We got kiwi (our kitten) 2 weeks ago. He was really easy to litterbox train but when it comes to food shes out of control. Everytime I make a mealshes at my feet meowing up a storm. She jumps on the table to steal the food and when I pull the plate away she freaks out. She always has food in her dish. I dont know what to do. Its getting out of control to the point where she stole my sons sandwich out of his hand. Help
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Help my kitten is obsessed with food!!!!
- Thread starter tcorlew55
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How old is kitty? We adopted a kitten who did the same exact thing. For a few weeks we actually had to eat meals standing at the counter because she would steal our food too. It took a good month but she grew out of it. I think once she realized food was always available to her she stopped. I'm sure your kitty will outgrow it too!
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How old is she?
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tcorlew55,
Welcome to the Catsite
Kittens need lots of high protein food to grow. May I ask how much are you feeding her? And how many times a day? Is she a rescue?
Kittens need to be fed 4-5 times a day. Since you said that she is very small in size and wasn't living in healthy conditions, I presume she is also not heathy at all. It's good to get her some KMR milk to boost her growth if she is under nourished. She needs to be fattened up to build her immunity and strength.
Best is feed her with grain free wet food for growing kittens. This will keep her hydrated.
Some kittens that have been deprived of food at a young age or left the mother to early, they see food as their security and they are food driven coz they are afraid that there'll be no food for them to eat. That's why they always hound you for food and partly they are not fed enough. You can gauge by the speed they eat their food.
Don't forget to have her vaccinated. This is very important. And at around 6 months, get her/him spayed or neutered.
Lastly, please post photos of your kitty for us to see
Welcome to the Catsite
Kittens need lots of high protein food to grow. May I ask how much are you feeding her? And how many times a day? Is she a rescue?
Kittens need to be fed 4-5 times a day. Since you said that she is very small in size and wasn't living in healthy conditions, I presume she is also not heathy at all. It's good to get her some KMR milk to boost her growth if she is under nourished. She needs to be fattened up to build her immunity and strength.
Best is feed her with grain free wet food for growing kittens. This will keep her hydrated.
Some kittens that have been deprived of food at a young age or left the mother to early, they see food as their security and they are food driven coz they are afraid that there'll be no food for them to eat. That's why they always hound you for food and partly they are not fed enough. You can gauge by the speed they eat their food.
Don't forget to have her vaccinated. This is very important. And at around 6 months, get her/him spayed or neutered.
Lastly, please post photos of your kitty for us to see
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Thank you MoochNNoodles for your purraise!
I agree with feeding your kitten more often. She may be going after your food because she is still hungry. I had an older kitten that used to steal food off my plate like that. He was never food deprived either. What I did was to feed him his food before I would eat. This really helped get him to stop stealing food. I fed my cat wet food when I was going to eat. He always had access to dry food too. When he realized he was getting fed at the same time I was he stopped stealing food. I made sure his food was on a regular plate on the floor before I sat down to eat. Once he started eating he left my food alone. He too did outgrow the need to steal food off plates. The key here is to get her to realize her food is on the floor and not your plates. My cats do get human food as treats once in a while but they all know they are only allowed to taste our food if the plate is put on the floor. If she continues to steal your food you may have to put her in her own room with her food while you are eating or eat standing up. I had to eat cereal standing up because Starbuck would climb in the bowl when she was a baby kitten. She outgrew this behavior on our own. My hubby uses lactose free milk so he will sometimes let her lick the bowl. She knows to wait until he puts the bowl on the floor and does not try to share while he is eating. Your baby is still very young and I really believe she will out grow this behavior.
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Purina Kitten Chow isn't the best food out there (too many junk filllers) so you may want to consider a higher quality brand instead. A bowl of dry food left out all day should be plenty enough for a growing kitten. Can you supplement with canned food?
7 week old kittens have tons of energy and don't know what they are allowed to do and not allowed to do. They're curious about everything and want to be in the middle of whatever you are doing or eating. Give a firm NO for bad behavior and redirect the kitten's attention to something else, like a toy.
7 week old kittens have tons of energy and don't know what they are allowed to do and not allowed to do. They're curious about everything and want to be in the middle of whatever you are doing or eating. Give a firm NO for bad behavior and redirect the kitten's attention to something else, like a toy.
Kiwi is so cute :love:
She sounds like a kitten who previously had to fight for little food. As you said, she doesn't come from a very good place. She has to learn that her daily struggle is over and that she now has food whenever she wants.
Does she like the kibbles you feed her? If so, put her at her bowl of food every time she tries to steal your food. To show her that if she is hungry, she can eat her food there. You can also try to give mer some more canned food on regular times (for example during the same time you eat) so she gets used to the system and will look forward to her own meals in stead of yours.
Hang in there a little longer, I think she will learn quickly. She looks adorable too. Thank you for taking her in and giving her a nice and good place to live!
Does she like the kibbles you feed her? If so, put her at her bowl of food every time she tries to steal your food. To show her that if she is hungry, she can eat her food there. You can also try to give mer some more canned food on regular times (for example during the same time you eat) so she gets used to the system and will look forward to her own meals in stead of yours.
Hang in there a little longer, I think she will learn quickly. She looks adorable too. Thank you for taking her in and giving her a nice and good place to live!
Kiwi is 100% pure cuteness!!!!
Everyone meet kiwi
Thank you tcorlew55 for your purraise!
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Hi and welcome! I agree with what has been said before that she needs a different dry food, one that is composed of high protein/mod fat/low carb. This will increase her satiety and reduce her appetite. Natures Variety is one good brand. Also canned foods would naturally be higher in protein but BE SURE to check the labels. Many of them have grain and cheap fillers. Fancy Feast pate is usually grain free. Wet or dry that contains grain will only STIMULATE her appetite (that's why it's given to cows and chickens - to make them eat. But cats do not need grain or high carb vegs like potatoes or legumes like peas. Those are fillers that are not species-appropriate for kitties.
The KMR will help give her satiety too. Remember, you cannot overfeed a kitten. They are growing like little weeds and they need calories, mostly protein.
Kiwi is soooo adorable!!!
The KMR will help give her satiety too. Remember, you cannot overfeed a kitten. They are growing like little weeds and they need calories, mostly protein.
Kiwi is soooo adorable!!!
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I just want to encourage you to be consistent in how you decide to deal with Kiwi's behavior. It may seem impossible at first, but she will learn the routines you set up as long as you enforce them every time.
We had some digestive issues with our cats at first (mommy cat adopted us by giving birth on our back step) and we needed them to eat only their own food. We actually trained all 4 kittens and the mom to eat only out of their bowls and then walk away without even looking at another dish. I can't remember exactly how long it took, but I do recall that they were fairly well trained by the time we re-homed some of them around 2 months.
(It has been three years now and if we put the dishes down and then leave the first floor completely sometimes we will find someone eating out of another's dish, but as long as we are near the kitchen they eat like they are supposed to!)
I like the idea of feeding her immediately before you eat. I think that is what I would try first. You could leave good quality dry kibble out all the time since she is a growing kitten, but feed her a small meal of a wet food that she really really likes at your meal times.
We had some digestive issues with our cats at first (mommy cat adopted us by giving birth on our back step) and we needed them to eat only their own food. We actually trained all 4 kittens and the mom to eat only out of their bowls and then walk away without even looking at another dish. I can't remember exactly how long it took, but I do recall that they were fairly well trained by the time we re-homed some of them around 2 months.
(It has been three years now and if we put the dishes down and then leave the first floor completely sometimes we will find someone eating out of another's dish, but as long as we are near the kitchen they eat like they are supposed to!)
I like the idea of feeding her immediately before you eat. I think that is what I would try first. You could leave good quality dry kibble out all the time since she is a growing kitten, but feed her a small meal of a wet food that she really really likes at your meal times.
