bad begging behaviors--HELP!!!

Hi Everyone!

I have 4 kitties and my 2 youngest ones are begging for food with my husband continuously.  It starts at 4:30am and doesnt let up if he is in sight.  They do NOT do this with me.  And I work from home and am home all day with them.  I dont know how to stop this kind of behavior.  They start the minute they see Hubby come in the house.  We are losing a lot of sleep also.  I feed them wet food 5 am/12 noon/5PM and at bedtime.  My husband wants to add back in some dry food.  I hate that idea because Fuzzles is overweight and the other 2 are a little bigger than they should be and my old guy (15) is kind of skinny.  I am not sure what we can change and do to make all of this stop.  It is getting bad enough where we hope we dont have to rehome them. 

Any suggestions would be great.  I truly am at the end of my rope. 

Dee

What kind of wet food? I have found grain free wet food seems to drastically help my cat appease his hunger pangs. Have you tried feeding the majority of their evening meal right before you go to bed?

How old are the cats that are begging for food? What brand of food are you feeing? How much is each cat eating? 

the 2 young beggars are eating off the same big platter with the 2 older kitties who dont beg.  They get 2 3 oz cans of Fancy Feast Pate for each meal.  They get fed at 0600/1200/6PM and 10PM.  I am thinking of getting a dry food timer type of dispenser to give them some food during the night.  I hate to feed them any dry food though.  It was such a battle getting them off that. 

Fuzzles is 17 pounds=male/4 yrs old (too fat)

Twizzy is 14 pounds=male /4 yrs old

Boris is 13 pounds=male/15 yrs old

Pal is 12 pounds=female/11 yrs old

The 2 young ones eat most of the food.   The 2 old kitties eat some aand walk away when they are full.  The younger guys eat up the rest.  They just get done eating and they are begging again. 

Dee

I think you should feed each cat separately so you can tell what each one is actually consuming.  I used to feed my two cats off the same plate but stopped because my male cat Atticus would scarf food down at lightening speed so he could eat 90% of what was on the plate.  My female cat, Thirteen, is over a year and barely weighs six pounds so I put a stop to that.  Now they eat on different dishes in different parts of my house.

misterwhiskers said:

What kind of wet food? I have found grain free wet food seems to drastically help my cat appease his hunger pangs. Have you tried feeding the majority of their evening meal right before you go to bed?

Click to expand...

I am trying this tonight.  They were really bad before i fed them at about 9:30 PM.  I get so tired of them getting up at 4 am meowing.  Getting VERY sleep deprived.  This goes on day after day.

Dee

Are your younger ones playful?   My 2 are around the same age as yours and those days when they play a lot they cry for more food.     Perhaps give the younger ones more food.    Do you watch them when they eat?   I know if I don't the one who inhales his food is into the others dish if I'm not there to stop him. 

What happened between now and January, when you said their behavior had improved so you weren't being woken up at night?

Yes the younger ones are playful.  They have periods where they do a lot of running around but the one kitty Fuzzles is too fat so I dont want to give them more food.  I think somehow my husband needs to get out of being the "food person" because it is something with him.  They do NOT do this to me.  He says he likes to feed them so he doesnt listen to me.  He also sneaks them some dry food once in a while.  I have now hidden that....

Dee

misterwhiskers said:

What happened between now and January, when you said their behavior had improved so you weren't being woken up at night?

Click to expand...

we have always been woken up at night.  It never really stopped completely.  I suspect hubby has been sneaking them dry food again and that is also why Fuzzles is so fat.  This entire thing has been so frustrating.  It is actually causing problems between my husband and I because we are always fighting about how to feed the cats.  He thinks we should go back to free feeding some dry food which makes no sense because the 2 young ones dont know when to stop eating.  They cannot self regulate how much they eat at all.  The 2 old ones are fine.  They eat a little and walk away from the dish.  The 2 young guys are food obsessed because hubby used to crawl around on the floor with them by their dish and sing to them and tell them the "coming Home" story and so after 3+ years of that =It has gotten them food obsessed.  I have told him he needs to STOP giving them any attention at all of any sort in the kitchen.  He doesnt want to listen!!  It has become so bad I am thinking of giving the 2 younger kitties away.  I really love them but we need some sleep too! 

Dee

missmimz said:

 
How old are the cats that are begging for food? What brand of food are you feeing? How much is each cat eating? 

Click to expand...

see my next post below!  Thanks!! 

Dee

dmk129 said:

 
see my next post below!  Thanks!! 

Dee

Click to expand...

oops==I meant post # 4 of 10!! 

Dee