My cat eats like he has no teeth.?

He used to eat without chewing all of the pieces, now it takes him forever and then he only ends up eating a little bit. He tosses the food around his mouth, chews it into bits (many of which fall out) and seems have trouble chewing. He is 8 months old and his teeth are OK enough for treats!





My other cat on the other hand is a vacuum. He is about 8 months old and weighs about 11lbs.


Does anyone's cat eat like my finicky one? And is my vacuum considered obese?





These are my first cats so I don't really know what's "normal".

My cat eats like he has no teeth.?
It sounds like his teeth are hurting - maybe some are loose or broken or have something stuck in them. (quite common in kittens) Take him to the vet if you can, but in the meantime, try giving him soft foods so that at least he's getting some nourishment.





~~Lesions on your cat's gums or foul-smelling breath can be early warning signs of a potential problem. The most common dental problems cats experience result from plaque and calculus buildup. If left unchecked, plaque and calculus buildup can eventually cause inflammation of both the gums (gingivitis) and the membrane lining of the tooth socket (periodontitis).





The infection resulting from these conditions may spread to other parts of the body such as the kidneys or valves of the heart.





Dental problems may also result from injury, foreign bodies such as threads from toys, porcupine quills or foxtail, malnutrition or systemic health conditions that infect the mouth as well as other parts of the body.





Common warning signs of dental problems in cats include:





Red, swollen or bleeding gums


Drooling


Bad breath


Loss of appetite


Dark spots on molars


Raised sores in mouth ~~





Your other little guy is definitely obese ( or maybe not, if he's a recognised "giant" breed) since the average weight for a fully grown adult cat is :





6.2 lbs (or 2.81 kg) for a male, and


5.4 lbs ( 2.45kg) for a female.


Neutered cats of either sex, range between 7 - 11 lbs, but that's at their adult weight.





I hope this helps, and good luck with your little guys !


I have 4 of my own, and I love them to bits !
Reply:You need to take him to the vet for an examination. He may be having trouble with his little pearly whites, perhaps a toothache.
Reply:Definatly time for a visit to the vets, cats are good at getting teeth infections.





One of my cats doesnt chew her food and its given her some bad problems, as weird as it sounds! She now eats at least one meal of food thats been made for kitties like her thats really big so she has to chew it.





We clean tartar and other badies off our teeth by cleaning our teeth however cats do it by eating food, as chewing it helps rub off the excess, when your kitty doesnt do this it can cause bad problems that will cost a hella lot more to fix than one little trip to the vets costs!!
Reply:the finicky eater might have a sore mouth. or the food irritates his mouth.


give him a change of different flavor or texture of food. its okay to give treats but dont let them be a substitute for his lack of eating his regular food.


in addition give him milk, meat juice or raw scrambled egg lightly sprinkled with garlic.





if the vacuum is visibly fat for his age and size then perhaps you could for a short time cut down on the amount he has. but dont starve him. give more milk or meat juice or raw scrambled egg, to substitute the cut down of the other food.





also. the vacuum's behavior in eating could be because he feels threatened by mr finicky if you feed them together.


feed them separately and see if anything changes.
Reply:Though he seems to eat treats fine, your kitten may be having some teeth problems. But it may not need a vet visit, he is a kitten after all and teething. Try wetting the hard food for him for a while. As long as he is eating and not losing weight all should be well. Also watch the kitten to see if it will go for the hard food after a while.





As for your vacuum, cats normally do not over eat. If you are schedule feeding, you may need to increase the number of times you feed the cats, and lessen the amount each time. If you are just leaving a big bowl of food and he is pigging out, think about the brand of food you are using. If its crap his body will require more of it to get what he needs.





Hope this helps.