One of my cats eats his food whole (dry food) which often results in him overeating and vomiting a lot. I've tried the hairball remedies which he loves and don't help as well as cutting his portion sizes so he doesn't eat so much at once. Nothing seems to work. Any tricks to making cats chew their food so they don't overeat?
2007-03-27 15:02:53 · 6 answers · asked by Amanda H 1 in Pets ➔ Cats
There really isn't a good way to change the way your kitty eats. I'd suggest changing to wet food... Cats are accustomed to getting most of their water through their food in the wild and don't naturally drink water, for the most part. So any additional water you can provide through their food can promote a healthy urinary tract and prevent blockages (which can be expensive, trust me!).
2007-03-27 15:50:00 · answer #1 · answered by milton_fl_girl 2 · 1⤊ 1⤋
In cats "the lower jaw is attached to the upper one by means of a simple hinge. This arrangement permits only up-and-down motion. A cat cannot move its lower jaw sideways, nor can it grind its teeth. When a cat clamps its jaws shut, the teeth mesh side by side, somewhat like the meshing of gears. So cats tear and crush their food, but they do not chew it. Much of the food is swallowed whole, and digestive juices break it down for use."
In light of the above, I would take your kitty to the vet just to make sure he is digesting his food properly since swallowing his food whole seems to be the norm for cats and it's actually the digestive juices which break the food down.
2007-03-30 00:52:13 · answer #2 · answered by Shaz 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I agree with milton(?) who posted above me. Unless you have time to sit there handing out kibble one piece at a time! Oh he still wouldn't chew it, but you could slow him down that way.
Canned food is best.
As for wetting down the dry food, that's not recommended. It might not be too bad if you take it up after they've finished. But if you wet it and leave it, it becomes a hothouse for bacteria/mold/icky stuff. lol - sorry that's kind of vague; I've read about this but I didn't pay close attention since I feed only canned food.
2007-03-28 09:19:48 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 1⤋
Feed him large kibble. Use the recommendened food changing process on the new package too! Larger pieces require more chewing! There is also the added benefit of cleaner teeth from larger kibble especially if it is a dental health kibble.
2007-03-27 22:20:16 · answer #4 · answered by Tattleslink 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Nope. Cats will chew their food how they want to chew their food. Only way they will chew more is if you put something sticky in their food - but I would no do that because kitty might choke.
2007-03-27 22:07:51 · answer #5 · answered by Susan 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Try either wetting his food down so it is softer, or putting ice cubes in his food bowl so he has to move them around to get the food. Either one should cause him to take more time eating his food, and it might prevent him from stuffing himself so quickly.
2007-03-27 22:20:42 · answer #6 · answered by terpster77 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋