Cat Isn't Eating Much Of Her Regular Kibble, But Eats Her Dry Treats?

[kittyqss]

I weigh out 60g of food every day at the beginning of the day. My cat, about 3 years old, usually eats 50-55g of that, with a few little pieces left over. Over the past week, she's been eating less and less of the food I've always given her since I got her four months ago. I just tried feeding her some of her treats (granted, something I forget to do quite a bit), and she ate them right up on her placemat.

This leads me thinking two things.

1) The food we have is not good for her. Either it's gone bad (keep it in a ziploc baggie, sealed) or I just need to switch out her kibble for something else, maybe same brand but a different flavor?

Less likely, but 2) she doesn't like the bowl I'm using.

Have you guys had any experience with something like this? Do you think this change in appetite is significant, or am I over-reacting? I always read that a change in appetite is huge for cats, so I'm trying to be proactive but not worry all too much.

**EDIT**

More recently I have been sleeping in, so I feed her at 7/8 am instead of 5am like I did when I got her for the past couple months. She'd always wake me up between 4:30-5am to get me to feed her, but lately stopped that as I've been waking up later / ignoring her meows.

 

[Neo_23]

I think 2 things could be going on. The first is that loss of appetite is usually a sign of illness in cats. Has she also been extra lethargic lately? You may want to have her seen by a vet. The other thing is that she may have just lost interest in her food. This is very common with cats. Does she also eat wet food? Has she been eating her wet food lately? You might try giving her a little bit of a different food (not too much at once) and see if she eats it.

 

[kittyqss]

I dont know about extra lathargic, she's always been pretty lazy. She still plays, climbs around and does stuff. I took her to a vet shortly after I got her four months ago, and more recently like two months ago when I saw her in an "asthma attack" position (based off youtube videos) which also apparently looks like a hairball attack, she just never coughs anything up. They said keep an eye on her, write down and journal any abnormalities, get a video of her when it happens....but either way they gave her a clean bill of health, no red flags when they checked her. The vet said if she had asthma she could tell (breathing would be different even without an attack, or something like that)

Since shes been eating less, I've noticed her poop bags have been getting lighter, (meaning shes pooping less probably because she's eating less). I'm not sure if that's something to worry about.

Is this boredom of food a result of having it too much or is it something else? If its comparable to me eating cereal all day every day, thats understandable. I have never given her wet food, only dry food. I can try giving her some wet food?

 

[Neo_23]

I dont know about extra lathargic, she's always been pretty lazy. She still plays, climbs around and does stuff. I took her to a vet shortly after I got her four months ago, and more recently like two months ago when I saw her in an "asthma attack" position (based off youtube videos) which also apparently looks like a hairball attack, she just never coughs anything up. They said keep an eye on her, write down and journal any abnormalities, get a video of her when it happens....but either way they gave her a clean bill of health, no red flags when they checked her. The vet said if she had asthma she could tell (breathing would be different even without an attack, or something like that)

Since shes been eating less, I've noticed her poop bags have been getting lighter, (meaning shes pooping less probably because she's eating less). I'm not sure if that's something to worry about.

Is this boredom of food a result of having it too much or is it something else? If its comparable to me eating cereal all day every day, thats understandable. I have never given her wet food, only dry food. I can try giving her some wet food?

It’s quite common for cats to just lose interest in food. They are known for being especially finicky. This is why lots of people don’t just exclusively feed one brand. Try offering her some other food that is a complete meal (not a treat) and see if she eats it. Just don’t give too much at once because cats usually need to be transitioned slowly to different foods (over 7 day period). I personally would recommend incorporating some wet food into her diet. Wet food is much healthier for cats than dry because it is high in moisture and low in carb. Dry food is not the healthiest option for cats, but it’s affordable and convenient for us.

The fact that she is not even asking for food anymore though worries me. It sounds like it may be more than just a loss of interest. You might just call your vet and explain the situation and ask if you should bring her in. Cats are really good at hiding illness. They show signs by acting extra tired and not eating as much.

 

[kittyqss]

Do you have a brand you'd recommend that I can get at any grocery store? I plan on going today and I can get a few cans. If wet food is the way to go (in general) I'll start weening her off dry food. Is it that much more expensive than dry kibble?

Yeah that's definitely weird to me. I started feeding her 50g from 60g and she was meowing at me awhole lot asking for more food, so I kept it at 60g. But ever since I stopped waking up at 5am to feed her and just feeding her later, she begs for food but not nearly as she used to, or maybe its just a coincidence. Either way I'll give the vet a call tomorrow. What would they look for if I bring her in, would they do some blood tests or something like that, or just a more thorough checkup?

 

[Neo_23]

Do you have a brand you'd recommend that I can get at any grocery store? I plan on going today and I can get a few cans. If wet food is the way to go (in general) I'll start weening her off dry food. Is it that much more expensive than dry kibble?

Yeah that's definitely weird to me. I started feeding her 50g from 60g and she was meowing at me awhole lot asking for more food, so I kept it at 60g. But ever since I stopped waking up at 5am to feed her and just feeding her later, she begs for food but not nearly as she used to, or maybe its just a coincidence. Either way I'll give the vet a call tomorrow. What would they look for if I bring her in, would they do some blood tests or something like that, or just a more thorough checkup?

Feeding all wet will usually turn out to be more expensive than dry. But there are more affordable wet options too depending on where you live. For example, the Fancy Feast classic pates are actually quite decent and I would say have better ingredients than some of the more expensive foods. When you’re looking at cans, try to find a brand that uses a meat source of protein as it’s first few ingredients (chicken and turkey are good ones to start with). I would also go with grain free as cats do not need grains in their diets. You will find some of the better quality brands at smaller independent pet stores, but if you’re on a budget then I think there’s nothing wrong with something like fancy feast. Many people would argue that any wet food is healthier than any dry.

I think that’s a good plan. It really will depend on the vet and the situation, but yes, they may want to do a blood panel. Since you just adopted her recently though it may not be a bad idea to get full blood work done anyway just to get a sense of her general health.

 

[kittyqss]

I'll keep an eye out for fancy feast then! For my cat who is about 10.5 lbs, would you say 1 3oz can in the morning and one 3oz can when I come back from work will be decent?

Yeah maybe a blood panel isn't that bad of an idea. They're probably sick of me by now but when it comes to my cat I freak out over her health when something seems wrong, which is probably a good thing haha.

 

[Neo_23]

I'll keep an eye out for fancy feast then! For my cat who is about 10.5 lbs, would you say 1 3oz can in the morning and one 3oz can when I come back from work will be decent?

Yeah maybe a blood panel isn't that bad of an idea. They're probably sick of me by now but when it comes to my cat I freak out over her health when something seems wrong, which is probably a good thing haha.

Yes, I think 2 3oz cans is a good place to start. And you may give her a little more if you find that it’s not satisfying her. It really will depend on the amount of calories per can though. I find this to be a helpful chart: https://www.animalmedicalcenterofchicago.com/pdf/CalorieRequirementsForCats.pdf

Check out the kcal per can listed on the cans and use that chart as a rough guide, then monitor her weight and appetite and adjust accordingly.

No worries, I am the same way! I hope she is just being picky and likes the new can food you pick up for her.

 

[Neo_23]

By the way, you may find that she poops less than normal, drinks less water, but urinates more on can food. This is all completely normal. The reason is that they digest more of the food (absorb more nutrients) on canned and get more moisture from the canned food (and therefore don’t need to drink as much water but will pee more than on dry food because they are more hydrated). My cat never drinks from his water bowl on can food and still pees 3-4 times a day.

 

[kittyqss]

So with my cat still liking her salmon treats, and not eating her regular kibble, yesterday I got her salmon turkey and chicken fancy feast. I gave her the salmon last night, and she just devoured it within minutes. She ate half her chicken this morning so I had to give her some treats, and tonight she barely touched the salmon, what she devoured instantly last night.

Do you know what could be happening?? At what point do I bring her in to the vet // start to worry about her getting fatty liver - does that happen when their appetite shrinks or when they have no appetite at all? I called the vet I normally go to and the person on the phone recommended to change up her food, which I have been doing.

The only thing I can think of doing is going to the store & getting some salmon kibble ....

 

[Neo_23]

So with my cat still liking her salmon treats, and not eating her regular kibble, yesterday I got her salmon turkey and chicken fancy feast. I gave her the salmon last night, and she just devoured it within minutes. She ate half her chicken this morning so I had to give her some treats, and tonight she barely touched the salmon, what she devoured instantly last night.

Do you know what could be happening?? At what point do I bring her in to the vet // start to worry about her getting fatty liver - does that happen when their appetite shrinks or when they have no appetite at all? I called the vet I normally go to and the person on the phone recommended to change up her food, which I have been doing.

The only thing I can think of doing is going to the store & getting some salmon kibble ....

Hmm, honestly if it was me I would probably just take her to the vet to put my mind at ease because her appetite is so off and on. Or I would at least call to see if I should bring her in.

I hope she is better soon and please keep us updated.

 

[EmmiTemmi]

Is it that much more expensive than dry kibble?

You guys are a little past this part of the discussion, but I was having fun in excel the other day and was comparing prices of canned food to the dry food I feed.

For my two cats, if I fed them only dry food (Simply Nourish Kitten is what I calculated prices on), then the yearly cost would be about $180.

If I used only canned Friskies and just 1 can a day (which most cats need a bit more than that, so not the best calculation), then the yearly cost goes up to $340 a year.

My boys aren't the biggest fan of Friskies, so I figured I'd check the cost for feeding each boy 2 cans of Fancy Feast a day and the price rocketed up to $760. I'm on a grad student budget, so looking at the more 'high end' foods nearly gave me a heart attack! Wellness and Purina One were over $1,000 and Weruva was well past $1,600. If I ever can afford it, I would love to spoil my boys with the expensive stuff, but until then, they get Fancy Feast and dry.

 

[Neo_23]

You guys are a little past this part of the discussion, but I was having fun in excel the other day and was comparing prices of canned food to the dry food I feed.

For my two cats, if I fed them only dry food (Simply Nourish Kitten is what I calculated prices on), then the yearly cost would be about $180.

If I used only canned Friskies and just 1 can a day (which most cats need a bit more than that, so not the best calculation), then the yearly cost goes up to $340 a year.

My boys aren't the biggest fan of Friskies, so I figured I'd check the cost for feeding each boy 2 cans of Fancy Feast a day and the price rocketed up to $760. I'm on a grad student budget, so looking at the more 'high end' foods nearly gave me a heart attack! Wellness and Purina One were over $1,000 and Weruva was well past $1,600. If I ever can afford it, I would love to spoil my boys with the expensive stuff, but until then, they get Fancy Feast and dry.

Yeah, that definitely is a con of canned food diets. It can be expensive. But I like to think that I may be saving in vet bills down the road.

I think the cheapest option might actually be making your own cooked or raw food but I haven't looked into it.

 

[EmmiTemmi]

I think the cheapest option might actually be making your own cooked or raw food but I haven't looked into it.

Just did a quick google on it, and it looks like a few sources talking about how cheaply homemade cat food can be made range from 83 cents to a bit over 1 dollar a day. So about the same cost as feeding Fancy Feast. But the prep time that goes into it (not to mention the initial price of getting a grinder if you don't have one) is what might be the limiting factor for many people.

However, if someone had the time and the means to get the proper ingredients, homemade is cheaper than several 'high quality' canned foods on the market. Wish I had that kind of time!

 

[kittyqss]

I'm pretty afraid of giving her wet food right before I travel during Christmas. I planned on getting a service to come in every day to stop by and make sure the little one is okay and doesn't hate me (probably will).

As an update, I went to the vet, they said her bloodwork was okay, they couldn't get any sample to test her kidney to work but he said shes too young to have kidney problems or something similar.

Don't know whats up. Maybe the house just got too messy for her liking so I did some spring cleaning because I need that anyways, hoping that will cheer her up. I can't tell if its medical (on her end) or environmental (on my end) thats causing this so might as well eliminate one of em.

The vet gave appetite increasers but I hope I don't have to rely on them, and its a one time issue ...