Psychotic eating and keeping him off the counter (long post)

Hey, haven't posted in a while. So I adopted a new kitten so that Shami could have a buddy. They get along well and all, but this guy was about 99% stray when I first brought him in. Took him a while to use the litterbox, likes to knock over the garbage can and rummage through the trash (I thought that was a dog thing), and the most troubling thing is that he will eat everything and anything that's remotely edible. On top of that, he'll eat himself sick, literally, till he pukes. He's on the thinner side, but you'd never guess how much he eats just by looking at his physique.

He also gets extremely aggressive when he eats. Growls, hisses, swats, bites, if there's food around he'll be growling. He loves canned food, but I dare not bring any of it home anymore because someone will get hurt seriously. Made that mistake twice already. Tried hand feeding him treats thinking maybe he'll calm down if I give him morsels of food at a time, almost lost a few fingers.

I got him to the point where I can sort of feed him and Shami in the same room without someone losing an eye, though he wolfs down his food and comes over and chases Shami away and eats all his food. Not that I mind since I'm trying to get Shami to lose weight, but it's another worrying behavior.

Now... the kitchen counter. I can't keep this guy off it. I keep it spotlessly clean because he keeps jumping on top of it and licking every single surface for whatever grease, oil droplet, or crumb there's left on it. He particularly likes the stove which is what worries me the most. I have an electric stove so the elements stay burning hot for a while after they've been turned off and although he's grazed a paw and got slightly singed twice, he just doesn't get it and will immediately jump on the stove and start licking the moment I turn my back.

I've tried just about everything but putting an electric fence around the kitchen. Yelling, squirting, splashing a bucket of water, tape traps, foil traps, water tray traps, mouse traps turned upside down, those proximity spray traps, ultrasonic thingies, electric shock mats, bitter sprays, red pepper powder (which he'll eat btw, and get sick after), carpet runners turned upside down, and some others I can't remember it's been so long. Anything that smells edible to you or me attracts him, including any fruit (orange, lemon included). He's not interested in the cat tree, even when I stash treats up there, Shami finds it first and gobbles it all up. So now I just wait there till the stove cools off before I walk off.

Now I understand this kitchen counter thing is probably caused by his eating thing. What do I do to get this guy to chill out? It's weird that he's generally a pretty nice guy, he'll hang out on my lap, likes attention, but if there's food around he does a complete Jekyll and Hyde thing.

Have him tested for tapeworm. Tapeworm makes them insanely ravenous and they stay skinny. It's easily treated.

Originally Posted by Brokenheart

Have him tested for tapeworm. Tapeworm makes them insanely ravenous and they stay skinny. It's easily treated.

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Hmm... I would've thought the vet would have said something if he had worms but it's worth a call I guess. Do worms show up on x-rays? He had an x-ray done because he was wheezing for a couple days after getting neutered. The vet thought it might've been feline asthma but passed it off as just after effects of anesthesia since there was nothing abnormal with the x-ray and it subsided on its own.

Originally Posted by Lemur 6

Hmm... I would've thought the vet would have said something if he had worms but it's worth a call I guess. Do worms show up on x-rays? He had an x-ray done because he was wheezing for a couple days after getting neutered. The vet thought it might've been feline asthma but passed it off as just after effects of anesthesia since there was nothing abnormal with the x-ray and it subsided on its own.

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No, I don't think xrays are any use at detecting tapeworms. I don't remember if there's actually a test for tapeworms or if the vet just deduces it based on symptoms. You can watch your kitten's butt for white pieces of tapeworm falling out but you won't necessarily see that.

The good news is, if it's tapeworm, it's easily cured. Then the crazy eating will stop. They're ravenous no matter how much they eat because the tapeworm's taking all the nutrition.

After you use the stove, put a pot with water in it, over the eye, until it cools off.

First off, do worm him, if he's not been wormed he almost certainly has them. Worm both cats, or they will just catch them off each other again.

If this little guy was living as a stray, chances are that he's spent a fair bit of time hungry. He may have had to defend any food he found from other cats. His greediness and behaviour around the food bowl suggest that he has a fear that there won't be enough food to go around - this is fairly normal in cats that have been strays or feral.

Some cats unfortunately never quite get over this, but if your little buddy is young then he stands a good chance of eventually realising that there is enough food to go around and he's not going to starve. There are a couple of ways you can help him. Either free feed them both for a while, if that is something you can easily do - put down 2 bowls in different locations. Or, stick to a rigid meal schedule where you must feed at the exact same times every day, feeding them in separate rooms where the little one cannot see Shami, as the kitten thinks he may have to fight Shami to be able to get food.

Often with cats, feeding them together will help them settle in together and get to know one another, but when one has anxiety about food and thinks the other is competition, food can be a trigger point for aggression and fights - so whatever you do, feed them separately for a while. The little one should realise in time that there is plenty to go around and that he doesn't have to fight other cats for food.

I hope that gives you some ideas

Originally Posted by Pami

After you use the stove, put a pot with water in it, over the eye, until it cools off.

Click to expand...

Haha, why hadn't I thought of that? Thanks for the tip

So the vet ran a fecal and took a look at both of them and neither appear to have any worms. I think it's just a behavior thing as Epona pointed out, since he was a stray.

I did try free feeding him for a bit but as noted, he ate himself sick, which concerned me and my vet so I stopped doing that and now stick to a morning/evening schedule.

I'm trying to "bother" him more while he's eating, seems like I can pet his butt and he'll just give me a growl, but if I go anywhere near his head or bump his food bowl it'll warrant a hiss and scratch/bite. But so far I don't know how effective it is at getting him to calm down. He gets really excited during feeding time and he'll try to climb on me (with no regard that his claws a digging a cm into my flesh), or if I'm not careful he'll jump on the counter while I'm filling the food bowls and go just berserk (claws, teeth, kicking mad, gobbling, trying to drag everything off the counter).

I have that feliway spray that I spray the feeding area with but it doesn't seem to do anything. Is the plug-in more effective? I'm just worried he'll try to eat that and get electrocuted or something.

We adopted two kittens from the shelter at Christmas. They were part of a litter of ten - all kept in the same cage for over a month. We had some eating issues at the beginning also.

We quickly learned not to feed them unless we were fully dressed in something heavy (like jeans). Thin clothing = stratches from their sharp claws. We also feed them in a separate room as Zoey is on a different food. We quickly learned to put them in the daughter's bathroom while we fixed their food - they can climb up your clothing in the blink of an eye - and make a flying leap at you.

Canned food actually has more protein (which cats need) than dry. I believe there is also more fat in the canned, which makes their body feel full longer. The carbs in dry food are digested quicker, which leaves an empty stomach.

We fed the kittens every 2-3 hours at first. Smashing/smearing the food around on the plate will make it take a bit longer to eat (add a bit of water if needed). It took 6 weeks until they started a bit of food on the plate during a feeding. That was out signal to slowly increase the times between feedings and increase the amount of food of food at each feeding. So at 4 months of age, they now get 2-3 feedings a day. The amount of food has decreased to just 2 ounces a day - way down from from the ounce every 2-3 hours. There is always a bit of food left over, so I know I am not starving them. They are gaining nicely.

I hope this helps.

Counters:
If you can find some carpet runners, car floor mats or other similar fashioned items, they are made of a plastic/rubber and have small nubs or prongs on the bottom to grip into carpet. Cats HATE the feeling of these on their paws. If you can get ahold of this type of product, cut some pieces to fit, you can easily cover up your vital counter areas until the cat realizes that jumping up is not something it wants to do, no matter how much food is up there. Do be careful especially around the stove as these types of products might melt if exposed to direct heat/flame.

Feeding:
Try to feed each cat in diffrent rooms. One in the kitchen, one in the bathroom, etc. If you feed wet food, spread it around the inside of a big bowl or plate so greedy kitty has to work for it which slows him down.

If you free feed, use measured amounts split into multiple meals so he will not eat so much at once and throw up. Raising the food up can also help some, so that he does not have to bend down to eat.


Stray/feral cats have built up patterns of behavior to help them survive on the streets, it will take a lot of time and patience to retrain them but it is possible.

Best of luck to you!