Former Feral Gaining a Lot of Weight?

As I'm sure some may know, my cat, Elsa, is a former feral who also had kittens at my home. She was pretty thin when I met her, and after almost losing her to an intestinal blockage this summer, she was down to about 5 pounds. Upon spaying, we discovered that she also had a tremendous amount of cysts on her ovaries. Sooooo, now it's probably 2 - 3 months since she was spayed (and she had gotten up to about 7 1/2 or 8 pounds), and now she's REALLY filling out. She's 10 pounds at least. Fortunately, I think she's healthy, since her coat just glistens.

So what I'm getting at is - do formerly feral cats take it upon themselves to eat as much as possible? I know she was eating Smudge's food when he wouldn't, and I suspect she "helps" the 15 year old cat when it is being finicky. (In addition, there is a nagging fear of FIP, and the "pot belly", but she's more solid and stocky than pot bellied, and she looks very healthy.)

Thanks, and if you need to put this in the "Behavior" thread, that's fine.

I don't think she is at any more risk of getting fat than any other cat. As you know, I have a girl named Festus, who's sister died of wet FIP, with the full fat belly. Well, my little Festus is fat, too. I had a nagging fear of FIP with her for about 9 months after Mattie died. I don't worry so much anymore. It wasn't a full blown fear, and I would never have taken her to the vet unless it really got to be a ROUND belly. But it was in the back of my mind from time to time.

Denial is a beautiful thing. I just refused to really consider that Festie could have FIP. She has no signs of it, she is just a pudgy girl. And it would have been more than I could bear, so I reasoned it wasn't going to happen. I'm sure your Elsa is just filling out like she should be. If she gets really round, it will more likely be worms. I will pray for her health and your peace of mind.

Rest in peace, Smudge. We are all here to help your Meowmie recover from the tragedy of losing you.

it is quite common for street cats to eat everything that isn't nailed down. Even though you know that there will be more food later, the cat doesn't know and survivial skills are still inherent.

Originally Posted by hissy

it is quite common for street cats to eat everything that isn't nailed down. Even though you know that there will be more food later, the cat doesn't know and survivial skills are still inherent.

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It really seems like that's what she's doing. And now that she's not nursing 8 kittens or recovering from surgery, the weight is staying on. (And it's somewhat common for cats to gain after spay/neuter? Or is that an old wives tale?)