Ideas to Slow Down a Cat's Eating

Often, eating too quickly can cause serious health concerns in cats, including vomiting, weight gain and digestive issues. Slowing down a cat's eating can be easy with the right tools. Also, it can enrich your cat's life or help an overweight cat loose some of those extra pounds.

  1. Feed Smaller Portions

    • If you are using large food bowls, this may cause your cat to eat everything in the bowl in one sitting. Some cats, such as feral cats, tend to do this if, in the past, they have not known where their next meal is coming from. Switching to smaller bowls and smaller portion sizes will not allow your cat to eat so much in one sitting.

    Change Your Food Delivery

    • Many food delivery options can be found in the toy aisle of your pet store. These are little feeders, such as balls and Kong toys, in which you put dry food. They make your cat work to get its food. You can also create homemade feeders by putting food in little boxes with holes or in toilet paper tubes. Your cat has to move the object around, and it dispenses only a little food at a time. This is also a good option for overweight cats who need some exercise.

    Put Something Solid in the Cat Food Bowl

    • Some pet store companies make "slow down" bowls. These are regular food bowls with elevated portions throughout the dish. These dishes keep food to the side, so your pet can not grab at the food. You can also make one of these with a large bowl and a smaller bowl. Place the smaller bowl upside down inside the larger bowl and pour the food around the outside of the small bowl.

    Freeze the Diet

    • Freezing a cat's diet is especially useful for outside cats or cats eating wet food. Freeze its diet in ice cube trays with a little bit of water, and deliver the cubes to your cat either outdoors or in a bowl. Your cat will enjoy licking the food away from the ice. For a treat, you can also do this with leftover tuna juice, treats or blood from a raw steak.