"Scarfers"

[tx_kat]

Our two 7-month old kittens are "scarfers". 

We started letting them eat with our three adult cats, but the kittens would eat their food then move on to the adults' food.  We made sure the kittens had more food than the adults, but that didn't help the problem.  We fed them more times per day, but that didn't help.  We fed the kittens in "slow feed" bowls, but they would abandon their food and head to the adults' food.  Bless their hearts, the adults have never gotten angry with the kittens ... they just walked away (hungry). 

We separated the kittens from the adults, and they still gobbled their food as fast as possible and ran to the adults' food bowls as soon as we let them out.  We have fed them separated not only from the adults, but from each other, but they still scarf their food.  We sit in the room with each kitten and fed them a small amount at a time, but that doesn't slow them down. 

The problem is the kittens have loose stools (not diarrhea, just mushy poops).  One of them has also vomited a couple of times after eating (I think because he is eating so fast).  We have had them checked by the vet, who gave them a clean bill of health, but nothing is working to slow down their eating.   The only thing that has helped their poops (but not their scarfing) is adding a small amount of pumpkin to their food. 

What else can we do to try to slow down their eating?

Will they grow out of this?

 

[rad65]

Are you feeding dry food? If so, put a gold ball in the food bowl. Having to move around the ball will slow down eating. Regardless of if you're feeding wet or dry food, you can raise the plate/bowl up a few inches. This stops cats from laying down and sucking up food like a vacuum.

Also, I had the exact same problem with my kitten. I had to switch him to an all stages food right away because he thought my older cat's food was way better than his kitten food. He would eat really quickly, sometimes leading to throwing up, and his stool was soft for the first couple months he was here. He did grow out of it just find, and now he eats the correct amount of food and only rarely eats it so fast that he's throwing it up later.

 

[tx_kat]

Our cats/kittens don't get dry food - just wet. I saw the ball and wondered if it would do any better than a slow feed bowl. The kittens don't lay down, they eat in the same position all our other cats eat. I just hope they grow out of this soon.

 

[ellyr]

My kitten vacuums up his food and then goes for my older cat's as well.  At the moment I have to feed them with a closed door between them to make sure my female gets a fair shot at uninterrupted feeding.  I reallllly hope he grows out of it at some point; until then the door must stay.

 

[p3 and the king]

Boy kittens are like that for some reason.  I have to really keep my boy kitten, Tyrion, from doing the same thing.  I separate him during eating.  If not, he makes it his mission to eat as much of everyone else's as he can!!  I don't know why?  He isn't and has never been deprived!  But, my other 2 year old boy, King Arthur, was like that as a kitten, too.  He is better now as an adult.  He waits until the girls finish and walk away before going over to eat the rest of theirs. 

Separating them is about all you can do.