4 year old male cat CONSTANTLY begging for food, scavenging the house

[tiakristia]

okay... anyone have any experience with getting their cat to stop begging for food CONSTANTLY?

I caught my roommate giving my cat Dusty human food a couple months ago and ever since then his begging has gotten worse and worse. I have never had problems like this with Dusty in the three years that I have had him, until now. He used to NEVER want human food!!

I love Dusty with all my heart but I honestly cannot figure out how to get him to stop begging. he meows and meows constantly and follows me and my roommates around meowing. even when he has just eaten literally seconds before. he scavenges the house for any bit of food he can find, tries to eat people's food as they are eating, he goes in the sink and licks dirty dishes. right now he is outside my bedroom door scratching and meowing. I have tried almost everything.

things i have tried:

-feeding him more food than usual (I feed my cats a grain-free raw food diet by Primal, so they eat well)
-enclosing him in a separate room away from people who are eating/cooking
-feeding him separately from my other cat
-giving him treats/catnip/new toys
-using a water spray bottle when he is begging
-ignoring his pleas/firmly saying no to his pleas
-playing with him when he is begging (he refuses to play, just continues begging)

I would like to note that I have been making sure that I feed him enough and sometimes even more than enough, and I have a cuddle session with him at least once a day. I have had him for over three years and have never had a problem like this with him, until only a couple months ago when I caught my roommate giving him human food, then he started behaving like this. Since then his behavior has gotten worse and worse and I really don't know what to do. My other cat, Ophelia, is as happy as can be and never gives me a problem. She eats, and then she goes to play or rest, and never continues begging like Dusty does.

I have read articles on how to correct this problem and have tried almost everything. There are even articles out there saying that it could be a psychological obsession with food. I don't even know where to begin.

I want to get a cat tree/perch for him so then maybe he will distract himself with that, so that is my next step.

I am just looking for advice from anyone that has had this problem with their cat(s). Thank you.

 

[Willowy]

I recommed taking him to the vet for a checkup and bloodwork. A thyroid test specifically, as hyperthyroid can cause constant hunger.

Also, are you giving them just one flavor of Primal, or do you rotate proteins? I'm of the opinion that, no matter how good a food may be, eating one thing every day for years simply cannot be healthy. He may be low in some nutrient and his body is trying to get it somehow.

What kind of "people food" was your roommate feeding him? Is there a particular kind of food he seems to want more than others?

 

[kittenpowerpow]

It sounds like he is trying to tell you something. Ive had cats for years and none of mine have ever actted like this. Even my feral cat i brought in doesnt beg for food like that. I agree with the aboce comment. He needs bloodwork and he could be lacking in some nutrients. Good luck with everything i hope for the best! =D

 

[tiakristia]

I do rotate proteins, I switch between mostly the Turkey and the Chicken&Salmon flavors, sometimes they get the Beef or the Pheasant ones. I used to have him on a free fed kibble diet, but since I learned that dry food is bad for kitties (my second cat Ophelia had kidney stones a few months back because of it), I started them on the Primal raw nuggets. So they have been on this diet for a few months now and I have just been suspecting that he is begging because he misses his kibble or he wants more human food. He used to LOOOOOVE kibble!

I caught my roommate feeding him raw salmon sushi one day, and then another time I came home and found a bagel and a piece of salami in my cat's food bowl that my roommate put there. I had a talk with my roommate and explained to him that human food is not good for cats, and since then to my knowledge, he hasn't fed him human food again, but I have no idea if it happens while I am not home.

I will call some vet's offices tomorrow,  thank you for your responses! I hope nothing is terribly wrong with my kitty

 

[kittenpowerpow]

Yes and actually i believe in giving my kitten and cats raw food, but processed things like that i wouldnt give my cats. The only time i gave my cat a bagel was when i found her on the streets starving. She was feral but now has been house broken. It could be the salami maybe it has a high amount of sodium. Let us know how the vet visit goes!

 

[tailzzz24]

You just described my cat (pictured) to the T, and I'd like to say that those few innocent scraps of table food we shared with him was how it all started, but that wasn't the case. We actually had to start feeding both of our cats canned food long before this because this one would have the bowl of dry emptied by noon, gaining weight while my other one was getting scrawnier and scrawnier.

How's his poop? The color of it? I would definitely take him to the vet for some blood work. My cat had his blood drawn this week to check his thyroid, however, I'd be surprised if it indicated hyperthyroidism because he's a fatty. Still waiting on those results. But my cat does have some recently-diagnosed other issues - elevated liver enzymes & abnormally elevated cardiac enzymes, one reason I asked about your cat's poop. My hungry cat has light-colored stools, tan or sometimes even lighter. Hope your kitty is just being a pig. Mine even tries to get in the garbage.

(My cat is about 3.5 years old, male. Just switched him over to frozen raw. Petco sells it.)

 

[tammyp]

Just one more thought (do the vet check of course) along the lines of he might be missing his kibble and has possibly worked out he an get something tasty if he meows.  Is there something he absolutely adores (besides kibble)?  Eg: hard cheese, ziwipeak 'raw without the thaw' which looks a bit like kibble (my cat is mad for it)?  If there is, you could start to offer him a treat of that the very instant he is quiet.  In the early stages, it will literally be the nano-second he stops making sound, but over time, as he cottons on to 'quiet equals treat', you could train him into a different mode of asking.  My mum successfully used this method, and our childhood cats knew to sit patiently in a certain spot (their choice) and look at her, without making a sound....this would get them fed.  My own little kitten has worked out she can sit next to the treat cupboard, without meowing, and she will get a treat, while my big cat jumps up on the microwave ledge to tell us (without meowing) that he is hungry.  Of course, you have to be very consistent and reward the new 'no meow' way of asking every time you see it, and steel yourself against caving to any meows!

In your case, It sounds extreme and I think a vet visit may be in order, so this is just a small thought you might find useful in conjunction/down the track.