Cat sometimes gets food stuck in teeth while eating

[Kgreen89]

We feed our cat Blue Buffalo Weight management and the kibble size is quite small. Previously we fed him Rachel Ray nutrish - also a small kibble size. It doesn’t happen often, but every once in a while he’ll be eating and then stop to bat/paw at his mouth for a broken/chewed piece of kibble stuck typically in his molars. We were at the vet recently and she said his teeth looked good. Should we be concerned with this behavior? Would a larger kibble be better for him? He typically removes it by himself but sometimes if he’s struggling I will assist him. Thanks in advance!

 

[di and bob]

Yeah, I would say it may be the wrong size for him. My cats have done this with the smaller kibble too. Since they are all chunks now, I feed Science Diet weight management and Purina One healthy metabolism along with their sharing 1 small can of wet food three times daily. Since they have Leukemia I need to keep their weight up a bit in case they have a relapse and quit eating. They get their meds and immune building supplements every morning in a shared pouch of Lickable treat by Hartz. You could get a small sack of weight management in a different sized kibble and see how it goes, if it continues to get stuck a more thorough teeth check might be in order. Be prepared for lots of wet food only advocates advise, they are very persistent in their pushing wet food only. It IS better, I agree, but I have raised cats on a partial kibble diet for over 50 years and have NEVER had one die from his diet. We want to spend overnight time away from home (hasn't happened much yet!) and need them to be able to eat something while we are gone. They get the majority of their food through wet, so it is what it is. I just wanted you to know this is a pretty common problem, and it is just a matter of trying different sizes to find the perfect one!

 

[Kgreen89]

Yeah, I would say it may be the wrong size for him. My cats have done this with the smaller kibble too. Since they are all chunks now, I feed Science Diet weight management and Purina One healthy metabolism along with their sharing 1 small can of wet food three times daily. Since they have Leukemia I need to keep their weight up a bit in case they have a relapse and quit eating. They get their meds and immune building supplements every morning in a shared pouch of Lickable treat by Hartz. You could get a small sack of weight management in a different sized kibble and see how it goes, if it continues to get stuck a more thorough teeth check might be in order. Be prepared for lots of wet food only advocates advise, they are very persistent in their pushing wet food only. It IS better, I agree, but I have raised cats on a partial kibble diet for over 50 years and have NEVER had one die from his diet. We want to spend overnight time away from home (hasn't happened much yet!) and need them to be able to eat something while we are gone. They get the majority of their food through wet, so it is what it is. I just wanted you to know this is a pretty common problem, and it is just a matter of trying different sizes to find the perfect one!

Thanks for your reply! Beans is a chunky boy too. We feed him a combination of 1/2 cup kibbles and a half portion of wet food each day. He gets so excited for feeding that some times I just think he’s trying to scarf down all the kibbles so fast that he’s maybe not chewing enough causing the piece to get stuck. I sometimes get nervous trying a bigger piece with his fast feeding, thinking we may trade a piece getting stuck occasionally to a choking hazard, but that just may be the nervous mom in me.

 

[LTS3]

You could smash each serving of dry food into smaller pieces so they are easier to eat. Cat teeth aren't designed for chewing. Most cats crunch dry food once or twice and swallow the pieces whole. Some may just try swallowing whole pieces of dry food.

 

[maggie101]

We feed our cat Blue Buffalo Weight management and the kibble size is quite small. Previously we fed him Rachel Ray nutrish - also a small kibble size. It doesn’t happen often, but every once in a while he’ll be eating and then stop to bat/paw at his mouth for a broken/chewed piece of kibble stuck typically in his molars. We were at the vet recently and she said his teeth looked good. Should we be concerned with this behavior? Would a larger kibble be better for him? He typically removes it by himself but sometimes if he’s struggling I will assist him.

My cat Coco has a small mouth so she has a hard time eating shredded chicken. Pate is her favorite probably because she can eat it in one big bite. Even certain treats she has trouble eating. Her tongue is smooth so it's hard to lick hair ball remover like laxatone