Why is cat chewing food and spitting it out?
Cats will chew food and spit it out because they’re anxious, scared, and/or dealing with medical issues related to the digestive system. It’s recommended for cat owners to act quickly and find out what’s going on with their cat whether it’s psychological or physical.
This is a common problem, but it’s one that needs to be corrected right away!
Letting things continue for too long will cause the cat to lose weight and become unhealthy. This is the last thing you are going to want, which means it’s time to take action as soon as you can.
The signs can include:
- Constant State of Fatigue
- Refusal to Eat
- Aggression During Eating Period
Each cat is going to behave different, but the result is always going to be the same (i.e. chewing and spitting it out).
This means you have to figure out what’s going on with a cat chewing food and spitting it out. You have to do it quickly, so the problem doesn’t lead to major medical consequences.
This guide is going to help figure out what to consider with a cat chewing food and spitting it out. These tips are going to offer tremendous insight into what your next steps should be.
Table of Contents
Best Cat Food for Cats (EDITOR’S CHOICE)
- Contains one (1) 7 lb bag of IAMS Proactive Health Adult Indoor Weight and Hairball Care Dry Cat Food with Chicken and Turkey
- Chicken is the main ingredient in this protein-rich cat food to help support strong muscles and to provide healthy energy for...
- Formulated with l-carnitine to help your indoor cat lose weight or maintain a healthy weight
Last update on 2023-12-02 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API
Tips To Consider With a Cat Chewing Food and Spitting it Out
Tip #1 – Change the Cat Food
This is an immediate change that has to be made.
Sometimes, the cat’s digestive system isn’t going to react well to a specific type of food. Unfortunately, the cat doesn’t have much of a way to communicate this, so it will try to eat it.
Of course, the digestive system won’t react well to this and that’s when the spitting out happens!
In general, you want to start by changing the cat food to help your cat. This can be a simple change to a healthier brand or to a different type of food (i.e. dry cat food to wet cat food). It’s up to you as to what type of change is going to be made.
The benefits include:
- Easy Change to Make
- Helps the Cat’s Digestive System
- Provides Baseline to Work With
The reason this tends to work has to do with getting to see what’s happening with your cat.
If it is a medical issue, the problem is going to persist. This means you have to speak to a vet and see what’s going on at a deeper level.
Tip #2 – Speak to a Vet
The vet is going to go through a long list of medical exams before coming up with a diagnosis.
With situations such as these, you are better off taking action and learning more about your options. Anything short of this is just not going to offer results and will leave you in the dark as a cat owner!
Be smart and go to a vet as soon as you can.
It’s the best way to learn more about the medical issues the cat is dealing with and whether or not medications need to be taken.
If you don’t go to the vet, you are going to be blindsided with different symptoms.
It’s not easy to deal with because the cat won’t know what’s happening.
This is why it’s better for you to be responsible with a cat chewing food and spitting it out. Take the time to speak to the vet, learn more about what’s going on, and then make changes to the cat’s routine.
Tip #3 – Reduce the Feedings
With a cat chewing food and spitting it out, you will need to cut down on the feedings.
This is going to ensure the problem doesn’t worsen and ruin the cat’s digestive system permanently. You have to be assertive with this change until you get a chance to go to the vet.
Reducing the feedings will help regulate how much food the cat is eating moving forward.
In some cases, a cat may simply be overeating.
This is why you want to find the right type of cat food and then start regulating how much is consumed per day. You can take a look at measurements for your type of cat to see what’s healthy and what’s not.
You should also take the time to change where the food bowl is. This can help if the cat is simply being anxious when it’s eating due to other pets or you!
Tip #4 – Increase Water Intake
This is a change that can help digest food.
With a cat chewing food and spitting it out, you are going to realize water intake can play a role in the cat’s health. It may not have enough water in the body and that can lead to major issues.
Take the time to set out a fresh bowl of water and make sure it’s regularly replenished.
Final Thoughts
Is your cat chewing food and spitting it out?
If so, you are going to need to speak to a vet as soon as possible.
The vet is going to shed light on what you need to do next along with what changes are mandatory. This can include changing the cat’s food, reducing the feedings, and/or changing where the food bowl is set up.
Here are additional articles to go through as a cat owner – reasons for a cat putting food into the water bowl, how to stop cat from crying when leaving the room, find out why a cat won’t eat wet food anymore, and quality dry cat food for your cat at home.