Constant hunger, vomiting

[~Siameseifuplz~]

My brother and his girlfriend adopted a 2 year old cat over the summer and he's been starting to cause some trouble lately. He was chubby so she switched him off of dry food, he's an average sized cat, they don't know his weight exactly. So he gets a 5.5 ounce can every day, split into two meals.

I guess he tries to find food all the time. Knocks over the trash and eats, found their BREAD and ate it, steals food out of cabinets, etc. He wakes them up early in the morning to be fed. And he doesn't just eat their food, he appears to play with it. He got into lo mein noodles in the kitchen and they found it on the coffee table, couch, against the back wall, everywhere in the room.

They said he also throws up every few days. Sometimes food (his and theirs), sometimes bile.


Anyone have any ideas for them?

[catloverami]

It's always difficult to suggest quantities of food because of a cat's size, activity level, etc. The goal is to have a cat at its ideal weight, which is not chubby but not thin. You should be able to feel its ribs under a thin layer of fat, and it should show a waist or indentation just in front of its hips when viewed from above while the cat's standing. You should not a able to feel its spine or hip bones on top of rump---that would be too thin. A good no-grain diet, canned peferable or good quality no-grain kibble (or raw diet) should keep your cat healthy. Feeding Your Cat: Know the Basics of Feline Nutrition :: healthy cat diet, making cat food, litter box, cat food, cat nutrition, cat urinary tract health

Ravenously hungry and vomiting could be caused by several things....a hyperactive thyroid, eating too quickly, worms or other parasites. A vet visit and blood tests to rule out a thyroid problem, worms and parasites is the first place to start. Too fast eating can be slowed down by spreading canned food thinly on a plate, so the cat takes longer to lick it up.

Feeding definite meals (2x/day) rather than free feeding with food always available allows owner to better judge how much the cat is eating especially if there is more than one cat (or dog) in the home. If the cat has been checked by the vet for thyroid and worms, etc. and is OK, it may be cat is just hungry and that why it's going after their food. Any food changes should be done very gradually, from one brand or type to another or from kibble to canned or a mixture of the two. They could increase the amount of food a little and after a few weeks will know if that will satisfy the cat and add a little weight. All people food should be put away in secure cupboard or containers out of reach. I hope this is helpful.

[yingying]

I think the food should be split into 3 or more meals per day, instead of 2. This way the cat won't feel hungry a lot, and won't eat too fast (the vomiting could be caused by eating too fast).

Also depends on how fat he is and how much he used to eat, the diet plan should be carried out slowly and gradually. Suddenly cutting the food intake to 5.5 oz per day may do more harm than good. Depending on his size and activity level, 5.5oz/day may not be enough even if he is fit. Give him more and monitor his weight change. If he is loosing weight then keep this amount for a while until his weight is stable. Then re-evaluate his weight and decide if he needs to lose more weight.

Also put all food out of his reach. Buy trash can with lid. Him stealing food is more than an annoyance. It may impact his health.

[~Siameseifuplz~]

Thanks for the advice. I don't think he has worms, he went to the vet right after they got him. At the shelter he was free fed dry so that might be upsetting him. He gets fed Weruva and BFF. I've heard Weruva is low in calories so maybe that is causing some of it. Their trash can does have a lid actually, but he knocked the whole thing over so the lid opened. but it has a latch so they've started latching it when they leave. But he can open the cabinets too, he's very clever I guess. They have been monitoring his weight through looking and feeling, they don't have a scale at the moment. He doesn't appear to be loosing weight.


I'll definitely suggest they feed more meals and see if that helps.

[yingying]

My cats can open cabinet too, so we put rubber band on both side of the handles. If we need to open the cabinet, we have to take off the rubber band first. It is annoying, but better than having cats raiding the cabinet Our trash can is a 20L metal one, that you need to step on the paddle to open. My cats cannot knock it over or open it. Hope these can give you friends some inspriations.

If the cat is getting enough food, then it could be he is just bored (I notice you did mention that he doesn't eat their food) and is using food to have fun. Can your friend give him more toys and play with him for a longer time every day? Extra excercise also help losing weight

[Auntie Crazy]

Definitely increase his meals to three a day, and - only if he's at or below optimal weight - feed him an extra ounce or two over the standard 5.5 - 6 ounces a day.

Being hungry can cause the behavior this cat is exhibiting, and going too long without food can cause vomiting as the tummy becomes more and more acidic. Feeding more often should address both of these issues.

Be warned, though - it takes time for cats to realize they're not going to starve, so don't expect his behaviors to change over night!

Best regards!

AC