Cat wolfing down food and then stealing her sister's food

[cathulhu]

Hello.

So I have 2 kittens Hastpurr and Yibb-ten and they are just over 1 year old. Since I got them I've been feeding them together with no issues. I feed them 3 times a day. In the morning I give them dry food. When I come home from work at I feed them wet (usually around 6ish) and before bed I give them dry food with half of it being put in various puzzle feeders I have around my apartment. 

Hastpurr doesn't complain about food. When I'm preparing it she will meow at me, but aside from that she is pretty easy going. Yibb-ten though usually will start to complain an hour or so before I feed her the wet food on days I'm home. Usually during that hour she will also start licking everything. 

This week I've noticed she has been grabbing food out of the bowl and really wolfing it down. It sounds like she is a step away from choking on it. I at first thought maybe Hastpurr was eating more so Yibb-ten was trying to eat faster. So today I tried separating their wet food and feeding them in different spots so I could better observe their eating behavior. Hastpurr had finished about half her bowl by the time Yibb-ten finished hers and was at her sister's bowl trying to eat some of her food (Hastpurr doesn't seem to mind sharing, but I intervened so Yibb-ten couldn't steal that much). So any ideas on what is going on or advice on getting Yibb-ten to slow down?

 

[catlover73]

I found these bowls that might be helpful to you online.  I have never had to use them.  Here is a link

http://www.amazon.com/s/?ie=UTF8&keywords=slow+eating+cat+bowl&tag=&tag=thecatsite

 

[talkingpeanut]

Is it possible they're not getting enough food at each feeding?

 

[cathulhu]

Is it possible they're not getting enough food at each feeding?

I'm honestly not sure. They don't look or feel underfed, but they are just 1 year and 1 month old so maybe another growth spurt (Yibb-ten is smaller than Hastpurr).

Generally feed them about 1/4 cup Boreal dry in the morning and another 1/4 cup in the evening 

and they get about 1/3 can of Boreal wet in the evening

 

[mani]

Just reading through the Boreal notes and I notice that it 'helps to keep weight off'.  I'm wondering whether Yibb-ten's getting the nutrition she needs since she's still growing?

Also, have you wormed her lately?

 

[juleska]

 
I'm honestly not sure. They don't look or feel underfed, but they are just 1 year and 1 month old so maybe another growth spurt (Yibb-ten is smaller than Hastpurr).

Generally feed them about 1/4 cup Boreal dry in the morning and another 1/4 cup in the evening 

and they get about 1/3 can of Boreal wet in the evening

That's still fairly young and I suspect @talkingpeanut  is right they may not be getting enough food. How big are these cans? 1/3 of some cans would be a lot of food but if it's a small portion then 1/3 isn't nearly enough.

 

[talkingpeanut]

I would think they need those amounts each per meal, not a quarter cup to share, etc. Maybe try giving them more food and see how they do!

 

[cathulhu]

Well today I tried feeding them in different rooms (and giving them a little more food) and that did wonders for Yibb-ten. She ate a lot slower. Though Hastpurr isn't really eating now :S

edit: So longer version. I put them in different rooms and poked my head out to check on Hastpurr. It looked like she was done as she wasn't at her bowl. Apparently even eating slower Yibb-ten still finished her food first and Hastpurr was just taking a break. So when i released Yibb-ten she went to Hastpurr's bowl and started eating (at which point Hastpurr decided to return and also continue eating). I kept Yibb-ten away from her bowl, but Hastpurr kept stopping and looked like she was waiting or looking for Yibb-ten. So go figures. 

edit 2: I got them checked for worms last vet visit and nothing. The wet food can size is 400 gm (14.1 oz). The website suggests feeding a cat 1/3 of 400gm can per 8 lbs of body weight per day. The kittens are only like 6-8 lbs 

 

[talkingpeanut]

I think you'll want to cut back on their food when they're done growing. Kittens can eat more as they are so active.

I have noticed that some cats like the pressure of an audience to eat. That's ok too!