Before shelling out some money to a vet...

Should I be concerned that my cat is not chewing his dry food, but swallowing it? I watch him very closely when I give him food and it sounds like he chews ONCE, when it's initially goes in his mouth, but then swallows the rest, instead of a continuous chew. And he has never done this. Just started doing it about 3 weeks ago when he threw up the entire night. It was really scary.

Why could this be, it doesn't seem like he's in pain though

11/6/2005 7:50:15 PM

i know a cat that literaly inhales liquids and wet food.

11/6/2005 7:51:08 PM

he'll be fine.

11/6/2005 7:51:38 PM

I think we need to replace Old School with a Cat forum.

11/6/2005 7:54:05 PM

change his food to soft and see what happens

11/7/2005 1:00:54 AM

I agree, trying wet food to see how it reacts would be good.

Maybe it is just yearning for a taste of meat, maybe give it a chicken leg to chew on (cats like to chew up bones sometimes).

11/7/2005 1:14:18 AM

Cats don't chew food the way we do. Their molars are meant for tearing not chewing to a pulp. This is quite normal.

Edit: A cats stool will tell you if there is a problem. If your cat is constipated/loose then there is reason for concern. If he is going everyday and it has a normal consistency then he is fine. For constipation there are many things you can do like adding a little pumpkin to the food among other things.

Edit Edit: Ugh this is ShadowGuard not Psycho.

[Edited on November 7, 2005 at 7:55 AM. Reason : ..]

[Edited on November 7, 2005 at 7:56 AM. Reason : ..]

11/7/2005 7:52:47 AM

acraw, I don't remember what you look like, pic plz.

11/7/2005 8:01:58 AM

^^^ regarding the chicken bone. Great idea but chicken/turkey necks are even better but unfortunately hard to find. However I wan't to clarify that this MUST be raw. A cooked bone splinters, raw dosen't.

I'm a huge advocate for a BARF (biologically appropriate raw food) diet. All 3 of my cats are on raw 100%. They are happier and healthier for it. However it is pricey but doing occasional raw feedings will be a great treat for cats and dogs and provides a huge amount of nutrients.

[Edited on November 7, 2005 at 8:11 AM. Reason : .]

11/7/2005 8:09:33 AM

Quote :

"acraw, I don't remember what you look like, pic plz."

Uhhh, like- that was soooo 2003. *flips hair*

11/7/2005 10:22:05 AM

Don't feed it bones, raw or cooked, if you don't have to . You only increase the chance of problems by doing that. Also, don't even think about doing a BARF diet unless you are prepared to spend a good deal of time to get the proper nutrients. You can't just throw some chicken backs in a bowl and let them go to town.

11/7/2005 10:34:50 AM

Its true that you have to do proper research if you do the full diet but theres nothing wrong with treating raw food. Their stomachs are designed to handle it, unlike ours.

11/7/2005 5:00:29 PM

sorry but i'm not feeding my dog or cat anything that's been handled by 15 different humans (who infect the meat with all kinds of their own microorganisms) in plants and factories and stores, and not cooked properly.

i'm not risking spending $texas at the vet.


if the chicken was raised properly and freshly killed and cleaned, then maybe.



oh, the dog/cat is not going to be eating better than me either. that would be ridiculously expensive.

[Edited on November 7, 2005 at 5:27 PM. Reason : ]

11/7/2005 5:20:52 PM