Topic: Always hungry (Read 2648 times)

Mark · « **Reply #20 on:** February 13, 2011, 20:37:00 PM »

I would recommend Hill's Science Plan hairball. The kibbles are huge so they have to crunch them rather than swallow them whole, which is what usually causes cats to sick them back up. Also it has added fibres to help with digestion.

http://www.petsathome.com/shop/hills-science-plan-hairball-control-adult-cat-food-with-chicken-1.5kg-14863

Dawn F · « **Reply #19 on:** February 13, 2011, 09:58:08 AM »

I've heard of people hiding it in toilet rolls (the inner bit) as well I use royal canin but everyone will have a different opinion on that

Alicia · « **Reply #18 on:** February 13, 2011, 09:56:41 AM »

Thank you

What dry cat food would you recommend? Pebbles is a wimp and he's scared of the treat balls

He's got one, but I might try hiding some dry cat food round the kitchen and letting him find it.

Teresa Pawcats · « **Reply #17 on:** February 13, 2011, 09:30:44 AM »

Think you will find the reason that Pebbles is sick with the dry food is because he pigs out and eats it too fast. I would up his wet food to 3 pouches daily and maybe add a tiny bit of water and also give him good quality dry food but make him work for it, you can get great little toys (balls etc) that you can hide kibble in, let Pebbles hunt around the house for sdolitary biscuits here and there, that way he cant pig out and you are also reinforcing the hunting instinct in him.

Alicia · « **Reply #16 on:** February 12, 2011, 23:52:20 PM »

He had 2 dentabites, that I just crushed up a bit because the vet said dry food caused a blockage in him so I crushed them up small so they wouldn't. I'd like to leave dry food down for him to eat during the day but I really think he'd eat it all within seconds of putting it down. On Sundays he normally gets some chicken if we have a roast dinner. I'm now feeding him 3 times a day, I'm going to see how he is over the next few days

Rosella moggy · « **Reply #15 on:** February 12, 2011, 23:48:23 PM »

By way of comparison, Groucho is 7 months old and is fed 4 times day. 1 small plate of cooked chicken and 3 good size meals of 1/2 pouch felix with generous amount of RC dry kitten food mixed in. I'm also pretty sure he steals food outside too. He brought in dry bread left for the birds by neighbours the other day

OK so Groucho is a biggish kitten and I'll try reducing the amount he currently eats when he gets a bit older.

Unless young Pebbles is however a very small chap, I think vet is plain wrong to suggest that 2 pouches a day is enough for a growing cat. Good on you for increasing to 3 pouches. Wouldn't be nearly enough for Groucho though

Be careful not to overdo the increased/altered food intake though. Not sure how many denta bites you gave him? Need to check that any food is a "complete" not a "complimentary" food too. Decent quality food is more likely to have a higher meat content and fill him up more perhaps?

FC is quite right in that some cats are a little too keen on eating (hopefully JackSpratt isn't looking

) shhhhhssssh our Noni B is such a one whereas it can be a battle to get others to eat much at all.

All the same 2 pouches a day for a reasonable sized cat seems inadequate.

Tiggy's Mum · « **Reply #14 on:** February 12, 2011, 23:45:05 PM »

As others have said, two pouches seems very little for a young male cat. A few months ago I cut out the biscuits and my 3 yr old male cats were eating 3-4 pouches each a day and were behvaing as though they were 'ravenous' at each meal time! They're back on wet food + biscuits now and my eardrums are very grateful

Feline Costumier · « **Reply #13 on:** February 12, 2011, 23:38:57 PM »

While I do think he's possibly been eating too little and this explains a lot of hunger, some cats are just pigs! I have one, Dave, there is no way in the world I could free feed him, he's a feline dustbin (although seems to be getting a little choosier, when he was a kitten he literally ate anything). He eats a bit of his, a bit of Chilli's, a bit of Little Miss', goes out for 2 minutes, maybe 3 if he's doing a poo to make room

comes back in, goes round all the dishes again, goes for a nap and then repeats until all traces of food are gone.

It's a battle just to keep him at his current slightly overweight state!

Alicia · « **Reply #12 on:** February 12, 2011, 23:29:46 PM »

Yes he is wormed regularly. I've had him since he was 6 weeks old and he's not a rescue kitten. Since I fed him again at 9pm he's not been meowing for food so much but he did jump up on the table a few times but not as much as he normally does.

sweepster · « **Reply #11 on:** February 12, 2011, 21:43:32 PM »

Have you had him since he was a kitten? Just wondering because rescue cats that have been stray/neglected for a while are often very anxious about food and will treat each meal like it's their last, gorging themselves because they simply don't know if or when they'll be fed again. They usually relax after a while when they settle into a routine of regular mealtimes - but sometimes the anxiety never leaves them. One of mine never seems to realise that she's 'full'; she will just carry on eating...

In any case, if Pebbles has been feeling hungry and getting anxious or obsessed about food it might take him a while to relax and stop feeling the need to eat everything he sees!

I presume he is wormed regularly? (Though I'm sure the vet will have checked that with you)

Alicia · « **Reply #10 on:** February 12, 2011, 21:25:44 PM »

He's just come back into the kitchen (he eats in the utility room) and gone straight to the dog food and tried to eat some of it. He's just eaten his third meal today and he wants more. Fortunately he hasn't jumped up onto the tables yet so I'm hoping that maybe he just went for the dog food because it was there on the floor so he thought he'd try and eat it!

Alicia · « **Reply #9 on:** February 12, 2011, 21:16:48 PM »

Thank you for all the help. I've just given him some more food. He had his last meal at 4pm so I thought 5 hours was a good time to leave it. I can't believe I didn't realize how little Pebbles had to eat before, I've just looked at the food in the pouch and there really isn't a lot

He's got some denta bites from Whiskers that I bought him a while ago but I thought he couldn't have because he can't have dry food, but I've crushed one up quite small and mixed it in with his food so I hope that will be ok for now

He does eat quite quickly, I was sitting on the floor next to him as I put the food in and he went for the food before I even got all of the food out of the pouch and I took the dog out into the garden for a few minutes (less than 5 minutes) and by the time we came back in he'd finished his food, I'm worried that him eating too quickly could make him ill, how can I make him eat more slowly? Sorry for so many questions.

sweepster · « **Reply #8 on:** February 12, 2011, 20:58:17 PM »

Some cats will gobble biscuits too quickly and this will cause them to vomit. Or maybe dry food just doesn't suit his stomach? Although it can be useful to leave biscuits down for them to snack on if you are out during the day, it isn't essential (I can't do it anymore because one of mine will eat them all at once and she is overweight). Feeding one pouch in the morning, one at teatime and another later on sounds like a good plan

Alicia · « **Reply #7 on:** February 12, 2011, 19:41:41 PM »

The vet said that the reason he was meowing and wanting food so much (he was also being sick a lot then but he's not now) was because of the biscuits. He said to soak them in water before giving them to him, which we did he didn't like them after they'd be en soaked in water so he didn't eat them. I don't want to risk him getting ill again but I don't want him to be hungry :S

Mark · « **Reply #6 on:** February 12, 2011, 19:39:22 PM »

I would say straight away. I don't understand the no biscuits thing - I would give him some to munch during the day. In fact, when he realises he isn't being rationed, he might even slow down a bit. I would go for a decent quality though as apart from anything else, it is more satisfying for them and they need less (I would avoid things like go-cat dry, whiskas dry, supermarket cheap own brand dry etc as they are mainly cereal and very little meat)

Alicia · « **Reply #5 on:** February 12, 2011, 19:34:32 PM »

Thank you for the help

I will feed him 3 times a day from now on. Should I gradually increase the amount I feed him or just add another pouch of food in straight away?

Mark · « **Reply #4 on:** February 12, 2011, 19:32:45 PM »

Hi Alicia,

I don't think 2 pouches with no biscuits is enough food for a young healthy cat. Usually by 7 or so they start to slow down. It even says 3 - 4 pouches a day on the Whiskas box. For starters I would add in at least another pouch a day. Mine get fed 4 times a day but also have good quality dry. You could try a dry food designed for furballs as they don't usually cause blockage - my cat Lazarus has Royal Canin extreme hairball dry food (as well as pouches) and he has Megacolon which can cause serious blockage but the vet is happy for him to have it.

Alicia · « **Reply #3 on:** February 12, 2011, 19:30:43 PM »

The only problem I have is we aren't home during the day very much so we couldn't really give him a lunchtime meal. Could I give him 2 pouches in his bowl at teatime? Or should I space the 3 pouches out and perhaps give him one in the morning, one when I get home (about 4pm) and one at about 10pm?

sweepster · « **Reply #2 on:** February 12, 2011, 19:29:03 PM »

Hi Alicia. It sounds as though Pebbles is.... hungry! Two pouches a day isn't very much, especially if he is a fairly active young cat. Your other cat George is older and may even be a different sort of build too, so don't assume that the same quantity should suit all cats. Could you try giving him an extra pouch, so he gets 3 meals a day, and see if that helps?

I don't really understand your vet's advice so won't comment on that!

Alicia · « **Reply #1 on:** February 12, 2011, 19:20:16 PM »

Hello

I have a 2 year old neutered male cat named Pebbles and he is constantly hungry. He'll finish his meal and then want more straight away, and will jump onto tables whilst we're eating and climb all over worktops eating whatever he found. I came downstairs last week to find he'd eaten the corner of a donut. I managed to get the food away from him and he didn't eat much of it, and I've been paying extra attention to make sure I move food to a place he can't get it but he'll eat anything and he's always meowing for food. He gets fed 2 whiskers pouches a day, the same as my other cat, George (who is 7) and George is fine but Pebbles is constantly hungry. I know that George isn't eating any of Pebbles food because they don't eat together. Pebbles has been to the vet and the vet said to cut out any dry food because it blocked him up which is why he was constantly hungry (we used to sprinkle some dry cat food on top of his wet cat food) which we did, and he was better for about 2 days and since then he's gone back to constantly wanting food. It's really annoying my parents and I'm worried they're going to want to rehome him if he keeps it up

I try to take him upstairs and keep him busy by playing with him and things like that but he just always wants food. I don't know what's wrong with him. As I said, apart from cutting out dry food the vet can't seem to find a problem with him.

Author Topic: Always hungry (Read 2648 times)