You spent all your money to buy food for the cat on Double Eleven, but the cat didn’t eat a bite?
How picky can a cat be?
Would a cat rather starve itself to death than eat food it doesn’t like?
Today’s content is as follows:
① How to know if a cat likes its food
② Why doesn’t the cat eat?
③ Will the cat starve to death if it doesn’t eat?
④ Can you force a cat to eat?
What will happen if a cat doesn’t like food?
First of all, of course, the food should be left intact: cats can really not eat a bite of food they don’t like.
Secondly, cats will show begging behavior: meowing, clinging to people, snatching people's food, stealing snacks, etc., but they will not eat from their own bowls.
Of course, not eating a bite is an extreme situation. More often, cats will eat very little, and they will only take a few symbolic bites each time.
If a cat does not eat enough for a long time, the following symptoms will appear:
① Gradual weight loss: weight loss, hair quality decline
② Lethargy, lack of energy:
Become lethargic due to lack of energy and nutrients in the food consumed. So, you may also notice that your cat is sleeping more frequently and is less interested in playing or going outside.
Cats sleep approximately 12-16 hours a day to conserve energy for hunting. Anything more than that means it may not be getting the energy it needs to be active.
PS: There is a small experiment at the School of Veterinary Medicine at the University of Helsinki. The research shows that cats will have corresponding disgusting behaviors towards food they do not like:
When faced with food they like: cats will smell the food, lick their mouths, and look forward to it
But when faced with food they don’t like: they will turn away after smelling it, or they may have airplane ears, half-yawn, or flick their tail quickly
What did you give me? I don’t like
Why the cat doesn’t eat
There are many reasons why the cat doesn’t like the food you provide, but the common reasons are as follows:
① Food quality issues:
Cats’ sense of smell is much stronger than ours. Cats can easily smell whether the food is fresh, spoiled, smelly, damp, etc.
When choosing food, we must choose well-known brands with good reputations. It is best not to Store a large amount of food, because if you store it for a long time, even if it is unopened, the cat food will not be as fresh as it was at the beginning
Secondly, after opening, it must be sealed and stored to prevent moisture. When feeding cat food, you must replace it with new ones every day, and do not store the food for several days at a time
② The food itself:
Cats like to eat food that is high in protein, smells fresh, meaty, or even smells fishy
Secondly, each cat has its own taste preference. Some cats only eat chicken, some cats prefer to eat beef, and some cats like to eat fish, etc.
So, when we choose cat food, how do we choose among the various flavors?
First of all, you can buy it in packages and try it. If not, then buy each kind of meat and cook it yourself to see which kind the cat likes to eat, so as to determine whether the cat likes it and avoid the embarrassing situation of buying a big bag but not eating it.
PS: In fact, if the food you choose is not in the cat’s natural diet, the risk of being rejected by the cat will be greater.
Foods such as beef, sheep, venison, ostrich and sea fish are not included in cats’ natural diet. Cats are not familiar with the taste when they eat it for the first time, so they may refuse to eat.
③ Types of dry, wet, cold and hot food:
Cats have taste preferences and texture preferences. Some cats like dry food, and some like wet food. You can experiment by yourself
Regarding food temperature, foreign studies have shown that cats prefer to eat food at 30-35°C, so in winter, if the food can be heated, cats will have more appetite
④ Picky eating problem:
Some parents give cats too many snacks! ! Including canned snacks!
⑤ Cats that don’t eat may be caused by stress, physical discomfort, improper food bowl type, weather conditions, etc.
In short, there are many reasons why cats don’t eat, but under the premise of good health, the main reason why cats don’t eat is because the food doesn’t taste good.
Many cats will eat food they don’t like for a short while and then give up.
Even if they have a strong survival instinct, they will starve themselves to death unintentionally if they don't like the food you provide them. This does not mean that they themselves want to die!
However, whether they choose to starve depends on how much it dislikes its food.
If it can still bear it, the cat will also eat a little bit to survive. Otherwise, a stubborn cat is willing to starve until you change its food to something it likes.
However, by this time, the damage caused by hunger to the cat has been done!
When a cat does not eat at all for more than 24-48 hours, the body begins to use fat reserves to obtain energy.
However, although fat is broken down into fatty acids, the cat lacks L-carnitine to participate in oxidation because it does not eat. As a result, the fatty acids cannot be broken down and can only be accumulated in the liver.
When the content of liver lipids exceeds the total weight of the cat's liver, 5% can lead to fatty liver
When a cat develops fatty liver, liver function will be impaired, which is very dangerous for the cat and can be life-threatening!
Regarding fatty liver, if you are interested, you can click: "Cats don't eat for a long time?" Beware of Fatty Liver Disease Caused by Starvation》
Therefore, if a cat does not eat, it will destroy its body, suffer from serious diseases, and eventually die before it actually starves to death..
If the cat is not seriously ill and weak and unable to eat, it is recommended not to force the cat to eat!
Because, if you do this, it will create a negative impression of the food, which can lead to more long-term eating problems!
However, starving your cat is not an option, so you will need to put some effort into getting your cat to eat.
① You can encourage your cat to eat new food by mixing small amounts of the new food into the old food. Slowly, begin to reduce the amount of the old food while increasing your cat's new food.
PS: · Feed regularly. Even if the cat has not finished eating after 20 minutes, the food must be taken away;
· During the transition period, the cat’s weight and energy should be observed. If there is anything unusual, stop feeding the food or even send it to the doctor.
② Play with it 15 to 20 minutes before each meal. This will stimulate hunger and increase your cat's chances of accepting new foods.
③ Adhere to normal meal times and set the time. In this case, it is best not to have a buffet
④ Create a quiet and undisturbed dining environment. When your cat eats, keep other pets away from it
⑤ Do not eat snacks a few hours before meals. It is even better to feed less snacks to avoid picky eaters.
Feed less snacks!
⑥ If all else fails, you may need to try a variety of flavors to find one your cat is willing to eat.
In short, if there is no health problem with the cat, usually if the food is changed, the cat will become a foodie again! Don't be discouraged!