Kittens Maniacal About Food - Help!

[MaiMaiButterfly]

I have two four month old kittens. I'm feeding them a variety of different foods to get them used to different textures and tastes. They include: ZiwiPeak Venison and Beef, Stella and Chewys freeze dried duck (reconstituted), my perfect pet (turkey for all life stages), small batch chicken sliders, and primal freeze dried turkey. My vet told me to follow the feeding instructions on the packaging, and since they are all different, my pet store told me as a general rule to double the amount for kittens.

They weren't crazy banshees when I was feeding them the Royal Canin Baby, but as soon as I switched to these foods they just went nuts. I have to lock them in a separate room while preparing the food, and then when we let them out they are frenzied about feeding. Before I gave up on trying to get them to sit and wait patiently (had mixed results with that), I had one kitten jump off the counter onto the plate of food I was holding in the middle of the kitchen kamikaze like. They will swipe at the plates knocking the food off, etc. Feeding time is stressful, and I'm afraid they will injure themselves or us in their frenzy.

I've considered that I'm not feeding them enough, and I read in one of the feeds on this site that you can't overfeed a kitten? I'm already giving them more than what was recommended on any of the packaging--they are each about 4 pounds. My perfect pet daily recommendation is 1 bar for each 10 pounds for an adult cat, and I give them each one bar a day, so that's already over twice the amount. Then I give them one slider, or one nugget of the freeze dried each in between the bars. The nuggets calculate to 3 a day for a kitten, so I'm adding in an extra third. The sliders equate to ~4 sliders a day (based on 5 pounds), and I'm giving them one, so that's an added 1/4 of daily allowance. I feed them four times a day. The more maniacal one is tiny, but all muscle and very active. She also is the one who is starting to remind me of kermit the frog when she lays on my lap (as in the round belly). The "calmer" one is bigger boned and not showing any pudge, if anything I wonder if he should eat more.

What other reasons could there be for the maniacal behavior around food? Their pregnant momma was brought into a rescue half way through her pregnancy, so they've only experienced the availability of food. My only other theory is that they really like the taste and consider it high value food to go crazy over, but they are also semi-food aggressive towards our food now too. We're having to resort to locking them in another room when we eat too. I read that cats can act that way if they aren't getting enough nutritional value, but my vet approved all the food choices for them. They get play time, and I just bought a cat food toy to put treats into to hopefully channel some of that energy. What's going on with these guys that I'm not addressing?? I'm working on training, but when they are so frenzied nothing gets through.

The last time I had kittens I was free feeding dry food, so this is all new to me.

 

[tabbytom]

MaiMaiButterfly, welcome ton TCS!

Kittens are still at their growing age and they need to be fed well and as much as they can eat. they need all the nutrients from wet food meant for kittens or you can feed them food meant for 'All Life Stages'.

Wet food keeps them hydrated and its good for them as they are packed with proteins and they need the daily calories from them. Dry food on the other hand are carbohydrates and can make them put on weight and not good for them if your kittens does not drink water.

Here's a recent thread on the discussion on how much food to feed your kittens :-

feeding-my-kitten.371496
am-i-feeding-my-kitten-the-correct-amount.372231

Reason why they are so anxious to eat the new food could be due to the flavors.

Feel free to ask questions and members will be willing to help you answer them.

 

[Daisy6]

Welcome to TCS! It looks like you have active foodies. What are their names?

If you switch the wet food to kitten-specific recipes, the feeding instructions won't be so confusing. Good job adding raw meals and treats to their diet. Keep it going as instructed von the bags.

 

[Furballsmom]

Hi!
As tabbytom says, kittens need to eat a LOT. As much as they will consume, to fuel the incredible growth of their bones, nervous system, eyes, everything.

 

[ArchyCat]

As Furballsmom and others have said, the food requirements for kittens in"early teen equivalent" such as yours have a very high calorie and protein requirement. My rule of thumb is, if there isn't food left over, you're not feeding them enough.

I would stay with kitten and food targeted for less than one year old. I've fed my kittens a mixture of wet and dry.

 

[MaiMaiButterfly]

Thanks everyone for the replies. I doubled the amount per feeding, which helped a bit with the manacial behavior at feeding time, but now they have diarrhea and gas. I read overfeeding can cause diarrhea in kittens? I can back down a little and try more frequently. When I increased the amount, I swear they grew overnight, so I think more food is on the right track. Both seem to trend towards sensitive digestive systems. My vet suspects food allergies, and I'm waiting for the NutriScan test kits.

After reading all the different causes of diarrhea and scaring myself, I sent my vet pictures of the diarrhea asking if we should check for parasites. They came from a rescue who did the full work up. Their pregnant mom was rescued mid-pregnancy. The vet still thinks it's food related, and recommended switching food.

Cosmo is the boy (white face), and Suki (name may not stick) is the girl (tabby). Pictures attached...though it's difficult to get a picture of them awake and standing still! She is tiny and lean (rescue called her "minnie me"), but solid and all muscle. He is bigger boned, not as solid or athletic as she is, but I think he needs more food than she does.

 

[PushPurrCatPaws]

I have two four month old kittens. I'm feeding them a variety of different foods to get them used to different textures and tastes. ...

I think it is great you are trying a variety of foods and brands for them. It's my personal opinion that a cat's taste buds and preferences and likes for certain foods occurs in the first 6-12 months of the kitten's life. To me, giving them a variety might help with them wanting to also eat a variety of foods as they get older.

But like other's have mentioned, kittens need a lot of kcal per day of good foods as they grow.

...
They include: ZiwiPeak Venison and Beef, Stella and Chewys freeze dried duck (reconstituted), my perfect pet (turkey for all life stages), small batch chicken sliders, and primal freeze dried turkey. My vet told me to follow the feeding instructions on the packaging, and since they are all different, my pet store told me as a general rule to double the amount for kittens. ...

...
I've considered that I'm not feeding them enough, and I read in one of the feeds on this site that you can't overfeed a kitten? I'm already giving them more than what was recommended on any of the packaging--they are each about 4 pounds. My perfect pet daily recommendation is 1 bar for each 10 pounds for an adult cat, and I give them each one bar a day, so that's already over twice the amount. Then I give them one slider, or one nugget of the freeze dried each in between the bars. ...

I visited the "My Perfect Pet" web site and it seems like that company is for dog food only.
My Perfect Pet || Lightly Cooked Petfood
I didn't see any indication that they had cat-specific foods there? I would avoid giving dog food to kittens, if that is so.

I'd also pass along that when I tried Stella and Chewy's Duck Duck Goose on my kitten, it gave her diarrhea. I used the commercial frozen raw, though, not the freeze-dried formula.

For what it's worth...

 

[MaiMaiButterfly]

Hi PushPurrCatPaws For some reason MyPefectPet doesn't advertise their cat food very well. They have a turkey all life stages (which is what I'm feeding), then a low Phos (which isn't very low phos from what I remember), and a beef. My Perfect Pet. They seem to be a go to brand for my vet. Vital Essentials freeze dried duck made Suki vomit--there was a definite correlation.

I guess what makes kitten food for kittens is the higher calorie, fat, and protein? Feeding an all stages would mean feeding more? Feeding more gives them diarrhea? I don't remember kittens being this hard.

What brands would you recommend? I was trying to give them a good start, and after watching PetFooled, and going through what I did with my other kitties, I wanted to avoid most of the popular brands. I was open to starting them on a raw diet, but maybe I'm backing down from that now.

It seems like every decade there is new advice on what's the best nutrition for cats, and then 10 years later it's decided that opinion was wrong.

 

[Furballsmom]

Hi, just a quick note, they are DARLING!! You can't feed them too much whlie they're in this major growth mode. Diarrhea could be from the food, or additives, certainly.
Were you feeding your previous kittens these raw types of food? Maybe add in some more typical canned food, to try and see if their tummies improve. If not, try adding a teaspoon of plain pumpkin, and if necessary give them meal or two of boiled unseasoned chicken and rice.
maybe this site can help a little bit;
Pet Food Guide

 

[MaiMaiButterfly]

Thank you Furballsmom

This is my first experience with raw types. By the time commercial raw foods came into my radar, Maya (pictured) was a senior and not a good candidate to start.

I was thinking of pumpkin for tonight. Cosmo seems a little under the weather today. I'm getting more concerned as the day goes by. I picked him up and he squirted a little. I'm trying to wait for my vets response, but I might take him in tomorrow if he doesn't improve to one of the other vets there. "Overfeeding" a kitten shouldn't give them this much diarrhea? Skin test...they may be a little dehydrated...

I'm going to pick up some Blue Wilderness and Wellness Core kitten food.

 

[MaiMaiButterfly]

...and thank you for that link! I will look at it later and add some choices, maybe my shopping list will change.

 

[Daisy6]

It seems like every decade there is new advice on what's the best nutrition for cats, and then 10 years later it's decided that opinion was wrong.

That is a huge understatement. After the melamine recalls it took only 10 months for pet parents to figure out they should be feeding grain-free recipes.

 

[Gizmobius]

I just wanted to add my experience in with my boy when he was a growing kitten. It's very rare but you actually CAN overfeed a kitten. I took all the advice I learned here about feeding as much as he wants and that boy would get a 3oz can of kitten food, beg for more, get another 3oz can, beg for more, get another 3oz can... he was eating upwards of 9oz at a time and still asking for more. He had diarrhea for a good deal of his kittenhood because I thought it was surely something else wrong with him, it couldn't be that I was overfeeding, overfeeding a kitten wasn't a thing!

I spent a bunch of money on dewormers and tests, I did a PCR panel, everything was negative. When he hit a year old and I started portioning out his meals and getting him on a feeding schedule, guess what happened? His bathroom issues mellowed out, diarrhea went away. I was almost kicking myself for how easy of a fix it was.

However, as for your kitties, it'd be very surprising if my experience happened to one of yours let alone both! My best guess would be one of the foods you're feeding not agreeing with their system.

 

[FlawlessImperfection]

I have two four month old kittens. I'm feeding them a variety of different foods to get them used to different textures and tastes. They include: ZiwiPeak Venison and Beef, Stella and Chewys freeze dried duck (reconstituted), my perfect pet (turkey for all life stages), small batch chicken sliders, and primal freeze dried turkey. My vet told me to follow the feeding instructions on the packaging, and since they are all different, my pet store told me as a general rule to double the amount for kittens.

They weren't crazy banshees when I was feeding them the Royal Canin Baby, but as soon as I switched to these foods they just went nuts. I have to lock them in a separate room while preparing the food, and then when we let them out they are frenzied about feeding. Before I gave up on trying to get them to sit and wait patiently (had mixed results with that), I had one kitten jump off the counter onto the plate of food I was holding in the middle of the kitchen kamikaze like. They will swipe at the plates knocking the food off, etc. Feeding time is stressful, and I'm afraid they will injure themselves or us in their frenzy.

I've considered that I'm not feeding them enough, and I read in one of the feeds on this site that you can't overfeed a kitten? I'm already giving them more than what was recommended on any of the packaging--they are each about 4 pounds. My perfect pet daily recommendation is 1 bar for each 10 pounds for an adult cat, and I give them each one bar a day, so that's already over twice the amount. Then I give them one slider, or one nugget of the freeze dried each in between the bars. The nuggets calculate to 3 a day for a kitten, so I'm adding in an extra third. The sliders equate to ~4 sliders a day (based on 5 pounds), and I'm giving them one, so that's an added 1/4 of daily allowance. I feed them four times a day. The more maniacal one is tiny, but all muscle and very active. She also is the one who is starting to remind me of kermit the frog when she lays on my lap (as in the round belly). The "calmer" one is bigger boned and not showing any pudge, if anything I wonder if he should eat more.

What other reasons could there be for the maniacal behavior around food? Their pregnant momma was brought into a rescue half way through her pregnancy, so they've only experienced the availability of food. My only other theory is that they really like the taste and consider it high value food to go crazy over, but they are also semi-food aggressive towards our food now too. We're having to resort to locking them in another room when we eat too. I read that cats can act that way if they aren't getting enough nutritional value, but my vet approved all the food choices for them. They get play time, and I just bought a cat food toy to put treats into to hopefully channel some of that energy. What's going on with these guys that I'm not addressing?? I'm working on training, but when they are so frenzied nothing gets through.

The last time I had kittens I was free feeding dry food, so this is all new to me.

First, please get this on video.
Second: I used to feed our two ShihTzu’s raw and they were ALWAYS hungry. Since we have switched to high grade kibble, full bellies and I can leave it out and free feed! I would have NEVER believed that! As we had similar behavior, just not very agile, and rather foo foo like.

 

[Furballsmom]

I'm trying to wait for my vets response, but I might take him in tomorrow if he doesn't improve to one of the other vets there. "Overfeeding" a kitten shouldn't give them this much diarrhea? Skin test...they may be a little dehydrated...

Hmmm, I'm with you, taking him in may be a good thing.
Poor baby poor you

 

[MaiMaiButterfly]

G Gizmobius hearing personal experience is always really helpful. They are related, so maybe they could both be prone to overfeeding?

I scored a cancellation at the vets on Tuesday. IDEXX stool sample was negative. Monday night I fed plain chicken with pumpkin, and gave a little bit of apple pectin. The diarrhea quickly got worse, and we woke up Tues morn to vertical splatter on a door by the kitty litter about 3 to 4 feet high. Oddly, one of them had a small amount of diarrhea right before the appointment which I collected for the sample, then neither had another bowel movement until the next Morning (Wed). I don't know if the pumpkin/pectin finally kicked in or something else.

The vet nodded her head in agreement about feeding kittens as much as needed, and seemed perplexed that this would be the reason (but I know to take opinions with a grain of salt after years of pet guardianship). She sent me home with Proviable Forte (gel plus capsules). They had one dose Tuesday evening along with a dose of pumpkin/apple pectin. Wed after breakfast they both passed soft and pale, but formed stools. Phew!

I'm now frozen in fear on how and what to feed them, and how much. I feel like a failed kitten care taker--such a critical time for good care and development. Vet didn't give me any specific food or feeding instructions, except that she's had good luck with both ZiwiPeak and Primal. I slowly started them on ZiwiPeak, both beef and venison. I bought a small container of RAD cat beef. She said feed them the same stuff for a month or two and let them settle down. I haven't gone up to the full amount of daily feeding yet. Starting them out slowly.

I have two theories. Theory #1: Since kittens digestive and immune systems are still developing, they are delicate and everything needs to be done gradually. Maybe doubling the amount of food instead of slowly increasing it was a shock to their system? Theory #2: When I increased the food, I stuck to Chicken and Turkey options only, so I was increasing these two proteins. Maybe they both have food allergies to fowl? Duck made Suki throw up consistently (3 x correlation). So maybe increasing it threw them into inflammation overdrive? They are siblings, so they could share the same dispositions.

I've read in other posts that some chicken was an issue for cats while other chicken was not (maybe the same goes for turkey). But that's too complicated to consider for me right now. This vet told me that NutriScan is not always very accurate, while my other vet is going to rely on it. Curious to see how that test comes out.

So following these two theories, I'm not going to feed anything with fowl in it for now. I'm also staying away from ingredients that I've heard can be problematic like alfalfa and salmon. And I'm increasing their amount to the recommended daily kitten allowance VERY slowly. So today they were underfed, but I feel like they need to adjust.

Doubling their food did somewhat calm the maniacal behavior, and they literally grew overnight. For some reason right now they are not as maniacal...probably their tummies are recouping...or they are less crazy about beef flavors. Ha ha. And FlawlessImperfection we have some video, not the flying leap onto the plate, but the race to the food after being quarantined to a room during food prep. We missed the sliding around third base on the slick kitchen floor though.

 

[FlawlessImperfection]

G Gizmobius hearing personal experience is always really helpful. They are related, so maybe they could both be prone to overfeeding?

I scored a cancellation at the vets on Tuesday. IDEXX stool sample was negative. Monday night I fed plain chicken with pumpkin, and gave a little bit of apple pectin. The diarrhea quickly got worse, and we woke up Tues morn to vertical splatter on a door by the kitty litter about 3 to 4 feet high. Oddly, one of them had a small amount of diarrhea right before the appointment which I collected for the sample, then neither had another bowel movement until the next Morning (Wed). I don't know if the pumpkin/pectin finally kicked in or something else.

The vet nodded her head in agreement about feeding kittens as much as needed, and seemed perplexed that this would be the reason (but I know to take opinions with a grain of salt after years of pet guardianship). She sent me home with Proviable Forte (gel plus capsules). They had one dose Tuesday evening along with a dose of pumpkin/apple pectin. Wed after breakfast they both passed soft and pale, but formed stools. Phew!

I'm now frozen in fear on how and what to feed them, and how much. I feel like a failed kitten care taker--such a critical time for good care and development. Vet didn't give me any specific food or feeding instructions, except that she's had good luck with both ZiwiPeak and Primal. I slowly started them on ZiwiPeak, both beef and venison. I bought a small container of RAD cat beef. She said feed them the same stuff for a month or two and let them settle down. I haven't gone up to the full amount of daily feeding yet. Starting them out slowly.

I have two theories. Theory #1: Since kittens digestive and immune systems are still developing, they are delicate and everything needs to be done gradually. Maybe doubling the amount of food instead of slowly increasing it was a shock to their system? Theory #2: When I increased the food, I stuck to Chicken and Turkey options only, so I was increasing these two proteins. Maybe they both have food allergies to fowl? Duck made Suki throw up consistently (3 x correlation). So maybe increasing it threw them into inflammation overdrive? They are siblings, so they could share the same dispositions.

I've read in other posts that some chicken was an issue for cats while other chicken was not (maybe the same goes for turkey). But that's too complicated to consider for me right now. This vet told me that NutriScan is not always very accurate, while my other vet is going to rely on it. Curious to see how that test comes out.

So following these two theories, I'm not going to feed anything with fowl in it for now. I'm also staying away from ingredients that I've heard can be problematic like alfalfa and salmon. And I'm increasing their amount to the recommended daily kitten allowance VERY slowly. So today they were underfed, but I feel like they need to adjust.

Doubling their food did somewhat calm the maniacal behavior, and they literally grew overnight. For some reason right now they are not as maniacal...probably their tummies are recouping...or they are less crazy about beef flavors. Ha ha. And FlawlessImperfection we have some video, not the flying leap onto the plate, but the race to the food after being quarantined to a room during food prep. We missed the sliding around third base on the slick kitchen floor though.

I know this is all going to get better for you and your little monsters! It sounds like you’re doing a great job of trying to figure out any suspect food culprits, and yes- even great food can bother when introduced too quickly. Reading this I was just reminded of trying new foods for Butters, and how it’s best to find a couple that work in case of discontinued food etc. We had poo explosion and an AWFUL smell and I almost brought her in, I thought I had a bad batch of food and asked here. A few angels here mentioned that peas can cause problems for many cats, and when I checked the (highly recommended food) PEAS. I actually bought a small can of another brand that had peas and gave her a couple teaspoons to make sure, (but not enough to really hurt her!) and then I was sure. NO PEAS FOR US! Also, I was told by a breeder a few years ago that what goes in must come out, and not to feed heavy amounts of fish if I wanted my house not to smell like a fisherman’s rotting trash cans- so no fish either lol! We now settled on a couple main brands that are great quality and the best price too! You should try the Wellness brand pâté, it has (no peas!) and pumpkin to help digestion and firm poos that aren’t very messy or smelly. I also have Dave’s Pâtés in the rotation (she’s used to both now and she gets which ever I happen to grab) and that one is even better priced. Both are larger cans and have been great! I would try the Wellness for sure, I also serve her their kibble now, so many others are full of peas too! Ugh!
If you feel they may be sensitive to chicken, I find beef usually works well for our dog with allergies. They do say to try to stick to one to avoid food allergies, so I agree with your vet to settle on one for a while. If your feeding turkey (or whichever meat), try another brand in turkey also to avoid adding another potential allergy. I’m not an expert here (or anywhere lol!) this is what our vet said and what’s worked for us! It sounds like pumpkin is helping you, so glad!
And you better just find a way to get a video! I’ve been looking for a motion camera with sound to put in my hall at night when Buttercup becomes Xena warrior cat!
All the best let us know how it’s going!

Wellness Complete Health Pate Chicken Entree Grain-Free Canned Cat Food


This one looks to be sold out, but there are many flavors and Chewy auto ships for the best prices too!
Dave's Pet Food Naturally Healthy Grain-Free Chicken Formula Canned Cat Food

She also really likes this one a lot, I just don’t feed it daily because the price is a bit higher, so it’s treat food.
Earthborn Holistic Chicken Jumble with Liver Grain-Free Natural Canned Cat & Kitten Food, 5.5-oz, case of 24