right blend to keep your cat healthy. Cats understand their bodies need balanced nutrition with the right minerals and vitamins and seek out foods and treats that supplement these daily needs.

A cat needs a healthy diet that is packed full of protein. The food should be high in moisture to prevent digestive and urinary issues and below in carbohydrates. A balanced diet will have about 52% protein, 36% fat, and only 12% carbohydrates. Although it may be popular to adopt a vegetarian diet for your cat, this is highly unhealthy and detrimental to these carnivores who need plenty of protein to keep their bodies fueled.

Why Wont My Cat Eat

Cats are food orientated and are often happy to try new foods. In the wild, cats are opportunistic feeders and eat roughly 10-20 small meals a day, depending on what they find and hunt.

Because of these natural hunting behaviors, its not normal for cats to be finicky even if theyre domesticated. These are the most common reasons why cats refuse to eat:

You May Like: Why Does My Cat Howl At Night

Why Your Dog Is Only Eating Treats

It is pretty unusual if your dog turns away from its regular food and wants to eat only treats. This is usually an indication that something is changing, and you might want to check it out immediately.

One of the most common reasons a dog will refuse to eat but would want only to treat is ill-health. No matter the condition, from dental disease to tumors, the presence of pain usually detests most dogs from eating.

Also, you might want to check the expiry date of your pets food. Most people think animals would eat anything as long as they are hungry and will never stop to check if the food being given is spoilt. Most animals would reject spoilt food, though, so you should double-check every time.

Sometimes dogs do not bluntly like the food they are being given and will tend to reject it. Some animals are picky and fussy, and this can be frustrating and annoying, but just like you wouldnt want to eat something you dont like, animals tend to be the same. Find food that your dog readily likes and stick to it.

How To Get Your Dog To Start Eating

8 Reasons Why Your Kitty Might Not Be Eating

Here are some great tips for home care for most dogs suffering from a loss of appetite. This article has suggestions that may help you get your dog to start eating.

Try feeding them lots of treats instead of a meal first and then try to mix up treats, canned food and dry food. This should give you an idea of what food your dog is not eating then and it will help your dog eat something at least. But go easy on the table scraps in case there are other things in there that might cause a stomach upset should your dog eat it.

Also table scraps encourage bad table manners for your dog, and you want your dog to stop eating around human meal times, to eat his food and to stick to his own feeding schedule.

Also Check: Are Dogs More Loyal Than Cats

Why My Cat Only Licks Wet Food

Cats only lick wet food because they have a high hunger threshold, but dry food isnt right for them and they dont drink enough to make up for it.

Furthermore, also high-quality dry food contains starch, which cats find difficult to eat.

First and foremost, congratulations on attempting to add wet food to your pet. I stopped feeding dry food to my cats earlier this year.

I started with tinned food because it was something they used to get as a treat and they liked it. Still, because I was determined to place them on a raw meat, bone, and organ diet, I began to add fresh meat to them.

They were not pleased with it and refused to eat it. They seemed a little worried about the entire thing, I thought.

My cats tend to thrive on routine, and this was out of the ordinary and thus frightening. As a result, I attempted to comfort them.

During mealtimes, I petted them more, and if they didnt eat it, I talked quietly, took it out, and later gave them a dry chicken treat.

Doesnt that seem counterintuitive?

But heres the thing: they seemed to unwind, and after a while, they began to eat the raw mixture.

They now enjoy it and eat it at night along with some high-quality tinned food that is grain-free, vegetable-free, and fruit-free in the morning.

It would be impossible to get the cats to consume wet food if it is not high-protein food made from actual meat.

Your cats will finally consume the food part of their meal if you gradually introduce fresh, cheaper, and healthier food.

Cat Not Eating Due To Factors In Their Environment

Sometimes fussiness can be caused by factors other than food so it could be that your cat just prefers to have their meal served a certain way, rather than dislikes their dinner. Try some of the following tips to tempt a picky pet into eating:

  • If you have a multi-cat household make sure there are enough food bowls for each cat to have their own, and space them apart so they dont feel there is competition to eat. Even the friendliest of felines can feel stressed about sharing a food bowl with other cats.

Read Also: Can Cats Get Addicted To Catnip

Vary The Temperature Of The Food

Once you notice that your cat stops eating, check if their food has turned cold. If youve been feeding it warm wet food, it might stop eating if the food turns cold. There might be a chance that your cat wont be affected by the foods temperature but it doesnt hurt to try and change it.

To avoid this from happening, make sure to get your cats attention when it is lolling around during feeding time. Check the bowls from time to time and see if it started eating.

Behaviour Or Psychological Problems

Why I Eat Cat Food

We learned that cats face different kinds of behaviour or psychological problems as humans do. According to veterinarians, there are trying to stop eating or drinking as a side effect of these problems. At first we thought that psychological issues might be a rare incident. But after we dig deeper through several articles in veterinarian websites and forums, we found that this is familiar.

Hence, we checked what are these psychological issues, and we found that few common triggering points such as change of household, facing disturbance from other cats, owner gone for long trips and changes in cat diet or place. These points can elevate your cats depression state or anxiety

Don’t Miss: What Can You Wash A Cat With

Reasons Why Treats Can Be Unhealthy

Here are the reasons why treats can be unhealthy and should not be given regularly:

  • Treats contain excessive amounts of calories that are bad for cats.
  • They contain high amounts of fats.
  • Treats are considered junk food despite claims that they are complete and balanced food.
  • Your cat could develop health problems like fatty liver, kidney problems, diabetes, weight issues, jaundice, inflammatory bowel disease, urinary tract infection, and liver failure if it is exclusively eating treats.

According to Dr. Marla McGeorge, an Oregon-based veterinarian, treats should only be a small part of a cats diet. They should make up no more than 10% of the total calories that a cat eats.

Treats are mainly to reinforce your cats good behavior and should never be given as a meal. The allowable limit for treats should only be around 10 to 15 calories daily. Overindulging your cat with treats can affect her eating habits.

Treats are loaded with pleasant-tasting additives and ingredients that can curb a cats appetite. A visit to your vet is essential for proper consultation on your cats diet and nutrition.

What To Do If Your Cat Will Only Eat Treats

The first step in solving the mystery of why your cat will only eat treats is to rule out any underlying medical condition that could be impacting their appetite. Your veterinarian may recommend lab work or other tests to help reach a diagnosis.

If any medical concerns are ruled out, investigate your cats dry food itself. Is it expired? Does it smell strange? Has the bag been open long enough that its gone stale?

Try purchasing a fresh bag of your cats usual brand to see how your cat reacts. If your cat still isnt into the food, try a different flavor or brand of dry food or switch your cat to wet food to see if their appetite improves.

You could also try adding a small amount of wet food, tuna, cooked meat, or some other delicious morsel to the dry food to entice your cat. Of course, in this case, you run the risk of your cat only eating the food garnish instead of the food itself!

If all else fails, your veterinarian may recommend additional steps like adding an appetite stimulant medication.

Read Also: Blue Basics Limited Ingredient Wet Cat Food

Bottom Line On Why My Cat Stopped Eating Dry Food But Eats Treats

Due to the above-mentioned reasons, your cat may have stopped eating dry food but is still eating treats or may have entirely lost its appetite. Maintaining a rigorous feeding schedule, temporarily lowering rewards, and keeping an eye on how alterations to their surroundings affect their food intake are all options to think about. Make sure their supper is still fresh as well.

Although it is less frequent, it is crucial to bring your cat in for regular checkups so that their digestive and dental health may be assessed. You can help ensure that your cat is happy and healthy and that there are no unrecognised medical issues by doing this.

More articles

Popular Articles

Brands Of Wet Cat Food

Wet Cat Food For Kidney Disease