Owners often treat cats, as children therefore very much worry if pets suddenly refuse food. To force to eat an animal violently – useless occupation. It is important to establish a reason for refusal of food. The lack of appetite at cats is not always connected with a disease.
The reasons affecting cat's appetite
Cats are very sensitive to changes in a way of life. Even family disorders can work on them. Change of the residence, usual shift of furniture in the room, something not pleasant new bowl can become the reason of small appetite or refusal of food. And if in the house there was a new pet, cats are capable to test the real depression. During a stress usually animal it does not seem to patients, shows activity. In this case the appetite has to return soon: after accustoming to changes.
Pets can "call a strike" against change of a food allowance: the new taste and a smell, even other form of granules and consistence of ready-made feeds sometimes force a cat to refuse food. It is better to accustom an animal to new food, gradually adding it to habitual food.
Surrounding temperature condition can affect cat's appetite. In hot summer days at animals interest in food often decreases. The cats who are constantly staying in the apartment are capable to react to a house microclimate and in any other season, for example, in the winter when heating batteries and heating devices are connected. Manifestation of a sexual instinct also affects appetite of a domestic canine friend. For cats the period of starvation comes to an end very quickly, and cats during sexual hunting can even refuse within a week food. Strongly you should not worry in this case: as soon as cat's hormones calm down", the animal will return to a habitual diet. Cats can suit themselves "fasting day". As a rule, overeating or food hard to digest happen the reason of it. Even the offense at the owners who refused to stroke or play with them sometimes becomes the cause of a day hunger strike for a cat. The terms of starvation which are not doing special harm depend on age and health of a pet. For example, the young healthy animal is capable to worry 5 days without food, and a little kitten – only day. The main thing that at this time the necessary amount of liquid was used. The cat having access to the street can find to herself food independently. And yet not a rarity – good neighbors who like to feed up "smaller brothers". In this case the cat who came back from walk can not show interest in homemade food.
Small appetite — sign of an illness
Cats badly eat if they test a disease state. The illness is shown in behavior and in appearance of animals: they look sluggish, sleepy, lose cheerfulness peculiar to them. Look attentively whether is not present under wool of a bruise or wound, whether something got stuck in an ear, whether teeth or a gum hurt. Also parasites can disturb a cat. Diseases can be various, first of all, gastrointestinal frustration, helminthic invasions. Any symptoms, such as the increased temperature, a painful stomach, an abnormal chair, etc., have to be alarming the owner. Independent treatment can aggravate a situation therefore consultation of the veterinarian is anyway desirable. It is important to establish the correct diagnosis, to carry out necessary analyses, and then to appoint treatment.