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stray kitten growling while eating...will it get better??

post #1 of 8
8/14/10 at 5:22pm
Thread Starter 
We brought in a very young (8-10week old) stray male kitten about 3 days ago. He was incredibly hungry. We fed him and have been keeping him inside to fatten him up and care for him while we try to find him a home. We are a little worried that it might be harder to find him a home though, because of the way he is when he eats.
He growls, hisses, and swats if anyone gets anywhere near him while he is eating. Our fridge is right behind his food bowl, about 2 feet away, and if we even try to get near the fridge while he is eating, he puts his front paws into the bowl to protect the food, and hisses/growls and turns to jump at us.
I know that he has only been inside for 3 days, and we have not a clue how long he was outside...but will he get over this behavior??
He uses the litterbox just fine, so it seems like he was not outside for too long, but the growling worries me. We can deal with it and make arrangements to feed him separately for however long it may take, but if we do find someone who is interested in him, I worry they might want to bring him back to us because of the eating issues.
Any advice from anyone who has had issues like this? I have not seen this with any other stray we have brought in, so it is a new thing for me.
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post #2 of 8
8/14/10 at 5:45pm
It is a previously learned behavior that will grow out at some point. She's being possessive most likely because she had to compete for food as a younger kitten with siblings or other cats trying to each get as much for themselves as possible. Doing this naturally involved defensive aggressive behaviors like baring teeth, crouching, swatting and hissing. Make it a consistent food source just for her, and the growling will stop.
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post #3 of 8
8/14/10 at 5:46pm
He should be ok once he is sure nobody is going to take his food. I have had several cats that did a similar thing and they are fine now. The growling lasted longer with one of them, and eventually turned into a cute grumbly sound like he was really enjoying his dinner.
Bless you for taking in this little lost soul.
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post #4 of 8
8/14/10 at 6:01pm
Flambe was that way, and once he realized he was going to get his, he's gotten much less food aggressive. It does take a while.
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post #5 of 8
8/16/10 at 4:48am
I have had several strays and ferals that growled over their food. They are saying 'this is mine, I like it, keep away'. They all grow out of it once they realise that food is a constantly renewable resource and that this is not the last meal they are likely to get! I find it rather cute.
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post #6 of 8
8/16/10 at 5:16am
I've had them hiss and growl over their food but never try to come after me when I'm a few feet away. What a bold little kitten.

He'll improve, but I wouldn't want to share a bowl with him in the future. Chances are he may always be a slight bit possessive over his food. If you rehome him simply inform his new owners of this.
A food aggressive cat isn't a deal breaker for an adoption like a food aggressive dog can be.
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post #7 of 8
8/16/10 at 7:33am
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by jennyranson View Post
I have had several strays and ferals that growled over their food. They are saying 'this is mine, I like it, keep away'. They all grow out of it once they realise that food is a constantly renewable resource and that this is not the last meal they are likely to get! I find it rather cute.
My husband and I think it is hilarious, we like to stand in there and watch him.
We mainly worry about the behavior because of how it affects our resident cats...we have two kittens that are about 4/5 months old and they are both atleast twice the size of the new stray baby, but they refuse to go near him at food time....they have tried but they run away scared. Our other kittens are very much babied, and they sure act like it. Our blind kitten Billy, ends up sitting a few feet away and cooing, calling for us to come get him because he isn't sure what he should do/where to go. (His sign for wanting us to come get him and help him out of whatever he is in, is to coo loudly until he is picked up)

Oh, and my husband and I are still trying to rehome him but he might end up becoming a part of our kitty family. We have posted ads at a few vets, but most already have kitties they are trying to find homes for. So we are trying but there are so so so many kittens in this area in need of homes. He has some old fight wounds on his ears we are treating for him, and he is in love with me. He follows me from room to room, and lays in whatever room I end up staying in for awhile. I am trying to not become too attached in case we find him a home but am giving him tons of love because the poor guy needs it!
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post #8 of 8
8/22/10 at 1:11pm
A few months ago, our dear once feral kitten was quite similar in behavior. Now she is purring on my lap. It was her weird aggressive huffing that happened during feeding that happened for several days just before her switch flipped to tame and loving.
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