Please help! Cat over eating and I can't stop him.

[Spotid]

Hello again everyone! Thank you all for your help and suggestions, I really do appreciate it.

Today Stinky went to the vet and... they think he's just really hungry!

They are going to run a few tests for his stool, but we put off bloodwork for now. He came back clear for everything else, he's still a healthy boy. They vet thinks that he's just eating too fast. He thinks that when it comes to meal time he just get excited to eat and thus eats too quick. In fact, since his last visit he's gained weight! The vet doesn't believe he has worms given he's up to date on all his shots and he's already gotten his flea medicine for this year, but we went ahead and did a stool test just in case.

I'll keep you all updated in case anything else happens.
For now we will be going to the store for another slow feed bowl for one very hungry cat!

 

[Willowy]

If he keeps up the ravenous kind of eating after making sure he gets enough calories, do insist on the bloodwork.

If he's 10 pounds and very active, he'll need between 200-300 calories a day, it'll take a little experimenting to find the right amount for him. One 5.5 oz can of Friskies pate usually has around 180 calories, so somewhere around a can and a half a day should be a good place to start. Whichever brand/flavor you give him, look on the can or the company's website for calorie counts.

I wouldn't give him any dry food, he obviously has some kind of sensitivity to it.

A slow feeder bowl made for dogs might work, if he's motivated enough to get the food out. Some cats just sit there and stare at it, lol. That way he can't gulp it down. They have some that are shallower and not as complicated, and some that are deep and maze-like for the really hardcore gulpers.

 

[bear]

It isn't that dogs are smarter than cats on using complicated feeders. Cats just learn quickly that the two legged ones are easier to manipulate.

 

[Kflowers]

I know he loves his Meow Mix, cats really do like it. However, since he's so hungry I suspect there is something, or not enough of something in his food he needs. Can you upgrade to a slightly higher protein count food? Sometimes that will help a cat feel full. They can't really process carbs so they are left feeling hungry. In the end the up grade probably wouldn't cost more as the cats would be eating less food than before.

It might be worth a try anyway.

 

[maggie101]

Hello again everyone! Thank you all for your help and suggestions, I really do appreciate it.

Today Stinky went to the vet and... they think he's just really hungry!

They are going to run a few tests for his stool, but we put off bloodwork for now. He came back clear for everything else, he's still a healthy boy. They vet thinks that he's just eating too fast. He thinks that when it comes to meal time he just get excited to eat and thus eats too quick. In fact, since his last visit he's gained weight! The vet doesn't believe he has worms given he's up to date on all his shots and he's already gotten his flea medicine for this year, but we went ahead and did a stool test just in case.

I'll keep you all updated in case anything else happens.
For now we will be going to the store for another slow feed bowl for one very hungry cat!

View attachment 385664

Great news! My cat Peaches is also a ravenous eater. Using a timed feeder at night has helped.food like meow mix,purina, and fancy feast have ingredients that will make a cat go crazy over it

 

[danteshuman]

Can you give him a puzzle feeder with a high protein dry food or an extra snack (?timed feeder maybe?) to see if maybe some extra food will help?

I never had this promblem with cats because there is always a bowl with some dry food to munch on. After awhile they learn the food bowl will always be full & stop freaking out. Now I did have to bribe my twerp with lots of tuna wet food to get him to his mostly wet food diet. I feed him 3meals if 1/2 of a 3 oz can per day plus he eats 1/16-1/4 cup max of dry food per day. I give my cat blue Buffalo wilderness duck dry food (which isn’t that pricy.)

I would also try kitty vitamins in case his food is lacking something. If I was guessing though; I would guess it is psychological with your cat. If he keeps stealing food from your other cat, I would feed them in separate rooms. A few teaspoons of dry food snacks throughout the day may prevent him from feeling like he is starving. My cat wants 4 meals a day ..... I just got tired of tossing out all the wasted wet food. Cats are grazers; so they want mini meals all day long.

 

[Kflowers]

some times cat over eat from stress, as people do. When we first rescued our dog, SG started eating like mad. I didn't realize it and kept filling up her bowl. She gained 2.5 pounds before I noticed. One of the rare times she let me pick her up. Search for low calorie food, because there are worse ways for cats to react to stress and we've lived through them. She lost the weight.

She got comfortable enough with the dog to go into her area and eat her food. She gained the weight back again. Working on this. sigh.

 

[danteshuman]

& not having a ready source of food can stress a cat out! Knowing that if needed they can eat dry food can help calm an anxious eater.

I like the idea of giving him a healthy dry food in a puzzle feeder.

 

[cocoanlace]

I know he loves his Meow Mix, cats really do like it. However, since he's so hungry I suspect there is something, or not enough of something in his food he needs. Can you upgrade to a slightly higher protein count food? Sometimes that will help a cat feel full. They can't really process carbs so they are left feeling hungry. In the end the up grade probably wouldn't cost more as the cats would be eating less food than before.

It might be worth a try anyway.

This is exactly what I was thinking while reviewing the thread. Cats will continue to eat until they get the nutrients needed, and with lesser quality ingredients, that is more difficult.

 

[cocoanlace]

Hello again everyone! Thank you all for your help and suggestions, I really do appreciate it.

Today Stinky went to the vet and... they think he's just really hungry!

They are going to run a few tests for his stool, but we put off bloodwork for now. He came back clear for everything else, he's still a healthy boy. They vet thinks that he's just eating too fast

I was reading your thread today because I am looking for good ideas on my quest to switch my recently diagnosed diabetic kitty to wet food only to get her off insulin. I immediately remembered how ravenous Sister was all the time, even with dry food left out all day. She would eat often and pooped twice as much as the others. She also drank a lot but I thought she was thirsty because of the dry food. She was eating Royal Canin high fiber gastrointestinal dry (it cured her brother of diarrhea so it became a staple), and when I decided I did not like the RC ingredients and the bulk it was adding, I switched to Bluff Buffalo Wilderness Adult Chicken dry which is higher in protein. But when her back leg weakness hit (neuropathy), off to the vet we went where blood tests revealed diabetes. Since Sister has been on Lantus for 36 days, her appetite is light. Amazingly light. Her body is finally metabolizing the food she eats. Just wanted to stress how important it is to get that blood work. Wish I had done it sooner.
And on a second idea, her brother, Monkeydo, will cry/ask for food when his tummy bothers him. He does not seem to be able to differentiate between the discomfort of hunger or intestinal/bowel pain. Not all pangs are hunger.
I hope you will update us soon on how Stinky is doing.