Most of cat’s owners must’ve encountered this problem for at least once with their cats. For the experienced cats’ owner, they usually already know how to handle it. But for some that’s not really sure or maybe even clueless? This article will talk about 6 top causes of why cat won’t eat and how to treat it. If you’re new owners of cat, recommended to read this : Things Every New Cat Parent Should Know and Basic Ways to Take Care of Cats at Home for Beginners
Do you ever wonder how much portion of food does your cat should consume per day?
The amount of food that cat consumes per day depends on several factors such as cat’s weight and age. On average, an active and healthy cat from age 6 months ’till reaching maturity should be fed two times a day. After reaching adulthood stage, feeding once a day is fine as long the cat is healthy. Most cats consume 2% from the total of their body weight. So let’s say if your cats weighing around 4kg, then the amount portion of food it needs to consume per day is 80gr.
The type of cat food that you’re feeding to your cat also makes a difference in how much portion does your cat need to consume. Make sure to check on the information label of the cat food or consult to your veterinarian so you can feed the right portion of food according to your cat needs.
Why does my cat won’t eat? How to treat it?
As a cat owner, it is your responsibility to take a good care of your cat and her/his needs. Since cats can not tell us what’s wrong with them or how they feel, it is your job to realize either there’s something wrong with your cat or not. If your cat doesn’t want to eat, then there might be several reasons that’s causing it. You might want to consider to do some observations first. Does your cat just get vaccinated recently? Does your cat just moved into a new environment that it’s not used to? Is your cat seems more quiet or maybe look unwell? Below here we will describe one by one the on 6 top causes of why cat won’t eat and how to treat it.
1. Dental Issues.
This might be one of the reason why your cat won’t eat. Dental diseases may causes discomfort to your cat, making chewing food become painful in difficult. Some dental diseases examples are including loss or broken tooth, inflamed gums, wound in it’s mouth, abscess in cat’s mouth. This can a cause cat to stop eating even when it’s starving.
First, do an observation when your cat is trying to eat. Does your cat look like it’s pain while trying to eat or chew it’s food? If it does, then there’s a possibility that your cat might have a dental issue.
Treatment : Visit your trusted veterinarian for further examinations on your cat’s mouth. The veterinarian should also do a dental cleaning for your cat.
2. Gastrointestinal (GI) Problem.
Gastrointestinal Problem is also one the reason that can make your cat feel unwell and not wanting to eat. Gastrointestinal problem may cause inflammation in the gastrointestinal track. When the gastrointestinal track become inflamed, it might induce symptoms such as diarrhea, nausea and vomiting. There are several numbers of gastrointestinal problem that might cause your cat to lose appetite such as :
- Cancer
- Parasites
- Intestinal Obstruction (foreign objects in the stomach or intestines that may causing blockage and abdominal pain)
- Pancreatitis (infection or inflammation in the part of pancreas)
- Gastroenteritis (infection or inflammation in the part of gastrointestinal tract)
- Colitis (acute inflammation of the membrane lining the colon)
Treatment : Some owners might try to take this treat this problem on their own but changing their cat diet or so. But, since this is quite an issue, you should go consult to your veterinarian to get a proper examinations and treatment. Only a veterinarian can examine what type of the gastrointestinal problem does your cat has and how severe it is. A veterinarian will also know the right treatment needed that’s suitable to your cat issues.
3. Kidney Disease.
Although it’s more common for kidney disease to occur in older cats, but there’s possibility that it can happen to cats at any age. It can cause cats to feel nauseated that cause your cat to loss it’s appetite. It can also cause your cat to lost weight and feeling lethargic.
Treatment : There’s no permanent cure for kidney disease. But, please go consult to your veterinarian for further diagnosis as a veterinarian will be able to perform blood and urine test to check on your cat’s kidney function. Your veterinarian might also be able to give treatments to your cat to help with the symptoms so your cat can start eating again.
4. Recently Vaccinated
Annual vaccinations is really important for your cat as it can protect your cat from various diseases. Unfortunately in some cats, vaccinations can also cause a few side effects such as losing appetite.
Treatment : Usually this is only a temporary side effect that you don’t have to worry about. But if the problem still persist long after the vaccinations, you might want to consult to your veterinarian.
5. Change in Environment
Have you bring your cat to travel with you recently? Or maybe your cat just moved to a new house or environment? If the answer is yes, then chances are your cat might not adapted yet with the new environment. Moving to a new house or environment can cause cats to get stressed trying to adapt. When a cat is stressed it might cause loss of appetite.
Treatment : Don’t worry, just give your cat a little time to adapt to the new environment. After awhile, usually a cat will gains it’s appetite back. You can also try to give your cat it’s favorite food to see whether it can help.
6. Your Cat is Pregnant
When a cat is in a pregnancy stage, usually there will be an increasing in appetites. But for some cats, in the first weeks of the pregnancy there’s a possibility that they can loss their appetites too.
Treatment : Don’t worry, if your cat is truly pregnant then what you can do is to take a good care of her. Usually after the first weeks have passed, your cat will gain it’s appetites back. In fact in will gain even 1.5 times more than usual.