Always Hungry

[Brenny K]

My little Ruby is only 4 years old, for probably the last 3 I have kept her on purina true instinct with real chicken which she absolutely loves but problem I'm having is her weight I took her to the vet over a month ago and she's 14 lbs lol ughhh I don't want to keep changing her foods and I cut back on all her treats and fancy feast little packets to only 1-2 times a wk. Everything is so expensive but want a good food for her weight where she's not constantly waking me up all hours wanting fed,she even has an automatic Feeder but this stinker acts like if her bowls empty she's starving ..what can I get or do foodwise to help her be full but lose a few lbs?

 

[Antonio65]

Welcome to the club!
My cat (4 yo) is just the same, she eats her meal, then she asks me for food and acts as if she is starving 15 minutes later.
For this reason I can't leave kibbles out for the day, she would eat them quickly. I'm controlling her food, I have even cut on her portions, but she is still gaining weight.
I don't know what else I can do.

 

[Babypaws]

My little Ruby is only 4 years old, for probably the last 3 I have kept her on purina true instinct with real chicken which she absolutely loves but problem I'm having is her weight I took her to the vet over a month ago and she's 14 lbs lol ughhh I don't want to keep changing her foods and I cut back on all her treats and fancy feast little packets to only 1-2 times a wk. Everything is so expensive but want a good food for her weight where she's not constantly waking me up all hours wanting fed,she even has an automatic Feeder but this stinker acts like if her bowls empty she's starving ..what can I get or do foodwise to help her be full but lose a few lbs?

You’re not alone with this problem. I have six cats that I feed in the mornings and they clean up the food quickly but shortly later some of them are looking for more food. Food schedule is 7:30 a.m. and then again around 4:30-5 p.m.
ive been mixing dry food with wet food to help out with cost because I also have 5 other cats to feed. I don’t leave out the dry for them in between meals, but I do cave in a little if they are really begging by giving them a teaspoonful of the dry, that seems to satisfy them. i have 3 or 4 that need to lose weight also.
i dont know what to do either….

 

[mrsgreenjeens]

My little Ruby is only 4 years old, for probably the last 3 I have kept her on purina true instinct with real chicken which she absolutely loves but problem I'm having is her weight I took her to the vet over a month ago and she's 14 lbs lol ughhh I don't want to keep changing her foods and I cut back on all her treats and fancy feast little packets to only 1-2 times a wk. Everything is so expensive but want a good food for her weight where she's not constantly waking me up all hours wanting fed,she even has an automatic Feeder but this stinker acts like if her bowls empty she's starving ..what can I get or do foodwise to help her be full but lose a few lbs?

Are you feeding that True Instinct in kibble form or canned? What I found worked for my pudgy cat was to switch from feeding kibble to feeding only wet food . It seems to be more satisfying for cats. And the higher the protein, the better. But you also need to count calories, so take her GOAL, say 12 pounds, and multiply that by 20 - 25 depending on her activity level, and that would be the amount of calories per day she should be intaking. So if she is an indoor only cat who isn't too active, I would say she probably needs about 240 - 250 calories per day. And if she isn't very active, try getting her to exercise by playing with her with toys that make her get up and move.. And lastly, you could try feeding her several meals per day, just smaller meals.

 

[Furballsmom]

don't know what else I can do.

Not to sidetrack the thread but as mentioned above, have you tried exercise for your kitty? Supervised outside time, intense play time, a cat wheel, or something of that nature? Even all of these things together?

 

[Antonio65]

Not to sidetrack the thread but as mentioned above, have you tried exercise for your kitty? Supervised outside time, intense play time, a cat wheel, or something of that nature? Even all of these things together?

Giada is less active than Freya. Giada sleeps as much as a cat should do, she plays with balls, mice, and other toys, jumps and runs, etc, but she gets tired more easily than Freya, and after a while she prefers to stay, or look outside the window, or sleep.
I lead them both outside when the weather is good, but Giada just sits somewhere in courtyard, or walks very little, and she gets bored quickly and wants to go back inside after about ten minutes. She's a couch potato

 

[Alldara]

My little Ruby is only 4 years old, for probably the last 3 I have kept her on purina true instinct with real chicken which she absolutely loves but problem I'm having is her weight I took her to the vet over a month ago and she's 14 lbs lol ughhh I don't want to keep changing her foods and I cut back on all her treats and fancy feast little packets to only 1-2 times a wk. Everything is so expensive but want a good food for her weight where she's not constantly waking me up all hours wanting fed,she even has an automatic Feeder but this stinker acts like if her bowls empty she's starving ..what can I get or do foodwise to help her be full but lose a few lbs?

If you're feeding the dry version of that diet, try using puzzles or movement to feed her.

Also check the calorie content per cup and go based on the calories per cup rather than how much the bag says to feed.

You don't need to stop her Fancy Feast portion treats. Actually, those wet food treats probably keep her full longer. Especially if you add some extra water to them. Just when you are looking at how much of the Purina to feed her, do the calorie calculation and then minus the fancy Feast packet's calories to know how much to feed her that day.

So for example it will be you cat's weight x20 calories should be the amount she gets in a day. Purina even has a calculator available: MER Calculator for Cats

 

[KittyCat_chitchat]

Hope I'm not derailing this thread by asking to join the support group! Our two rescues always seem hungry. We were aware that Ozzie had ongoing weight problems and were trying to regulate them, but got really concerned when our newer girl Cleo seemed to be getting a bit too much of a tummy on her as well. It doesn't help that we're feeding them together as it's helping to integrate them, and they keep scrounging each others' food...

We started by giving them set mealtimes and measured out food rations, and have just switched to wet food for their evening meal. We're hoping that will help. In the meantime, though, the cats have been going over to their feeding area and looking pathetic, and my mother caved a couple of times in the first few days because of how desperate they looked!

Cleo is about two and still very playful and kitteny, so I'm trying to use that to my advantage, but Ozzie is about seven and has been overweight for longer, so it's way harder to get him to play. When he does play, it's generally only in short bursts, and then only lying on his back and swatting at the toy. I've only got him to actually run after something, as opposed to lying there and not bothering, a couple of times. He goes outside, but I think he mostly just strolls around and sleeps in the flowerbeds! I'd love to be able to get them some cat furniture, but I have to run it past my parents, who I still live with, and they rightly point out that we don't have much space for it

It makes me wonder if their respective backgrounds as a pet who was suddenly surrendered to a crowded shelter, and probably only given attention at mealtimes, and as a stray with kittens to feed (we think Cleo was probably abandoned) has broken the 'off' switch on their brains' hunger signals.

So yeah, I'm joining the bandwagon for any advice on this!

 

[Alldara]

Hope I'm not derailing this thread by asking to join the support group! Our two rescues always seem hungry. We were aware that Ozzie had ongoing weight problems and were trying to regulate them, but got really concerned when our newer girl Cleo seemed to be getting a bit too much of a tummy on her as well. It doesn't help that we're feeding them together as it's helping to integrate them, and they keep scrounging each others' food...

We started by giving them set mealtimes and measured out food rations, and have just switched to wet food for their evening meal. We're hoping that will help. In the meantime, though, the cats have been going over to their feeding area and looking pathetic, and my mother caved a couple of times in the first few days because of how desperate they looked!

Cleo is about two and still very playful and kitteny, so I'm trying to use that to my advantage, but Ozzie is about seven and has been overweight for longer, so it's way harder to get him to play. When he does play, it's generally only in short bursts, and then only lying on his back and swatting at the toy. I've only got him to actually run after something, as opposed to lying there and not bothering, a couple of times. He goes outside, but I think he mostly just strolls around and sleeps in the flowerbeds! I'd love to be able to get them some cat furniture, but I have to run it past my parents, who I still live with, and they rightly point out that we don't have much space for it

It makes me wonder if their respective backgrounds as a pet who was suddenly surrendered to a crowded shelter, and probably only given attention at mealtimes, and as a stray with kittens to feed (we think Cleo was probably abandoned) has broken the 'off' switch on their brains' hunger signals.

So yeah, I'm joining the bandwagon for any advice on this!

It'll just take time I'm sure. They'll get used to your schedule. Try to distract them by getting a wand toy out or something. Cleo might develop some food security.

But basically cats want food they know this is how they tell you they want it and then they receive it. They've conditioned you and you've conditioned them in this process. It takes time to undo.

 

[lisahe]

It'll just take time I'm sure. They'll get used to your schedule. Try to distract them by getting a wand toy out or something. Cleo might develop some food security.

But basically cats want food they know this is how they tell you they want it and then they receive it. They've conditioned you and you've conditioned them in this process. It takes time to undo.

It can take a long time for a rescue cat with a food insecurity to feel like they know where their food is coming from. One of our cats is finally starting to do better with this after nearly 10 years. She came to us scrawny and hungry, was initially allowed to eat as much as she wanted for some time -- she was a kitten -- but the food insecurity was tough to crack and it caused a lot of anxiety for her. (And us, too!) We think all that contributed to her digestive issues in some way. What seems to be working is what I call mediated free feeding. I set out autofeeders that open up during the night so she gets small portions of food every few hours. She doesn't always finish it, which suits me just fine since it shows she's not just eating everything because it's there. She's finally calmed down about her feeding. I think an herbal/probiotic supplement helps with that, too, to help repair some of the damage to her stomach and prevent more.

A Alldara is right about conditioning! I'm the primary cat feeder here but sometimes I ask my husband to feed Edwina or give her a treat so she's not expecting it from me.

Also, on a dietary note: others have mentioned or alluded to this but feeding more protein and fewer carbs is one of the best ways to keep a cat satiated.

 

[Antonio65]

Hi KittyCat_chitchat , welcome to the club

It doesn't help that we're feeding them together as it's helping to integrate them, and they keep scrounging each others' food...

I feed them in two separate rooms, because Giada (4 yo) eats much faster than Freya (3 yo) and she would steal the food from her friend's dish.

We started by giving them set mealtimes and measured out food rations, and have just switched to wet food for their evening meal.

This is exactly what I do, meals set out at fixed times, with measured rations. I've been consistent with times and quantity, hoping to have them used to that, but Giada is always hungry all the same.

Ozzie is about seven and has been overweight for longer, so it's way harder to get him to play. When he does play, it's generally only in short bursts, and then only lying on his back and swatting at the toy.

Again, this sounds like my situation. Giada spends most of her time lying on her bed or on a chair, or sat in the window, and only palys in short bursts. She chases her toys for a short while, then she shuts down again, and waits for food.

 

[Antonio65]

It can take a long time for a rescue cat with a food insecurity to feel like they know where their food is coming from. One of our cats is finally starting to do better with this after nearly 10 years. She came to us scrawny and hungry, was initially allowed to eat as much as she wanted for some time -- she was a kitten -- but the food insecurity was tough to crack and it caused a lot of anxiety for her. (And us, too!) We think all that contributed to her digestive issues in some way.

My previous cat Pallina was just the same.
She came from a colony where they all had to fight for food, and when I brought her home with us (she was 8 months old) she showed to have this food insecurity, and would gooble down her meals in a few seconds, and she would regurgitate it shortly after, then she would eat it up again. She would eat whatever was in her range of action. I would give her food every time she wanted, and eventually she became overweight.
It took about about ten years, or more, to get over it and calm down, but, as you say, I fear that this was what triggered her GI issues, which led to a Pancreatitis, the IBD and other issues.

This is what scares me now, and that's why I feed my current cats at fixed times and with measured portions.

 

[lisahe]

My previous cat Pallina was just the same.
She came from a colony where they all had to fight for food, and when I brought her home with us (she was 8 months old) she showed to have this food insecurity, and would gooble down her meals in a few seconds, and she would regurgitate it shortly after, then she would eat it up again. She would eat whatever was in her range of action. I would give her food every time she wanted, and eventually she became overweight.
It took about about ten years, or more, to get over it and calm down, but, as you say, I fear that this was what triggered her GI issues, which led to a Pancreatitis, the IBD and other issues.

This is what scares me now, and that's why I feed my current cats at fixed times and with measured portions.

It sounds like Pallina had a lot in common with Edwina who has also always been a regurgitator who ate absolutely anything she could see or smell.

Fixed-but-flexible meals definitely help Edwina, too. And I weigh all the food that goes out at night. We're not sure who eats all the night food (we have two cats) but the mediated free feeding seems to work. I'm trying to find a way to do something similar during the day but that's harder because the humans are awake and the cats like service! I was very glad when our new vet thought mediated free feeding sounded like a decent approach to try and even gladder when it even started to work! I wish I'd thought of it about nine years ago.