When cats don’t feel well, they stop eating. The moment your cat will stop eating, he will probably feel worse.
This is a dangerous cycle that has to be stopped right away in order for your cat to be healed. People often joke about cats as well as their finicky eating habits, however, it is actually a very serious issue if a cat suddenly stops eating.
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What to feed a sick cat and get it to eat
There are lots of potential reasons why your cat refuses to eat.
If you want your sick cat to eat, you have to make the food seem extra delicious. Make sure not to leave old food out. Try with a good stinky wet food or sprinkle parmesan cheese or add juice from tuna to the food.
We have listed some simple tips and tricks you can personally try at home to boost their appetite.
The following food is great if your cat is sick and won’t eat
The best food for sick cat: Instead of dry food try adding some of the following cat food to your cat’s food bowl.
- Give them meat baby food
- Give them wet/canned food (choose the stinky ones like the seafood varieties)
- Add some low-sodium, warmed chicken broth to their food, whether it is canned or kibble. Make sure to avoid broths containing onion powder, onions, garlic, or chives, since these can be very toxic to cats. If you have a powdered broth mix, you can sprinkle this on top of their food or mix it with water.
- Add some anchovies or juice from a tuna can to their usual food to add more flavor
- Sprinkle a bit of grated parmesan cheese as toppings for their food. The cheesy, salty flavor is usually enough to boost a cat’s appetite and interest in food.
- Gently warm your cat’s food with warm water or in the microwave but do not make it too hot
- Sprinkle some probiotic on your cat’s food. Mix a little amount in and sprinkle some as food toppings. Probiotics don’t only work great as an appetite boost for cats, but your cat is also getting the benefit of consuming probiotics.
- Sprinkle a little amount of nutritional yeast powder on your cat’s food. It will help achieve a cheesy, nutty flavor that many cats will surely go crazy for. Aside from that, nutritional yeast powder is rich in Vitamin B.
If these tricks still fail, or if your feline friend continues to refuse meals, then it’s time to visit your veterinarian for further evaluation and proper care. A solution will often be force feeding with a feeding tube for a while until your cat is maintaining its weight with regular eating. Before you start with a feeding tube we again recommend that you talk with a vet.
Should You Feed Your Cat His Regular Diet?
To fully recover, your sick feline friend needs to have both water and food. When your cat is ill, he will surely eat drinking and eating, thus, you must monitor his water and food intake regularly so you will know when interventional is essential. It’s also important to separate your sick cat from other pets at home so that you know who’s eating the food.
Make sure fresh water is available all the time. Cats that eat canned food usually drink very little since canned food already contains lots of water. On the other hand, if a cat stops eating, he will need to consume more fluids.
If your cat refuses to drink, fluid can be given to him by mouth with the use of a clean syringe. Your vet can also be able to give you instructions about how often and how much fluid you should give to your cat. If it’s not possible to give fluids to your cat by mouth, your vet will hospitalize him in order to provide the necessary care and support.
Common Questions About How to Feed a Sick Cat that Won’t Eat
What Do You Do When Your Cat Stops Eating?
We have already listed some techniques above on how to boost your cat’s appetite but here’s a quick summary to it. Tweak the wet food of your cat to entice him to eat again. A tuna or cold wet cat food can be hated in the microwave for a few seconds to enhance its flavor. Or, you can also offer your cat some canned tuna, canned chicken, or canned kitten food, to boost the appetite of your pet. Try to experiment by choosing different shape, texture, or flavor of food to increase your cat’s interest in food.
What is Wrong if A Cat is Not Eating?
Most of the time, anorexia is one of the reasons for appetite loss in cats and it can be a major sign that your cat has a serious underlying disease. Aside from that, internal obstructions, pain, and dental problems might also result in a cat refusing to drink or eat. They may also be some behavioral reasons as to why your cat refuses to eat such as depression, anxiety, or stress, that’s perhaps caused by a sudden change in his surroundings.
What is the Best Appetite Stimulant for Cats?
The drug Mirtazapine was initially developed to control nausea. However, it has been shown to act as a very effective feline appetite stimulant. As a matter of fact, it has been utilized for quite some time by the experts and vets trying to improve the appetites of their feline patients.
Video: How to get a sick cat to eat
Conclusion
It’s very important to know why your cat suddenly stops eating – it may be difficult for them or maybe he is just extra picky at the moment. But bear in mind that your cat may stop eating for some reasons that vary from discomfort and pain, to what type of bowl you are feeding him with or where it is placed. When your cat is not eating his normal amount as well as continues this kind of behavior for several meals despite doing the techniques we have listed above, then it is time to visit your trusted veterinarian.
