You’ve been feeding your cat the same food type for months on end. And your feline friend has been faithfully consuming his food without putting up a fuss.
But recently, you’ve started to notice an unusual pattern in the cat’s eating habits. The animal no longer relishes his food as enthusiastically as he did before.
No matter how well you serve him his food, the cat simply takes a few bites and then walks away from the food bowl. Even when he’s visibly famished, the animal seems to develop an instant dislike for his treats the moment he takes the first bite. Sometimes, the smell of his food is all it takes to turn your cat off.
As a loving and caring cat owner, this new trend may get you wondering whether your cat no longer fancies his food. Like most pet parents in your situation, you might find yourself asking, do cats randomly stop liking their food?
The answer to this question is a resounding yes. Like humans, cats do get bored of eating the same food over and over again. Flavor and texture are the main reasons cats may become fed up with the same food type. These also happen to be the primary reasons we humans change our diets every so often.
But as you shall find, there are a lot more reasons your feline friend may develop an instant dislike for his food.
If you’re the type of pet parent who doesn’t change his cat’s diet often enough, this article for you. Read on as we unpack some of the causes of food-induced boredom in cats and what you can do to spice up your kitto’s diet.
Table of Contents
Do Cats Get Bored Of Their Food?
As we’ve just pointed out, cats can get bored of eating the same food type over and over. And there’s a long list of reasons your feline friend may develop a dislike for his food. But before we delve deeper into those reasons, it’s important to familiarize yourself with certain inherent dietary habits among cats.
What Do Cats Generally Eat?
You probably already know that cats are obligate carnivores. This implies that they’re naturally wired to consume a diet of animal products, particularly lean meat. Although cats can snack on certain plant-based foods occasionally, their main diet should consist of animal protein.
Perhaps it’s due to this reason that many cat owners don’t appreciate the need to change their cat’s diets often enough. However, it’s worth noting that even animal products come in various shapes and sizes.
Take a moment and examine the behavior of the domestic cat’s wild cousins, such as lions and leopards. You’ll realize that these animals do not consume the same prey every day, unless that’s the only available option at the moment. Obviously, the taste and texture of gazelle meat is quite different from that of buffalo, zebra, or wildebeest meat.
The same logic applies to the domestic cat. A self-sufficient cat may eat a range of animals, from mice and birds to frogs, lizards, insects, etc.
The fact that the housecat has lived with humans for thousands of years makes it all the more necessary to change their diets from time to time. That’s because these animals have since acquired some of our dietary habits, which include snacking on plant-based products like fruits and vegetables.
Even if you prefer to stick to store-bought pet treats, it’s still important to experiment with different food types from time to time.
So, Should I Change My Cat’s Food Regularly?
Again, it’s prudent to change your cat’s food regularly. Ideally, no animal will enjoy the same food type the rest of its life.
Besides, it’s worth pointing out that cats are picky eaters. So, even if there’s nothing inherently wrong with the food you’re serving him, your cute furball may still become disinterested in it.
You could also be wondering, are some cats pickier than others?
Some cats are definitely more of fussy eaters than others. This underscores the importance of researching deeper into a cat’s behavior and personality before bringing the animal home.
Before adopting a cat, always inquire from the breeder to understand some of the dietary challenges you may have to deal with.
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Why Do Cats Get Tired Of Their Food?
One of the frequently asked questions among pet parents is, does my cat get bored of her food?
As we’ve already stated and reiterated, cats do get bored of their food.
Perhaps the question we should now settle is, why do cats get tired of eating the same thing?
The following are the top reasons your feline friend may fall out of love with his food.
1. Same Taste and Flavor
This is arguably the main reason cats do get bored of eating the same food type.
Cats, much like dogs and humans, are able to classify flavors by their sweetness, bitterness, saltiness, or sourness. And even though cats have far fewer taste buds than humans, they’ll still develop flavor fatigue on a long enough timeline.
Note that cats will become fed up with the same food even if the food contains their naturally preferred flavors. So, don’t be surprised if your feline friend no longer enjoys beef or tuna like he did before.
2. Same Smell
The senses of smell and taste often function synergistically. So, the fact that cats can get bored of the same food taste also explains why the mere smell of certain foods might turn them off.
3. Same Appearance
It doesn’t matter how regularly you change your cat’s diet. If the food always has the same appearance, then the animal may become disinterested in it.
So, don’t be fooled into believing that your cat will enjoy a new food just because the food resembles chicken leg, which the cat is already too familiar with.
4. Same Texture
Cats naturally enjoy foods with certain textures. But due to their curiosity, they might also want to try out other food textures. Therefore, feeding your cat foods of the same texture every day is not a great idea.
Now, this may get you wondering, can cats distinguish different foods?
Yes, cats are smart enough to distinguish different foods based on their texture, appearance, flavors, and smells. That explains why some cats tend to play with foods that resemble their potential prey, such as spaghetti.
5. Same Bowl
You’ve probably read countless publications describing cats as ‘creatures of habit.’ This description is true, alright. But remember that familiarity also breeds contempt.
If your cat has been eating and drinking from the same bowl for months, he may want a change. In this case, the problem isn’t with the food quality but the bowl.
6. Same Feeding Hours and Spots
This also ties back to the assertion that cats are creatures of habit. Ideally, you wouldn’t want to make drastic changes to your cat’s eating hours and spots.
However, some cats may refuse to eat their food simply because the food is always served in the same place and at the same time of day. Staggering the feeding hours and spots a little may help.
7. Medical Condition
Some cats may get bored with their food due to an underlying medical condition. This is normally true where the cat is suffering from an upset stomach. The cat fears that eating might induce vomiting or diarrhea.
Besides an upset stomach, anxiety may also cause a cat to avoid his food. The same is true if the cat is allergic to certain ingredients in the food.
Some chronic illnesses, such as feline arthritis or diabetes, may also cause cats to become disinterested in their foods.
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So, do cats get tired of the same food?
Yes, they do. And as explained above, there are numerous reasons behind food-induced boredom.
Do cats get tired of the same dry food?
The answer remains yes. In fact, dry food presents additional risks of dehydration. So, it’s best to avoid giving your cat too much dry food even if the animal doesn’t get bored of it.
Do cats get tired of their wet food too?
Whether wet or dry, cats will eventually get bored of eating the same food type.
It’s also important to remember that cats are generally finicky eaters. So, your cat may no longer want to eat his food even if there’s nothing wrong with the food quality or the manner in which it’s served.
Last but not least, your cat could refuse to eat his food because he’s bored in general. Boredom is common among understimulated cats.
Can Cats Eat The Same Food Every Day?
It’s not unusual to come across a cat owner wondering, do cats get tired of eating the same food every day?
As we’ve just seen, cats generally become bored of eating the same food type. But as they say, there’s always an exception to every rule.
While most cats will develop an aversion to the same food type on a long enough timeline, some cats may actually prefer eating the same foods. It all depends with your cat and what you’ve been serving him.
One reason some cats may develop a love affair with certain food types is if that’s the food the cat has grown up eating all his life. If your cat has always ate tuna-based foods from kitten stage, it’s possible that he may refuse to try out other foods.
Now, this may get you wondering, can kittens get bored of their food?
Kittens are less likely to become fed up with their foods than adult cats. In fact, most kittens survive exclusively on their mother’s milk.
What Do You Do If Your Cat Is Bored Of Food?
As a proud and loving cat owner, you’ll occasionally find yourself wondering, why does my cat stop eating the same food? In fact, you may find yourself asking this question more often if your cat happens to be a picky eater.
Fortunately, we’ve tried to uncover all the possible reasons cats may develop an instant dislike for their foods. But since you already know the reasons, you’re probably now wondering what you can do to make your cat eat normally again.
First and foremost, it’s important to begin by getting to the bottom of the problem. The solutions you adopt will depend on the actual reasons your cat is refusing to eat.
The following are effective tips for dealing with a picky eater;
1. Change the Food Ingredients
Since flavor and smell are the main reasons cats get fed up with their food, changing the flavors in your cat’s treats is an excellent way to curb food-induced boredom.
This should be easy to achieve for homemade cat foods as all you need to do is alter the ingredients. If buying cat foods from your local pet store, examine the flavor-enhancers used in these products to ensure they’re different each time.
Most importantly, check the ingredients carefully to ensure they’re those generally approved as safe for cat consumption. Avoid foods prepared using ingredients like garlic and onion.
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2. Change the Food Texture and Appearance
Changing the texture and appearance of your cat food might also help to rekindle the animal’s interest in his food. There are several ways to go about this.
First, you can consider different forms of the same food. For instance, you could replace solid foods with their ground equivalents. You could also replace dry cat foods with wet or canned ones.
Reducing the bite sizes is another way to change the texture and appearance of cat food. If your cat is used to gobbling huge chunks of meat, consider serving him smaller meat chunks instead. The mere reduction in size might fool the animal into believing that you served him a new food type.
3. Experiment With Other Bowls
If you suspect that your cat’s food or water bowl is the problem, replacing it may help to curb food-induced boredom.
However, ensure that the two bowls aren’t entirely different in size, shape, and color. Introducing a completely new food bowl may be counterproductive considering that cats are creatures of habit.
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4. Change Feeding Hours and Spots
Some cats may become fed up with their food because you always serve them food at the same spots and during the same hours every day. If this is the case, you may have some luck changing the feeding hours and places.
But just like when changing a cat’s feeding bowl, it’s recommended to go slow when altering the animal’s feeding hours and places. The changes should be significant enough to spice up the cat’s interest in his food while still subtle enough not to throw his routine off balance.
If you’ve always been serving your cat lunch at, say, 1:00 pm, you could switch to noon or 2:00 pm as opposed to 10:00 am or 4:00 pm. Similarly, moving the cat’s food bowl from one corner of the room to another may be more effective than transferring the bowl to a new room.
5. Keep Your Cat Stimulated
Like all pets, cats require adequate stimulation. Understimulated cats may become so bored that they no longer enjoy the things that naturally make them happy, such as eating and playing. That underscores the importance of keeping your cat stimulated at all times.
Adequate physical and mental stimulation is particularly encouraged for pet parents who lead a traveler’s lifestyle where they’re hardly ever available to play with or exercise their furry friends. In this case, you can make up for your absence by getting your cat suitable toys.
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6. Consult Your Vet
If you suspect that your cat’s refusal to eat is due to an underlying medical condition, you could help the situation by scheduling a visit to your vet.
The vet will diagnose your cat and prescribe the right medication. The treatment course generally includes multivitamins to curb appetite loss as the cat recovers from whichever disease he’s suffering from.
Should You Feed Your Cat The Same Food Every Day?
Admittedly, most cats do get bored of eating the same food regularly. But there are also some cats that are more comfortable eating the same food varieties every day.
Nonetheless, it’s still important to change your cat’s food regularly. Cats shouldn’t eat the same food every day.
According to pet nutritionists, swapping cat foods is an excellent way to prevent food-related allergies. Cats that eat the same foods for long are more likely to develop allergic reactions to one or more ingredients in the food.
Changing your cat’s food regularly is also a perfect way to avoid malnutrition. That’s for the simple reason that different foods have different nutritional profiles.
Maybe you’ve always wondered, why does my cat no longer like his food? Can cats stop liking their food?
Again, there are numerous reasons cats may no longer enjoy their food. But even if your cat doesn’t complain after eating the same food type for months, it’s still prudent to change the animal’s food regularly.
So, can I feed my cat two different brands of food?
You sure can. In fact, it’s totally recommended to change your cat’s food brand. Just be sure to examine the brand for any ingredients known to be potentially toxic to cats.
Do Cats Get Tired of Eating the Same Food?
Although we’ve already addressed this topic conclusively, it warrants repeating that most cats do get bored of eating the same food for long. As a pet owner, it’s important to know what to do if your cat doesn’t eat for an extended period.
Some of the tips you can implement include changing the food’s flavor, taste, texture, and appearance, as well as altering the feeding bowls, feeding hours, and feeding spots. If nothing changes despite your best efforts, consider taking the animal to the vet.
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