speed eating

wolcar

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I've been reading some posts here and some info elsewhere on the internet and it seems that other cats seem to eat much slower than mine.  First, when I get the can out they act as if they hadn't eating in days (I'm sure other cats act this way, too).  Second, they eat their food in like a minute.  It's really quick.  My one cat eats slower than the other and I'm thinking if he wasn't so rushed he would take his time even more.  My other cat, Ulysses, gobbles down food like he's never going to eat again (he's so much like his mother lol).  Then he goes and tries to steel gus' food. This is futile b/c I'm closely monitoring.

Does anyone else have a speed eater? Is this normal?  Ulysses was a sickly kitten and throughout his troubling times he was always excited about his food.  Perhaps this post should be under behavior rather than nutrition.
 

claudeone

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I think your experiencing the usual multicat competition.  As long as there is one alpha cat that tries to hog it all then the rest of the clan will do whatever it takes.  You may experience more normal eating habits if you feed them in separate rooms or different feeding times keeping the rest of the kitties away.

 
 

ldg

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I have a speed eater. All of mine (8) are feral rescues, but Billy was older. We tried to adopt him out before we brought him in. He was always super nuts about food. :lol3: I have the same issue with him - he gobbles his food in a few seconds and tries to poach food off the others.

What's funny about this is that our most recent rescue, Chumley, was a 3-4 year old feral when we brought him in. And the ONLY reason we brought him in was because he was SO food aggressive, he scattered the feral colony. It took him being gone for three days before they came back. But he isn't a gobbler (now). He takes his time and enjoys his food now that he knows it comes regularly.

...At least Bill knows not to mess with Chum when it comes to trying to steal food. :lol3:
 
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just mike

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I have 4 cats and one of them is a speed eater.  I finally moved her feeding spot so she wasn't near the other cats but she still eats really fast.  She eats her food really fast and then lurks in the background and will finish off the other cat's "leftovers" after they have finished.  Never could figure it out with her. 
 
 

emilymaywilcha

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I never thought of Wilbur as a speed eater because instead of finishing his portion and then stealing from Patricia, he went over to her bowl while food was still his his bowl. Of course, Patricia was not done either, so then she went to his bowl. I always wondered why they switched places like that. 
 

kittylover23

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Oh, gosh. I have a feral that I call Honey (pretty sure he's a male though
) and he gobbles down his food so fast! Only problem is, he eats it so fast he gets sick! Poor baby. I try to feed him separate from the other ferals, and that seems to help. He's such a sweetheart, but he's food crazy! And with kibble, he takes a huge mouthful and runs away and eats in the corner so the others don't get it!
 
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wolcar

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At least my boy isn't the only one. I thought it may have had to do with him having a rough start but who knows.  Maybe I'll try feeding him with more distance between him and his brother.

Kittylover, my Ulysses does the same thing. Sometimes, if it's a particular flavor can of food, he'll grab a big chunk and then run with it. He confuses me. Never once did anyone take food from him.  I guess they have issues just like their owner ;-) lol

I just thought if he ate slower he wouldn't want so much...
 

ldg

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Oh, gosh. I have a feral that I call Honey (pretty sure he's a male though :lol3: ) and he gobbles down his food so fast! Only problem is, he eats it so fast he gets sick! Poor baby. I try to feed him separate from the other ferals, and that seems to help. He's such a sweetheart, but he's food crazy! And with kibble, he takes a huge mouthful and runs away and eats in the corner so the others don't get it!
Aw, poor baby! For kitties like this, it really helps to put their dish up on a small stool or upside down box - something so the food is at head-height. If feeding kibble, put a tennis ball or rock or something in the middle. Then they can't scoop, they have to eat around it. :)
 

mycuties

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Mine do the same thing just this past few days. I'll give them same amount of food. Nala will eat so fast and start eating her brothers food (which she still have lil bit of food on her bowl), poor Kovu will moved and let her eat. So, I put her back on her place to finish her food and put him back so he can continue eating (its funny). Ended it up Kovu will have a left over and I'll let Nala finish it up.
 

emilymaywilcha

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Aw, poor baby! For kitties like this, it really helps to put their dish up on a small stool or upside down box - something so the food is at head-height. If feeding kibble, put a tennis ball or rock or something in the middle. Then they can't scoop, they have to eat around it.
Amazon sells bowls specifically designed to make cats slow down when they eat. I saw four styles:





There also are elevated feeding stations with food storage under the pint-size bowls:


http://www.amazon.com/dp/B000K7BB7Y/?tag=&tag=thecatsite

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B007ZT5ABI/?tag=&tag=thecatsite
 
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meowmmy_aprile

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I posted not too long ago about a kitten I have that speed eats and eats until he makes himself sick, he wouldn't take the time to really take a bite and swallow he seemed to suck it all in at one time without lifting his head out of the plate. He would also get his whole body into the dish and if I made the dish smaller he would get his front legs in and kinda lay in the dish with his head flat in just hosing the food in.

What I did that worked really, really well was got a small plate like a salad size plate and took an 8oz heavy glass and filled it with water to weight it down. Stuck it in the middle of the plate and spooned his food around the glass in the plate. He now has to actually work a little to get the food which causes him to lift his head out of the dish and take breath before going back in for more. Since I have done this his eating has slowed down and the throwing up and tummy problems have gotten better because he is resting in between bites. Just make sure you have about an inch or 2 from the edge but don't give enough room that he can sit and just eat, make it so he has to actually go around the plate. Saves a litte money from buying a new dish. Some people put a baseball or other heavy ball in their bowls to slow them down as well. I found the ball didn't work that well as he was able to push it to the side and just dig in. The heavy glass kept him from pushing it out of the way.
 

emilymaywilcha

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I posted not too long ago about a kitten I have that speed eats and eats until he makes himself sick, he wouldn't take the time to really take a bite and swallow he seemed to suck it all in at one time without lifting his head out of the plate. He would also get his whole body into the dish and if I made the dish smaller he would get his front legs in and kinda lay in the dish with his head flat in just hosing the food in.

What I did that worked really, really well was got a small plate like a salad size plate and took an 8oz heavy glass and filled it with water to weight it down. Stuck it in the middle of the plate and spooned his food around the glass in the plate. He now has to actually work a little to get the food which causes him to lift his head out of the dish and take breath before going back in for more. Since I have done this his eating has slowed down and the throwing up and tummy problems have gotten better because he is resting in between bites. Just make sure you have about an inch or 2 from the edge but don't give enough room that he can sit and just eat, make it so he has to actually go around the plate. Saves a litte money from buying a new dish. Some people put a baseball or other heavy ball in their bowls to slow them down as well. I found the ball didn't work that well as he was able to push it to the side and just dig in. The heavy glass kept him from pushing it out of the way.
I would worry about the cat tipping over the glass and spilling water all over his food. That is why I posted links to dishes.
 

emilymaywilcha

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My cat is the only one but he speed eats his canned food. Maybe I should get one of those bowls.
Wet food tastes better (even if some people hate the smell). I know because I leave dry food out all day, but a cat wasted his time begging for wet food anyway the last five years.
 

meowmmy_aprile

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I would worry about the cat tipping over the glass and spilling water all over his food. That is why I posted links to dishes.
So far this hasn't happened yet with me, but if your concerned about that I am sure you could put something in the glass that was heavy and not liquid or find a heavy round object to place in the dish.
 
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