Giada is always hungry

[Antonio65]

My cat Giada, 14 months old, spayed, healthy, is driving me crazy, she's always asking for food.

I feed her wet and dry food, according to the instructions on the labels, and give her food in 7 or 8 different meals along the day. In total it's 170 grams of wet food (which is nearly the amount as per instructions) and 25-30 grams of dry food (half of the recommended dose if she only eats this), so I think we're should be alright.
I am sure that should I double up the daily amount of food, she would be hungry all the same. Proof is that she is looking for food a few minutes after the meal, and if I give her more food, she begs for food again, in an endless loop.

I had other cats in the past, my famous Lola and Pallina, and other cats that I fostered for weeks or months, but I have never experienced such an obsession for food like with her.
I give her lots of food shortly before going to bed, but on certain mornings she wakes me up at 5am because she's hungry, and her meow can't really be ignored, it pierces right through our ears.
Is there a way to calm her down food-wise?

Thanks.

 

[FeebysOwner]

I don't recall if you have had her since she was a baby, but if you didn't, perhaps in her 'prior life' (before you) she was food deprived at one time. Feeby found me at about 2 yo, and was emaciated. I don't think she was on her own long, but long enough that food was an obsession by the time we were together. She is now 16+, and it's only been in the past couple of years that she finally 'got over' her early food deprivation. She always had to have more food added to her bowl, even when there was a little left. For a long while when I did add more she would eat some of it, but gradually she stopped 'stalking' her bowl once more food was added - without eating any of it.

Or, maybe you should feed less meals each with more quantity. 7-8 meals is quite a lot of little meals, it seems. It may feel like it would be an endless loop, but over time it could break the habit of her looking for more food with bigger and fewer meals. Even canned food can be left out for many hours without spoiling, so maybe just leave the larger serving sitting out instead of picking up the bowl - which is what I assume you are doing now after each little meal. At first she might eat the larger servings, but I am guessing that over time she will stop doing that.

 

[Antonio65]

I don't recall if you have had her since she was a baby, but if you didn't, perhaps in her 'prior life' (before you) she was food deprived at one time.

I found her when she was about 3 months old. She was living with her feral mother and siblings behind a manufacturing building. Their mother was giving them the garbage food she was able to find, and the kittens had to share it. It's possible my kitty was getting the smallest share, the vet said she was a little smaller than her siblings.
I thought about this, and I suspected this was the reason, but it's nearly a year now, and I was positive that this obsession could vanish.

Feeby found me at about 2 yo, and was emaciated. I don't think she was on her own long, but long enough that food was an obsession by the time we were together. She is now 16+, and it's only been in the past couple of years that she finally 'got over' her early food deprivation.

Pallina was just the same, she would gobble her food down in the blink of an eye, but didn't ask for it every 15 minutes, she would just wait for the next meal.

Or, maybe you should feed less meals each with more quantity. 7-8 meals is quite a lot of little meals, it seems. It may feel like it would be an endless loop, but over time it could break the habit of her looking for more food with bigger and fewer meals.

The reason for this is because of our work times. This way, it is possible to keep her busy with food a few times a day.
There's no amount of food to satisfy her, and fewer and bigger meals wouldn't solve the problem, if I know her well.

Even canned food can be left out for many hours without spoiling, so maybe just leave the larger serving sitting out instead of picking up the bowl - which is what I assume you are doing now after each little meal.

I am not picking up her bowl, because her dish is always empty, she clears it up in less than one minute, it looks like freshly washed right after a meal, as you can see in this photo. Bowl on the left is water, bowl on the tight is food, right after the last meal.

As you can see, there's no need to pick up the bowl

 

[FeebysOwner]

Pallina was just the same, she would gobble her food down in the blink of an eye, but didn't ask for it every 15 minutes, she would just wait for the next meal.

Feeby did scarf everything down initially, but then later she would eat some and then evaluate her bowl as if to say 'Uh, no, not enough in there. Put in some more." After that is when she stopped trying to eat everything in it, but would still let me know it needed more food in it to satisfy her need to ensure she had a 'stash'.

This way, it is possible to keep her busy with food a few times a day.
There's no amount of food to satisfy her, and fewer and bigger meals wouldn't solve the problem, if I know her well.

I am not sure that is the way to keep a cat 'busy', through eating. Maybe feeding her more with less meals would backfire, but unless you have tried it, I wouldn't automatically assume that. As I said, it could backfire temporarily, but I still wonder if over the long haul, you would see her settle down some. Right now, she seems food insecure for some reason, it might just because she never has enough food to 'satisfy' her in one sitting - not to mention you are 'teaching' her to be busy through food. What other options (besides food) have you considered? There are ton - I know you know there is.

As you can see, there's no need to pick up the bowl

Too funny!!

 

[mrsgreenjeens]

Antonio65 , how is her weight? Is she thin? Could it be that she is actually hungry? Most cats do not eat just to eat, as dogs do, but some do if they have nothing else to do. Aren't your cats indoor/outdoor, or is that only when you are home to keep an eye on them? To keep her "busy", have you tried putting her dry food in a food puzzle? Something as simple as a plastic container with a lid where you cut small holes in it so as she rolls it around pieces of kibble can fall out work great. Just make sure the holes aren't so big that she doesn't have to work too hard to get the pieces out. That could keep her quite busy.

 

[maggie101]

My cat Giada, 14 months old, spayed, healthy, is driving me crazy, she's always asking for food.

I feed her wet and dry food, according to the instructions on the labels, and give her food in 7 or 8 different meals along the day. In total it's 170 grams of wet food (which is nearly the amount as per instructions) and 25-30 grams of dry food (half of the recommended dose if she only eats this), so I think we're should be alright.
I am sure that should I double up the daily amount of food, she would be hungry all the same. Proof is that she is looking for food a few minutes after the meal, and if I give her more food, she begs for food again, in an endless loop.

I had other cats in the past, my famous Lola and Pallina, and other cats that I fostered for weeks or months, but I have never experienced such an obsession for food like with her.
I give her lots of food shortly before going to bed, but on certain mornings she wakes me up at 5am because she's hungry, and her meow can't really be ignored, it pierces right through our ears.
Is there a way to calm her down food-wise?

Thanks.

I have found that when my cat acts hungry she really just wants me to play with her or give attention

 

[Antonio65]

Feeby did scarf everything down initially, but then later she would eat some and then evaluate her bowl as if to say 'Uh, no, not enough in there. Put in some more." After that is when she stopped trying to eat everything in it, but would still let me know it needed more food in it to satisfy her need to ensure she had a 'stash'.

When my Pallina was more "grown up" she would have food in her dish all day long and she would just nibble at it. It would also happen that she would wait for me to come home before eating. As she wanted to make sure that someone was there to fill the dish back in case she would finish it all

I am not sure that is the way to keep a cat 'busy', through eating. Maybe feeding her more with less meals would backfire, but unless you have tried it, I wouldn't automatically assume that.
[...]
What other options (besides food) have you considered? There are ton - I know you know there is.

By "busy" I was meaning that when someone is home from work (in the morning when my wife is doing the afternoon shift, for instance) she has a snack halfway between two main meals, not to entertain her through food.
She asks for, or look for food a few minutes after her last meal, and sometimes she's able to dismantle the house to find something. A few months ago, in the attempt to find something to eat right after her last meal, she knocked down a bottle of olive oil, and while I was cleaning and picking up the pieces of glass, she grabbed one fragment of bottle and started chewing on it!
Everything is food to her.

 

[Antonio65]

Antonio65 , how is her weight? Is she thin? Could it be that she is actually hungry? Most cats do not eat just to eat, as dogs do, but some do if they have nothing else to do. Aren't your cats indoor/outdoor, or is that only when you are home to keep an eye on them? To keep her "busy", have you tried putting her dry food in a food puzzle? Something as simple as a plastic container with a lid where you cut small holes in it so as she rolls it around pieces of kibble can fall out work great. Just make sure the holes aren't so big that she doesn't have to work too hard to get the pieces out. That could keep her quite busy.

She's a small sized cat, her weight is 3.360 kg (weighed her this morning), 7 lbs 5.5 oz, she is not thin, I'd say she's regular.
It is possible that she's asking for food because she has nothing else to do, but when she wakes up all of a sudden, runs to the end of the corridor and started screaming and yowling, I hardly believe it is because she's bored.
She's an indoor cat, only cat. I don't know how she feels when nobody is at home, but when I'm back she's eager to stay with me, she waits for me to sit on the couch so that she can lay on my legs and purr.

I had also thought of a dry food dispenser, as I had seen one at someone's house, but I also thought she would have destroyed it to gain access to the content
She could do the same with a tube...

 

[Antonio65]

I have found that when my cat acts hungry she really just wants me to play with her or give attention

Yes, this could be one of the reasons, but when she's hungry because she's hungry I can see it in her eyes.

 

[ladytimedramon]

Delilah's been pretty good with a timed feeder. I feed her wet in the morning, divide her daily allotment of kibble into the feeder (she recognizes the sound now - I let it go on the weekends and when she hears the noise she gets up and goes to it), give her wet when I get home, wet before bed, and she has an allotment of kibble in the timed feeder for 3am. I noticed that if I gave her wet and left dry for later, she was eating both. So far this has been working for when I leave.

 

[maggie101]

Yes, this could be one of the reasons, but when she's hungry because she's hungry I can see it in her eyes.

I am still trying to figure out my cat Maggie's eating. I have started giving her ff classics Turkey and giblets in the morning. Half of the can 5 am with a food timer. I'm still asleep. And the rest when I get up. Her wanting more has gotten worse. It has more calories,fat, and protein than her usual dr elseys. She would eat half a 5.5 oz can in the morning. I am guessing it's because of the ff. It is more addicting because it's more favorable. I am hoping that adding stella&chewy or nw naturals freeze dried as a topper with added water will help

 

[ladytimedramon]

I'm wondering if all this "wanting more food" is seasonal. There seem to be a lot of hungrier kitties (Delilah included). Delilah gets about 1/4 cup of Crave indoor dry, and about 4 Crave/Nutro/Sheba portions over the day. According to the vet, Delilah put on 3 pounds since I adopted her in April, but her weight is still good for her size.

Part of it also might be Delilah is now convinced that she has a constant supply of food and isn't being bullied away from it by bigger kitties so she can eat as much as she wants.

 

[Antonio65]

I'm wondering if all this "wanting more food" is seasonal. There seem to be a lot of hungrier kitties (Delilah included).

Defintely the seasons have to do with the hunger.
During the summer, with the heat and all, cats tend to eat less, it's the opposite during the winter, because they need more calories to fight the cold.
Despite this, though, Giada has been hungry all the time, since I have her.

This morning she had her breakfast at 7:45am, another snack with kibbles at 10:30, more kibbles at noon, more wet food at 12:30pm, and again a few kibbles at 1pm. Nonetheless, five minutes later she attacked me because she was hungry and started looking all over to find anything to chew, including my phone!

How is that normal?

 

[FeebysOwner]

Have you told us if she is underweight/overweight or in a normal range for her age? Regardless, it is possible that she does have some sort of nutritional deficiency that is causing excess hunger. I know she is young, but ruling out some sort of potential malabsorption issue/chemical imbalance/internal parasitic condition through blood work and a fecal PCR might be the way to go. If all of that comes back 'normal' you are going to have to consider going down the path of boredom/loneliness/depression.

Edit: Oops, just re-read the post where you call her 'regular' sized. I still wouldn't rule out some sort of nutritional issue - just because she isn't under or over weight doesn't mean that there isn't some sort of imbalance going on.

 

[ladytimedramon]

This morning she had her breakfast at 7:45am, another snack with kibbles at 10:30, more kibbles at noon, more wet food at 12:30pm, and again a few kibbles at 1pm. Nonetheless, five minutes later she attacked me because she was hungry and started looking all over to find anything to chew, including my phone!

How is that normal?

The kibble at noon, wet at 12:30, and kibbles at 1pm seems pretty close time wise.

Have you considered some sort of treat toy, like a Kong or kibble ball? Or those food filling mice? The cat has to work it to get the food out, which keeps them busy. Delilah is not interested in the treat toys, but they work great for when I dog sit my sister's beagle. He has a treat ball and will toss it around himself to try to get every last piece of food out of it.

This is the one Delilah has: KONG Active Treat Ball Cat Toy - Chewy.com

I've also seen this thing advertised on facebook that is almost like a lollipop for cats. If it pops up again I'll take a picture.

 

[FeebysOwner]

I've also seen this thing advertised on facebook that is almost like a lollipop for cats. If it pops up again I'll take a picture.

Something like this? This particular one is made out of: Chicken protein, catnip, gold fish gelatin (whatever that is?). There are other lollipop type treats, but this is the first one I saw that you could actually affix to something for a cat to lick from.

 

[ladytimedramon]

Exactly. I've seen other types with spinning toys as well. I've debated on getting it for Delilah

 

[Antonio65]

Have you told us if she is underweight/overweight or in a normal range for her age? Regardless, it is possible that she does have some sort of nutritional deficiency that is causing excess hunger. I know she is young, but ruling out some sort of potential malabsorption issue/chemical imbalance/internal parasitic condition through blood work and a fecal PCR might be the way to go. If all of that comes back 'normal' you are going to have to consider going down the path of boredom/loneliness/depression.

Edit: Oops, just re-read the post where you call her 'regular' sized. I still wouldn't rule out some sort of nutritional issue - just because she isn't under or over weight doesn't mean that there isn't some sort of imbalance going on.

I, too, thought of some issue in her bowels, but poop is fine.
She had a few full blood panels in the last months, including the clotting time test and blood type, and all is fine (she's Type B, btw). All fecal tests are fine too. She had giardia back in May/June, we ran several PCR and floating fecal tests, and all was clear at the end of the two treatments. Last fecal and blood panel were 5 weeks ago.
Yes, boredom might be a reason, but she is the only cat in the house, and when I come back home from work she asks me for food as the first thing, then wants me on the sofa so that she can curl on my legs. I leave the Music for Cats on for her when we're out.

I'm attaching a photo taken two hours ago, when she was having her dinner. You can see that she's not thin, or fat, she's regular to me, and she's small sized. The ceramic bowls are 13.5 cm / 5.3 in in diameter, for comparison.
For the record, she ate her 55-60 grams meal in just 45 seconds, I had the time to take not more than 5 photos of her eating.

 

[Antonio65]

Have you considered some sort of treat toy, like a Kong or kibble ball? Or those food filling mice?

No, I haven't considered it, but I had thought of a timed feeder, but then I thought she would dismantle it to get the kibbles in it
I think she would get obsessed by the treat toy, and would ask me to re-fill it every 15 minutes!

 

[Antonio65]

Something like this? This particular one is made out of: Chicken protein, catnip, gold fish gelatin (whatever that is?). There are other lollipop type treats, but this is the first one I saw that you could actually affix to something for a cat to lick from.

Giada has some food sensitivities, we're sticking to a particular food at the moment. Wet food is a monoproteic canned food, dry food is a grain-free fish kibbles (Orijen Six Fish).