Do Cats Mature Change Around 3 Years Old?

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matt1991

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5 pounds in 2 months is a LOT of weight to gain! Cats are adult at 12 months. Larger breeds continue growing until about 18 months. You need to take kitty to a vet!
5 is an estimate he has just gained alot lately i noticed by holding him how much heavier he felt hes been so strange lately man he then stopped eating dry food today he was outside with me and one of the male strays i feed whos mean to him runs up attacks him.

i got him off my boy and my boy was very upset scared he looked like he had saliva on his mouth for a few seconds right after which was very strange anyways out of anger i took the stray cat off and droped him off about 9 miles from my house to avoid hurting my cat again hes been through alot and he so obsessed with staying outside

iv tried to keep him inside but hes hell bent on going out as long as i got rid of the stray he can be free to roam around the yard without fear
 
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matt1991

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None of that sounds like normal maturing. Normally by a few years cats do settled down, they don't do zoomies as often, they may play a bit less, have a more mature personality. Sudden weight gain and change in appetite are not normal.

The sudden weight gain is concerning, especially since you say he vomits a lot and doesn't like to eat his food. My first thought is is there someone else who is feeding him, maybe a neighbor? Maybe not even intentionally, I know some people leave food out outside for their cat or dog, or have cat or dog flaps that roaming cats are known to take advantage of.
If that isn't the case my next thought would be a possible internal tumor (I'm guessing you would have said if you saw a tumor growing on him). Also a cat suddenly not eating dry food when it use to love it but eating softer food concerns me too. It could be a sign of something wrong in his mouth, a tooth problem or something causing him to have pain when crunching down on kibble. Though once again if he is finding food elsewhere, something tasty, he may turn his nose up at the same old kibble.
i doubt hes eating else where i know for fact thats not the issue as i know all the neighbors he also doesnt go that far and only eats certain types of food i did get him to eat today well and ordered him some purina cat chow online hopefully he eats it and some wet food i got him today
 

Brian007

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:hellosmiley:

Is he neutered? His obsession with the outdoors might be territorial and might even be to do with the same stray cat who you dispatched today. If he is neutered then how old was he when it was done? If he's not neutered then...

I agree with the others, to keep him inside for the time-being so that you can keep a close eye on what he eats, vomits, and poos. Also, to keep a close eye on his behaviour and grooming habits.

I agree that it sounds as though something stressful may be affecting his behaviour and dietary health. Whether his weight gain is connected to the dog attack or snake bite or not, these events are massive and will almost definitely take a long time to recover from emotionally. Look into a pheromone diffuser like Feliway to help ease his stress, and also look into other 'calming' cat aids, like the herb valerian, and natural amino acids l-tryptophan & casein, which certain veterinary diet cat foods contain, like Royal Canin Calm.

I've known many stray and non-stray neighbourhood cats who make their rounds each day to their favourite homes for an extra bite to eat. I would have thought it almost certain that any cat that roams free outside will have many food sources. You yourself feed stray cats so why shouldn't your own cat eat at some other kind person's door too? Someone new may have moved into your neighbourhood within the past few months who feeds him. A cat's taste for types of food often change and the more variety he is offered the more picky his taste will become. His 'neighbourhood' will be at least 1 square mile if neutered (a lot larger if unneutered) and will contain lots more eating opportunities than you are aware. Due to his stressful history, I'd say he would be prone to comfort eating, and that you really need to keep him inside until you have worked out what is going on with his appetite, however long that may take.

Throwing up a massive pile of cat food once a week with heaps of hair in it and grass = hairballs. Brush him more and try some veterinary hairball paste. That he does throw up is actually no bad thing, as if he didn't then hair could build up inside and cause an obstruction. What does his poo look like? Again, you'll have to keep him indoors for a time to monitor his poo and vomit. Cats have an instinct to eat grass because it makes them vomit and so when they feel full (of hair or whatever) or sickly they eat some. To take the grass away from him would impact his digestive health as he would no longer have a way to vomit, so if you are to keep him indoors he'll need hairball paste and/or 'cat grass', which you can grow very quickly and easily in a shallow dish for him to munch on. The best type of 'cat grass' is wild oat grass 'avena sativa'; I recommend you look into it as it helps, amongst other things, digestion, vomiting, hairballs, and is also extremely calming and de-stressing, as well as being dirt cheap.

You have a lot of fellow members involved with your thread and we're all here to help you to help him (name?). His huge increase in weight is of concern but does not sound immediately life-threatening and you've come to the right place to ask questions and hopefully get answers. But, you really need to keep him indoors until you work out what's happening with what goes into and what comes out of him. Also, weigh him and keep a weekly record of his weight, and try to regulate his diet.

And, I'd also advise a vet check but if you can't afford it then you will find that keeping him indoors for a time is cheaper than letting him out. He will kick up a fuss but you need to know for certain what he eats.

:grouphug:
 

Brian007

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A few things that slipped my mind have sidled back in:

What are his general energy levels like?

Being overweight, especially gaining the weight so quickly, will make him feel sluggish and inactive. Try to play five minute sessions of a high energy fishing rod game like da bird, which would get his blood pumping and open up his lungs. Just make sure that if he starts to pant heavily then stop the game immediately. Build up the time to ten minutes. Da bird is a game that will help strengthen your bond with each other too, as you take part. But it's very low energy from the human's standpoint, just high energy for the cat. My furfamily and I highly recommend it.

What we also highly recommend is a Cat Dancer, which is an even lazier interactive game from the human side but medium high energy for the cat. It's essentially a bit of bendy wire with cardboard on the ends but its movement mimics insects like dragonflies etc. I love the simplicity of the design, they've been on the go for many years, tried and tested - no cat can resist. And, they're relatively super cheap. I think a Cat Dancer would be a gentle but extremely fun way to ease him into an exercise regime. 5 - 10 minutes here and there throughout the day.

Is he an only cat? He might be bored, have post traumatic stress disorder, comfort eating with tasty new meat that some well-meaning neighbour has been giving him, not exercising so not releasing endorphins and dopamine (feel good brain chemicals), so moping about in an ever-increasing (literally) cycle of bad eating habits. And be stuffed to bursting with fur on top of everything.

His ability and speed to digest food will have changed to with the massive weight gain. We need to get him to a state of metabolic balance by regular set mealtimes with the food weighed out precisely. If you don't own scales, they only cost a few dollars and would be an invaluable investment. You weigh him by holding him whilst you stand on the scale, then get off, reset it, then weigh yourself and subtract the difference.

Can we see a photograph of him, please? And his name? It's 5.30am here and I can't sleep but I'm also very far from awake and so can't reread your thread to find out if you mentioned it. Sorry. Time for bed, me thinks.

Everything I've mentioned I recommend you google. Most things can be found on Amazon or the likes. Which country do you live in, and are you in a rural or urban (countryside or town) area? It helps us to know these things.

A cat tree at a window would be a good idea if he's to be inside. You could make your own easily if cost was a problem. I'll try to add links and photos of stuff at a later date.

Oh, and if/when he goes out, put a collar on him with your number in a wee container, asking whoever might be feeding him to please contact you.

I have a stresshead cat, Dudley, he's super sensitive. It's a full-time job being a furparent. And one we owe it to them to take extremely seriously and with great care.

:hangin:
 

Norachan

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i got him off my boy and my boy was very upset scared he looked like he had saliva on his mouth for a few seconds right after which was very strange anyways out of anger i took the stray cat off and droped him off about 9 miles from my house to avoid hurting my cat again hes been through alot and he so obsessed with staying outside

iv tried to keep him inside but hes hell bent on going out as long as i got rid of the stray he can be free to roam around the yard without fear
Oh dear, I wish you hadn't done that!

The other cat won't know how to survive out of his own territory. He's going to head straight back to you, or die trying to get there.

I know you didn't mean to be cruel, but moving a cat out of his territory and dumping him like that is very inhumane. It's also illegal in a lot of places.

Even with this cat gone there are still a lot of dangers outside. There are other feral cats as well as your neighbour's dogs around, aren't there? I remember the only advice you got from the police about out of control dogs was to shoot them, which is an awful thing to have to consider.

There are also wild animals, snakes, cars, cruel and careless people.....The only way you can keep him safe is to keep him indoors or to train him to walk on a harness, so you can be with him when he goes out.

Please don't dump any more cats. It's not going to solve the problem.
 

Brian007

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Norachan Norachan , I swithered back and forwards about mentioning the could-be death sentence now placed on the stray cat, suddenly dumped nine miles away. Cats have NO sense of direction whatsoever, it won't know which way is up. That's why they walk their territory in the exact same pattern each and every day, scent marking as the go, so they can find their spots again the next day.

We get lots of lost indoor cats in Edinburgh, and more often than not, they're lost in their own garden or immediate area, because they've slipped out but have no scent markings to tell them they're near home. Dudley got lost in our stair for 12 hours overnight the other week after slipping out, and I was ill, so for the 1st time EVER didn't seek him out to say, "night night" to him in person. He didn't know which flat door was ours so couldn't scratch on it or meow at it to let me know he was missing. He was upstairs, covered in cobwebs, looking so very small, poking his head through the bannister, when I realised at 8am and ran frantically into the stair in my pyjamas to rescue him. I feel more bad about this neglect than can be put into words. But I did it, I own up to it.

But what's done is done.

Just don't do it again, matt1991 matt1991 . Trap, neuter, and release strays in their own areas. Don't go dropping them off in what might as well be Outer Mongolia.

But you will learn from this. So let's look on the bright side.

:dancingblackcat:
 

BonitaBaby

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Oh dear, I wish you hadn't done that!

The other cat won't know how to survive out of his own territory. He's going to head straight back to you, or die trying to get there.

I know you didn't mean to be cruel, but moving a cat out of his territory and dumping him like that is very inhumane. It's also illegal in a lot of places.

Even with this cat gone there are still a lot of dangers outside. There are other feral cats as well as your neighbour's dogs around, aren't there? I remember the only advice you got from the police about out of control dogs was to shoot them, which is an awful thing to have to consider.

There are also wild animals, snakes, cars, cruel and careless people.....The only way you can keep him safe is to keep him indoors or to train him to walk on a harness, so you can be with him when he goes out.

Please don't dump any more cats. It's not going to solve the problem.
I thought of this too when I read the post about relocating the feral cat. Hopefully, the cat is okay or finds his way back to his/your territory soon.

Since you feed ferals, can you help trap and neuter any? There might be a charity nearby that does TNR.

EDIT: I just read Brian007 Brian007 's response and didn't realize that cats need scent-markings to find their way back home. I agree with the TNR.
 
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matt1991

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I thought of this too when I read the post about relocating the feral cat. Hopefully, the cat is okay or finds his way back to his/your territory soon.

Since you feed ferals, can you help trap and neuter any? There might be a charity nearby that does TNR.

EDIT: I just read Brian007 Brian007 's response and didn't realize that cats need scent-markings to find their way back home. I agree with the TNR.
i know it sounds cruel but im in a very bad situation atm iv been very bad off financially past few months due to car issues had to quit a job i was at due to living 45 miles from town in the country.

there are no animal shelters here i dont live in a city where people pay taxes everyone mooches off the gov so there isnt any shelters ect for animals cops tell people to shoot them i would never kill an animal and my car can only drive 5 miles atm without overheating till i get it fixed again so i felt he could have a new home close by these houses.

he kept attacking my boy non stop and my boy was always super afraid to even be near him if u could see how the interactions happened you would see i felt really bad but i had to look out for the interest of my boy whow as innocent
 
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matt1991

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:hellosmiley:

Is he neutered? His obsession with the outdoors might be territorial and might even be to do with the same stray cat who you dispatched today. If he is neutered then how old was he when it was done? If he's not neutered then...

I agree with the others, to keep him inside for the time-being so that you can keep a close eye on what he eats, vomits, and poos. Also, to keep a close eye on his behaviour and grooming habits.

I agree that it sounds as though something stressful may be affecting his behaviour and dietary health. Whether his weight gain is connected to the dog attack or snake bite or not, these events are massive and will almost definitely take a long time to recover from emotionally. Look into a pheromone diffuser like Feliway to help ease his stress, and also look into other 'calming' cat aids, like the herb valerian, and natural amino acids l-tryptophan & casein, which certain veterinary diet cat foods contain, like Royal Canin Calm.

I've known many stray and non-stray neighbourhood cats who make their rounds each day to their favourite homes for an extra bite to eat. I would have thought it almost certain that any cat that roams free outside will have many food sources. You yourself feed stray cats so why shouldn't your own cat eat at some other kind person's door too? Someone new may have moved into your neighbourhood within the past few months who feeds him. A cat's taste for types of food often change and the more variety he is offered the more picky his taste will become. His 'neighbourhood' will be at least 1 square mile if neutered (a lot larger if unneutered) and will contain lots more eating opportunities than you are aware. Due to his stressful history, I'd say he would be prone to comfort eating, and that you really need to keep him inside until you have worked out what is going on with his appetite, however long that may take.

Throwing up a massive pile of cat food once a week with heaps of hair in it and grass = hairballs. Brush him more and try some veterinary hairball paste. That he does throw up is actually no bad thing, as if he didn't then hair could build up inside and cause an obstruction. What does his poo look like? Again, you'll have to keep him indoors for a time to monitor his poo and vomit. Cats have an instinct to eat grass because it makes them vomit and so when they feel full (of hair or whatever) or sickly they eat some. To take the grass away from him would impact his digestive health as he would no longer have a way to vomit, so if you are to keep him indoors he'll need hairball paste and/or 'cat grass', which you can grow very quickly and easily in a shallow dish for him to munch on. The best type of 'cat grass' is wild oat grass 'avena sativa'; I recommend you look into it as it helps, amongst other things, digestion, vomiting, hairballs, and is also extremely calming and de-stressing, as well as being dirt cheap.

You have a lot of fellow members involved with your thread and we're all here to help you to help him (name?). His huge increase in weight is of concern but does not sound immediately life-threatening and you've come to the right place to ask questions and hopefully get answers. But, you really need to keep him indoors until you work out what's happening with what goes into and what comes out of him. Also, weigh him and keep a weekly record of his weight, and try to regulate his diet.

And, I'd also advise a vet check but if you can't afford it then you will find that keeping him indoors for a time is cheaper than letting him out. He will kick up a fuss but you need to know for certain what he eats.

:grouphug:
i got him neutered when he was around 6 months old he doesnt really go far when i let him out he usually stays right beside the house or in a cool bush and watches nature hes been alot better lately the mother cat of the kittens is nicer to him that i have gotten rid of the other male cat they use to would gang upon him together now she leaves him alone and doesnt mind that her kittens wrestle with him
 
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