Cat Chat Feline Forum

What are various reasons why cats, for a certain time, suddenly stops eating or eats less?

Maybe we can help each other enumerate the factors so we can help our cats avoid these.
From one experience to the other..

Thanks..

ill
change of weather - I find mine eat less in summer than in winter
out hunting
being fed somewhere else
the food they usually eat has changed recipe so tastes different

just because they can

Usually it's a sign of ill health. Take them to the vet.

If a cat sts eating it is a sign of I'll health, and a dangerous one at that. As soon as the cat refuses food, go to a vet.

even if she's still very active?

It seems like there's no problem because her movements are very normal, except she eats less.
She plays with her toys, jumps and chases almost everything that moves, she chases.

Is it possible that she doesn't like her food any more and do I have to offer her other recipe??

It's possible she's just gone off the type of food you give her, but cats are extremely good at hiding illness, so you have to look carefully for any changes in behaviour, and appetite is often one of the first indicators. For example, my boy Mo was climbing trees the day before he suddenly collapsed and died, and it was only the post mortem that found he had advanced liver cancer. His appetite had been reduced, and it was only on my insistence that the vet blood tested him and we found a possible problem with his liver. which we were treating, but we had no idea how ill he really was.

You could try your puss on different food for a while, but if her appetite is still poor, then definitely a vet visit.

Sorry to hijack this thread, but our eldest Molly is worrying me a bit. We used to feed her and our kitten Kevin tesco finest cat food. Molly doesn't like fish or poultry food, only red meat/game! And she loved their food. Then we discovered aldi premium which was £1 cheaper and though we'd try it. Turns out she loved that too (except the stinky salmon) so we made a permanent switch.

Fast forward to the last 10 days or so, aldi are having delivery issues with pet food and don't have the premium stuff. We tried the normal food but she turned her nose up at it. So, back to tesco.....they've discontinued the finest stuff for rebranding!!!!!

I've since bought literally every wet food brand I can find without spending a stupid amount that I won't be able to keep buying. She has turned her nose up at literally everything we've put down for her. She has lost a little bit of weight, but has resorted to eating the dreaded dry biscuits she never ate previously. My main concern is hydration; she's not a water drinker and I'm worried if she's only eating dry food that she will get dehydrated. We have a water fountain but she doesn't use it. Also we clearly need to find a new wet food that doesn't cost the earth! Any suggestions? Our other cat Kevin is fine with any food!

Hi Mollysmummy

I once knew a brilliant cat rescue worker who used to say, 'hunger is a very sweet sauce'. In other words, a cat who was healthy but faddy was best not worried about; if it wouldn't eat what was on offer, it soon would.

This sounds a bit harsh I know, and I'd feel as you do about Molly, especially as it's hard to obtain her favourite brand of food, but you've done your best, and you can't. Sounds like she's making up by eating the biscuits - I knew a cat who would only eat biscuits and he was in magnificent condition. I'd be tempted to cook her some stewing steak or something but that might tempt her to hold out for that and that only. I think it's a good thing you've got Kevin, as one of these days she might get jealous and sample his wet food - jealousy is a very sweet sauce too where cats are concerned lol.

Have you seen the debate about the Butcher's tinned food; I'm planning to switch to that soon but I confess my lot are easy feeders. Whether it's the competition or what, they're content with Whiskas or Felix pouch (sorry purists) Whiskas dental and Iams furball (it was on offer.) Tinned tuna and mackerel vary the diet (my food's boring unless I have fish or chicken and I don't eat much anyway lol.)

Do hope you find something she likes - but by the sound she won't go hungry and hopefully she'll change her ideas about wet food. Love from my Molly to your Molly btw and Kevin too

Superpetlover, hope your cat recovers her appetite too - they do go through these phases, they can be fussy little gits

I must admit I have caught her licking her lips once or twice do I think she may be eating it on the sly so we don't see her! Kevin almost exclusively eats biscuits, he's really not that fussed about wet food. One trick I found did work momentarily was to put a few of her favourite beef treat pockets in the wet food to get her to eat some. It's just sad to see her face light up when I get a pouch out, then just walk away once she's snuffed it.

She categorically won't touch Whiskas! I went to pets at home this evening and got 3 different boxes to try. We don't have kids so they're my babies, I don't want them to go without!

Mollysmummy wrote:She categorically won't touch Whiskas! I went to pets at home this evening and got 3 different boxes to try. We don't have kids so they're my babies, I don't want them to go without!

Lol - they won't go without - cats are better survivors than humans!

But do hope you have more peace of mind soon re Molly's eating habits

have you tried feeding outdoors? Tiffany always eats more if I put her dish outside the back door, and prefers drinking from a water bowl outside rather than the fountain indoors

I've even known her eat up dried up scraps of wet food I have thrown onto a flowerbed after she turned her nose up at it when fresh

I can only think it is the hunter instinct kicking in, and in her little furry brain she thinks she has 'caught' it

Re your worries about not drinking enough if she's on dry food, Lily was a very fussy drinker , but we had to make sure she did to control her many medical conditions. Towards the end of her life she wouldn't drink tap water any more, and I had to go out to get water from our water butt two or three times a day - she wouldn't drink it if it had been down for more than four hours. (Cue me going out in dressing gown and slippers and pouring rain, hail and snow storms!). When she would drink tap water, we had to change that regularly too. She also preferred to "hunt" for her water, so we had lots of little bowls of water round the house (yes, all had to be changed all the time too!). The bowl by her food was the one she used least. I've done this with most of my cats, as they all seem to prefer this.

lilynmitz wrote:Re your worries about not drinking enough if she's on dry food, Lily was a very fussy drinker , but we had to make sure she did to control her many medical conditions. Towards the end of her life she wouldn't drink tap water any more, and I had to go out to get water from our water butt two or three times a day - she wouldn't drink it if it had been down for more than four hours. (Cue me going out in dressing gown and slippers and pouring rain, hail and snow storms!). When she would drink tap water, we had to change that regularly too. She also preferred to "hunt" for her water, so we had lots of little bowls of water round the house (yes, all had to be changed all the time too!). The bowl by her food was the one she used least. I've done this with most of my cats, as they all seem to prefer this.

LOL! I find this too with my lot - they love a fresh water bowl, and so do my snakes - straight out for their 'chlorine fix'. I have one snake, believe it or not, who will sip water from a teaspoon...I'd show you a pic, only photobucket and me are not on speaking - or even squeaking - terms these days...

When we first got her, Molly was so timid she hid for the first week, she was underweight and I could only get her to eat and to get her to trust me by feeding her from a teaspoon at the edge of her hidey hole. I don't know if she drinks when she's outside; as Kevin's still little he doesn't go out yet.