How can I get my cat eat more slowly?

Question

She wolfs her food down, then throws up half the time. Also, when she throws up whole pieces of food, should I feed her more?

Thanks for the answers! I have a dog and another cat, I think she trys to eat it so they can't get at it.

Answer 1

This is a common problem with Siamese cats, Royal Canin make a food that is donut shaped called Royal Canin Siamese, when they pick it up, their tooth goes through the middle so they HAVE to chew it, it sure slows them down. All of my cats eat it, including the non Siamese. Since switching to this, my chronic vomiter, who would do it at least once a day hasn't vomited in 8 months. She's a lot healthier too. I also feed all of the cats big chunks of raw meat, they have to chew them and it's good for their teeth, jaw and gums.

I don't think feeding her more would help she would just throw them up again. If she's not underweight, losing weight or unhealthy, don't worry about it too much. You could divide it up and feed her more often. You could put it in a treat ball too so she has to work for it, that would slow her down. Paper towel inners might work, you put a little food into it and twist the ends, see if she will open them, if she does, you can make them smaller and just put a few in each so it gives her time to digest them.

Don't make the mistake I did and buy smaller size foods, that just means they can vaccuum them up even faster! If you can get a larger size, that would be better, if they can't swallow it whole, they have to chew.

I haven't tried it but one of my friends swears by feeding the cat so much at once that it can't eat anymore and they get the idea that there is always food around.

Answer 2

If she is eating that fast it's probably because she is hungry! There are two ways to handle this. If you put her food down a couple of times a day, try putting it down 4 or 5 times a day. The second solution is to fill her bowl to the top and leave it down. If she realizes she has plenty of food, she will begin to nibble frequently which will satisfy her more. I use to have a cat that did this and that is what I did. It worked beautifully. If that does not work, you may want to contact a vet to see if there is a blockage or if she is ill. But don't panic. Try the self feeding first.

Answer 3

just give her a little at a time-my cat used to do the same thing so we started giving her a little bit as a time more often-
but than again if your cat is only eating once a day i do suggest that you maybe think about feeding her more-she may be starving and that may be why she is eating so fast-
if this isn't the case than the first option i listed works very well!

Answer 4

my cat does this with wet food (that i give as a treat).

If it is wet food that you are having a problem with, I mash it down on the plate so that the cat has to lick it off, this really slows him down.

If it is dry food, I would suggest leaving dry food out all the time (unless a diet has been reccomended by a vet). Cats unlike dogs usually only eat when they are hungry and can handle food being out all the time. Then she wont feel as though she has to wolf it down

Answer 5

Try feeding her just a little bit at a time, several times a day. If she's not food-aggressive, then stay with her while she eats and pet her. That should distract her from eating so fast.

Answer 6

Just put a little food in her dish at a time. Given her 20 minutes and then try a bit more. Stick to the vet's recommendation as to how much she needs in a 24hrs.

Answer 7

You need to set her food dish on a small box or stool. It s the angle of heir neck while they eat that causes them to swallow too much air and throw up.

Answer 8

Add a little part (just little part) of chopped red hot pepper to its food
After many times..your cat will learn to eat slowly

Answer 9

feed it little food at a time. if he starts eating too fast take it away that will tell him he needs to slow down.

Answer 10

i cured the same problem with my cat, i put a tennis ball in the middle of her cat bowl, witch makes her eat slower, she still vomits , very little some times,, but it has really helped.