Cats are suddenly acting like they are STARVING

My two girls are both approaching a year old ( ) and since I have had them (8 weeks), they have ALWAYS been food fiends - Kaylee especially. They will go out of their way to get at food. This includes things like: knocking over pizza boxes and opening them - we now hide them in the oven whenever we order one; jumping on counters and opening the cabinets to rummage through the snacks; knocking down said snacks and ripping/chewing through the zip-lock bags to get it. Trying to have a meal around Kaylee is generally impossible.

When they first went to the vet, I told her how much they were getting for food and she said it was perfect. I have them on Taste of the Wild wet and some dry mixed in - they get a 1/4 cup scoop of the dry and 1/4 of a can, twice a day. Taste of the Wild is very high in protein so they don't need a ton of it to be sustained.

Maybe it's just been an off week, but I feel like they've been acting like I don't feed them lately LOL. I woke up this morning to half chewed dinner rolls, which were bagged and up in the cabinet, all over my living room carpet. They both just discovered that I "hide" their bagged and clipped dry food on top of the fridge (thanks to my boyfriend, who thought it would be funny to put one up there) - now I catch them standing on the trash can to jump up on the fridge. Two days ago, I, yet again, woke up to a huge crash and the sound of them both helping themselves to their breakfast Around their dinner time, if I get up and head in the direction of the kitchen, Khaleesi associates this with food and knows it's coming, to which she responds to by zooming under my feet to beat me there, making a little "burrrrrrreow!" noise in the process. Now, EVERY TIME I go to the kitchen, she thinks she is getting food. What gives?

Do you think because they are going to be a year old, they need more food? Should I up their portions? This is just a recent thing so I don't understand. Maybe I'm just over reacting lol.

I have to say that this doesn't sound like a lot of food.

So altogether they get per cat per day -
Half a tin of wet and half a scoop of dry.

This really doesn't sound a lot . How big are the tins and the scoop ?

I might help to feed them at least 3-4 meals a day. This way their don't have to go so long between meals and they will feel fuller for longer.

Are they the 3oz cans or the 5.5-oz cans? Which flavor? I figured Rocky Mountain. . .if you're giving them the Canyon River kind it's lower in calories. The Rocky Mountain dry has 390 calories per cup and the canned has 27.5 calories per ounce. So if they're getting 1/2 measuring cup and 2.25 ounces per day (I assumed you buy the 5.5-oz can), then that's around 256 calories. . .which should be fine for teenage kitties of normal female size and average activity level (if spayed and indoors). How big are they?

I agree that splitting their daily food into 3-4 meals might make them feel like they're getting more.

I am feeding my 8 month old more calories. He always wants food. He jumps on the counter when I fix my food etc. Mine gets about 2/3 cup dry and 2/3 of a 3oz can of Sheba. He is a big boy already 10 pounds. lol But i would assume by 1 year they would slow down and need less.  But I feed mine in 4 feedings.  Mine would go crazy if they only ate twice a day. When is the last feeding? I give mine at 10:30 or 11. I noticed when I free feed my cats. They eat more at night and real active in the early hours before i get up. 

I wonder if they could just be bored. 

You know the canned food might be a problem. I've always fed them the Rocky Mountain (green bag green cans), but last week when I went to stock up again, they were all out and I had to grab the other flavor. Makes sense that since then, they've been acting hungry if it has less calories. It's the smaller can because that's all my pet store carried until recently.

Khaleesi was 8 lbs when they had their check-up at 6 months, she now is about 9 or 10, which is what my vet said she would probably be. Kaylee is a petite little thing and weighed 6 lbs, prolly not much more since then. Vet said she will always be little. They both look extremely healthy and I watch them pretty closely because I refuse to have overweight cats. That's why they have the scheduled feedings c:

The scoop is a good size and it completely fills their bowls. It's a 1/4 measuring cup.

Definitely won't buy the other kind anymore after this. I'll give them half a can each until I go through it all so the poor things aren't hungry. Twice a day has never been an issue till now, but since they are getting less calories I'll give them a smaller portion in between c:

Actually the canned Canyon River isn't a lot lower in calories (26.7 per oz vs 27.5). It's the dry that has 30 fewer calories per cup. But the fish might not be as filling or something. That's probably the answer!

Interesting! The dry was the same (Rocky Mountain), but the cans were the other kind. Yeah, must just not be as filling I assume.

They've never tried to "scavenge" like this before so I was getting worried they had worms or something (definitely don't though). They really only go after stuff when it's somewhat available to them, as I assume most cats do

If they had JUST turned one, that means they were still kittens (read: growing fast). I would feed them all they can eat and not deny them food, as long as they're not overweight or getting sick. Maybe you should leave dry food out all the time, and feed wet food 2-3 times a day. If they get hungry during the day, they can just eat the kibble instead of raiding your kitchen. 

I suppose I could be described as a very permissive kitty mom, but here's what I feed two 6 and 7 yr old adult kitties:

AM feeding: 1/2 can each of Fancy Feast Morning starts each. Large handful of Fancy Feast kibble for each. (They have their own sets of bowls.)

Lunch: Another large handful of Fancy Feast kibble (flavors varied).

Dinner: Another half can each of Fancy Feast Gravy something. (They refuse to chew and insist on Gravy.)

Pre-Bedtime Snack: Another half can of Fancy Feast something and another handful of special kibble.

In addition, they have an auto feeder always full of Indoor/Outdoor formula in case they get the munchies overnight or in between.

I think, given that your kitties are so young and still growing, you are feeding them far too little. My cats would hire a lawyer and sue me!

:-)

Oh, and they have their own water fountain, which they love.