How about a story to start things off? My cat, who shall remain nameless in order to protect his identity, wasn’t eating for me. Naturally I became quite concerned about this and my first stop was the Vet. After tests, examinations and an office doting over him, the cause of his apparent hunger strike had yet to be determined. Given much to think about, I came home with a heavy head, though with a hail-Mary — before going to bed on that night, I was going to fill his bowl with his usual feed and move it into the kitchen. Suffice it to say, his bowl had been licked clean the following morning.
A bigger fool was I that thought feeding my cat was a simple exercise. Now, topped up with knowledge a-plenty, I’m here to divulge the secrets on how to feed your cat correctly!
Over-feeding treats:
Cats, by their own nature, are hunters and opportunists in equal measure. Unless they’re already fit to burst, a cat would never turn down a treat between meals. By giving your cat too many treats, you are actually sabotaging yourself when it comes time to feed them properly. If you find that your cat is still having trouble clearing their bowl, then our next tip is for you!
Giving an in-correct amount of food:
Filling your cat’s food bowl is an art in and of itself. Leave too little and your cat mightn’t think it as sufficient, leave too much and your cat will feel like it’s too much to chance. For optimal results, stick to the feeding instructions provided on the back of whatever food you buy, stick to an amount that you know has worked for your cat in the past and stick to flavours that you know your cat enjoys. Felines are creatures of habit just like us and any change to what they view as normal is enough to give them the heebie-jeebies.
Homemade meals:
Unless you know exactly what your cat needs in their diet, feeding them from the fridge is not a great idea. Before us humans came along and domesticated a bunch of felines, they were quite happy to hunt and feed on raw meet. Nowadays, a cat’s digestive system is geared towards cooked meat from prey such as fish, chicken, beef, lamb and turkey and most, if not all, cat foods take this into consideration. If, however, you would like to feed raw the right way, you can contact us directly for a consultation and we can recommend ideal recipes for your cat’s weight and age!
Your cat’s environment:
This is the mistake I made all those years ago; we moved the cat’s bowl from the kitchen. All cats have a strict set of rules hardwired into them that dictate what a good place to feed looks like, what a good place to sleep looks like and what a good place to go toilet looks like. Since they can’t exactly tell us, we’ve had to deduce over the years that they prefer secluded areas for some activities and wide-open areas for others. If you find that your cat has stopped eating after moving their bowl, move it back to its old home. If your cat still won’t eat for you, it may be time to try a new place all together (for the bowl, not for you to live). Remember, when it comes to cats there’s only one rule: If it looks stupid but it works, it’s not stupid.
Armed with the above we hope you’re now ready to tackle any cat feeding problem that comes your way. If you’re still having issues with trying to get food into your feline, or if you think there might be something more insidious afoot, you can always find more information here.