Cat not chewing food/treats properly

mismaris777

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Another Taylor issue...
Taylor, my 13 y/o lady, very rarely chews her food or her treats. The vet said it's nothing to worry about, but I'm skeptical. Isn't she more liable to choke? I don't want to do the kitty heimlich lol! Heck I don't know how to. I do give her wet food for dinner and I do try to give her semi-moist/moist treats so it's easier to chew, but even then she hardly chews. I think it's important to note that she is missing a canine tooth and some other front teeth (don't know why, she came to me like that). But considering her age, her teeth are in great condition. Taylor has always done this, ever since I adopted her. Is there anything I should do to possibly encourage her to chew, or prevent choking?
 

yosemite

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No worries - cats don't "chew" - their jaws only go up and down, not side to side. If the pieces are small they usually just swallow them, if the pieces are large, they break the piece with the tip of the tooth and swallow.
 

blueandfrodo

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cats are carnivores and carnivore teeth are made for ripping and tearing meat off bones, not chewing. kitties will swallow whole whatever is not too large and will break up pieces that are too large, but they will not chew their food like we do.
 
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mismaris777

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Ah, makes sense.

I think I was just worried because the other ones seem to "break up" their food before they swallow, but she rarely does. I'm a worried mother, lol. All it takes is for one of them to sneeze and I have a heart attack
 

blueandfrodo

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i understand the worry
i worry about my guys too!

some cats are more picky about eating i guess. they are all different and quirky in their own ways
 

claydust

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In my experience with ours; Taz and Kasey are "shop vac's". They are older cats and have never suffered ill effects from this behaviour.

Morgan is a bit more fastideous in her eating habits.
 

wingss2fly

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Kitty heimlich is done by holding cat just below lungs with both hands, and giving a sharp push inward, I did it once when my cat got a treat caught. I was strange.
 

fattykitty

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That seems normal cat chewing. But if she does have a problem, a wet food diet may be more appropriate. Stay away from the semi-moist teeth-they're high in artifical colors and preservatives which can hurt your cat.
 

ldg

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Originally Posted by mismaris777

Ah, makes sense.

I think I was just worried because the other ones seem to "break up" their food before they swallow, but she rarely does. I'm a worried mother, lol. All it takes is for one of them to sneeze and I have a heart attack
We have seven cats. One of them, Spooky, does not "chew." She doesn't "crunch" the kibble at all. Even the large kibble, designed to help tooth health, she swallows whole. She has VERY bad plaque problems. I don't know if this is a result of it or if it's just her genetic make-up - but the not crunching ANY kibble, ever, certainly doesn't help. We try to brush her teeth every day, but it still doesn't help much. She has had four teeth pulled so far (she's 7). She will probably be toothless by the time she's 13!


The only thing I'd do if I were you is to make sure her teeth are OK if she hasn't had a dental in a while - but I'm guessing the vet says it's nothing to worry about because her teeth are OK!


Laurie
 

fattykitty

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Originally Posted by LDG

We have seven cats. One of them, Spooky, does not "chew." She doesn't "crunch" the kibble at all. Even the large kibble, designed to help tooth health, she swallows whole. She has VERY bad plaque problems. I don't know if this is a result of it or if it's just her genetic make-up - but the not crunching ANY kibble, ever, certainly doesn't help. We try to brush her teeth every day, but it still doesn't help much. She has had four teeth pulled so far (she's 7). She will probably be toothless by the time she's 13!


The only thing I'd do if I were you is to make sure her teeth are OK if she hasn't had a dental in a while - but I'm guessing the vet says it's nothing to worry about because her teeth are OK!


Laurie
If you give her raw (cooked will splinter) bones with a bit of meat on them, she will excersise her teeth by gnawing on it for the meat. Dry food (even "dental" brands) doesn't really help her teeth-like pretzels don't help yours.
 
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mismaris777

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Originally Posted by fattykitty

If you give her raw (cooked will splinter) bones with a bit of meat on them, she will excersise her teeth by gnawing on it for the meat. Dry food (even "dental" brands) doesn't really help her teeth-like pretzels don't help yours.
I have tried the raw meat diet thing with all of them... Ugh. That's all I can say about it! The idea was WONDERFUL to me, but when I would give it to them they would just carry it around the whole dang house (gross) and Taylor just turned her nose up to it. And I tried a couple different cuts of meat and different types of meat, she just said nope not having it. And who wants to wake up to a raw piece of chicken next to their head? Certainly not I
If I could afford to feed 3 cats wet food every meal, I would trust me. But at the moment it's only once a day, every day. Dry for breakfast, wet for dinner. (I'm a poor college student
)

Thanks everyone for the advice thus far!
 
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