I will not eat them in a bowl / I will not eat them with a roll.

October 19, 2009 10:24 AM

Cats are weird. Help me figure out if this shift in eating habits is a problem.

So for the past two weeks or so, our cats (two males, neutered, not declawed, strictly indoor, adopted at barely more than two months old, both brothers, lived together their whole lives) have stopped eating. That is, they eat about half the food we put out for them.

- The food has not changed and is the same brand (Science Diet) which they've eaten their whole lives.

- They still beg for food at the appropriate times (morning and evening), but do not eat it when it is provided to them.

- Even their once-every-two-days-or-so pouches of wet food in gravy fail to excite their appetites. That is, they get all frantic and happy and then lick the gravy off, but they don't eat the actual food. (One of them has always done this, for reference, but usually his brother snarfs up the rest of it.)

They don't seem to be otherwise affected or unhappy. We haven't seen any dramatic weight gains or losses, or any shifts in behavior or attitude. (I mean, they're pretty neurotic, but they're not noticeably differently neurotic.)

What's up, cat-loving Mefites? When should we get worried about them?

(As far as lifestyle changes or disruptions, we're planning to move in about three weeks, but presumably the cats don't speak enough English to realize this, and packing has not progressed to the point where the structure of the house is different. Two bookshelves are empty now, basically.)

posted by Scattercat to pets & animals (17 comments total)

Have you noticed anything weird in their litterbox? (Gross, I know, but wondering of they've got stomach troubles)
posted by roomthreeseventeen at 10:27 AM on October 19 [1 favorite has favorites]

Is it possible that one is eating normally, and one isn't eating?

Keep an eye on their weights. Fur can hide a little weight loss.
posted by amtho at 10:27 AM on October 19

How old are they? And are you sure that both of their eating patterns have changed? My understanding is that kittens eat a lot more than adult cats. So if they are still maturing they may just need less food now. Cats tend to eat until they are full. When they don't want anymore, they'll stop eating.
posted by mokeydraws at 10:44 AM on October 19

I almost always notice changes in my cat's eating habits when the seasons change.
posted by something something at 10:45 AM on October 19 [1 favorite has favorites]

I would bet that there are some changes in your lifestyle or your attitude that your cats are picking up on. My cats can always tell when I am about to go somewhere long before I start packing.

Are they overweight? It is of particular concern if an overweight cat stops eating. (I know you said they are eating some, but I am not clear if it's equally shared.)

Are they losing weight? Are their eyes bright, coats soft and shiny, noses cold and wet? Are you sure they are no less active than they used to be? Are they hiding in different places, or hiding visibly more or less than they used to be? Do they still groom appropriately? Are they using the litter appropriately? Are either of them getting yellowish (hard to tell sometimes, especially on orange cats)?

If any of these things are abnormal, the cats should go to a vet. If they really are all normal, I'd keep a very careful eye on any changes, but chalk it up to them knowing that you're going to move.
posted by jeather at 10:46 AM on October 19

One of our boys decided to stop eating -- you want to be cautious and keep a closer eye on this than you might normally think, because it's dangerous when cats stop eating (Google 'feline anorexia').

The vet gave us Nutrical (I think that's what it was called...it smells like cod liver oil and has the consistency of molasses) and that made him finally think the better of this crazy not eating thing, because, in my human opinion, the Nutrical looked and smelled like tuna poop.

In our case there was no external stress involved, he just up and decided one day that's it, I'm not going to eat. Oh, and I'm going to run up vet bills in exactly the amount of the royalty check Mama just got. (Cats are good like that).

Good luck and feel free to MeMail me if you have any other questions...
posted by bitter-girl.com at 10:47 AM on October 19

IANA(vet), but to my mind, I think the fact that they're still begging for food is a good sign. I would be worried if you said they weren't eating AND that they moreover showed no interest in doing so.

So my uneducated guess is that they've on a whim decided to just see if they can get better food out of you, or they're going through a picky-eater phase. You also don't say how old they are -- if they're getting older, they may have started "grazing," where they leave half their food for later. I've read that older cats do this with kibble in particular. My own boy begs and cries for his dinner just like always, but he leaves half of it in the bowl right away -- however, he comes back to it a couple times overnight, and then saves some for breakfast, and by the time I get home from work it's gone (and he's already starting in on asking for the next bowl, sometimes).
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 10:54 AM on October 19

Try switching brands at least for a bag or so. My cats are snarfing up the Science Hill; I'm guessing b/c it's really good, but also b/c it's change.
posted by bunny hugger at 10:57 AM on October 19

Have you noticed anything weird in their litterbox?

Nope. In the past, there have sometimes been blanched/white kitty lumps, but lately it's been bog standard.

Is it possible that one is eating normally, and one isn't eating?

Well, the dominant brother (Bel) tends to overeat; we have to overfeed them slightly to make sure Ozzy gets enough food, so Bel tends to be right at the tip-top of "healthy yet plump."

How old are they?

Coming up on three years old this coming January.

I almost always notice changes in my cat's eating habits when the seasons change.

This hasn't happened the previous two years, however.

Are they losing weight? Are their eyes bright, coats soft and shiny, noses cold and wet? Are you sure they are no less active than they used to be? Are they hiding in different places, or hiding visibly more or less than they used to be? Do they still groom appropriately? Are they using the litter appropriately? Are either of them getting yellowish (hard to tell sometimes, especially on orange cats)?

They look healthy. I've lived with cats my whole life, so I'm at least casually familiar with what an ill cat looks/acts like, and they aren't acting off at all. They still thump around the house periodically and tussle. No hiding, or at least not that I've noticed (it may be hidden.) Ozymandius has been a little more clingy than usual, but he's really, really clingy as a matter of course. (He used to ride around on shoulders nearly constantly when he was a kitten and he still prefers to be held/carried often.)

---

It's hard to monitor relative food intake; we tried separately feeding them back when Belshazzar's weight was getting to be a concern, and all that happened was they moaned at each other through the closed door for three hours. Bel is an "eat it all now" cat and Ozzy is an "eat it slowly over the course of ten hours" diner. If I had to guess which one had changed, I'd say Bel has suddenly stopped eating his habitual slightly-too-much all-in-one-sitting meals, but that's purely conjecture.
posted by Scattercat at 11:00 AM on October 19

Are their teeth ok? Red gums? If you gently run a damp Q-tip along the gumline, do they seem to feel pain, or is there any blood?
posted by twistofrhyme at 11:36 AM on October 19

It sounds like your cats are going through an annoying phase. They cleverly find new ways to freak you out every so often, so you can keep yourself always alert to their every wish.

I would try to watch to make sure both cats are eating, keep track of their litter and ensure that they continue to seem otherwise healthy. You can try different dry or wet cat food to see if something different sparks their appetite: my cats have suddenly taken to the Fancy Feast Elegant Medley, presumably because they are more expensive than most other wet cat foods. They are quite moist and very small, so if they only eat a little there is not much waste.
posted by jeather at 11:52 AM on October 19

Think about other environmental changes that might throw them off:

- are you using a different dish to feed them with?
- have you moved their eating place?
- is it a new *batch* of the food (i.e. a new bag of dry or new carton of moist pouches - and amazingly brands sometimes change their formulation without remarking on it)?
- changed dish soap you use to wash dishes?
- does water bowl or fountain need cleaning (they might keep drinking out of a dirty bowl and get nauseated?
- change of litter brand (different dust they are licking that's not agreeing with them)?
- any new houseplants they might be nibbling on and getting nauseated; etc.?
- Do they have access to a dirt-floor cellar, dead mice / rats, or any other way to have gotten worms or other parasites?

If this continues for a while you might consider a vet visit to get blood panels to screen for thyroid, renal, etc. problems. But the fact both are doing this suggests its a change in the food or environment connected to the food.
posted by aught at 12:02 PM on October 19

I'd just change the food - maybe not the brand, but the flavour. We buy the Iams dry food and at first, it was The Greatest Food EVAR! but then just because something they eat because they're hungry. We switched from the orange bag to the blue bag, and now that is the Greatest Food EVAR! Sometimes some cats just get bored of eating the same thing every day.

A lot of people say it's a bad idea to switch cat food at all, but I have had various cats over the years (10+) and none of them have ever suffered ill from trying out different brands and flavours every now and again. Hell, we've tried so many, we have three opened bags of dry food at the moment, and I just mix them up and let them go at it.

(We're also at the same stage of moving as you! Good luck with it!)
posted by saturnine at 12:09 PM on October 19 [1 favorite has favorites]

I would give them a little canned pumpkin mixed in with their regular food. That seems to sort out many kitty tummy duress situations, and keeps the mail moving. They might even like the taste.
posted by orrnyereg at 12:33 PM on October 19

Gums and teeth seem to be fine (though kitties are now irritated). Nothing else has changed; we're towards the end of a Big Bag of Food, so it's not a shift in the food itself unless somehow the bottom half of the bag was weird while the top half was fine. They did get a nice new filter-fountain drinking bowl, but that was like two months ago and this development is more recent.

We'll try switching up the cat food brands and seeing what changes, if anything. It is possible it's just a reaction to signals we're not aware of sending regarding impending ZOMG CHANGES. My old cat used to hold a grudge for three or four weeks after I'd get home from college each summer. At least the boys aren't smashing wine glasses or filling the bathroom with three feet of shredded toilet tissue (which are two kitty-stress-reactions I've had to deal with in the past.)
posted by Scattercat at 1:46 PM on October 19

They know about the move - trust me on this. Every single one of my cats has known about "the move" well in advance of actually getting put in the cage and thrown in the car.

Also, all of my cats have eventually come to hate Science Diet. Maybe they've decided they've had enough (from what I understand, it horrid. Don't ask me how I know this.)
posted by coollibrarian at 2:40 PM on October 19

Sounds like you are encountering the inevitable cat boredom with their brand/style of food. Mine do this a couple times a year. Just go to the store and buy several new types to try. You'll find one they will like. I've heard that this is part of a cat's instinct to get a variety of protein sources; they won't stay with one for too long. It doesn't matter that they have loved Science Diet for three years. Something in their dna has told them it is time for a a change. It's an easy problem to solve. Maybe they are tired of chicken and now want salmon. Have you been talking about the benefits of Omega-3 oils?
posted by conrad53 at 11:52 PM on October 19