Nutritionist recommends warming up cat food 0 5

“Cats prefer food that is at room temperature, so wet food is best warmed up before offering it. However, this should not be done in a microwave, but rather in a water bath,” she noted.

The expert explained that in the wild, cats are hunters. They catch small animals such as mice, birds, and lizards, whose body temperature is 37.5–39 °C at the moment the cat eats them. Therefore, if a cat is offered food that has just been taken out of the refrigerator, it may refuse it, even if it is hungry.

Various factors influence cats' food preferences. For example, if a cat had a negative experience with a certain food during its first encounter, it may refuse to eat it in the future. Interestingly, if a kitten's mother consumed unusual foods for her species, such as bananas, the grown kitten may develop the same habit.

Food behavior is also influenced by the individual characteristics of the animal: its sex, age, and physiological traits. “Moreover, the cat's behavior is affected by its environment. For instance, if the owner leads an active lifestyle, their cats will also be more active. On the other hand, owners who prefer to enjoy good food and relax on the couch after dinner often have cats that overeat and suffer from obesity,” the expert added.

Cats eat frequently and in small portions; they can consume food up to 20 times a day, both during the day and at night. To prevent the pet from waking its owners at night when it wants to eat, the nutritionist recommends feeding the animal well in the evening and playing with it to tire it out.

If a cat suddenly starts refusing food or, conversely, overeating, the veterinarian advises paying attention to changes in its living conditions. “Perhaps children or other pets have appeared in the family, or something has changed in the pet's living conditions. This could cause stress, leading the animal to refuse food or, on the contrary, overeat, as cats, like humans, tend to eat their stress away,” explained Maria Yatsyshina.