Do cats eat less in hot weather?

[hannahgirl]

The summer weather is here, 90 and 100 degree days. My cat hasn't seemed to have as much of an appetite. She begs the same, but then actually only eats part of what I give her. Could it be heat-related? Thank you...

 

[mews2much]

My Cats are the same way. Its over 100 here right now. They eat alot more in the Winter.

 

[mbrcpr]

That's pretty normal. Just make sure they have plenty of clean, cold water available to drink.

 

[judi]

My cats are indoor cats.
I have airconditioning.

 

[wendyr]

Just agreeing with previous posters - I have noticed a definite decrease in their appetites (and it really hasn't even got THAT warm here). They beg for their dinner and then leave most of it.

I have noticed, however, that they are eating more of their dry food at night. They free-feed and they are definitely eating more of that whilst we sleep.

 

[pippy-pops]

We free feed our indoor cat and I've noticed during summer his appetite decreases for wet food but he actually eats more dry food!

 

[mom of 4]

Most animals eat less in the heat of summer. When you eat, the body sends more blood to the intestinal organs. That's less blood available to send to the skin surface for cooling off.

One of my theories on the increase in obesity is that the increased use of AC (room or whole house) has interupted the natural cycle of eating less in the summer. I used to slim down in the summer without really working at it. I ate more salads and fruits - lighter meals than I do now. <sigh>

 

[materialsgirl]

Yeah, my cats have been eating less too. It didn't occur to me to connect it with the heat, but now that you mention it, that makes sense. Even I get eat less in the warmer months. My cats are strictly indoor cats, and we do have air conditioning, but we keep it set pretty high (80-82) to save energy. So it's still pretty warm in the house.

 

[hannahgirl]

Thank you, everyone! I really appreciate knowing that this is a normal behavior for cats in summer. Just today some of my friends were saying they weren't as hungry because of the heat. Funny!