Reasons For Cat Eating Disorders

Finicky Eaters: It’s very rare to see a cat would pass up food for no apparent reason. However, there are a few finicky cats out there who are so choosy about what they eat that they end up being malnourished and underweight. These cats can become this way for a variety of reasons, but is typically the fault of the owner.

Cat owners get lazy and they buy the same old cat foods—canned after canned or pack after pack—until one day they realize that their cat isn’t eating the food anymore. The cats simply got sick of the same old food day after day. One way to counteract this problem is to cycle different flavors of cat food during the week, as well as try out different brands of cat food periodically.

Medical Issue: If your cat still refuses to eat despite all the various methods and is looking very thin, chances might be a medical problem which may be unknown to you and you may have to seek veterinarian help. But before you head to the veterinary clinic, check if your cat’s ribs if they are clearly visible. If they are, you would want to consult a veterinarian as soon as possible.

Trash Eating: If your cat isn’t eating the food you bought but still remain her usual weight, then most likely she is eating trash bin food. The problem is easily solved if you cover your indoor trash bin with lid on and secure it if necessary.

What if your trash bin is outdoor and is securely covered? Yours maybe, but what about others? Cats, by natural, are explorers who practically live outside the home if they figure a way to get out when you aren’t around at home. The solution to this is to make sure that your cat has totally no excess to outside the home without your supervision. So check for any possible areas (e.g. ventilation windows) that your cat could easily squeeze through to the outside world.

Although eating trash food may not seem like a major problem, but there is a good likelihood that your cat may eat something that is bad or toxic food or pick up fatal diseases while scavenging. So don’t wait until your cat got sick to do something about it.

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Health Complications When Cat Eats Dog Food

• Food Formulation: Cat and dog food may look the same to you, but they are formulated with very different nutritional requirements in mind. They are not just the same product packaged differently!
• Amino Acid: Dog food does not contain added taurine, an essential amino acid for cats. Cats cannot synthesize enough triune from other amino acids, while dogs and humans can.
• Health Issues: Without taurine added to its diet, a cat can suffer reproductive disorders, eye lesions leading to total blindness and potentially fatal hear enlargement.
• Taurine: Commercial cat food has all the taurine cats needs.
• Supplementation: If you prepare your cat’s meal instead of buying commercial cat food, add taurine supplements to its diet no matter how much meat you feed it, because taurine is destroyed by cooking while raw meat poses health risks for domestic cats.

Dog food is not dangerous in itself of course. So if kitty gets the occasional can of dog food or steals from your dog’s dinner bowl, don’t panic—it won’t harm the cat just make sure it’s eating enough of its own cat food.

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What You Can Expect Once You Take Over Pet Ownership

Dogs

• Cost of Food: $5 to $20 per pack (for small breeds).
• Grooming: From $35. Long-haired breeds require daily brushing and regular visits to the dog groomer.
• Amount of Attention: Dogs need daily walks. They also need their owners to spend quality time with them. They can get bored and lonely if left alone for too long.

Cats

• Cost of Food: $5 to $18 a pack
• Grooming: $70 onwards. Long-haired breeds require daily brushing.
• Amount of Attention: Cats need relatively less attention from owners than dogs. But even though they do not need daily walks, quality time should be spent bonding with them.

Rabbits

• Cost of Food: Pellets from $5. A bag of hay is about $9.
• Grooming: About $15. Long-haired breeds require daily brushing.
• Amount of Attention: Regular cage cleaning is needed.

Guinea Pigs

• Cost of Food: Food pellets are from $5. Bag of hay about $9.
• Grooming: About $15. Long-haired breeds should be brushed daily.
• Amount of Attention: Guinea pigs are social animals. If you have only one, you should spend more time with it to prevent loneliness.

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The stereotypical picture of a dog happily gnawing on a bone is a dangerous one. Believing it could put your dog’s well-being at risk.

Most bones are bad for dogs, especially those that splinter easily, like chicken bones. These are carelessly tossed to strays, and may be devoured happily by dogs, but wreak internal havoc. I know of dogs that suffered and had to be put down because their stomachs and intestines were pierced by chicken bone splinters.

One sometimes hears people insisting that they have fed their dogs chicken bones for years and they remain healthy. This may be true for some lucky (and very hardy) pets, but it takes only one splinter to slowly kill. So don’t take the risk to know if your dog is the hardy ones.

Wolves may devour a carcass—bones and all—without harm, but your average domestic dog is hardly a wolf. Furthermore, those bones that the wolves devour are raw ones and usually larger than chicken bones.

Larger bones like those from cattle rarely splinter and could be safer. However, cattle bones carry their own health risks, and anyway, chewing on something as hard as bone over the long term could damage your pet’s teeth.

Never throw hard and heavy objects like large cattle bones, stones, metal bowls and so non to your dog to catch. A dog will eagerly leap up to catch the heavy item, only to crack its teeth or break its jaw. Throw that bouncy rubber ball instead!

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Commercial Turtle Food: Commercial turtle food is convenient and available at most aquarium and pet stores. It usually comes in “stick” form and requires no preparation. Make sure you choose a brand offering adequate nutrition for your pet turtle.

Aquatic Plants and Vegetables: A wide variety of fruits and vegetables, from dark green leafy vegetables to chopped apples, are suitable. The older the turtle, the more it will prefer a vegetarian diet. Aquatic plants purchased from aquariums are good too.

Insects: Besides insects, your pet turtle can also eat meal worms, bloodworm and earthworm, adding more variety to its diet.

Live Feeder Fish: Making your turtle exercise before a meal is a good idea. It will keep fit by chasing and catching small fish like “drain” guppies.

Meat: Lean chicken and beef are appropriate. It is best to boil the meat before offering it to your turtle, as fresh meat may contain harmful bacteria.

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