For quite awhile my Buddy would hardly eat, as in maybe a quarter can (2.82oz) of Fussy Cat per meal. This last week or so I have been warming the food up, and holding the bowl while he eats from it, and got him up to half a can (four meals a day). Two cans a day is what the SPCA adoption center told me he should be eating, so that was my goal. Problem being, the last couple days he has been wanting more. He eats the half can, pretty much licks the saucer clean (never did that before), then ten minutes later he is back at the saucer yowling for more...and sits there staring at it for nearly an hour. I don't want my furball to be hungry, but I don't want to turn him into a butterball either. Is this the start of a food obsession? Maybe a tapeworm? The SPCA Wellness Checkup isn't til second week of April.
-
Too many ads? Join our community of cat lovers now to reduce ads by 90%! Click here to join for free!
Early food obsession?
- Thread starter Novus888
- Start Date
How old is Buddy and do you know what he weighs. If he is a kitten they eat lots as they are growing. Has he been wormed?
I would give him a full can and split the other between two additional meals. He may not finish it all in one sitting but will come back to nibble later. It can be out for a bit before drying up. I would also try to encourage him to eat on his own by just setting the food down and leaving.
My 8 yr old cat eats 1/4 5.5 oz can then comes back for another 1/4. Also feeding late night with a food timer helps
- Thread Starter Thread Starter
- #5
The SPCA adoption center estimated his age at 8 to 9. According to them he was fixed by the previous owner, wormed at the center (along with dental work), and has all his shots. I never asked what he weighed, and don't have any sort of scales. He is 22" nose to rump, not counting the tail, so not what I would call a small cat.
- Thread Starter Thread Starter
- #6
The first few days he was here, I fed one can twice a day. Between him puking it up or just refusing to eat it after it was 'old' (setting in the saucer for 3 or 4 hours), I was wasting a lot of food. That is when I cut him down to a half can four times a day, which solved the barfing, but he would still only eat half of it, which did nothing for the waste. I have since discovered that warming the food, and holding the saucer for him, gets him to eat it all...but the pendulum seems to have swung to the opposite extreme.
The vomiting and lack of appetite could have been caused in part by the stress of adjusting to a new place. But you kind of have to go with whatever seems to keep him happy. After all we are their servants.
- Thread Starter Thread Starter
- #8
I have an auto-feeder, but pretty sure it can only be used for dry food. I haven't made a space for it yet. Currently I feed him when he wakes me up at 8 to 10 am, then every 4 to 5 hours thereafter.
- Thread Starter Thread Starter
- #9
The question is what do I do about this sudden increase in appetite? Up him to more than two cans a day, ignore him as he camps out a foot from the empty saucer, or something else?
As I posted earlier, I would increase his food for the first meal and then cut him down to two more meals of a half can each. If he ends up not finishing the full can then save it for his next meal or even a between meal snack. You are still giving him two cans a day, just varying the portions and meal times.
Mine is for wet so it comes with a pouch
After he has eaten the amount you want to feed him by warming it and holding the bowl for him, if he still wants more put just a spoonful more in the bowl and leave it for him to eat on his own. If he doesn't eat it without you holding it for him then he's not hungry and only a little food is wasted. Next time you take him to the vet ask him to weigh Buddy and also ask what his idea weight should be.
Fussie Cat per can is only 48 calories based on the Gold Premium Chicken in Gravy can. A normal active indoor cat needs 200 - 250 calories a day. So I guess your Buddy has not met the required calorie intake for the day and that's why he came back for more food.
Feed him more at one sitting and from there you can roughly gauge how much he'll eat a day. And also an adult cat does not need so much food as growing kitten.
What can size did the SPCA say to feed only 2 of daily?
Cans of cat food vary widely in calorie content. Brand X may contain 50 calories per 3 oz while Brand ABC may contain 90 calories for a same sized 3 oz can. Brand X may be available in a larger 5.5 oz can and has 150 calories per can.
It's fine to feed more food than what the SPCA suggested. It's YOUR cat now and you make the decisions.
Programmable timed feeders like these can be used for dry and canned food:
The ones like these only work with dry food:
Since you have an upcoming vet appointment, make sure the vet weighs the cat and tells you what it is. Ask if that is a good weight for your cat or if your cat needs to gain or lose weight. Ignore any advice / suggestions / recommendations the vet may give about what brand of food to feed, how much, etc. Just smile and nod. Most vets have no clue about proper cat nutrition.
- Thread Starter Thread Starter
- #15
The SPCA worker said to only feed two Fussy Cat Tuna and Salmon (2.82oz) cans a day. This seems to contradict what is on the website:What can size did the SPCA say to feed only 2 of daily?
Cans of cat food vary widely in calorie content. Brand X may contain 50 calories per 3 oz while Brand ABC may contain 90 calories for a same sized 3 oz can. Brand X may be available in a larger 5.5 oz can and has 150 calories per can.
It's fine to feed more food than what the SPCA suggested. It's YOUR cat now and you make the decisions.
Programmable timed feeders like these can be used for dry and canned food:
The ones like these only work with dry food:
Since you have an upcoming vet appointment, make sure the vet weighs the cat and tells you what it is. Ask if that is a good weight for your cat or if your cat needs to gain or lose weight. Ignore any advice / suggestions / recommendations the vet may give about what brand of food to feed, how much, etc. Just smile and nod. Most vets have no clue about proper cat nutrition.
Premium - Tuna With Salmon Formula In Aspic - Fussie Cat
Tuna With Salmon Formula In Aspic Fussie Cat makes their top-quality foods in an FDA-registered kitchen—the same kitchen that produces canned food that’s fit for people to eat. Thorough quality inspections are conducted daily for food safety, heavy metals, pathogens, contamination, and...
fussiecat.com
So should I up it to three cans? It looks like it takes about 3/4 of a can per meal to satisfy him. I already have the Casfuy 5-Meals Automatic Pet Feeder, but only got it so he wouldn't wake me up at night. We usually go to bed at 1 or 2 am, and Buddy has been letting me sleep til 9am, so I haven't fooled with it yet. I just get up when he wakes me up, feed him, then go back to bed for a couple hours nap. Once his belly is no longer growling, he is content to nap for at least four hours.
I'm too paranoid to trust an auto-feeder with canned food. If Buddy doesn't eat it all when I first set it out, he won't go back to it for about four hours, and then I'm thinking it could of gone bad, and dump it. Of course now that I warm it up, hold his food saucer, and whisper to him while he eats, he usually licks the saucer clean so leftovers are no longer a problem.
I have put weight on the list of questions to ask the vet. Been wanting to get a food scales for awhile...will see about getting one that goes up to 20 pounds that can be used on Buddy too. I'd guess Buddy weighs over 5 pounds and under 10 pounds, but cannot really tell. Since he refuses to eat anything but Fussy Cat Tuna and Salmon (and sometimes Hills Urinary Care C/D dry food), it don't matter much what the vet says, unless he can make Buddy eat what he should be eating. That appetite stimulant I was given when I brought him home says not to use it for more than 3 days, so that won't work.
- Thread Starter Thread Starter
- #16
Last time I gave him a whole can he barfed, but it ain't that hard to clean up with a ShopVac, so I can give it another try.
- Thread Starter Thread Starter
- #17
Looks like it takes 3/4 can for him to quit guard-dogging the food saucer and yowling...think that would come out to about 2 1/2 cans total if I changed him over to three meals a day (a meal every 5 hours).
Yes, once he's filled up, he won't be asking for food so soon till he's hungry again. 3 or 4 meals a day will be good.
- Thread Starter Thread Starter
- #19
Addendum:
So I tried a whole can of Fussy Cat last morning, and he puked it up within three hours, so I'm thinking 3/4 can is his limit...not as in what he will eat, but as to what he can eat. I don't have any confidence in his ability to know when to stop eating. I suspect if he managed to claw/chew his way into the big bag of dry food while I was off getting groceries, I'd return to a dead and bloated cat. Needless to say I have moved buying a Gamma Vittles Vault up on my to-do list.
