Why are my cats eating from each others plates?

I  have had Kitty for four years, and i just adopted a new cat whose a less little than a year old. They are finally hanging out, and seem to be getting along well. Kitty follows Elsa (the new cat) everywhere! lol

For some odd reason, they are getting into eating eachothers food. They will eat their own food, but then after a few hours, they will go to each others plates to eat the left overs. I feed three times a day, but they are both very slow eaters.

I am so surprised that Kitty just stands by while another cat eats her food. Kitty can be very sweet, but she has a temper with those she doesnt trust. Why are they doing this?

My cats all do this too, even though they all get fed the same thing. I think it's just curiosity. they want to know what the other cat got. Also if their bowls are close by they might not remember which one is which.

It's not really a problem unless one cat is sick or on medication. They can pass colds back and forth by eating from each others bowls, although if they live together and get on well they're probably both going to get things like colds at the same time any way. If one cat needs medicine mixed in with her food you'll need to make sure they eat alone.

Norachan said:

 
It's not really a problem unless one cat is sick or on medication.

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I will keep that in mind for the future, thanks! =)

my does the same too

I feed Lilith and Sophie at the same time. Lilith is a light eater so she always leaves the table first. They get the same food. Their dishes are on the table about a foot or so apart. After Lilith eats what she wants and leaves, Sophie will go to her dish and eat some of it, leaving whatever is left in her own dish behind.

"The grass is always greener on the other side of the fence" applies to cats, too. It's absolutely normal behavior - we see it at the shelter more often than not.

Foley eats his first and if Maia is not very hungry she will eat whenever she feels like it so if Maia is not there Foley will eat thof gravy of Maias fancy feast. I always yell at Maia like "Maia! Foley is eating your food" she does nothing but I know if I don't take it away from him he'll eat it all so I pick up the plate and put it near Maia and she smells it and starts eating.... She feels like such a princess lol

MaiaElizabeth said:

Foley eats his first and if Maia is not very hungry she will eat whenever she feels like it so if Maia is not there Foley will eat thof gravy of Maias fancy feast. I always yell at Maia like "Maia! Foley is eating your food" she does nothing but I know if I don't take it away from him he'll eat it all so I pick up the plate and put it near Maia and she smells it and starts eating.... She feels like such a princess lol

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Hehe.  This is so funny to me because this is exactly what I go thru every feeding time.   My Rainy scoffs down his food and my Lokhi takes his sweet time. Sometimes he will walk away and go back to it except if I leave the plate down it would be gone from Rainy.   Everyday I'm warning him  "Lokhi! Rainy is eating your food!" like he'll listen to me. 

[quote name="Lokhismom" url=" Everyday I'm warning him  "Lokhi! Rainy is eating your food!" like he'll listen to me. 
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Exactly! I get genuinely upset. Foley is so sweet though and Maia doesn't seem to care.... Maybe she's trying to preserve her figure [emoji]128513[/emoji][emoji]128513[/emoji][emoji]128513[/emoji][emoji]128513[/emoji][emoji]128513[/emoji]

Thanks Everyone!

The only problem i am having now is that Elsa since she was a street cat and badly underweight is now obsessed with food.

My cat Kitty is used to being the lone cat. She eats half her food, and then she will go nap for a few minutes, or use her litter box, and then eat some more. But Elsa eats her own food fast, and then eats Kittys food. I am feeding them in separate rooms, but it never fails that Elsa eats her food. Shes already getting a good amount of wet food.

Kitty in the beginning would eat some of Elsas food, but now Elsa eats her own food fast, and half of Kittys. Kitty just stands by while Elsa takes her food.

Today Kitty had started eating, and Elsa put her face next to hers and started eating directly from Kittys plate and Kitty walked away, and i had to cajole her to come back to eat.

But shes crazy about food, she eats her own, Kittys, the dogs food ( there are three other dogs, and she will start eating from their food if im not keeping an eye on her).

I understand why she is obsessed with food she was so thin when i found her, and the other cats in the neighborhood would bully her and stop her from eating, so now she feels like she needs to eat everything she can before its taken away. It breaks my heart, but at the same time.... I kind of need my other cat to eat as well. I also dont want Elsa to becoming permanently obsessed with food and becoming overweight.

Please advice.  

Note: I feed wet food three times a day. Since Kitty was such a slow eater, her food would get dried up and gross by the time she would finish it.

I'd recommend feeding them separately. If you feel Kitty isn't getting enough, perhaps you could give her smaller portions more frequently, since she gets bored after half the can?

The other thought is that Elsa's still growing and was probably underfed before she came to you. She may need far more calories than she's getting. I have a shelter kitten, about 8 months old, who is coming up on 10 pounds. 6 of those pounds he's put on since the beginning of October. He's eating around 3 5.5 oz cans a day, which frankly appalls me. He's in perfect shape, though, and keeps growing and growing, so the vet has told me each time I've asked to let him have what he wants for the time being. She figures he's got some catching up to do.

ok, thank you! i will try this.

Update;

I separated them, and Kitty today ate her food faster than she ever has before. When i finally opened the door to Elsas room twenty minutes later. I didnt notice there was still a few peices of food on her plate, i thought she was done as she was lying down.

Kitty, of course, raced to her plate and ate the few peices left. I was worried as I had seen Elsa getting upset when other cats would take her food, she would hiss or bat them away. Even though she froze and started to get up. Surprisingly, she lied down again and let Kitty finish her palte.

I wonder if this means she is starting to like and trust Kitty?

I was worried as i had read that female cats tend to not get along, but i really want them to love each other.

My kitties do this too. My 1 is very food obsessed & will eat all the food available. He scarfs his food & then will push the other ones off their half eaten plates & finish it! We realized it when he was putting on too much weight, yet they're all given the same amt of food.

I use a slow feed bowl for him. Looks almost exactly like this:   

He eats in the kitchen, then another cat in a normal bowl in the living room. Then the slowest eater gets the bathroom, especially since he eats Rx food. So if he leaves some behind, its safe in the bathroom for later. 

rlavach said:

 
My kitties do this too. My 1 is very food obsessed & will eat all the food available. He scarfs his food & then will push the other ones off their half eaten plates & finish it! We realized it when he was putting on too much weight, yet they're all given the same amt of food.

I use a slow feed bowl for him. Looks almost exactly like this:   

He eats in the kitchen, then another cat in a normal bowl in the living room. Then the slowest eater gets the bathroom, especially since he eats Rx food. So if he leaves some behind, its safe in the bathroom for later. 

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Thanks! That bowl looks like a good idea, thanks!

You may find this article interesting - 

Must-Know Tips for Feeding Cats in a Multi-Cat Household

Anne said:

 
You may find this article interesting - 

Must-Know Tips for Feeding Cats in a Multi-Cat Household

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thanks!