Cat(s) eating like they're starved! (All tests come back normal??)

Hi there,

I have 4 cats.  1 of which, Blade, used to act like he was starved all the time and eat everything in sight.  He ended up having hyperthyroidism.  He takes meds now and is completely normal again.

Now....2 of the other cats, Riley and Spencer, are acting the same exact way Blade used to act.  They act like they haven't eaten in days.  They'll try to knock the food out of my hands.  They'll eat EVERYTHING....I mean even stuff that isn't food. 

First Riley was doing that.  Took him to the vet....had blood work and stuff done and everything came back normal.  The only thing was he had a uti so we knocked that out with antibiotics.  But he's still acting like he's starving.

Now his fur is looking funny.  I'm thinking it's probably the winter, whole humidity, static electricity and his brother licking him...but his fur is like frizzy.  Just on top of his head.

I would have bet $1,000 that the vet was going to tell me that he has hyperthyroidism just like Blade.  So, now I'm thoroughly confused.  I don't want him  or his brother getting themselves sick because they are eating crap they shouldn't be.

Does anyone have any suggestions?  Anyone been through something similar?

By the way, going to go get Spencer tested too.  Will probably take Riley back too just in case the uti threw stuff off (don't even know if that's possible.)

Thanks!

Carey

Sorry you are having problems with your cats. How much food are you feeding them ? What kind of food do you feed ?

Well 3 of the 4 cats eat the same thing.  1/2 can of fancy feast in the morning with water mixed in and 1/2 can of fancy feast in the evening with water and a little bit of blue buffalo dry mixed in.

That's what they've eating for a very long time.  Same thing, nothing changed.  But now Riley and Spencer are acting like I described

Blade, who I spoke about above, eats people food.  Chicken, turkey, or bland pasta, etc.  (He had pancreatitis and ever since that vet bill he's been on a bland diet and he's been doing amazing.)

Tried to switch all of the other cats to it too but they weren't very supportive lol

I forgot their ages too.

Blade, Riley and Spencer are all about 10 yrs. old.....the 4th cat, not too sure how old she is but she's the youngest by a lot.  (These were all cats that were rescued from the street or SPCA.)

I should probably mention that Riley and Spencer seem normal in every other aspect.

They do their normal eating, they eat their treats at nite, oh you know Riley does take 1 amitryptilene??  every nite (he had a spraying issue.)

They play normal.  

Riley does seem a little "irritated" this winter tho.  He's 99% of the time a cuddle bug.  But over the past couple months he seems irritated when you pet him and he's trying to bite or scratch and grrrr.  But then later on he doesn't care and he's purring and rubbing up against ya.  Or cuddling in your arms in bed.

Ok..... This is a hard one........

As you say they have had all the tests done at the vets so that should rule out any medical issues. Nothing changed with their food so......

I think I will need to think about this a bit more. There will be other members on here a long soon that should offer you some great advise.

Is that 1/2 a can twice a day each? Or shared? If shared, depends on the size, it may not be enough. The other thing I was wondering if you watch them eat? Perhaps one of them was trying to eat the other's food and now it's become more of an issue between each other and they are becoming more competitive? The other thing is have they been wormed recently? That can make cats feel very hungry. The only other thing I can think of is to try some high protein cat foods, sometimes it can fill them up for longer. Sorry not much help, just thinking aloud really!

Good luck, hope you manage to solve this soon. Oh, and my cat when he had his UTI was starving too, for a few weeks. Don't know why, I just thought it was a reaction to the stress of the vets (2 day stay on a drip). Was back to normal pretty quick tho with the food.

Hi Fleabags,

They get 1/2 a can each, twice a day.  So they get a whole can each a day.

And I do watch them eat because it used to be the little one, Colors, would try to steal everyones food lol  So we got used to watching

them.  Now, Riley and Spencer try to steal Colors food or each others, so we're pretty diligent about watching them eat.

Yeah maybe the UTI has something to do with it??  But this has been going on for a few months now....in both of them.  So, I'm not

sure.  HOpefully, getting Spencer checked out and maybe a Riley recheck will show something.

I just went up to see Riley and his frizzy fur looks better.  Definitely think it was from his bro licking him. I had patted it down with a

little water and I put a humidifier on to help with the static-electricity.

Is it the 4 ounce tin of classic feast ? If so I did think it didn't sound like a lot. I know you have been feeding them this amount for along time and they have been fine. Maybe you have small cats and this amount is fine for them and I'm just use to feeding big cats ( Maine coons) Lol. :lol3:

GemsGem said:

Is it the 4 ounce tin of classic feast ? If so I did think it didn't sound like a lot. I know you have been feeding them this amount for along time and they have been fine. Maybe you have small cats and this amount is fine for them and I'm just use to feeding big cats ( Maine coons) Lol.

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l was thinking the same thing. Mine eat between 6 and 8 oz of wet food per day, and weigh between 7.5 and 9.5lbs.

Maybe adding a more fatty food, like canned Wellness grain-free, to their rotation would help them feel more satisfied.

I agree. You're not feeding them enough. They are starving.

Perhaps increasing the food might be an idea, what does it recommend on the back of the tin? It may be worth trying anyway, just to see if it calms them down. If they end up getting overweight, can always cut back the food again in the future, but by then the eating habits may have calmed down somewhat.  I would try too perhaps giving them a lot of space at meal time, perhaps feed them at different ends of a room, or even in different rooms? May help figure out if it is a response to competition and they may slow down.
 

You didn't say if up to date on worming, but that really is a possibility too as they'd infect each other and make sense that they are displaying similar behaviours.  Good luck again!

Giving them a bit more is a good idea. Like fleabag mom recommended check out the feeding amount instructions on back of the tins and feed to their body weight. if they start gaining to much weight you can then start cutting the amount down.

Also I would try feeding them little and often. Maybe 4 meals a day. This might just satisfy their hunger by making them feel fuller for longer

Depending on how much dry you're mixing in, that may not be enough food. Fancy Feast is only a 3-oz can, around 90 calories for most flavors---not enough for most cats so the dry food would have to provide the rest. 15-20 calories per pound is what most adult, indoor, spayed/neutered, fairly sedentary cats need. The younger cat may need more than that.

So, we'll say a 10 pound cat for example, who would need 150-200 calories a day, one can of FF @ 90 calories, you'd need to give between 1/8 and 1/4 cup of Blue to bump that up to enough calories. (I don't know which formula you give them so I picked one randomly. The Indoor formula is 478 calories per cup so 1/8 cup would be about 60 calories and 1/4 cup would be about 120 calories)

I'm also a little worried about the cat on the "bland" diet. Bland diets are meant for short-term feeding. A homemade diet is fine as long as it's balanced. . .but just meat and pasta isn't balanced for long-term feeding. Did the vet give you any supplements? He would need at least a calcium source, and some other vitamins and minerals.

Willowy said:

I'm also a little worried about the cat on the "bland" diet. Bland diets are meant for short-term feeding. A homemade diet is fine as long as it's balanced. . .but just meat and pasta isn't balanced for long-term feeding. Did the vet give you any supplements? He would need at least a calcium source, and some other vitamins and minerals.

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Taurine seems to be missing from this bland diet. I think cats go blind without taurine in their diet in the long term as well as causing heart and mouth problems

Definitely increase the amount you are feeding them.  Most 10# cats should eat at least 5.5oz of canned food per day, but that can vary depending on their weight and how many calories in the food.  I have a 10# cat who gets about 8oz per day and that seems to be a good amount for her. 

My cats acted like this on cheap food. I switched to blue wilderness dry and canned food, not only did they love it and their stomach issues went away, its way more filling so you buy less food per week than you would cheap food brands.

You are starving your cats and they are probably fighting for the food especially if they have peaking order ( oldest to youngest goes first) you need to feed them at least 1 can each if you're using 3 oz cans my cats ate 1/2 can each of 5.5 oz can plus you need to leave a bowl of dry down all day and just fill it daily cats are not like dogs they nibble all day and night all cats do is sleep eat play and use the litter box also unless you know how to feed how to feed a bland or natural diet that cat could end up with health issues not getting the vitamins and nutrients they get from good healthy cat food try blue wilderness or wellness they are grain free Blue is also great dry food good luck but feed your cats please or talk to your vet about how much they should be getting

Adding to my 1st reply my cats eat 1/2 of that 5.5 oz can each cat 2x day plus they are eating dry food that is down 24/7 365 days I make sure the bowls are filled every day along with fresh water all the time. I aquired 2 cat some years ago from a guy who couldn't keep them at his apartment any more he was going to let them loose. When I Got them the female was very nasty and would sit by the bowls of food and eat & eat all day and would not any of the others come near the bowls. She got fatter and fatter almost a year before she realized that the food was not going anywhere and it was always down so she didn't need to guard the bowls. She finally started to go back to a normal weight. You should also try to buy food without by-products and grain free cats end up with diabetes and other ailments. Cats are carnivores they don't need wheat and barley.

Free-feeding kibble can easily lead to obesity so I don't recommend it. It's very calorie-dense so most cats will eat too much. It's important to make sure your cat gets the right amount of calories, not too many and not too few .

I am having the same issue with one of mine and will have to say your situation does sound similar.  I got him from a shelter and he eats like he has never had food before and the other cat I have merely nibbles off and on all day.  The vet told me that the one who wolfs his food is weighing in at 11.6# even though he is much smaller than my cat who at 9.9# is a larger frame.  They just have different eating habits.  I have to leave kibble out all the time for my thinner cat or he would never get enough nutrition but if I do not watch the little fat cat will eat all of his and the food for the other one as well.

I found out the heavier cat was suffering from parasites even though he had a fecal test and they checked him and gave him worm medication "just in case" they did not do the job fully.  There was nothing found on the test for parasites the first time but 2 weeks later when the real health issues started the test was positive for the parasites.  

Since he has been treated his appetite is what I would call normal for a cat, but he is still having the issue with the worms and I have to continue with his follow up with the vet.

Welcome to the forum and I agree the food and the amount you are feeding does sound like it is a bit low for them, there are a lot of people here that can help more with your cats.  They are fantastic to help.