How does your cat eat?

Palm Coast Observer
Neighbors

A common concern I hear from cat owners concerns their cat's diet.

My daughter Kelley adopted Robby, an older male cat. Robby was overweight when she first adopted him so the vet recommended some lower calorie food for the inside feline.

Now he seems to be losing too much weight, despite the fact he is always hungry. During his last visit (yes, this vet makes house calls) the vet took blood for testing. Sure enough Robby has high thyroid levels.

There are a lot of reasons your cat may turn his or her nose up at their food. Maybe there isn't enough variety,or perhaps you've had a change in routine, or they may be experiencing fear. Many animals don't eat as well during during times of stress, including thunder storms and fireworks.

Cats like order and routine. If you change when you feed them, where you feed them, or if they are a new member in your house, their feeding behavior may also change. This is seen most frequently with indoor cats – and in my opinion, they should all be indoor cats.

Our cat Samantha isn't finicky. She eats twice a day, and gets a forkful of gravy-style canned food. Not a lot, just a taste. Samantha's quirk is she licks the gravy off the meat first. Sometimes she eats the meat, sometimes she just licks the gravy.

I also leave a bowl of dry food out, just a half a cup, which I refill at her dinner feeding. Wet food is only for breakfast. By leaving the dry food out she has a chance to nibble throughout the day. Some days the bowl will be nearly empty by dinner, other times it is not. Her appetite varies, but then so does mine.

There are different opinions about dry versus canned cat food. I like the combination. I think the dry is better for her teeth and breath. What you feed your cat should depend on two things: What the cat likes and what your veterinarian recommends. Cats have different dietary needs.

One thing my daughter has done, is to add a mirror on the wall next to Robby's bowl. A sense of a dining companion I guess. All I know is it works.

If your cat starts losing hair or weight, please make an appointment with your vet. Cats get diabetes, have thyroid problems, and other medical conditions, just like we do. There may be a very simple treatment which will make your cat healthy and active again.