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Why is my cat smacking lips and eating less wet food? Is 3oz enough?

Updated On September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Cat | Mixed Breed | Male | neutered | 6 lbs

Our 9 yr old male cat is smacking his lips/mouth x 6 days when eating wet food. No issues when eating dry food. In September had his right eye removed due to glaucoma caused by an infection. Since June 2020 his appetite has been reduced d/t pain related to the glaucoma abd possible stress. Post-surgery he has been stable at 6 pounds and eating 3oz/day. Is his intake at 3oz/day ok? and is mouth smacking related to his decline in appetite or another illness?

2 Answers

Most Helpful Answer

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Answered By Lauren Jones VMD

Veterinarian

Published on November 22nd, 2020

I'm sorry to hear that Blackie has been through so much lately! As Dr. Orioles mentioned, it's possible that Blackie's lip and mouth smacking is due to nausea, or even dental problems. Some possible causes of nausea in cats include pain, kidney disease, inflammatory bowel disease, or even infectious viruses. If he's nauseous or experiencing some degree of oral pain, this could certainly explain his decreased appetite. I definitely think it's warranted to have Blackie examined by his vet to see if there are any apparent dental or other physical issues. Your vet may also recommend running some blood work to check on his organ function. As far as the 3 oz per day of food that he's eating, it's possible that it might be enough for him, but it's also possible that it isn't. The calorie density in cat foods varies pretty widely by brand and formulation. If his food his a high calorie density, then it might be enough, but if it's a lower calorie food, then it likely isn't enough. One good way of assessing this at home is to monitor his weight to see if it stays stable. I hope that everything goes well for Blackie!

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Other Answers

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    Answered By Dr. Massimo Orioles, DVM, Cert AVP, MRCVS

    Veterinarian

    Published on

    Hi and thanks for your request. Mouth/lip smacking is usually related to nausea and decreased appetite could be due to that as well. The quantity of food would depend on the type of food you are giving /caloric content, so more informations about it are needed to be able to give you more specific advices.

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