Cats going CRAZY

[jb68711]

I have two cats, Huckleberry is 6 and Levi is 4 1/2. Normal cats for the most part, nothing really out of the ordinary. But for the past few weeks, they've been driving me nuts. I noticed Levi gaining weight a couple of years ago, so I feed them separately and give each 1 cup twice a day... I use Natural Balance reduced calorie. Huckleberry has always been content, with that, but Levi would get kind of whiny before feeding time. So over the past few weeks, they started getting into the trash can (they've NEVER bothered with the trash can)... knocking it over, making a big mess in the kitchen. Huckleberry started getting into cupboards, the other day he ripped open flour. They've torn into chips, cereal, etc. Huckleberry had started hissing at Levi a couple weeks ago, I noticed it 3 or 4 times a day... now he's hissing at Levi 3 or 4 times an hour. They've always gotten along, and now it seems like Huckleberry wants nothing to do with Levi. I've been feeding them 6 times as much as usual, almost two cups 3 times a day for the past week. At one point I even poured a cup of food, watched Levi scarf it down... poured another cup, he scarfed it down... one more cup, and again, he ate it like he hadn't eaten in 2 days. Another thing is that Levi has been running to the front door (which is downstairs from the main living area) and just crying and crying this gutteral meow. I don't know what's gotten into these guys, I know I gotta take them to the vet but just wanted some advice in the meantime. Thanks.

 

[auntie crazy]

Normally, JB, I'd just tell you that a cat's satiety sense, his "I'm full" signal, is triggered by the presence of enough animal protein in whatever he's eating. That, given the fact you're feeding a carb-heavy kibble (not really a good thing to be feeding an obligate carnivore: CatInfo.org and Feline-Nutrition.org), your boys probably don't ever quite get the sense they're done needing to eat. And I would normally just suggest a change to a low- or no-carb canned food (low or no grains, fruits and veggies). 

However, 'though I still strongly suggest a change to a canned diet, what you're describing seems to be fairly new behavior and seems a bit more extreme than what could be accounted for under normal circumstances. Maybe winter setting in has put a sharp spike in their appetites? I know appetites do sometimes increase with the onset of cold weather, but I don't know if they'd jump enough to cause a behavior change like this.

There are a lot of smart folks on this forum.... someone will be along soon who has, hopefully, seen something similar to what you're describing. In the meantime, why don't you go ahead and add a canned food meal to their diet? You can make it their third meal of the day, which will be another positive change for them (feeding three meals is recommended over only two, since cats evolved to and are more comfortable with eating many small meals a day).

Best regards!

AC

 

[Anne]

There's a variety of behaviors described in the post. They're not necessarily related to one another - the aggression, for example, isn't necessarily related to food (it may be, but it may not). Running downstairs and meowing, is probably unrelated to overeating either.

Has there been any change in weight that you can notice? Since food seems to be a key issue, I think you're right and your first step should be a health check-up.

Other than that, I'd be looking for any possible source of stress that was introduced into their lives around the time you started noticing recent changes. Any changes in the household? furniture moved around? people joining the household or leaving it? changes outside, maybe a new cat or dog within sight or scent?

 

[rafm]

First off, I'd have bloodwork done on the kitty that can't seem to get enough to eat. Have you noticed him losing more hair than normal?  Is he putting weight on or losing weight?  You can't always tell by looking at them, you need to weigh him. Easy way to do it at home is to weigh yourself, then weigh yourself again while holding him. Subtract your weight and you have his weight. 

As for crying at the door and hissing.....is he neutered?  If he is neutered, something in the environment has changed, either outside or inside. It could be something as seemingly benign like the addition of Christmas decorations or it could be bigger, like a new stray outside that is marking. It could be the use of a new home fragrance you have put out or some other change. 

Or, he could have a more serious issue that is causing him physical pain. 

All of these items can be reviewed with the vet to determine a good course of action. While you are waiting to go to the vet, get some Feliway and see if that helps to calm him. If his behaviors escalate, get him to the vet ASAP. 

Wouldnt it be nice if they could just TELL us what the problem is??!!

 

[momofmany]

What I've noticed over the years is that when 1 of the cats is sick, the others typically let me know by their change in behavior before the sick cat tells me that something is wrong. A change in behavior when you haven't changed their diet at the same time tells me that one of them is sick. Because Huckleberry is hissing at Levi, and Levi is letting out loud gutteral meowls, my bet is that it is Levi that is sick. Huckleberry is acting out because of it.

You are right - a vet visit is in order here. You might have to do some bloodwork to narrow down what could be wrong.

 

[maxkitteh]

Calorie-reduction may seem intuitive, but like Auntie Crazy mentioned I think your cat isn't getting quite the protein he needs. Any dry food with grains simply isn't going to be sufficient. If it were me I'd switch the cat immediately to quality canned food with no grain fillers, and make sure the protein content is high enough. I think the canned should be at least 11% protein but others might know better. 

You can also try a commercial raw diet such as Primal or RadCat. Not only will the weight come off but you'll be improving your cats nutrition by quite a bit (Taurine for one, which is virtually destroyed by cooking unless additives are added back in). Of course, real food is preferable and absorbed better than additives. 

But yeah, feeding dry food (especially with grain fillers) is a known issue for weight-gain and not feeling 'full'. Taking the cat to the vet is a good idea too, just in case. 

 

[jb68711]

Thanks for your replies. RAFM  and Anne- The only changes in my house is my brother leaving for vacation a week ago and Levi got out a few days ago for a couple of hours. Usually when I come home, the cats will be waiting at the door when I come in. The last couple of doors I opened the front door, Levi just comes walking out which is very unusual. But my brother leaving and Levi getting out was well after this behavior started, 3 or 4 weeks ago. And we've been on vacation before, one at a time and both at a time without any drastic change in behavior. Levi has gotten out once before since we've lived here (been here for 2 years). My mom says when she's cooking the cats are crowding her at her legs. Both the cats are neutered, I haven't noticed any new cats or dogs outside (we live in a gated townhouse complex, and I've noticed a few strays since we first moved in... but not around our home). My mom uses glade plug-ins, but I don't think she has changed those in a while. 

Auntie Crazy and MaxKitteh - I've always fed my cats this brand... my friend found Huckleberry as a small kitten and I took him in. She told me to get this brand, "it's more expensive than the grocery store brands, but it's  a lot better for him." At the time she had worked in pet stores for 2 years or so, I figured she knew what she was talking about. 

Here's a link to check it out http://www.naturalbalanceinc.com/catformulas/RedCalCat.html. It says crude protein is 35% per serving. I pay $35 for a 15 pound bag... are the foods you recommend a lot more expensive?

 

[Anne]

I hope you have a vet appointment scheduled, as you will need this one, especially with nutrition issues in the background.

A couple of things that are always good for alleviating stress - Feliway plug-ins and using toys and playtime to counter possible boredom. Here are a couple of relevant articles -

http://www.thecatsite.com/a/beating-boredom-what-indoor-cat-owners-need-to-know

http://www.thecatsite.com/a/cat-furniture

 

[jb68711]

Thank you Anne. It's the worst time of the year for this to happen, at first I didn't realize it was anything serious. I'm going to see the vet next Tuesday so hopefully she'll find something wrong that can be fixed. I play with my cats and my cats play together... harmless wrestling. But lately Huckleberry wants nothing to do with Levi. 

 

[jackson777]

Wow, my cats, Jackson, he's four years old, Ed, he's about three and a half, and Humphery, only about two years old, love going outside. They will meow and meow at the back and front door, expecting for us to open it. Jackson, when he was the only cat I had, after Rudy died, found a hole in the screen, so he slipped out one night and we woke up the next morning. As I walked carefully to find my cat and feed him, I heard a desperate mewling outside. Turning, I saw my black cat through the glass, and he was outside, and it even rained that night. He was soaked, and I felt ever so bad. But before I could even dare to open the door, I needed to wake up my parents. So I tip-toed to the edge of the room, and opened the door to my parent's bedroom. "Hey," I told them, alerted and quickly. "Jackson - he's outside wet." So we got up and opened the door. The wet splotch of black fur slowly stepped inside and I fed him with his favorite food. That was a tough moment to face for me. . . I had a really great bond with my cat.

   So, when you're cat is meowing at the door, it means he or she wants to get out and explore the world.

  We knew that Jackson never left the house. We opened it up one day, and he accidently raced into the ferns. "Jackson, no!" we screamed, but the furball was gone, and his meows of horror in the streets were gone, that just seemed to seep into me like he was becoming attacked by the dog next door. So, we ran into the car, and looked for him. Nowhere. No luck of finding the cat. He jumped the fence maybe. Wheeling to another NeighborHood, we asked a man if he had seen a black cat. "Yes. Indeed I have," he began, hoarsly and slow, "but where you looking for a cat that has white under his belly and paws?" Shaking out heads, we approached and told him, "No. Just full black." Now we were gaining our hope again, when someone else said they had seen a cat. "Black?" we asked him. "No," said the man. "He was cream and white." All the cats but ours. That stunk alot. We decided to give up. For two days Jackson never came back, but my mom was very worried about him, she stood up all night. She hard a faint cry at the door and looked at it. Jackson! The cat had returned. We saw him the next morning, happily feeding on his food. 

   So, remember, a cat will always come back. They never forget you. . . (Only if it is older than six months old!) 

 

[Anne]

Wow, my cats, Jackson, he's four years old, Ed, he's about three and a half, and Humphery, only about two years old, love going outside. They will meow and meow at the back and front door, expecting for us to open it. Jackson, when he was the only cat I had, after Rudy died, found a hole in the screen, so he slipped out one night and we woke up the next morning. As I walked carefully to find my cat and feed him, I heard a desperate mewling outside. Turning, I saw my black cat through the glass, and he was outside, and it even rained that night. He was soaked, and I felt ever so bad. But before I could even dare to open the door, I needed to wake up my parents. So I tip-toed to the edge of the room, and opened the door to my parent's bedroom. "Hey," I told them, alerted and quickly. "Jackson - he's outside wet." So we got up and opened the door. The wet splotch of black fur slowly stepped inside and I fed him with his favorite food. That was a tough moment to face for me. . . I had a really great bond with my cat.

   So, when you're cat is meowing at the door, it means he or she wants to get out and explore the world.

  We knew that Jackson never left the house. We opened it up one day, and he accidently raced into the ferns. "Jackson, no!" we screamed, but the furball was gone, and his meows of horror in the streets were gone, that just seemed to seep into me like he was becoming attacked by the dog next door. So, we ran into the car, and looked for him. Nowhere. No luck of finding the cat. He jumped the fence maybe. Wheeling to another NeighborHood, we asked a man if he had seen a black cat. "Yes. Indeed I have," he began, hoarsly and slow, "but where you looking for a cat that has white under his belly and paws?" Shaking out heads, we approached and told him, "No. Just full black." Now we were gaining our hope again, when someone else said they had seen a cat. "Black?" we asked him. "No," said the man. "He was cream and white." All the cats but ours. That stunk alot. We decided to give up. For two days Jackson never came back, but my mom was very worried about him, she stood up all night. She hard a faint cry at the door and looked at it. Jackson! The cat had returned. We saw him the next morning, happily feeding on his food. 

   So, remember, a cat will always come back. They never forget you. . . (Only if it is older than six months old!) 

Welcome to our forums, Jackson.

Are your cats neutered? Whole males can become very stressed when kept indoors only.

There is really no need to let cats outdoors, and there are many risks involved in letting them out. You mention cars and dogs, so sounds like your area is definitely not safe for cats. Please make sure your cats are neutered, or ask your parents to take care of that, and keep them safely indoors.

 

[jb68711]

Wanted to give an update. I took Huckles and Levi to the vet, he did an exam and they're healthy. I paid more for a blood test, everything is fine except Huckleberry has a parasite (not a huge deal), I just have to give him some medicine. I ran out of food before I went to the vet, I usually use Natural Balance reduced calorie. After finding that Levi weighed a lot less than I thought he did, I bought the regular version of Natural Balance. The cats have definitely calmed down since I changed their food, their hunger is much more fulfilled. The cupboards have been safe, Levi still goes to the front door and cries but less frequently. Thanks again for your advice, looks like everything is going to be okay.