How do I stop mother cat from relentlessly stealing food?

[Mbow923]

About 5 months ago we moved into a different house, and we ended up taking in what we thought was a stray after we found her trapped in the basement that only has outside access. She was young and healthy, very sweet, and we brought her in to get warm because it was below zero out. She seemed right at home, was immediately affectionate with us and our two dogs, slightly stand-offish with our other cat, a spayed female. We ended up deciding to let her stay, and we found out a few days later from a neighbor that the previous tenants had left her behind when they moved out. So obviously we kept her. About a month later she slipped out the door while pizza was being delivered, during her first heat (which postponed her spaying), and she returned 3 days later. Not my first rodeo, I knew what that meant. What was once a really well-behaved cat turned into the most relentless, sneaky, insatiable food thief I've ever encountered. She's immediately present if we open any food or drink container, or even go into the kitchen. She rips into food packages, steals our 4 yr old's food if we leave him alone at the table, and constantly begs. She'll eat ANYTHING, biscuits, pie crust, French fries. She actually stole salsa verde doritos, ate them, and tried to get more after I caught her and threw the bag out. She was bad while she was pregnant, but now kittens are 5 weeks old, and she's even worse. She is still nursing her babies, but only every 4-5 hours. We free feed our animals, despite not being recommended, but we have always done so (except for the 3 weeks we tried scheduled feedings, which didn't change anything), and our animals have always maintained healthy weights. My spayed female is super healthy, not skinny, but not fat. She was incredibly skinny, almost fragile, when I adopted her from the shelter at 3 months old, brought her home the day after she was spayed, but she filled out nicely in a few month's time, and she has maintained since then. Momma, however, is very skinny, despite the fact that she's constantly eating. She picks and chooses between the dish of adult Iam's cat food, Nutrish kitten food, and one of the top of the line, grain free dog foods (can't think of the brand because he buys the dog food), plus the food she steals. I know that cats steal food because of their natural calling to hunt, so we have tried adding more play, but she's not one for playing, unlike our spayed female. Any advice would be helpful. I've had cats almost my entire life (mid 30's), with quite a few queens because I used to foster, and I have never had a cat so determined to steal food when there is plenty available to eat, so I'm at a loss.

 

[Maurey]

Has she been checked over by a vet recently and wormed?

Her being super hungry, to a point, is normal. Is she getting any high caloric load kitten wet food (specifically wet food, as it’s more satiating than dry)? Has she gotten any KMR or goat milk? Both are calorically dense, and will provide her the nutrients she needs to feed her babies.

Does she have a room she can take her kittens to, away from everyone, for some peace and quiet, and does she have a bowl there, where she can eat without feeling like her food could be stolen?

 

[rubysmama]

Nursing mama cats do need a lot of food. In fact, according to our TCS article Nutrition For The Mother Cat – TheCatSite Articles, "After the kittens are born and begin to suckle, the mother cat’s food intake is likely to increase by two to four times, depending on the number of kittens and their growth stages. Providing those tiny kittens with all the calories and other nutrients they need can be exhausting for the mother and she may lose weight even if provided with plenty of food."

Now that the kittens are starting to wean, hopefully mama will gain some weight. If not, a vet checkup is probably in order, which is likely in your plans anyway, since you probably will be getting her spayed soon. BTW, she can go into heat while the kittens are still nursing, so be very careful that she doesn't get outside again before her spay appointment.
Welcome to TCS, btw. And thanks for giving mama kitty a home.

 

[di and bob]

Nursing cats use a TREMENDOUS amount of energy to do so. She is starving. with 5-week old kittens eating more and more, she is losing a lot of calories. Really, she should be fed as much as she wants as often as she wants. Free feeding dry at this stage will not hurt. Pregnant/nursing mothers will even lose bone mass because the kittens will take whatever they need at her expense.

 

[lizzieloo]

It's also possible that her previous owners didn't feed her regularly and let her fend for herself a lot. Ripping into and eating human food may have been the only way she got food. And really, if they were the type of people to just leave her they were not likely taking care of her needs properly.

I would treat the excessive eating human food as a behaviour to work on rather than hunger, especially if she always has food available. Our first family cat came from a farm, starving and I swear she had an eating disorder for 10 years before she stopped gorging on cat food.

What if you have her in the bedroom during human meal times? And lock all food away so she doesn't have the opportunity to get into it? I'd also talk to a pet store and see if they have a cat food that might satiate her more.