My one cat gorges and I can't stop her!

[lunasmom09]

I brought home 2 cats from a shelter on Christmas, a M and F, both about a year old. They didn't know each other until a couple of days before we brought them home, and they are crazy about each other!

I've already consulted people on this part of the scenario; Luna wasn't socialized in her past life and was just a momcat. The only contact she had with people was when she was fed. When I first brought her home she'd beeline to her food whenever anyone even said hello to her. The first couple of days, if she wasn't sleeping she was eating (seriously!).

Now, she's more adapted to a normal life, and is very friendly, affectionate and playful. But when she eats, she's a total hog!

I have a bowl of dry food for them to free eat. Porter, the M, free eats like any other cat. But, when Luna sees him eating, she barges over and just dives into the bowl. She's not aggressive, just focused on the food. And she eats... and eats! When she stops and walks away, if anyone moves in the kitchen she runs as fast as she can back to the bowl and dives back in. When she's eaten more than any cat I've ever seen eat in one sitting, I take the bowl away (telling she's a good kitty the whole time). She'll sit in the spot where the bowl goes and stare at me until I go into another room.

I've taken to giving Porter a small bowl next to the big one so he can eat during the times they both want to eat. At first they had a large bowl that was enough for the 2 of them for 24 hours. Today, the bowl was cleaned out in 18 hours!

Luna has gained 2 pounds in 1 month! She's a lean, lanky kitty and now clearly weighs more than she should. Porter's weight has stayed roughly the same, but she's now bigger than he is.

So... my problem is this: How do I break Luna of gorging the food that's supposed to be for both of them? I'm not home all day every day and when I'm gone 7a-6p I leave the food down so Porter can eat. I sneak him food when she's not looking. I've thought about getting one of those timed feeders but I think once they catch on to when it serves food, she'll just camp out by it and gobble up the portions before Porter even has a chance.

Someone please help!

lunasmom

 

[mystik spiral]

I am by no means an expert, I have one cat and she's my first. But on her first vet visit, her doctor told me that despite what many people think (me included) cats should be fed on a schedule. I had always been under the impression that you keep cats' bowls full, and that they will eat when they need to. Not so.

Can you feed your two on a schedule? Maybe in separate places until they get used to the routine? I feed Holland 1/4 cup in the morning, 1/4 cup at night. Due to her nature her food bowl is rarely empty, as she "grazes" throughout the day. If you're concerned that your girl is eating too much you might want to consider stopping the free-feeding, and trying to monitor meal times, so she isn't "stealing" food from Porter's bowl.

 

[stephanietx]

You CAN stop her and you MUST stop her if you want her to stay healthy. You're the human and need to get the situation under control. Really, it's the only way to solve the problem. I have one cat that only gets fed breakfast, dinner, bedtime snack and she's just fine.

Go to a scheduled feeding routine with a limited amount of food. It's fine for you to feed them before you leave for work and then you can feed them a couple of times at night. There will be much whining and complaining at first, but once you get them used to the routine, they'll be fine. Do not let them eat out of the same bowl; get them their own bowls. Once one has finished eating, pick up the bowls and put in a cabinet or someplace where the other cannot get it. (We put them in a cabinet or in the microwave or oven.) Don't let them graze and eat buffet style.

It will be harder on you because you'll have to discipline yourself to go to the scheduled feedings instead of leaving food down for them 24/7.

 

[lunasmom09]

Thanks for the responses Mystic and Stephanie!

I've limited their feeding to morning, afternoon, dinnertime and before bed. It's the same amount I've been giving them - full bowl, roughly 2 cups - but this way I can ensure Porter gets his portion. I'm using separate bowls. I'm monitoring them to ensure Luna's not grubbing Porter's bowl. This morning, Luna ate her entire bowl in the time it took Porter to eat half of his, and then she tried to push him out of his! I can't believe her. Porter only ate half his portion so I gave it to him a while later when she wasn't looking.

They get a full bowl in the AM but I'm going to reduce her's to half a bowl in a week, and also eliminate both afternoon bowls eventually. This will be easier to do when I'm working. I'm continuing to give them canned food at suppertime as well. Oddly enough, she barely eats any of it, and Porter finishes her's off, which I'm OK with. He hasn't gained any weight since the first week here when he gained a pound, which was needed. I can make up for the 1/2 bowl he won't be getting in the afternoon with that much more in the evening.

Cutting down the amount she eats in addition to feeding her on a schedule makes me feel guilty, especially considering her previous life of having food withheld and only associating love with people who fed her. Hopefully it won't give her a complex. But I have to do it.

I wasn't going to feed them yesterday afternoon but Porter actually BIT my leg when I ignored his pleas!

As it is, though, neither one acted any differently last night even though they didn't get to have their midnight snack. They did start walking on me at 5AM, though!

Thanks again -

lunasmom

PS -Stephanie, "You CAN stop her and you MUST stop her if you want her to stay healthy. You're the human and need to get the situation under control. Really, it's the only way to solve the problem." was a bit harsh. I stated that I KNEW I had to stop her; I was asking for advice on HOW to do this. I hope you don't use that tone of voice with everyone; someone with a thinner skin might get really upset by it. Anyway, thanks for your response.

 

[mystik spiral]

Also, are you following the feeding guide on your kitties' food packages? Two cups seems like an awful lot to me for two cats to eat in a day, but then again I have a really small girl.

Holland is on wet food only right now because of a dental procedure the other day... She has been gobbling up her food as soon as I give it to her, and wants more right away even though it's not time for her to eat. I'm sure Luna & Porter will get used to their routine, I know firsthand how much it can suck to be "the bad guy" and not feed your little ones even though they want to eat...

 

[melanmac]

I wonder if this would help, or at least, it might slow her down. I keep bowls full for my three cats to eat whenever they want as well. One of my cats would tend to eat too much and too fast (and then she'd bring it up a couple minutes later). My vet suggested I put a coffee cup in the center of her bowl to slow her down. Might have to get a bigger bowl or a plate. I never did do this but I thought it sounded like a good idea. (We thought her problem could also be hairballs). I may have to start them on a regular feeding schedule that limits how much food they get, though, as my two 10-year olds are starting to gain weight. We'll see what doc says when we go back for our shots.

 

[lunasmom09]

Thanks MS & Mel,

I'm reducing her portions slowly while trying to maintain his, as his weight isn't an issue. Porter always leaves food in his bowl anyway. I'm also right now feeding them 4x a day which will reduce to 3 when I work.

Mel, I don't understand: a coffee cup? Could you elaborate?

They're doing really well with not having food over night. But at 6am, Luna starts walking on me!

Thanks again -

lunasmom

 

[addiebee]

Hi, Luna's mom... I hope you don't feel people on there were shouting at you. We all love our cats dearly and StephanieTX I am sure was just concerned.

Now to the topic. Yes - she needs to be slowed down. I have a gobbler... who has no "off" switch when it comes to food.

The coffee cup trick is like adding a speed bump to the bowl. You can put a small rock in there or a golf ball... or buy a slow-down bowl. I have one for my little guy who CHOWS!!

They have to work around the bumps in the bowl to get to the food and that naturally slows down the eating process. See pic below.

Or - Petco sells a slow feeder.... where the cat has to get the food out with her paw... dang - can't find it on their web site...

I would also encourage you to introduce wet food to their diet. It really is so much better for them... you replace some of the dry with wet.. add a little water to it even if you want... helps them to feel full. And I hope she soon overcomes her need to scarf up everything in sight.

The wet food - while filling - is also less caloricly dense... which means fewer calories and that should also help Luna get some off some of the weight she had quickly put on.

I have another cat who also "blimped" up.. and the vet said - WET food!!! Portion Control! Exercise! Kinda reminds me of what we humans need to do to lose weight, right?

Oh - one more thing... what dry are you feeding? The better quality the dry, the better it is for the kitty... we feel more full if we eat steak or a burger than an equal caloric quantity of cheese puffs for instance.

Dry food with fewer fillers and grains will also help to fill up Luna.

 

[icklemiss21]

2 cups does sound like a lot, mine get that between 5 of them with a little wet each so I would slowly reduce that, then even if free-fed she wont be getting too much food.

With some stray cats, they honestly never lose that survival instinct of eating when there is food so timed feedings are a must, your momcat may be one of those - generally if there is none they are fine, they just feel they have to eat it because its there

I found this helpful with one of mine
http://www.catsplay.com/smartcat_peek.php3
I put his food in it and he has to work it out and usually gets distracted by the toys while working for the food

The other thing I find useful for food aggressive cats is putting the food in smaller bowls in separate rooms, one on the cat tree, one in the living room, etc then they have to climb for them and the other one can eat while the other is in a different room eating and not paying attention

 

[luvmy10]

I agree with everyone, put her on a schedule. I had two cats (the still occupy my space) that did this ALL the time to the point where they would vomit they ate so much. So I started putting food down at 7 a.m and taking it up by 7:30 insuring everyone got a meal. They had to wait until 7 p.m when I got home to eat again and within a week the hogging stopped. And my puke cleaning up-ness, has come to a gradual halt, only normal *I ate a rat* vomit now.

So definately put her THEM on a schedule =)

 

[monogodo]

The only feeding problem I've ever had with my cats was that one male would eat too fast and later throw it back up. The solution I found was to get large aquarium stones, larger than they could bite, and place them on top of the food when I put it in the bowl. The stones forced him to slow down and hunt for the food.

Recently, our female had been throwing up regularly after eating, too. We've just moved to a new loft that has carpeting, and don't want to ruin it, so I got the rocks out of storage (we'd stopped using them after Lorenzo, the vomiter, died), and started using them again. It's been two weeks, and she has yet to throw up after eating.

I also feed my two cats 1 cup of dry food once per day. I split it fairly evenly between two small bowls. If I forget to feed them before I go to bed, Lance will cry & yowl & scratch the sweater keeper doors until I get up and feed him. Usually there's a little bit of kibble in the bowls every night when I refill them. Their weights are steady and the vet is happy with their health. Lance is 19 and Arianna is 16, so I must be doing something right.

 

[blueyedgirl5946]

I have two cats. One eats regular cat food. One eats prescription food for urinary issues. The cat who gets the prescription food gets a measured amount two times a day. I put each cat in a cat carrier with the food bowl. I leave them there until they are finished eating. Then they don't get anything else until the next feeding time. Separating them solves the problem of them each wanting the other ones food. It might work for you.

 

[ebrillblaiddes]

People have already said what I would say, so I'll just chime in to agree...scheduled controlled feedings, food quality (higher amounts of protein, lower carbs) which can be done pretty well through canned food, and activity level. Most cats free-feed well if it's what they're used to, but if it's not, there's no sense in letting them become Jabba the Hut-Cat hoping they'll figure it out (not that your kitty is a Jabbacat, but that's where they end up if their humans don't step in).

If you want them to be able to semi-free-feed a meal while you're out, there are toys that you can fill up with a handful of kibble, and they get the food by bouncing the toy around to make pieces fall out. This would be a good way to go about it if you want her to still eat kibble because it'll only be the amount you want her to have and raise her activity level.

 

[melissaw]

I know for Libby, scheduled feedings DEFINITELY helped her with her overeating. She's not so bad now, just sometimes eats so fast that she's barfing up nearly dry food a minute later!
I've got to get me one of those slow down bowls! I've never heard of those before and what a great idea! I'd like Libby to keep her food in her tummy rather than on my floors/furniture!

 

[cyndiloohoo2]

Hi Lunasmom,

I have the same problem.  I adopted a feral kitten when he was 3 weeks old (in 2008) & bottle fed him to health.  He's a really beautiful black cat, but he's also just full of catnip, too!!  Noah didn't gorge on his food until about the past 3 1/2 years.  Other than my divorce (btw: he hated Noah), I don't know what happened to start this - but he just started eating excessively.  Many times, it seemed he was just out of boredom & he gained an excessive amount of weight. 

Now, I'd also adopted a beautiful Maine Coon (in 2006).  Riley was, as most cats are, a nibbler.  So, there was never any problem with him eating.  I could leave food out for him 24/7 & he never gained an ounce ... However, when Noah began gorging himself, Riley started losing a significant amount of weight because he would nibble, walk away from the bowl and Noah would gulp it down.  Well, that scared me - and I wasn't quite sure what to do about it.  I needed to leave the food out for Riley, but Noah would just eat until all of the food was gone.

I did some comical things to discourage Noah from eating, but those only had a short term effect.  So, I bought each a separate bowl with a lid, & began feeding them in different rooms.  I instituted regular feeding times to get them used to the idea that they only ate when I ate.  For Riley (who was quite ill & dreadfully thin), I started adding some moist food to his dry nuggets & gave him a quiet place to eat - completely away from Noah.  Before Riley died (he had a heart problem and lung cancer), he did pick up a little weight.  I also began limiting Noah's portions to about 1 1/2 TB in the morning & about 1 1/2 TB at night & if he managed to eat Riley's food before I had a chance to take it up - then he didn't eat again that night ...

While it sounds cruel, there are larger (health) issues at stake, because I love Noah and don't want him to develop Diabetes.  So far, the extreme diet has worked.  Noah is back down to an acceptable weight & he now eats about 2-3 TB in the morning and 2-3 TB at night.  I still separate him from our new cat (Frankie, who is also a nibbler) & if he gets to Frankie's food before I have a chance to cover the bowl, then he doesn't get to eat that night.  I also have a dog & Noah will also eat the dog food, if I don't take it up after Zoey is done eating (my pup is also a nibbler) ... again, if Noah eats the dog food, he doesn't eat that night.

I told the Vet about what I was doing, and she told me that I was doing the right thing ... The big thing is - which is more cruel?  To severely limit the amount of food an animal eats, forcing an obese animal to lose weight for it's health; or to continue to allow them to gorge themselves into throwing up, and developing serious health issues (which  *you*  then, have to maintain later)?

Just like people, animals need regular eating times and portion control to maintain a healthy weight.  My animals eat twice a day, and I only allow them to have a set proportion of food.  Even a working animal "mom" can keep a regular feeding schedule for her animal babies.  It just takes figuring out how much is a healthy portion, and what time in the morning works best for you to feed them.  But, you can't put food out and then leave for work, or Luna will eat your other cats food ...  Put them in separate rooms (or areas) while you get ready for work & when one animal walks away from it's food, take that bowl up and cover it. 

Good luck!!

cyndiloohoo2