Why Isn’t My Cat Eating as Much?

Why Isn’t My Cat Eating as Much?

Boy, don’t you wish you could say that to yourself when you pass through the buffet line?  Seconds anyone?   Well, it’s a lot different for our cat as we control what they eat and how much they eat. If your cat isn’t eating as much as before, or you’re noticing they are dropping food or even worse, you are noticing weight loss, what should you do?   

Contact Your Veterinarian

The first thing you should do is contact your family veterinarian and ask for a complete physical examination.  With this exam, they should examine the oral cavity for any signs of inflammation, palpate lymph nodes, listen to the heart and lungs, look in the eyes and ears, and palpate the abdomen.  

In addition, blood work may be needed to check for a variety of disease processes.  Therefore, a CBC, serum chemistries and urinalysis are needed for younger pets, as well as an additional thyroid profile and SDMA for middle-aged cats.   

Possible Causes of Your Cat Not Eating as Much

Inflammatory bowel disease may contribute to a weight loss situation, so a keen eye and discussion with your vet regarding this may be warranted.  Also, as 60% of the tooth surface is below the gumline, a full review of the oral status of your cat may require an anesthetic procedure to not only clean above the gumline but also review the root status of each of the 30 teeth in your cat’s mouth.   

You’d be surprised that Tooth Resorption (TR) can cause a painful inflammatory response that can certainly suppress your cat’s appetite.  We will also want to check for any possible more sinister reasons for weight loss, such as an oral tumor on the gums or below the tongue.  Those can occur and are very difficult to identify.  However, oral tumors can be extremely painful to your cat.

cat isn't eating as much

Final Thoughts

Bottom line is this.  When your cat is eating less, it may be a sign of a systemic problem or a GI/oral problem.  Consult your family vet and if need be, contact us for advanced imaging (Cone Beam CT) and dental x-rays to rule out any oral pathology.

 

Images used under creative commons license – commercial use (01/30/2025) Photo by Hulki Okan Tabak on Unsplash

Images used under creative commons license – commercial use (01/30/2025) Photo by Joyful on Unsplash