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Cat Forum / Health and Behavior / February 2004Why is my cat hungry all the time?
My cat Dixie, or kitten rather since she is 11 months old, is hungry all the time. She has been checked for worms, I don't see any signs of worms in her stools. I feed her 3 times per day a mix of Purina Pro Plan canned food and Purina Pro Plan dry food, I mix one half of the small cans with about 2 tablespoons of dry together. She is already overweight, I can't feel her ribs. Why does she want to eat all the time? I even have to feed her and my 17 yr old cat separately so she want it its food too. She will even eat our dogs dry food if he leaves some in his bowl. Last time she ate the dogs food it gave her diarrhea and she vomited. Does Dixie have an eating disorder? A mental problem maybe from the shelter where perhaps she had to always fight for food? I have had her now for 8 months and never have I skipped meals for her. Please help! She is driving us crazy. Nancy and Dixie Nancy Mickleberry <nmickleberry@netscape.net> wrote in rec.pets.cats.health+behav: > My cat Dixie, or kitten rather since she is 11 months old, is > hungry all the time. She has been checked for worms, I don't see [quoted text clipped - 13 lines] > > Nancy and Dixie Probably having a growth spurt? Kami was suddenly hungrier last week for three days. Instead of one can, she had one and half. Then it stopped. :::shrug::: > Does Dixie have an eating disorder? A mental problem maybe from the > shelter where perhaps she had to always fight for food? I have had her > now for 8 months and never have I skipped meals for her. Please help! > She is driving us crazy. Assuming nothing is physically wrong (only a vet visit can tell you that), she's probably just a food hound. My dog acts the same way and she's not exactly skinny. She'd eat until she exploded. And my Jeffrey ate himself sick many, many times until he realized the food was always going to be there. And he still does it occasionally. He came froma cat collector with over 70 cats from what the shelter worker told me. (I free-feed the cats) Might I ask how you know she is hungry and what drives you crazy? If she is crying, she may want something besides food, like water, love, attention, etc. My Rowan jumps on the counter near the food bowls and yells every morning. This is not because she is hungry - there is food there. It is because she wants her morning pet and a treat, which is in the cabinet just above the counter.  Signature-- ~kaeli~ He often broke into song because he couldn't find the key. http://www.ipwebdesign.net/wildAtHeart http://www.ipwebdesign.net/kaelisSpace She begs everytime we go into the kitchen. She jumps up on the counters and searches for food there. If I have meat defrosting she will try to get at it. She comes in the rooms where I am around her designated meal times and jumps on me, cries. She cries outside the bedroom door in the morning before we get up. At other times she comes in other rooms and tries to lead me to the kitchen to feed her. She fights my older cat and runs her out of the kitchen because she thinks the other cat will get her food. I guess I need to consult the vet. By the way, she has been like this ever since I got her at 8 weeks old. This is not new behavior. Nancy >>Does Dixie have an eating disorder? A mental problem maybe from the >>shelter where perhaps she had to always fight for food? I have had her [quoted text clipped - 16 lines] > because she wants her morning pet and a treat, which is in the cabinet > just above the counter. > She begs everytime we go into the kitchen. She jumps up on the counters > and searches for food there. If I have meat defrosting she will try to [quoted text clipped - 12 lines] > > Nancy My cats ate like little fiends until they were over a year. On the other hand, she may be bored. Does she have a companion? Karen > I guess I need to consult the vet. By the way, she has been like this > ever since I got her at 8 weeks old. This is not new behavior. I think you are wise. She sounds like she has either a physical or emotional problem. Poor baby. Bless you for rescuing her. Keep us posted. >She begs everytime we go into the kitchen. She jumps up on the counters >and searches for food there. If I have meat defrosting she will try to [quoted text clipped - 12 lines] > >Nancy Wow, you've described my situation exactly. My adopted 3 year old male is always hungry and beats up on his older sister constantly. He's gaining weight, so I'm guessing it's psychological. >>>Does Dixie have an eating disorder? A mental problem maybe from the >>>shelter where perhaps she had to always fight for food? I have had her [quoted text clipped - 16 lines] >> because she wants her morning pet and a treat, which is in the cabinet >> just above the counter. > She begs everytime we go into the kitchen. She jumps up on the counters > and searches for food there. If I have meat defrosting she will try to [quoted text clipped - 3 lines] > jumps on me, cries. She cries outside the bedroom door in the morning > before we get up. One of my furry freaks behaves in very similar way. He is an ex-stray, and was apparently starving to death when rescued from the streets. I think the explanation for my cat's behaviour is clear ... but I guess this can't apply to your cat. As others have said, it's probably just a personality trait - vet input notwithstanding. You could try feeding low-cal food - the larger volume might take the edge off the complainers motivation? Steve. > My cat Dixie, or kitten rather since she is 11 months old, is hungry all > the time. She has been checked for worms, I don't see any signs of [quoted text clipped - 13 lines] > > Nancy and Dixie Provided there's no medical condition - such as hyperthyroidism (unlikely at a young age) or as you mentioned, worms, then it might very well be a learned behavior. One of my past cats was *always* begging for food. My sister'd found her when she was less than a year old, as a literally starving stray, in the middle of February (cold!). Food was forever on her mind. She also would eat her own food, then move on & finish off the food in my other cat's dish (the other cat was an all-day grazer, & ate exactly the right amount - never got fat). Plus she'd beg throughout the day. Eventually, I had to put her on a diet - the amount recommended by a vet, so that she'd lose weight slowly, but steadily. Cathy -- "Staccato signals of constant information..." ("The Boy in the Bubble") Paul Simon > My cat Dixie, or kitten rather since she is 11 months old, is hungry all > the time. She has been checked for worms, I don't see any signs of [quoted text clipped - 13 lines] > > Nancy and Dixie Provided there's no medical condition - such as hyperthyroidism (unlikely at a young age) or as you mentioned, worms, then it might very well be a learned behavior. One of my past cats was *always* begging for food. My sister'd found her when she was less than a year old, as a literally starving stray, in the middle of February (cold!). Food was forever on her mind. She also would eat her own food, then move on & finish off the food in my other cat's dish (the other cat was an all-day grazer, & ate exactly the right amount - never got fat). Plus she'd beg throughout the day. Eventually, I had to put her on a diet - the amount recommended by a vet, so that she'd lose weight slowly, but steadily. Cathy Sounds like my Isabelle. She's never met food she didn't like. She was a stray also but I guess her foster Mom was a little too good to her. We are trying to get her to lose but she is really resourceful when it comes to finding any food that is around. She has learned how to r e a c h into Boots' box and slide his bowl over to the door so she can scarf it. I'm surprised she hasn't learned to open the plastic box that we keep their food in. She goes to the kitchen around 4:00 every afternoon (dinner time is at 6) and sits there for 2 hours waiting to get fed. She is getting a little better as she has stopped being a pest (noisy) in the morning. W > Sounds like my Isabelle. She's never met food she didn't like. She was > a stray also but I guess her foster Mom was a little too good to her. > We are trying to get her to lose but she is really resourceful when it > comes to finding any food that is around. She has learned how to r e > a c h into Boots' box and slide his bowl over to the door so she > can scarf it. I'm curious about this, Wendy. Do you use a technique that I've seen others suggest where you put a bowl of food under a box with a small opening so a smaller cat can get it and the bigger one can't? SignatureCheryl Trapped like rats. In a chia-pet. MIB II Wendy wrote in news:eJKdnVML27Jzurnd4p2dnA@comcast.com on 06 Feb 2004: > Sounds like my Isabelle. She's never met food she didn't like. She was > a stray also but I guess her foster Mom was a little too good to her. > We are trying to get her to lose but she is really resourceful when it > comes to finding any food that is around. She has learned how to r e > a c h into Boots' box and slide his bowl over to the door so she > can scarf it. I'm curious about this, Wendy. Do you use a technique that I've seen others suggest where you put a bowl of food under a box with a small opening so a smaller cat can get it and the bigger one can't? -- Cheryl Yes. Someone here suggested it to keep the girls out of Boots' food. He's not eating the same food as the girls yet so I don't need them scarfing his kitten food. Wendy > Yes. Someone here suggested it to keep the girls out of Boots' food. > He's not eating the same food as the girls yet so I don't need them > scarfing his kitten food. I had thought about that for Bonnie's food since she won't eat canned and her dry food irritates Shadow's GI tract too much. Shadow sounds just like your Isabelle. lol At first I tried putting a baby gate in the doorway to the room Bonnie used to be secluded in and she got over it fine. Shadow isn't really a jumper anymore but he did surprise me a few times when I found that he'd jumped and I'd find him scarfing down her food, so that plan didn't work for long. Now I just give her her food at scheduled meal times and if she doesn't eat enough in the morning when I put the food away, she'll eat more in the evening. I don't leave anyones food out for grazing. Though now that I'm separating them during the day, I do leave her a tiny bit that isn't eaten for breakfast and Shadow can't get to hers. SignatureCheryl Trapped like rats. In a chia-pet. MIB II Wendy wrote in news:lf6dnQQXPOwnobndRVn-jg@comcast.com on 06 Feb 2004: > Yes. Someone here suggested it to keep the girls out of Boots' food. > He's not eating the same food as the girls yet so I don't need them > scarfing his kitten food. I had thought about that for Bonnie's food since she won't eat canned and her dry food irritates Shadow's GI tract too much. Shadow sounds just like your Isabelle. lol At first I tried putting a baby gate in the doorway to the room Bonnie used to be secluded in and she got over it fine. Shadow isn't really a jumper anymore but he did surprise me a few times when I found that he'd jumped and I'd find him scarfing down her food, so that plan didn't work for long. Now I just give her her food at scheduled meal times and if she doesn't eat enough in the morning when I put the food away, she'll eat more in the evening. I don't leave anyones food out for grazing. Though now that I'm separating them during the day, I do leave her a tiny bit that isn't eaten for breakfast and Shadow can't get to hers. -- Cheryl It was a lot easier around here when it was Tiggy and Ralf. Neither one ate at one sitting so they would alternate and end up getting the amount that they should. Boots stopped butting in front of the girls to eat their food since we switched to science diet kitten food. I guess he wasn't wild about the eukanuba. Tiggy has started scarfing hers in one sitting to keep Isabelle from getting any. The problem with that is if I let her then she throws it back up. I end up standing there while they eat and picking up Tiggy's when she takes a break - then putting it back down later and standing there to insure she's the one eating it. It's getting to be a real PIA. Isabelle is still as fat as ever. She occasionally chases the laser light and looks like a charging hippo. W > Isabelle is still as fat as ever. She occasionally chases the laser light > and looks like a charging hippo. LMAO! That is Shadow too! He just decided he likes chasing Da Bird toy when I play with the others and watching him run is comical, but good. His tummy wobbles when he runs. Plus, he runs a few steps and then remembers that he is afraid of being chased by the others and that part is sad. Maybe Tiggy doesn't need as much at one sitting and try giving her just a little less? SignatureCheryl Trapped like rats. In a chia-pet. MIB II Wendy wrote in news:JvKdnYph444v1rnd4p2dnA@comcast.com on 06 Feb 2004: > Isabelle is still as fat as ever. She occasionally chases the laser light > and looks like a charging hippo. LMAO! That is Shadow too! He just decided he likes chasing Da Bird toy when I play with the others and watching him run is comical, but good. His tummy wobbles when he runs. Plus, he runs a few steps and then remembers that he is afraid of being chased by the others and that part is sad. Maybe Tiggy doesn't need as much at one sitting and try giving her just a little less? -- Cheryl I've been lifting the bowl and making her take a break if it seems she's going too fast. Annoys the cat but at least she keeps it all down. > I've been lifting the bowl and making her take a break if it seems she's > going too fast. Annoys the cat but at least she keeps it all down. I've been pissing Shadow off too if he is successful in finding Bonnie's food and he gets a mouthful before I catch up and take the bowl away. He's sneaky, too. It's very hard keeping up with this crowd of diverse metabolic needs. SignatureCheryl Trapped like rats. In a chia-pet. MIB II Wendy wrote in news:E6ednVgdoe2Pxbnd4p2dnA@comcast.com on 06 Feb 2004: > I've been lifting the bowl and making her take a break if it seems she's > going too fast. Annoys the cat but at least she keeps it all down. I've been pissing Shadow off too if he is successful in finding Bonnie's food and he gets a mouthful before I catch up and take the bowl away. He's sneaky, too. It's very hard keeping up with this crowd of diverse metabolic needs. -- Cheryl Oh he does sound like my Isabelle. I got up this morning and fed all the cats. Isabelle inhaled hers, went looking for Tiggy's bowl (which was already moved up on the counter) and went over to check out Boots' box (he was in it so no success there either). Not to be daunted she waited for the dh to get up and did the prancing, circling, crying, oh! feed me, feed me dance for him. Now that I think about it I should encourage the dance, at least she's moving lol We can call it exercise. W > Tiggy has started scarfing hers in one sitting to keep Isabelle from > getting any. The problem with that is if I let her then she throws it > back up. I end up standing there while they eat and picking up Tiggy's > when she takes a break - then putting it back down later and standing > there to insure she's the one eating it. It's getting to be a real > PIA. PS - I'm trying to teach Bonnie to jump up on the counter (separate counter from where I cook) but that isn't working yet. We're close, Shamrock jumps up there for the little dry he eats and Bonnie watches him. Shadow definitely can't jump up counter height. SignatureCheryl Trapped like rats. In a chia-pet. MIB II > > My cat Dixie, or kitten rather since she is 11 months old, is hungry all > > the time. She has been checked for worms, I don't see any signs of [quoted text clipped - 13 lines] > > > > Nancy and Dixie We will for the moment assume Medical conditions are ruled out. By nature cats are opertunity eaters this is a survival trait. That can be trained (programed) out of them if they do not have a starvation stimules that counters the training. I would not worrie about an eating disorder but keep an eye on how much she eats just to avoid medical issues that can arise from poor dietary habits. >My cat Dixie, or kitten rather since she is 11 months old, is hungry all >the time. She has been checked for worms, I don't see any signs of [quoted text clipped - 13 lines] > >Nancy and Dixie There have already been some good posts in reply to this so I won't repeat them. Another issue for constant hunger could be diabetes, but that does NOT sound like this situation. There are several kinds of worms and other parasites that can not been seen by the naked eye. Only testing will diagnose that, but again, it does not sound like your situation. One of my cats often crys for canned food. The others will eat it, if it is there, but they don't care enough to ask for it, or even to wait to see if I'm going to open a can when I go to the kitchen. That same cat loves bread, perhaps more than most other food. She insists on inspecting everything that a human has to eat to see if it would be better suited to her palate than to the human's. If you give her the "wrong" flavor of canned food, she turns her nose up at it and starts crying again. Can you say spoiled? This is partly a learned behavior, she knows that I will give in so she pushes the issue. This reminds me of the old saying "You should not ask the Salvation Army for help with this problem...They help the needy, not the greedy." LOL >Does Dixie have an eating disorder? A mental problem maybe from the >shelter where perhaps she had to always fight for food? I have had her >now for 8 months and never have I skipped meals for her. Please help! >She is driving us crazy. > >Nancy and Dixie I've had strays who were "opportunistic eaters." They didn't know where the next meal was coming from for so long they'd gobble food any chance they got, hungry or it. Unfortunately, no amount of security ever changed one of mine and he got dreadfully overweight. My fault. If I had it to do over again, I'd have been more careful. Sherry After a trip to the vet to rule out physical problems, get a laser pointer. Maybe she is bored and wants to play. Some cats have a lot of fun chasing the dot. -- Barb I can only please one person a day. Today is not your day. Tomorrow doesn't look good either.
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