My Cat Is Food Aggressive Towards Me. How Can I Fix That?

[Cf24248]

I took in a feral and hungry stray at 2 months old. He is now about 7-8 months old, and he is aggressive to me about food. He has always been understandably food fixated (just like our other cat, also a stray, has been his whole life though he has chilled a lot). He will eat anything and everything. Can't turn your back on him with food in the room. He chews through bags and boxes, steals from plates or cooking kettles. If his food is in a bowl he eats so fast he vomits so as of now it gets scattered on the floor til i get a slow feeder. He knows 'no' and generally, when food is involved, does not listen to it so I have a spray bottle in the kitchen. Cooking with him is a nightmare because of how often he tries to steal food. Even when he does listen and scrams, he's back a second later. My adult cat used to be like this, but not so bad. While he never outgrew it, he did get good enough to let us alone when I cook or during meals - but he was never aggressive about it

When i go to feed him in the morning (separate from my adult cat or he steals my adults food) he is always SUPER fixated. He gets himself worked up and makes a little chuffing noise the whole time. I'll scoot him away with a foot after telling him to get out of the food closet and usually he will make an angry little yowl and flatten his ears - about about 20% of the time, he will make his angry little yowl and bite my foot. In those instances, he gets scooped up immediately and put in the bathroom and I let him out after maybe 5-10 minutes to eat.

If he does manage to steal human food, like today he stole a chunk of my fiance's sandwich. I scooped him up and jack when to retrieve the sandwich. Kitten growled, flattened his ears and clawed at him.

I can't withhold food until he's calmed down because he just gets more and more worked up. Every feeding is like he's never eaten in his life. Feed him a treat and you're in danger of losing your fingers. Funny enough he doesn't pester me around feeding time like the other cat does, but if he thinks I'm going to the food closet the switch flips.

Will he outgrow this? Is there anything more I can do? I read feeding more than 2 meals/day but feasibly that just isnt very possible with our work schedules.

 

[Wile]

Hi! How much are you feeding him? Kittens need a lot of food and several feedings a day. Two meals really isn't enough. Can you leave dry food out for him to graze on?

 

[Cf24248]

Hi! Thanks for your reply. Ori (kitten) is getting 1/3 cup 2x per day per vet instruction. I can't leave food for him or he will eat until he throws up, and then keep eating, and keep throwing up. He has no control when food is left out, amd he won't stop eating, even after all these months of a steady food source and consistent meals.

Also, my adult Monty can't either and will eat and eat and eat - he became pretty overweight from free feeding and it took us a while to get him back down. So if I leave out food for kitten, Monty will eat it too. I can't separate them from each other to where Ori will have food and Monty won't all day.

I tried a food ball he has to push to get kernels, but he still eats that down fast and doesn't stop til it's empty. He isn't neurotic about it to where he is yowling for food when none is around, but once there IS food around he turns into an angry little tiny tiger.

 

[Wile]

My first guess from what you are describing here is that he simply hasn't been getting enough food or meals in a day and is hungry. He's developed some behavioural compulsions around eating. Assuming you are feeding a food like Royal Canin Kitten chow, it sounds like he is getting 240ish calories a day, which may not be enough depending on his size. Here is another thread with resources that you might find helpful.

Kitten Loves Food Too Much

 

[FeebysOwner]

It sounds like you are feeding him dry food right now, yes? If so, try placing a golf ball in the bowl, he will have to work around it to get to the food and it will slow him down some. You can also get a mini muffin pan and put a little bit of food in each muffin cup - that will also make him have to slow down enough to get to each cup.

He probably does need more food than you are giving him, or at least more times a day. If you can, feed him more times throughout the day. So, the sooner you can get the slow feeder, the better.

I wouldn't suggest using a spray bottle on him, that typically re-enforces bad behavior. And, I would remove him from the area when cooking. Does he have a room with toys/litterbox that he can be confined to while you are cooking? Also, rather than making him wait another 10-15 minutes as punishment for bugging you while you are getting his food ready, take him to his confinement room, fix his meal and then let him out. If he is truly hungry, making him wait another 10-15 minutes isn't doing anything but re-enforcing his concern over not being able to eat.

How has he integrated otherwise?

 

[Cf24248]

I can try adding a meal. He gets Wellness brand kitten food. He was small when I found him, and has always been small, even once he was brought up to a good kitten size. My vet thinks he was a runty kitten. I will give him a food ball midway between meals and see how he does. He was to the vet several times after finding him (initial health check, recheck later, and neuter) so his progression has been watched up until maybe a month and a half ago.

Other than the food, he is integrated perfectly. He gets along well with Monty, runs and plays. He is incredibly affectionate and cuddly. Super social. He is a great addition to the house

 

[FeebysOwner]

I also wanted to add one more thing - if you plan on giving him some canned food you can take a very large plate and smear it very thinly all over the plate. It will take some time for him to get it all. And, it might help with his hunger. I've noticed since I started putting some canned down for Feeby, she tends to eat less of the dry that I leave for her later in the evening.

 

[Kflowers]

The trouble you're having is because you are fighting his deep seated knowledge - absolute and total knowledge that if he doesn't get that food he will die. No question of it. Every time he's screaming for food he thinks he's going to die without it.

The others are right, he needs more than he's getting to make up for what he didn't get before. As they said, several meals a day. When you first get up, then another just before you leave for work. If you can't get home for lunch, you can't. So when you do come home meal as soon as you can then another right before you go to bed.

As FeebysOwner said lock him out of the kitchen while you're cooking - that will keep you both from getting burned, and while you're eating. If he's there screaming for your food, you'll eat too fast and make yourself sick.

You've done a good thing, this will work out. Don't worry about him gaining too much weight right now. Once his psychological issues are solved, the weight can be adjusted.

 

[war&wisdom]

I can try adding a meal. He gets Wellness brand kitten food. He was small when I found him, and has always been small, even once he was brought up to a good kitten size. My vet thinks he was a runty kitten. I will give him a food ball midway between meals and see how he does. He was to the vet several times after finding him (initial health check, recheck later, and neuter) so his progression has been watched up until maybe a month and a half ago.

Other than the food, he is integrated perfectly. He gets along well with Monty, runs and plays. He is incredibly affectionate and cuddly. Super social. He is a great addition to the house

All the advice you've been given is excellent. I just wanted to second the idea that he needs more than two meals a day, especially since you can't leave food out during the day. My two are ravenous still at 9 months, and I could see them eating themselves sick if they only got their food twice a day.

 

[Kflowers]

Just to let you know, from my experience, the vet said cats can only grow until they are two years old. We rescued one who was small and semi starved. She continued to grow until she was three to make up for what she didn't have.

 

[Furballsmom]

Hi!
These members who have responded to you know what they're talking about.
I'm concerned that in your last post you sounded a bit unconvinced.

If for no other reason than the fact that he is still young enough to NEED as much food as he can consume, you need to feed them separately so he gets the food he requires to provide fuel for the growth of his nervous system, brain, eyes, bones, muscles etc etc.

If you add only one more meal, that isn't enough, and he'll act basically the same.

Try a microchip feeder so that the other cat can't access this one's food, and feed 4-5 wet meals with the other cat in another room.

If you aren't already, weigh both of them maybe once a week, that's an excellent method to see exactly what's going on. .