Feeding An Impatient Kitty!

[ramscici]

Hi everyone,

My almost six month old boy, Ramses, has developed a rather difficult and annoying habit that makes feeding time slightly stressful. He acts like he is starving (he is fed three times a day, kitten food, about 9-11oz of food a day) every time and cannot wait. I have two cats so I have to scoop their food into their dishes and then give it to them, but as soon as he realizes I'm feeding them he jumps onto the counter and tries to eat right out of the can. No matter how many times I remove him, he just jumps right back up and makes it near impossible. I've ended up having to scoop everything onto their plates in a fast and furious race, getting everything all over in the process, just so I can get it ready before he jumps up again and tries gobbling everything down.

I don't really want to have to shut him in another room while I prepare the food, but I almost feel like I have no other choice! Anyone else experience this? Did their cats outgrow it? Or maybe he's just so hungry and I'm not feeding him enough?

 

[Furballsmom]

Hi!
If it were me, I'd feed him more, definitely. If that doesn't work to calm him (although I'm guessing it will) then you might have to separate him.

 

[Hellenww]

Both of mine (10 and 12 yrs old) still get on the counter when I take out the can. I don't open the can until they are back on the floor. If they jump back up I take the can and stand away from the counter with it.

 

[duncanmac]

Tough love time:

Every time - EVERY SINGLE TIME - he jumps up on the counter, put him on the floor, tell him "Wait" (or some other simple command that you will use EVERY SINGLE TIME), put the can in the fridge and leave the kitchen for 5 minutes. Then start over.

If you see him getting ready to jump up on the counter, point at him and say "Wait" Try to mess up his flight path when you do this.

Yeah, its going to take a hour to feed them the first few times, but it should sink in.

 

[ramscici]

Both of mine (10 and 12 yrs old) still get on the counter when I take out the can. I don't open the can until they are back on the floor. If they jump back up I take the can and stand away from the counter with it.

This is a good idea, though I fear Ramses would never get back on the floor by himself. I might have to remove him or walk away from the counter as you said. I'll give it a try.

Tough love time:

Every time - EVERY SINGLE TIME - he jumps up on the counter, put him on the floor, tell him "Wait" (or some other simple command that you will use EVERY SINGLE TIME), put the can in the fridge and leave the kitchen for 5 minutes. Then start over.

If you see him getting ready to jump up on the counter, point at him and say "Wait" Try to mess up his flight path when you do this.

Yeah, its going to take a hour to feed them the first few times, but it should sink in.

A great tactic as well, only problem is that I don't have that kind of time in the morning, since I feed them before work and need to also get myself ready and out the door. I've also been having to shut him in the bathroom because when he finishes, he goes for Celeste's food (she eats more slowly) and he hasn't caught on that he gets a time out every time he does that yet. Hopefully he will, because he sounds so pitiful in the bathroom! I will try doing this with his later meals though, when I have time, and the part you said about messing up their flight path is a great idea. I also just feel really bad because my other girl, Celeste, is so good when she's waiting to get fed, and she would have to suffer for his impatience, lol.

I should coordinate a dance based on this called "don't feed the kitty."

 

[duncanmac]

ramscici - Yeah, it's never perfect. You'll figure out a way to adapt both your behaviour and his.

Do you feed him dry food? Maybe just dump a scoop either right onto the floor/feeding mat or his bowl on the floor will keep him distracted.

 

[ramscici]

Exclusively wet actually, but I do have some dry food as emergency in the cupboard. I don't want to somehow reward the behavior by doing that but it's also an option I suppose.

 

[TobiDaDog]

This is a good idea, though I fear Ramses would never get back on the floor by himself. I might have to remove him or walk away from the counter as you said. I'll give it a try.



A great tactic as well, only problem is that I don't have that kind of time in the morning, since I feed them before work and need to also get myself ready and out the door. I've also been having to shut him in the bathroom because when he finishes, he goes for Celeste's food (she eats more slowly) and he hasn't caught on that he gets a time out every time he does that yet. Hopefully he will, because he sounds so pitiful in the bathroom! I will try doing this with his later meals though, when I have time, and the part you said about messing up their flight path is a great idea. I also just feel really bad because my other girl, Celeste, is so good when she's waiting to get fed, and she would have to suffer for his impatience, lol.

I should coordinate a dance based on this called "don't feed the kitty."

I don't know if it would work for your kitties but this is what I did for Reese to stop our older cat from stealing her breakfast! He can't get around her because the hole is single cat size LOL

 

[ramscici]

TobiDaDog LOL — that’s amazing! And so creative! Unfortunately Ramses is quite the jumper so I think he’d be able to clear that!

 

[TobiDaDog]

TobiDaDog LOL — that’s amazing! And so creative! Unfortunately Ramses is quite the jumper so I think he’d be able to clear that!

No worries, just close up the box! I left it open for fear that being all closed up would make Reese nervous. She ended up not caring. I got pretty lucky with two very non picky cats.

 

[goingpostal]

I had to lock my one cat in a dog crate at first when feeding because she would try to grab food while it was being prepared and steal it from my dogs bowls. Now I do the same with my newer kitten as she's the same way and runs in there with any food she steals now haha. But doesn't need to be locked in anymore as she's calmed quite a bit, it just takes awhile. She still hops on the counter once or twice and gets removed every day though. She's better, not well behaved.

 

[basschick]

kittens are growing and use a lot of energy. maybe the kitten really IS starving. do you leave him some dry food out all of the time so he can free feed?