My Cat Is Eating A Lot More

[geercom]

My one year & nine months old male house cat is eating more lately. I can still feel but not see his ribs so he is not getting too fat or too thin. He appears to be the same weight, give or take a lb or two (I picked him up and stepped on the bathroom scale to check). He is leaving a healthy amount of stool in the litter and is going number one OK too.

I was feeding him just enough to cover the bottom of a coffee cup about every 4 to 5 hours a day. Now he wants a little more than that 3 to 4 hours apart.

I don't know that it has anything to do with it, but he has hot spots he scratches that leave sores on his upper back and the back of his legs. He has had this issue for quite a while and long before he started eating more. The hot spots are not gone but much smaller now that I treat the spots with hot spot spray and also with coconut oil.

I am trying to figure out whether it is a health issue that he is eating more or if it is normal.

 

[geercom]

I should clarify one part: I was feeding him every four to five hours throughout the day, now he eats more and wants me to feed him about every 3 to 4 hours throughout the day. The rest of my post is accurate, and hopefully clear.

 

[maggiedemi]

Are you feeding him only dry food? If so, I would add some canned food to his diet.

 

[geercom]

Thank you, maggiedemi. How do you see canned food helping in this situation? What do you think the problem is, and how is canned food a solution? Thanks!

 

[maggiedemi]

Cats need the moisture in canned food, especially male cats.
Has he been de-wormed and de-flead?

 

[geercom]

The vet gave him medicine for worms and fleas. I use their recommended flea medication once a month. He never gets outside.

I know cats need moisture and he drinks plenty of water. I still don't see the relationship between getting more moisture in his diet and his new appetite for more food. I've had him since he was 14 weeks and this just started now. And he's never been outside, at least since he's been with me.

 

[pipperoo]

Because of the high moisture content, wet food is more filling than dry. Imagine eating a bowl of cooked oatmeal vs. a bowl of dry oatmeal---your belly will feel fuller with the cooked, no? This might help reduce his appetite back to normal levels.

Not to mention the benefits of your cat receiving moisture from his food vs. his water dish. Cats often don't drink enough water to stay as hydrated as they would eating a prey diet. Canned food is closer to prey in water content.

Also, dry food can be quite high in carbs and it is possible for a cat to develop diabetes (I speak from experience!) leading to increased appetite and thirst. I'm not sure what has lead to your boy wanting more food, but it could be this. It could also be boredom. I had a bored cat who ate kibble and the more she ate, the bigger she got and ultimately developed diabetes.

Skin hot spots might be diet related as well. Many cats are sensitive to wheat/grains used in foods.

Finally, male cats definitely have more urinary tract problems down the line after eating a dry diet, so adding canned or switching to canned definitely helps prevent that.

Fancy Feast pates (not the ones in gravy, just the pates) are very high protein, low carb and good moisture content. They are easy to find everywhere and most cats really like them.

 

[geercom]

Thank you both. My Kibbie, that's his name, likes turkey meat when I give it to him and he likes cat food with salmon and dried chicken liver treats and Little Friskies Party Mix. Is there a particular flavor of Fancy Feast Pates you might suggest?

 

[pipperoo]

I tend to buy wet cat foods that are "not fish". So for the Fancy Feast pates, i buy the Tender Liver & Chicken Feast, Turkey & Giblets Feast, Chicken Feast. The Whiskas Perfect Portions Pates are pretty good too.

 

[jen]

Any fancy feast classic pates are a great place to start. Whatever flavor he will eat. He is probably at his final stages of a growth spurt, filling out, etc. Plus being a neutered housecat, lazier.

Male cats on only dry diets are much more susceptible to urinary blockages and other urinary issues. Cats of any sex eating only dry are basically low-key dehydrated. Cats should be getting their moisture from their diet, not from a bowl. I am not saying don't have a bowl of water out, please do always. But it isn't a natural behavior for them to drink from a bowl. If they are and especially if you noticed they start to drink more at any point in their life, this is a good indication that their water intake is lacking and possibly something medically is going on inside the cat that you cannot see.

Cats need meat to feel full. This is where canned food comes in. Cats fed only dry diets will feel hungrier faster as they are filling up with carbs and starches and filler ingredients, when they are strict carnivores. This being said, be careful with diets labelled "grain free" as the grains are usually just replaced with other sugary starches like potatoes and peas. A diet high in carbs/sugars/starches are how cats end up with diabetes, kidney failure, obesity...

PS cats do everything possible to hide their pain and discomfort. So when you first notice something is different in his behavior, that is a good indication he needs a vet visit for a more in depth check up with bloodwork. Any vet can feel a cat over and take his temperature and determine him to be fine. But they don't know if anything is brewing inside without more diagnostics like bloodwork. So you take kitty to the vet for a check up and he is fine. But then 2 months later he seems off, having taken him in 2 months prior means nothing. So when a vet suggests yearly bloodwork and stuff like that, especially as he ages... sure, you can say "No he seems fine, I don't need it" but there could be early stages something he is hiding from you.

Just some food for thought ha ha ha

 

[jen]

Oh also be careful with lunch meats if that is the kind of turkey you are giving him sometimes. The sodium of deli meat is off the charts for animals and you want to make sure there aren't any other seasonings involved either.

 

[geercom]

Thank you, everyone. I am currently giving him 3 cans a week interspersed with his Kibble. Should I be feeding him wet/canned more often to avoid the aforementioned complications and diseases? He still seems to be eating a lot.

 

[maggiedemi]

Should I be feeding him wet/canned more often to avoid the aforementioned complications and diseases?

I would feed canned food daily.