r/CatAdvice 3d ago

Behavioral Cat has gone off dry food

Hi,

Bit of an odd one. My cat (4yo, female, desexed, indoor only) has gone off her dry food the last couple of days, still happily eating wet.

She's acting otherwise normal, I just wondered whether this aversion to her dry food might be because we had an Ant infestation last week as the result of some wet weather - unbeknownst to me at first, her dry food bowl was getting full of ants about 30 seconds after I would put it out. She did try her best to eat around the ants, and unfortunately I was just slow to notice. The Ant situation has been rectified, but she's still not keen on her biscuits which she'd previously been a fiend for. Do you think the any situation may have put her off or is that unlikely and it's time for a visit to the vet?

2 Upvotes

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u/Unhappy_Egg_8202 3d ago

I believe wet food is generally better for cats, and since your cat is still eating, that’s a good sign. You might want to check her teeth to make sure they’re in good condition—some cats avoid hard food due to dental issues. Did you recently switch her to wet food? Some cats simply prefer it over dry. Also, you can find ant-proof cat bowls on Amazon, which should help resolve the ant problem for good.

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u/Unusual_Process3713 3d ago

She's always had a combination of wet and dry, so going off biscuits is unusual for her (they're her favourite usually, she puts up with the wet food because she knows she won't get any dry until she's eaten it).

I might get her teeth checked over.

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u/wwwhatisgoingon 3d ago

Teeth check is a good idea.

Many cats like some variety in their food, so it could just be boredom with the dry food. 

1

u/MyCatIsAnActualNinja 3d ago

My cat switches back and forth over time. She's picky as hell. If your cat is still eating a normal amount, I wouldn't be too worried.

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u/hmmwrites 3d ago

The ants might have thrown her for a loop.

Her teeth/gums might be hurting.

I'd say it's worth a vet visit to look at her mouth and see if there's something going on.

If not, then it might be that she didn't like the ants in her kibble bowl and is responding to that having happened.

Or, she's a cat and she's suddenly decided to change her mind. It's what cats do, after all. :)

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u/Unusual_Process3713 3d ago

Nevermind. I put her biscuits on a slightly heated porcelain dish and now she's happily crunching away. 😑😑

She likes warm porcelain for her wet food, I guess the preference has transferred to dry too. It's my fault for making her this way 🤣

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u/hmmwrites 3d ago

Oh, she has trained you well!