All the cat owners must agree that cats are the boss of the house. They eat, drink, and sleep with their choice, without dictation. But that’s what makes them adorable!
You might have come across instances where your cat’s eating habits become unhealthy. Keeping an eye on them and controlling these habits becomes essential. If your cat is eating too fast or too slow, being concerned is legitimate.
But, sadly, when it comes to making a cat eat his food slower, there is little we can do but hey, the little things that we have listed here are quite impressive.
For us humans, eating food at an unusual pace can be troubling, even to those who are “just watching”.
Well, you can make a person understand why they need to work on their eating habits but what about cats that are eating food fast?
Like, really… fast!
Before we get started, here is a quick note;
Cats have nature’s best digestive systems and a well-suited food canal. Even if they are eating food at an unusual speed, there is a little chance that they might choke on it… So, you should not worry about it most of the time. However, if the cat continues to eat like crazy for a while, it will be in its best interest that you conduct a full investigation.
Wondering how you would do that? – Simple, read on!
Step-1: The Problems associated with Fast Eating Cats
In a cat’s world, several “normal” things can force it to eat quickly. In this step, your primary goal should be to checklist why your cat is eating like such.
Tracing the problem back to its source can be your number one solution on its own. Mainly because many people will have a clearer picture that will help them in finding the best way out for fast-eating cats.
Checklist the following few cases and make sure they do not apply to your cat. Most of the time, these few things are the real sources of problems like a fast-eating cat.
· Intruder Cats
If you are living in a neighborhood that has a lot of cats either stray or domestic, your cat may feel competition and cats are really fearsome towards other cats.
At least they have genuine concerns, like the other cat stealing their food. This is why your cat might eat at a faster pace.
Keep in mind that other cats should not enter your house whenever they feel like it. So, you may need to take proper steps to ensure that other cats cannot get into the house.
This will have a positive impact on your cat as well and she will see her surroundings more secure and finally, be relaxed.
Intruder cats are one of the most common problems that trigger several different issues in pet felines like stress, abnormal eating habits, and Pica.
· Hunger
Like humans, hunger can make cats eat faster. This normally happens when a cat has not eaten for a long time.
Since cats have a high metabolic rate, they digest food much faster than humans. For this reason, even when you think that your cat has just eaten, it might have digested its food already.
Review the diet schedule of your cat and check if the time between consecutive meals is not too long. Your cat should have easy access to food so it does not starve itself.
If you are not able to feed your cat at times, you can use some automatic cat feeders.
· Multi-Cat Houses
Cats are highly possessive and living with other cats in a single house in equivalent will seem like living in a madhouse for any cat.
In the long run, cats living in such environments will develop protective habits such as fast eating their food, a bit more aggressiveness, or a liking to certain things.
The only solution to this is to make sure that each cat gets enough food and space of its own.
· Out of Habit
If your cat is unlikely to be in any of the above conditions, you should rest assured as it will then be habitual.
Cats are natural hunters and like to eat their prey fast – it is in their genes. So, if you see your cat not eating slowly, you should not be worried.
Moreover, you can always work on some creative solutions to solve this problem yourself.
Step-2: The Solution To make your Cat Eat Slower
Now that you have properly understood what is troubling your cat and making it eat faster, it is time for you to work on the solution.
Try these and see if it solves your problem,
· Use Special Bowls
If you cannot alter the eating habits of your cat, you can change the feeding habits.
See, there is always an option… yes, obviously we do not expect you to keep feeding your cat with bits and pieces by hand, the market gives you plenty of options.
Speaking of options, you can change your feeding bowl’s design.
Normally, the designs that have a maze-like assembly, or have bumps and ridges all along the food track.
These obstructions in the path of food force the cat to eat its food at a slower pace. However, if you cannot afford to buy a new bowl for your cat, you can modify the existing one.
Just add some hard balls like a ping pong ball or a golf ball in the middle of the bowl containing the food. Additionally, you have to make sure that the obstruction is not small enough to be swallowed by your cat.
· Spread the Meal
Yep, you heard that right… Keeping a cat interested and teasing it with its instinct to hunt and explore is a whole lot of fun for it.
Spreading a meal would also give your cat a motive and a sense of “hunting and exploring” while boosting its confidence as it finds food at the same time.
So, what you need to do is to spread the bits of its meal all over the place and let the cat explore it. Not only will it enjoy finding and exploring space for food but also consume it little by little.
· Pet Them
Cats love attention and they love it more when they are eating. Interesting, isn’t it?
Petting a cat while it is eating can significantly relax it and put it in a good mood. It will eat comfortably and should show signs of affection.
While petting a cat solves a lot more issues than just fast eating, it is a recommended activity by a majority of veterinarians.
· Play Eating Games
You can also deploy toys to help you regulate your cat’s eating behavior. Moving toys such as small plastic mice mimic the hunting activity and give your cat a fill for its taste.
Another good activity would be to reward your cat as she completes a specific game. This is one of the best methods to train your cat in different aspects as well.
· Be Smart With Meals
Cats are notorious eaters and thanks to their fast metabolic rates, cats easily digest what you put in them and think they had a big meal.
Therefore, instead of giving them a full-in treat, allow them small meals through the course of the whole day. This will make sure that your cat has something in its tiny little stomach all the time.
Moreover, giving it small amounts of food will ensure that the cat takes only small bites at a time and hence, eats slower.
· Keep your cat Isolated From Intruder Cats
Again mentioning the concept of intruder cats indicates that it is a major issue and needs to be solved as a priority.
The more you focus on keeping your cat, especially its food, out of other cat’s reach, the better your cat will get, and the sooner it will rehabilitate its eating habits.
To counter intruder cats, you can add a chip-based cat door that only allows your cat to enter and exit the house via a pet door. You can keep all windows shut, or simply keep the food safely tucked away until its feeding time.
· Socialize Your Cat with Other Pets
Cats are moody and they need time to adjust with other pets. Allow them some time to get used to new cats, dogs, etc., and make sure to give them food in different bowls as cats are competitive as well as defensive when it comes to meals.
Normally, it does not take long for a cat to adapt to other people and pets. Therefore, it should be “easier done than said – I know but I meant it…”
Conclusion
All in all, cats eating at a fast pace can raise some flags but it is not always abnormal and sometimes it is just a cat following nature.
However, it should not be ignored if it is done frequently or if it is causing any damage to your healthy cat. Remember that any symptoms of stress, gags, choking, etc. should be immediately assessed by a veterinarian.
Otherwise, it is all good to go and you can make your cat eat slower if you checklist all of the above steps, the solution for your cat is definitely somewhere above this text.
If you are looking for any further questions regarding your pet, our friendly community of experts and cat owners would be glad to help you. We care for your cats. Share your thoughts and tips with us in the comments section. Another pet parent might benefit from your experience.
Happy Cat Care!
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