1. Not choosing the right type of food
I have to be the first one to put my hands up and admit that I haven’t always fed my cat the right kind of food. Despite the supermarket being filled with cat food choices (some of which are expensive), the veterinarian recommended that we focus on providing both vitamins and nutrients needed for healthy development and for maintaining an active level.
If memory serves right, he called supermarket cat food “the junk food of the animal kingdom”, and that’s because an imbalanced diet can lead to both immediate and long-term health problems.
2. Feeding your cat solely dry food
In their natural environment cats get hydrated from consuming their prey, thus they instinctively need to drink less water in order to be healthy. In turn, a cat which is fed only dry food might not get the necessary hydration, and this might explain why you believe you cat is drinking a lot of water.
If you’re like me, you’ll want to recreate their environment and nurture their wild side, so why not try to mix and switch the two types of food in order to help your cat stay in line with her natural instincts?
3. Food bowl placement
You may be wondering what we’re going to cover in this subsection. This may surprise you, but some owners decide to put their cat’s food bowl in a basement or somewhere dark and remote, however what they might not realize is that their cat might not feel safe against predators in an area which she can’t be in control of.
You may be aware that cats see better than us in dim light, but they can’t see properly in complete darkness.
Thus if you want to put their dish away from your kitchen, make sure that there is a motion activated light nearby, and like this you can guarantee that you’re not depriving your kitty of the diet she needs.
Read more about raising cat food bowl
4. Food freshness
Because your cat’s senses are more acute than yours, she may perceive smells which you’re unable to sense. So for example if the food you’re providing isn’t fresh, your cat may reject it.
In their natural habitat cats shy away from bad-smelling food unless they’re starving, and in some unfortunate cases eating spoiled food can lead to illnesses.
5. Inconsistent meal times
Cats crave consistency. Because cats are in our care and can’t provide for themselves by hunting, they can become anxious about when their next feeding time will be. You can completely avoid that issue by providing a eating schedule you’ll adhere by. This will make your cat more confident and happy, and if you’re not home, consider a cat feeder which you can access remotely.
6. Competition
In multi-cat homes it may be easy to understand why there is competition. A potential solution for that is having a couple of feeding stations throughout your home. This will guarantee that the more shy or submissive cat won’t need to go without food, or won’t need to be stressed about the situation.
7. Overfeeding
Just like in humans, obesity can lead to a variety of health problems and shorter life. If your cat doesn’t get enough exercise but tends to overeat, you may again try a feeder which can control portions and feeding time.
