Do Cats Chew their Food: Should You be Worried

We all make good use of our mouths by ensuring we chew food properly before swallowing. But, do cats chew their food? Our feline friends will always be seen like they are always rushing to have their meal.

This may leave you wondering whether they actually chew their food at all before swallowing. Could this have to do with the diet you are serving them or is it just their general behavior? What are some of the medical conditions that could be associated with not chewing food (are there really any)?

In this article, we will be looking at whether cats chew food as well as whether this should be a cause of concern if they are not chewing their food.

Let’s jump right to it.

Do Cats Chew Their Food?

Cats hardly chew on their food and this is perfectly normal. Cats’ teeth are structured to consume mostly meat, making it super hard for them to chew kibble. Cats can actually consume an entire bowl of kibble without chewing them at all apart from a few getting crushed by their jaws (not teeth) along the way. This can be can quite a concern for many cat owners, but is perfectly normal.

Cats are obligate carnivores, which means they depend on eating meat for their survival. This, however, doesn’t mean they can’t be put on a ‘non-meaty’ diet.

It just means, if they go for too long without eating any meat, they may not survive for that long. If you have a hunter cat, it could be an indication that their meat consumption from their current diet could be quite low.

You’ll rather include this on their diet moving forward to prevent them from getting worms.

Cats require two main amino acids found in meat in order to survive. These amino acids are taurine and arginine.

As a result of their dependence on a high meat diet, cats’ teeth are perfectly suited for eating meat than chewing non-meaty food. They have sharp canines that are built to tear and shred meat and lack molars that are mostly used to chew and crush food.

But is there any harm associated with cats not chewing their food?

Any Harm Associated With not Chewing?

Cats not chewing their is food is perfectly normal and shouldn’t be a cause of concern. In some cases, however, such as when they eat too fast; may lead to discomfort that may be associated with not chewing their food.

Eating too fast when the food is not properly chewed could lead to a number of issues. These may include, vomiting, bloating, and gastric upset.

When this happens over time, this may lead to excessive weight gain.

Good thing is, there are ways to slow them down.

Most cats are known to be trickle feeders. This means they are known to eat in small portions throughout the day. However, in some instances when there is a lot of food supplies, they may end up eating too much.

One way to deal with this is through the use of automatic cat feeders. This will help in ensuring small portions of their favourite treats throughout the day. This will help with preventing them from gaining weight and bloating or gastric upset issues.

It’s also important to ensure they have enough supply of water that can help with better digestion of the food. Using a water fountain is recommended as cats prefer drinking from a running fountain to stagnant water.

Cats may also end up experiencing hiccups much more frequently mostly contributed by overeating and eating food that hasn’t been properly chewed. When cats eat food too fast and not well chewed, they also ingest extra pockets of air that end up leading to hiccups.

Why is my Cat Throwing up Her Dry Food?

Cats may sometimes eat up too much, too fast. When this happens, they are less likely to chew their food. When they eat too much too fast, the stomach walls expand too quickly sending signals to the brain leading to regurgitation.

Regurgitation could be one of the reasons why your cat could be throwing up her dry food.

Other key reasons leading to this include:

• Eating their food too fast
• Hairball from their excessive grooming behavior triggering gagging that could lead to them throwing up.
• Stress and anxiety could lead to a cat being ill after eating leading to them throwing up a recently consumed food.
• Allergies such as those caused by ingredients found in some dry food could lead to your cat vomiting.
• Illness such as stomach ulcers or diabetes in cats could lead to them vomiting after eating dry food.

Are There Ways You Can Help Them Chew?

As you are already aware, cats don’t necessarily chew their food. There are however a number of ways you can help them chew, or at least ensure they are consuming less non-chewed food and prevent them from getting issues afterward.

Smaller Bowls: You could start by changing their feeding bowl. Using a smaller bowl ensures that they are only able to scoop small portions of their treats. This will help them try to chew on what they put in their mouth. Although not a guarantee that it will help with the chewing, it will definitely prevent them from gobbling a mouthful of food.

Raising their Feeders: Raising their feeders will also help. It will help with helping them grabbing only a few pieces that could be much easier to chew. It also helps with digestion as they’ll eat in a much more natural position rather than the bent-over position.

Putting Obstacles on their Pet Bowl: Putting a ball or some toys on their feeding bowl could help keep slow them down. This could help with them chewing what they scoop. They’ll have to work a way around the obstacles slowing them down.

Trying Out a New Diet: You could also consider trying out a new diet to help them with chewing. Trying out different sizes of kibbles could help with ensuring they are chewing before swallowing. For example, trying out kibbles with point edges will ensure they always chew their food before swallowing them.

Final Thoughts

When it comes to cats, they tend not to chew their food compared to dogs. Their dental structure doesn’t necessarily support chewing but more of tearing especially when comsuming meat.

Not chewing their food properly may lead to some issues for your cat. Always take them to your vet in case this persists even after you’ve made efforts to prevent this.

Your vet may suggest a change in diet that could help with better chewing of their food.

Is your cat chewing their food? How are you handling this situation? Share with us your thoughts in the comment section below.