In cats, a loss of appetite or desire to eat is known as “Anorexia”. Changes in eating habits are often due to stress or illness. Closely monitor your cat to understand why it refuses to eat food.
It is worth noting that cats don’t respond positively to abrupt environmental or life changes. The unpredictability associated with new things can subject feline pets to immense stress and anxiety.
Even while young kittens are more accommodating to drastic changes, they might be suffering silently. Denying meals, not drinking enough water, withdrawing from usual activities, appetite loss, and dropping weight are some typical signs of an unhappy cat.
Untimely vet visits may be inevitable in a case like this. Dealing with your cat’s grievances can be disheartening, and unforeseen vet bills can be financially pinching without the medical backup of kitten insurance if the problem is due to serious health issues.
Cat insurance in NZ helps support your furry baby with timely medical care during unplanned vet visits, so you must consider buying a policy or reviewing your current coverage. In the meantime, read this article to learn a few natural remedies to improve a cat’s appetite.
1.Acupuncture
Acupuncture is therapeutic for many medical conditions that reduce appetite in feline fur babies. For instance, pain and discomfort associated with gastrointestinal issues, immunity disorders, dental diseases, nausea, and joint and muscle problems can be treated with the help of acupuncture.
Young kittens as well as older and thin cats may have less tolerance to the needle used in this treatment. But, many cats (when restrained) allow for the needle placement on their body by an expert vet in a quiet environment.
An experienced vet can activate particular points on your cat’s body to help relieve nausea and improve its appetite. It’s this professional knowledge that best helps support your pet’s health, which is why you should always seek your vet’s recommendations before coming up with a self-made treatment plan for your sick cat.
2.Food changes
It is a good idea to offer a sick cat savory canned food as a first step. You can either provide canned food alone or mix it with kibble to make the dry food more appealing to your cat’s taste buds. Explore various proteins and flavors available to break the monotony for your cat. For instance, you can try tossing some shreds, chunks, or paste into regular daily cat food to add novelty.
Adding warm, low-sodium chicken broth or tuna juice to your furball’s kibble is another hack you can try to get your pet to start eating. Also, consider offering nutritionally wholesome treats your cat might love as its main meal. Tempting treats like chicken baby food or cooked egg can be great choices too.
Perhaps switch to a different brand, but not too often, because your cat may not like how things are changing too fast and too soon.
3.Encouragement
Create a quiet haven where your cat can chomp at its leisure. Remove distractions, including intruding pets, maintain your cat’s bowl’s cleanliness because odors emitted by food leftovers can be repelling, ask your cat whether they prefer to eat on a plate or from a bowl, and leave kibble in a dish so your munchkin can conveniently eat at night when you are asleep.
Appetite loss for more than twenty-four hours should be concerning. It is a clinical sign of several health problems like fever, oral/dental diseases, asthma, diabetes, pancreatitis, renal and liver issues, so get immediate medical help and don’t wait for the situation to improve on its own.
Your cat needs medical attention to rule out potential health conditions. Cat insurance NZ can cover a feline fur baby’s medical care during accidents, injuries, sickness, dental, and emergencies. Consider purchasing kitten insurance so managing unexpected pet health expenses is much easier in challenging times of health.
