Cat Knocking Over Trash

For context I’ve owned a former stray for almost a year now (10 months) and his behavior problems have been improving but his obsession with food never goes away!

We feed him small portions about a little bit less than a handful 4-5 times a day to control his hunger, but despite that he demands more.

I own a glutton cat and it is a problem keeping him away from human food & controlling his diet. It is already very difficult keeping him away from his cat food and difficult keeping him away while we cook but now there is a new problem...

My boyfriend and I bought a larger, metallic pedal trash can thats about 2 1/2 feet tall to ensure that he can’t get in; he was able to find a way to work the new one.

He is much larger than the average cat so
1) his paw and face easily opens the lid of the can
2) the trash can’s bag sticks out ever so slightly and he will tear, bite, and scratch at it for hours (longest was 4 hours) until he is able to get what he wants or knocks over the can
3) he uses claws to grab whatever is in the trash: rotting vegetables, plastic, crumbs, pizza and continues to claw at it and leave trash everywhere
4) I have no idea how he does this because the can is about 2x his size but he is able to reach contents in the bottom of the can.

I don’t want to have to entirely get rid of a trash can in our kitchen because that is a hassle, but after replacing the kitchen trashcans in futility into increasingly sturdier types it is becoming very difficult for us to find more cat-resistant cans because he gets into them every time.

For owners of glutton cats, what are your solutions?

Add a child safety latch to the trash can? There are ones specifically for trash cans. You can also search online for DIY dog / pet proofing trash can ideas. Maybe also get a trash can where the bag doesn't hang outside the can? Simple Human is one brand but there are likely others. Or, if possible, get a smaller trash can and put it inside of a lower cabinet. I have one that hangs inside the cabinet from the door.

What are you feeding your cat? Dry or canned? Some canned foods are pretty low in calories so even if you think you're feeding way too much, it's not enough to satisfy a cat. Calories aren't usually a problem with dry food since they have way more calories an average cat needs daily but a few handfuls daily might not be enough for your cat.

Do you have space under your sink where you can put the can behind doors? A lot of people do that.

Alternatively may you could try spraying the can with one of the scent products that supposedly repel cats. Or double sided tape -- cats supposedly don't like that. No idea if these ideas will work, but may be worth a try. Even if it does work, the double sided tape would probably get pretty gross, but you could stop it once he is trained. Hopefully.

LTS3 had a really good idea too. This is a common problem for dogs -- I even have a FB friend that is always posting about this. So you could do some internet searching for dog & trash or trashcan and get additional ideas. Its a common problem for kittens as well, but as far as getting into big sturdy cans I think that is normally a dog thing.

He's still afraid of starving. That can take years to overcome.

Another member was having trouble with her cat helping her cook and solved the problem by locking the cat in the bedroom while she cooked. That's actually easier and much safer for kitty and you than working on voice training. Kitchens are dangerous places and kitties who want things like to persuade you by winding around your ankles.

If you have the room you might try an outdoor trash can - plastic with a lid that snap locks into place. It's possible a large cat would have the strength to open it after he knocked it over, so it might be best to wedge it in place.

Another solution, and cheaper, if you have the room is a swinging trash can. I hung a plastic kitchen bucket from the bottom of a high shelf. Use two large cup hooks well spaced. When the cats stretched or leapt at it they could hit it and it would swing but not tip over and spill it's contents. Since it was small I did have to empty it into the outside bin every day or every other day.

I did have a couple of long lanky boys, with a good stretch on them. Unlike squirrels, they got discouraged fairly quickly. However none of that set had ever starved, so the physical restraint of the bucket may be all you've got.

Years?!? I have a neurotic 9 year old semi-feral that is still obsessed with food.

I would try making puzzle feeders so food is always there but he has to really work for it. Maybe those feeder toys where he has to find his food that you hide in different places every day.

is your cat overweight? if not, maybe he really IS hungry.

True our semi-feral stuffs himself until he vomit s(in the food bowl sometimes.) What worked? Mutiple full bowels and letting him in more often (because if his silliness gets locked out for 4-6 hours then he panicks and gorges himself.) It was why I mentioned puzzle feeders, that or a constant bowl of dry food that is always there.

I have the same problem with my cats. They get into the broom closet and tip over the trash can. Spraying the can occasionally with plain old chlorinated kitchen cleaner (Clorox or similar brand) seems to make it unappealing to them.

I had this problem with my cats. In the end, I locked the trash can in a cupboard to keep it out of their way.