Food Obsession

The week before Halloween a black kitten showed up in the backyard. He was about 4 months old.  I adopted it, got him neutered and got him all of his shots.  He stays in my house at night...and outdoors while I am at work so he can play with my neighbor's cat.  Magic has been wormed 3 times but still has this huge potbelly and eats constantly...he eats until his bowl is completely empty and when I let him into the house he then proceeds to eat my dog's food.  He eats all of the time...I never thought cats were like this.  Can anyone offer a solution?

Has he been to the vet? Are you using an over-the-counter wormer or one the vet prescribed? Many OTC wormers are minimally effective. Also, depending on where you live, speak with your vet about less common parasites. Often when the general wormer fails to help it's because that wormer doesn't cover all parasites. 

However, if after talking with your vet, it is clear the cat doesn't have parasites, then the behavior may just be that cat. I recently had a foster cat here who was obsessed with food. He tried to eat everything, including my dog's food, the other cat's food, human food, etc. He was absolutely insane about getting food. He was also very over-weight when he first arrived. He's a funny boy in many ways: he loves dogs and is better with them then with other cats. He also needs/wants tons of attention. We know he came from a hoarder situation, but nothing else. We managed to get weight off of him and his eating did calm down some, but he remains a foodie. I was very worried about placing him because he has no fear of dogs. My two (A Pit Bull and a German Shepherd) are good with cats, but I worried this cat would tangle with the wrong dog because he had no sense. He stole a bone from my Pit Bull! Last week he found his forever home with an older woman who needs a companion. She doesn't have dogs and wanted a cat that would like to cuddle - a perfect setup for this cat. Just today I learned he no longer constantly seeks out food and doesn't try to steal food from his new owner. So perhaps it was anxiety or ??? 

BTW: Just so you know, cats (like dogs and people) vary greatly in their attitude toward food. My oldest cat eats all her food in one go, while my youngster likes to space out her eating throughout the day. My third cat eats slowly, but generally finishes her meal in about na hour. My advice is to visit the vet to make sure there are no parasites and then treat it as behavioral. Good luck!

Just out of curiosity - has he been to the vet since the pot-belly started?

It's possible that you're not fully getting rid of the worms if he's still going outside and getting fleas, etc.  Is he treated with a topical flea treatment?

Not all wormers kill all worms. I strongly suggest that you take him to the vet and get a PCR fecal analysis done - this is the best way to identify any worms or other parasites that he may have. I would also want him checked out for anything else that may be causing the potbelly.

Whilst it's relatively common for rescued cats to have a seemingly limitless appetite at first (it usually takes a while for them to register that they will never be short of food again), I do find the potbelly concerning.

I took him to the vet right after I decided to keep him.  She gave me 2 doses of dewormer and then when I took him to get neutered they dewormed him again.  He has always had this potbelly.

Yes he is on topical flea application.  He has actually been wormed 3 times...two doses by the vet and another by the animal services place when I got him neutered. In the morning when he is hungry the pot belly is smaller.  Perhaps since I have never had a cat before I don't know how much to feed him...but whatever I put in the bowl he eats all at one time...like he has never seen food before.

He was about 4 months old when he showed up...he already had the potbelly and he had it when I took him to the vet for shots and worming.

How much are you feeding him per feeding?

1 cup of kitten chow a day. But he'd eat more if I let him.

He can and should eat more than that per day, I would think. Kittens can eat A LOT.

If the vet says he's healthy, that might just be him. I adopted 2 stray kittens at similar ages and I couldn't believe how food obsessed they were. It is incredible how far they will go to try to steal food out of the cupboards..
Although it doesn't sound like that's much food for him.. Don't let the belly fool you into under feeding him,maybe get him checked out again.