Cat obsessed with food

[johnh]

Hi,

I have a rescue cat. He was 3 years old when I had him. His previous owner only fed him dry food and over fed him. He is a large cat but was over 6 kilos. I was advised to stop the dry food only diet and to cut his food intake down as he needed to lose weight and he had problems with cystitis and breathing. I have, after a struggle done both and he will know eat wet food and has lost weight and his heatlth is much better, although as I said he is a big lad and still 5 kilos +.

The problem is after more than a year he is constantly and I mean constantly asking for food. He aks for more food immediately after being fed and eats everything put down in about 2 seconds. I can not leave any of my food anywhere unattended as he will eat it. I have left bread out and he has chewed through the bag, he chews through plastic and foil to get at food. When I eat he sits at my feet like a dog would. Everytime I get up he runs into the kitchen, he is constantly in the sink licking dirty dishes and cutlery. He scours the floor for crumbs. I honestly believe he would not stop eating if I put food down for him. He sits by the cupboard where his food is kept and cries.

John

 

[catpack]

1.) When was the last time he had a thorough exam by the vet (bloodwork included)?

2.) What food is he currently on and how much? How many meals does he get a day?

 

[johnh]

1.) When was the last time he had a thorough exam by the vet (bloodwork included)?

2.) What food is he currently on and how much? How many meals does he get a day?

Thanks for getting back.

1) He had very detailed examination last year, including blood and urine tests

2) He has 200g of wet food and 40g of dry food on instrcution of vet. Fed about 3 -4 times a day.

He was actaully 7+ kilos when I had him not 6

 

[johnh]

1.) When was the last time he had a thorough exam by the vet (bloodwork included)?

2.) What food is he currently on and how much? How many meals does he get a day?

is that it, do you have anything elee to offer ?

 

[jcat]

to TCS, and congratulations on getting his weight down.

Your cat sounds just like ours. Mogli was adopted from a shelter at 9 months and has had digestive problems (IBD). Almost two years later he's still constantly begging for or stealing food. We'd hoped that would stop or become less of a problem over time, but it hasn't. We have to "guard" any food on the table, put everything away in plastic storage containers and in cabinets with child locks. He'll even eat uncooked pasta or flour, both of which make him sick.

Have you tried putting his dry food in a treat ball so that he works for it? It would provide more exercise for him. Another way to keep him moving is clicker training - it works very well for food-motivated cats and is another way to keep them moving. YouTube has plenty of "how-to" videos on the subject.

I wish I knew of some way to stop the food obsession. We've had rescue dogs over the years the same way, but the obsession usually stopped after a few months of steady meals.

 

[di and bob]

I feel so sorry for him!!!! I wonder if you can find a low calorie food or snack that would satisfy his craving a little? Something that would let him THINK he is getting more? I hope someone has found a solution and will advise you!

 

[GoldyCat]

Is he still losing weight? Does he need to lose any more weight or should he be maintaining where he is now?
I'm used to thinking in pounds and ounces rather than grams and kilograms, so trying to do some calculations in my head. The amount of wet food you're giving is only about half of what he needs if you were feeding wet only. I've seen dry food recommendations only as volume (i.e. 1/4 cup, 1/2 cup) and not by weight, so I'm having a hard time figuring how much dry food you're giving him and can't tell you if it makes up what he needs in addition to the wet food.

Have you tried feeding larger portions less often, maybe twice a day with a small snack in between? It could be that he never feels quite full with the smaller meals.

 

[irinasak]

Is he still losing weight? Does he need to lose any more weight or should he be maintaining where he is now?
I'm used to thinking in pounds and ounces rather than grams and kilograms, so trying to do some calculations in my head. The amount of wet food you're giving is only about half of what he needs if you were feeding wet only. I've seen dry food recommendations only as volume (i.e. 1/4 cup, 1/2 cup) and not by weight, so I'm having a hard time figuring how much dry food you're giving him and can't tell you if it makes up what he needs in addition to the wet food.

Have you tried feeding larger portions less often, maybe twice a day with a small snack in between? It could be that he never feels quite full with the smaller meals.

Actually, he is getting about twice as much as he should, so this is alarming. On most dry food bags the recommended portion/day is 60 grams. Most wet food brands recommend 156 grams - 5.5 oz. Of course, some foods are more satysfing than others.

I can't say why he's hungry all the time, but I pity the guy. The low snack calorie idea sounds good. Also, maybe you could try a different brand - what is he eating now? Some foods have fewer calories than others.

 

[GoldyCat]

I disagree that he is being overfed. Most canned food that I've used or researched recommends 1 oz of food per pound of body weight for an adult cat. 5Kg=11 pounds. Therefore, 11 oz of wet food per day is what he needs if he were eating wet only. The 200gm of wet food he's getting is a little over half of that. The dry food I feed my cats (grain-free) suggests about 3/4 cup of food for an 11 pound cat. I weighed some of the kibble on my kitchen scale and found that 40gm is almost exactly 2/3 cup. That makes the 40gm the cat is getting a little less than half of what he needs per day if he were eating dry only. The combination he's getting seems to be just about right for maintaining his weight.

J johnh what is your cat's name? I'm sorry I don't have any other suggestion about how you can help him.

 

[irinasak]

@GoldyCat maybe these differences come from different foods? I checked the feeding recommendations for some brands (European) and this is what I found:

Grau (wet) - 200 grams/day/adult cat 5 kg

GranataPet (wet) - 200 grams/day/adult cat  5kg

Gourmet Gold (I think it's Fancy Feast in US) - 240 grams/day/adult cat.

Royal Canin Exigent (dry) - 75 grams adult cat 5kg

Orijen (dry) - 70 grams adult cat

Applaws (dry) - 40-60 grams/day

I am only using these examples as a desire to understand myself, so please don't take it as a wish to argue or contradict. I have done some research myself having one cat with digestive sensibilities and another cat who's the pickiest cat in the world, and I am still learning.

Trying to provide the OP with some opinions, I think it would be good to know the brands he is feeding, maybe we could calculate some calories?

And a question for the OP, has the cat been dewormed lately?

 

[jcat]

irinasak Those guidelines you indicated are basically the feeding recommendations for the European foods I give Mogli (mainly Vet-Concept, Catz and Mac's Sensitive canned, Vet-Concept Allergy and Wildcat Bhadra dry), so there does appear to be a difference between European and US brands. It makes you wonder whether the "human-grade" ingredients required in the EU now make a difference.

 

[johnh]

Thanks for all the replies and advice. I will try a few things out. His name is Jasper. Maybe after all is said and done he is just plain greedy....

 

[nora1]

Thanks for all the replies and advice. I will try a few things out. His name is Jasper. Maybe after all is said and done he is just plain greedy....

Sounds like my cat! I used to feed her more because she always seemed hungry. She gained some weight, so I cut back a bit. She has always seemed hungry! She came from a house where she was free fed. We adopted her and put her on scheduled feedings. She's been with us for a little over a year now.

Whenever anyone is in the kitchen, she begs for food! We just ignore her now, and assume she will always beg for food. She loves her food, plain as that! :lol3:

 

[wannahelp]

 
The problem is after more than a year he is constantly and I mean constantly asking for food. He asks for more food immediately after being fed and eats everything put down in about 2 seconds. I can not leave any of my food anywhere unattended as he will eat it. I have left bread out and he has chewed through the bag, he chews through plastic and foil to get at food. When I eat he sits at my feet like a dog would. Everytime I get up he runs into the kitchen, he is constantly in the sink licking dirty dishes and cutlery. He scours the floor for crumbs. I honestly believe he would not stop eating if I put food down for him. He sits by the cupboard where his food is kept and cries.

John

This all sounds very familiar to me. I have the same problem with my male. I took him in about 6 months ago. Today, I found him face down, with 3/4 of his body in the dog's food bin in the closet. I taped the bin shut because he knows how to open the closet door. He also seems to have an insatiable appetite. I know I'm not under-feeding him because he's gained weight since I've had him. He will steal food from anyone and anything, regardless of when and how much he just ate. He doesn't have any health problems. My adopted female thinks that every time she wakes up from a nap it's time to eat. She actually takes tantrums and goes around the house throwing things off the tables and countersI don't have a lot of experience with cats but my brother has 2 males that he got as kittens and they don't have this obsession. I've tried some suggestions like feeding more frequently and using a treat bal (toy). Nothing seems to help. 

 

[Kat0121]

 
I feel so sorry for him!!!! I wonder if you can find a low calorie food or snack that would satisfy his craving a little? Something that would let him THINK he is getting more? I hope someone has found a solution and will advise you!

Pure Bites treats are low calorie and are just freeze dried chicken breast. I get the dog sized bag at Amazon. It's a much better deal than the cat sized bag and it's exactly the same. The treats are just bigger but they are easy to break down to a cat friendly size

 

[grace om]

Hi John, any developments with your cat? I came across your thread - I have almost the exact problem with my rescue cat. We've had her since she was 8 weeks (found down the back of our garden) and she's now 3 years old. The only thing I can say is that we've gotten Matilda's weight down over a kilo and a half using the Royal Canin Satiety food - this seems to have helped where none of the regular foods have. She still begs a lot, and occasionally will eat so fast that she gets sick. As you say, it's heartbreaking! She's also an indoor cat so I do worry she's not getting enough enrichment, although we do play with her. Would love to hear if you've had any breakthroughs!! Best wishes, Grace

 

[moorspede]

Hi Grace, I also have a cat who is played with a lot and has all kinds of enrichment but just loves to eat. I'm glad you've been able to manage her weight. I see that Royal Canin Satiety is a dry food? 

As someone mentioned above, there are really great cat puzzle toys which will stop your cat from bolting her food. There's a catit one which has several little towers at different levels, the cat reaches in an pulls the dry food out, there are balls, and block puzzles where you hide the food and the cat finds them. I've read that someone placed all her cat's meals in a timed automatic feeder, the cat learned to associate the food with the feeder instead of the kitchen. 

You may wish to ask this question in the knowledgeable people in  the nutritional forum, I know that it is easier to get a cat to lose weight if she is on wet food but if you are happy that your current food is working then please disregard this. 

 

[grace om]

Hi Moorspede, thank you for the helpful comment. That tiered tower looks very good, I think I will pick it up and give it a shot. My one worry is that she will not cope with a full day's supply being available and could have it gone by morning - so I may still need to ration out meal portions. She is an incredibly clever cat!

Yep, she is on dry food only as her stomach has been very sensitive to wet foods in the past. However I've been on a bit of a roll this weekend researching cat nutrition and it has inspired me to give wet food another go! I'm guessing I will start with Royal Canin unless you have any brand tips (I'm based in Ireland/UK). The raw meat thing is intriguing but it seems like a lot of prep and work.. 

 

[moorspede]

Yes, the mazes are for one meal only unfortunately. 

The ones I am thinking of are linked.

Here and Here. 

Try the nutritional forum for suggestions on what is good in the UK. I do know that you do have access to some varieties of pre- prepared raw foods but I don't know their quality. Personally I have found that my cat with a little bit of a sensitive stomach handles it better than anything else.