Cat Dropping Food When Eating

Danik07

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I am really worried about my cat. She is 3 years old and about a year ago I noticed that she started dropping food out of her mouth when she is eating (if we give her just three or four treats she could break them up into 9 or 10 tiny pieces that all fall out of her mouth). We have always fed her dried food and she drops the tiny bits of the biscuits out of her mouth every time she eats. This behaviour came out of nowhere and we assumed she must have a tooth ache or something like that. We took her to the vet twice and both vets checked her mouth and said there was absolutely nothing wrong with her mouth or teeth. It's now been a year and it suddenly seems to have gotten much worse, every time we put down her dried biscuits we find a large amount of tiny broken up biscuits in the bowl (see pic).
The vets don't seem very concerned but the fact that this just came out of nowhere after two years of eating normally and it has suddenly got worse after a year really worries me. I'm thinking it could be neurological.
 

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Mamanyt1953

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It could be any number of things, and...I hate to suggest this, but have you considered going to another vet for a second opinion? This is definitely not normal eating behavior. ANY good, reputable vet would not object to a second opinion, just as no good human doctor would object. You might get a definitive answer, and it would certainly ease your mind. If your doctor is in a clinic with several others, I'd suggest going outside that clinic.
 

muffy

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When my cats would drop their food eating it usually meant that they were having dental problems. All of my cats were born feral and they all had dental problems from time to time. It is very painful and nothing to fool around with.

Muffy
 

Joyclene

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Hi Danik07,

I’m really hoping you’re still on this site. I am having the same problem with my three year old cat. She has been to vet every week for six weeks. She’s had an ear scope, and three teeth pulled and we’re currently on Zanaquin for an ear infection.

But she still can’t swallow/ chew very well. She picks up the kibble, bites down on it and then it splinters and just falls out of her mouth. She wants to eat. She sticks her head in her bowl and tries, but she’s just not getting much. And my vets are stumped. We’re almost done with the Zenaquin, but they have no idea why she can’t just swallow/ eat normally. She’s also on an appetite booster, but we’ve been down this road before. It just forces her to eat more and doesn’t solve the problem. It will work for a few days then the food just slides out of her mouth again. I’ve spent a small fortune on wet food and baby food trying to get her to eat anything. She doesn’t usually like wet food to begin with, so, it’s been a struggle.

Can you let me know what happened with your cat? I am desperate.
 

furrypurry

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Any solutions yet? My 11 year old is doing this, following a URI that lasted for several weeks. I have resorted to syringe feedings, which he hates, but it is the only way I can get food and water into him. He has always loved drinking from his fountain and lately won’t even do that. Vet checks of his mouth don’t find any issues. He seems to feel fine, otherwise. It’s baffling and distressing.
 

weebeasties

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When the vet has checked his mouth, is he looking at the WHOLE mouth or just the teeth? I went through several vets when our Shady was doing this. They kept giving him appetite stimulants and I kept telling them "He IS hungry, he just can't eat!"
It wasn't until I examined his mouth myself that I noticed that one side of his tounge appeared swollen. I found a vet who would listen. Unfortunately, it was cancer. I can't help but wonder if they had found it sooner, could it have been treated? I hope with all my heart this is not the issue with your baby. I just want to say that if the vet is not listening to you get a second, third, forth opinion until they do. Best of luck for you and your baby.
 

furrypurry

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weebeasties, that is exactly where we are. Wanting food, but seems unable to eat it. He won’t drink water, either, and he has always loved drinking from his fountain. So, I have been syringing food and water. We both hate it and I’m afraid it’s going to make him hate me, but what else can I do? The vet did inspect his mouth thoroughly, TWICE, at my urging. Supposedly the only problem is gingivitis. I know that can cause pain and irritation, too. We are going back to the vet on Monday. He has been dealing with a stuffy nose, which I am certain is contributing to the pronlem. Doing bathroom steam sessions, too. I am not his favorite human right now!

I am so sorry about your baby’s cancer. I lost one to lung cancer last July and am still grieving,so this ordeal is scaring me.
 

PushPurrCatPaws

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Many vets, if they cannot pinpoint the issue, refer you to a board-certified specialist in vet dentistry... maybe you can find one near you on your own?

This page lists many Active Diplomates in USA, Canada, Australia, Austria, Brazil, Denmark, Finland, France, Israel, Italy, Japan, New Zealand, Poland, Slovenia, Sweden, UK
AVDC Veterinary Dentist Directory | AVDC - American Veterinary Dental College
 

cataholic07

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hmm maybe switch to a wet food or a raw, or a mix or wet/dry? If its too painful to eat she wont eat it at all. But maybe on a raw or wet food diet it will help her eat more as its less painful to eat. It could be the kibble is to big as well, you could try a smaller dry food but I would still mix wet food with it just to make it wetter and easier to eat.
 

Bird

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My cat was chewing food and letting it fall out of her mouth. I believe it was because she was hungry but also nauseated and didn’t want to swallow because of her urge to vomit, and possible acid reflux.

If it’s not dental problems, another possibility is esophagitus or an esophagus disorder that makes swallowing painful or difficult.
 

bbolen

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My cat is recovering from ear canal surgery. One of the symptoms was that he was acting like he wanted to eat and would put food in his mouth but then drop it. He ended up having significant inflammation in both his inner and middle ear, to the point that the canal had closed. Some of the nerves in that area also are related to functions in the mouth area. He ended up having an esophagostomy (feeding tube through his esophagus so he could get adequate nutrition. Whether dropping food will continue to be a problem post-surgery I don't know, but you might want to get your cat's ears examined as well.
 
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