My older cat is a freak for food all of a sudden

I've been searching and I can't find a straight answer. I leave my cats dry food out for whenever they want and I've been giving 1/4 of a can of wet food once in the morning and once at night. Is this acceptable? My older cat is a freak for food all of a sudden. (Last couple of days)...He tries to steal the kittens food (so I let kitten eat serparately in my room..every now and then i catch him in there eating it though because i also let them free to play when im home)...and when I'm in the kitchen all he does is beg me for food. I'll give him his food at night and he'll eat a little bit and still beg me. He will stand on the cardboard cat food box and bite at the box. It seems like all he wants to do is eat. I don't want him gaining too much weight. Also, should I be giving kitten the same? Or maybe an extra quarter of pate? Thanks so much!

First of all, feeding a mix of wet and dry is absolutely fine, and is something many members here do

At 10 months, Charm still has a little growing to do. He may simply be entering a growth spurt, but it's also possible that he's feeling a little insecure since the kitten's arrival, and begging for food is his way of trying to get more attention from you.

Karma needs to be fed little and often. Young kittens only have small stomachs, and need to be fed 4 or 5 times a day. It's probably a good idea to give Charm a treat/snack at each of Karma's mealtimes so he doesn't feel left out.[article="30987"][/article][article="31116"][/article][article="22311"][/article][article="29721"][/article]

Thanks Columbine. I was a little worried because Charm already looks like he's getting a big belly. Gunna go check those threads out

How old is your older cat? For seniors I'd be concerned about maybe a thyroid issue causing the furious appetite. 

M missmimz - he's 10 months

(This got separated out from a thread in Behaviour to get more nutrition targeted replies )

Columbine said:

@missmimz - he's 10 months

(This got separated out from a thread in Behaviour to get more nutrition targeted replies

)

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Oh lol I missed that! Just a ravenous growing kitten then! 

so charm is 10 months and karma is 2 months, should they both be getting the same amount of food since they are both technically kittens? should i be adding an extra 1/4 of pate to charms diet since hes been so ravenous (even though his belly is getting big haha) ? should i still be buying kitten food for charm until hes a year old?  sorry for a million questions...but i am thankful for you guys, and thankful i have somewhere to turn  for answers  

Karma will need more calories relative to his size than Charm, but split into smaller portions.

Karma definitely needs kitten food but, at 10 months, Charm would be perfectly fine on either kitten or adult food. If you're concerned about weight gain, you might be better off giving him adult food as it's lower calorie.

Young kittens should be fed to appetite (ie as much as they want), but meal sizes should be small to avoid overloading little tummies.

Kittens like Charm, who are verging on adolescence, can be fed more like you'd feed an adult or fed to appetite - it depends on how active they are and their build and size/condition.

It's very hard to give precise quantities without knowing the cats 'in person'. Generally, feeding more wet food and less kibble is the best way to help a cat self regulate their appetite - wet food is far more satisfying to them and they're less likely to overeat as a result.

Hope that helps (and makes sense)

Columbine said:

@missmimz - he's 10 months

(This got separated out from a thread in Behaviour to get more nutrition targeted replies

)

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I totally missed it.  And I gave MissMimz praise for her answer!  Lol.  When she said older cat, I immediately thought of my Gracie who became ravenous after steroid injections.  

Ginny said:

I totally missed it.  And I gave MissMimz praise for her answer!  Lol.  When she said older cat, I immediately thought of my Gracie who became ravenous after steroid injections.  

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It was a very good and sensible reply - just not quite suited to this particular situation :lol3:

Ha!  It's all a matter of perspective then.  A 10 month old IS an older cat compared to a much younger one.  

Oh my, I thought this was for a senior cat as well!