Why is my cat suddenly eating so slowly and not finishing meals?

If you think it is her teeth bothering her, she needs them examined by your veterinarian. The doctor will be able to assess the health of the gums and teeth and may suggest a dental cleaning / extractions. Most cats will require dental cleanings at some point in their life, and usually extractions. If she is refusing to eat, you obviously need to get her in to be seen sooner than later. Hope this makes sense.

It is probably not normal. I suggest you schedule an exam with your veterinarian for your cat. Your cat may have dental problems (gingivitis and/or tartar, tooth infections), diabetes or another endocrine disease. Oder kitties also often have problems with their kidneys. A thorough clinical exam and blood tests can at least rule out any serious disease that could cause eating less than usual.

Keanu could have a severe dental problem that is preventing her from eating or cleaning herself problem. She could also have some spinal pain or injury that is keeping her from cleaning herself and making her not want to eat. It can be serious when a cat stops eating, so I would take her into a vet today for an exam. If she goes longer than three days without eating, she can develop a fatty liver, so she should be seen as soon as possible to diagnose why she is showing these symptoms.

This sounds very much like she may have a tooth problem or a mouth ulcer or an injury. Since she apparently is in pain when you try to touch her around the mouth, I suggest you take her to your veterinarian for a dental exam. She may need a tooth removed or be treated for an ulcer or have tartar removed.

Cats may not eat due to many conditions including bacterial over growth, parasites, viral infection, bad teeth, severe gingivitis or other even organ diseases. If the not eating has continued beyond 24 hours, I recommend to have her examined by the veterinarian. Since there are so many conditions, the doctor will preform a physical exam to start figuring out the cause. Make sure to bring in a sample of fresh stool. The doctor will check her for parasites and bacterial over growth. Many times a bland diet (you can try boiled white meat chicken and plain boiled white rice) can help and then a slow, gradual introduction to the normal food can be done. A good diet in general is Royal Canin. It is low residue and highly digestible. I hope your kitty starts feeling better quickly! Please feel free to post any additional questions!

It’s difficult to tell, but I don’t find it’s particularly common for a cat to suddenly change preferences as an adult and become picky. If your vet is concerned about periodontal disease it might be best to go ahead and schedule a full oral and dental exam under anesthesia if it was recommended- there are many oral and dental problems that just can’t be seen on an unsedated oral exam.

If Zelda is still eating a normal amount of her usual food this may simply be a change in preference - just like people cats sometimes decide they don't like a food as much as they once did. It's also possible that she isn't eating as much as she gets a bit older and is not growing as rapidly. If she seems to be eating a lot less overall or losing weight this could be a sign of an underlying illness and you should have her examined by your vet.