Hello I'm new here and I'm frantic for help with my cat, Stinky.
He's about 3 years old. He's a very active cat, indoor/outdoor, who has always been rather thin and lanky. He's a short hair tabby cat.
Recently, about a week and a half ago, he suddenly started eating like he's starving. He constantly meows for food and when I give him some he eats so fast he literally has to stop and breath. I've taken several different tactics to stop him from over eating. I thought I was overfeeding him at first so I gave him a bit less, but he still continued to cry for more food like he's dying- I'm talking full out screams as is he's hurt. I then spaced out his feedings and gave him smaller portions multiple times a day rather than eating once in the morning and once in the evening- but that didn't work. He will force his brother out of his bowl (they have separate bowls and eat on opposite sides of the room) to eat his food and will scream when I try to take him away. He's also forced his way into their food container so i had to get a new container to prevent him from over eating.
When he eats dry food he doesn't chew it at all and will later on throw it all up. So I since switched him to wet food which he seemed to eat slower given he stopped to chew it due to the moister, but he has since started swallowing it frantically. He's still on wet food because it seems to be the only thing that doesn't make him throw up and I added a ball to his bowl so he's forced to eat around the ball, that seems to have helped a bit but he's already learning how to just push the ball out of his food.
I have a vet appointment scheduled for Friday because they wouldn't give me an earlier date. When I called they said I was just over feeding him but there's no way that's possible because he's always had the same amount of food and has always ate the same food until now when I switched him to wet food.
He doesn't seem ill at all, if anything he's been more active due to meowing for food all the time (he's normally a very quiet kitty). However yesterday he suddenly started sneezing, but it's only occasionally. His brother isn't exhibiting any of this behavior and I feel had it been something like worms he would have been showing symptoms by now but both of them are still acting normal aside from his need for food. And I feel if he ate something bad from outside it would have passed through his system by now or he would have been exhibiting more signs of sickness, but he seems fine aside from just being hungry.
I don't know why he's suddenly being this way. Nothing drastic has changed in our household lately so I don't think it would be a stress issue. He still seems happy and healthy.
Has anyone had this issue before? If so, what was it? Does my cat have some illness or is he just really hungry?
He's about 3 years old. He's a very active cat, indoor/outdoor, who has always been rather thin and lanky. He's a short hair tabby cat.
Recently, about a week and a half ago, he suddenly started eating like he's starving. He constantly meows for food and when I give him some he eats so fast he literally has to stop and breath. I've taken several different tactics to stop him from over eating. I thought I was overfeeding him at first so I gave him a bit less, but he still continued to cry for more food like he's dying- I'm talking full out screams as is he's hurt. I then spaced out his feedings and gave him smaller portions multiple times a day rather than eating once in the morning and once in the evening- but that didn't work. He will force his brother out of his bowl (they have separate bowls and eat on opposite sides of the room) to eat his food and will scream when I try to take him away. He's also forced his way into their food container so i had to get a new container to prevent him from over eating.
When he eats dry food he doesn't chew it at all and will later on throw it all up. So I since switched him to wet food which he seemed to eat slower given he stopped to chew it due to the moister, but he has since started swallowing it frantically. He's still on wet food because it seems to be the only thing that doesn't make him throw up and I added a ball to his bowl so he's forced to eat around the ball, that seems to have helped a bit but he's already learning how to just push the ball out of his food.
I have a vet appointment scheduled for Friday because they wouldn't give me an earlier date. When I called they said I was just over feeding him but there's no way that's possible because he's always had the same amount of food and has always ate the same food until now when I switched him to wet food.
He doesn't seem ill at all, if anything he's been more active due to meowing for food all the time (he's normally a very quiet kitty). However yesterday he suddenly started sneezing, but it's only occasionally. His brother isn't exhibiting any of this behavior and I feel had it been something like worms he would have been showing symptoms by now but both of them are still acting normal aside from his need for food. And I feel if he ate something bad from outside it would have passed through his system by now or he would have been exhibiting more signs of sickness, but he seems fine aside from just being hungry.
I don't know why he's suddenly being this way. Nothing drastic has changed in our household lately so I don't think it would be a stress issue. He still seems happy and healthy.
Has anyone had this issue before? If so, what was it? Does my cat have some illness or is he just really hungry?