The title is pretty self-explanatory but to give some more detail, he is a bit over a year old rescue. I do mix it up every day and he does eat it happily. When he came to us he was very quiet and we actually thought he was mute. He has become pretty vocal now esp. when someone is eating. At first i ignored it and just gave it to him but now I've started to wait until he becomes quiet before giving it to him and taking it away if he hisses or growls at me. Am I doing it wrong, is he actually scared/in pain or is it just a learned thing he does that can be trained away?
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Why does my cat meow and hiss at me when i give him food?
- Thread starter kahvis
- Start Date
Hi. Does he meow/hiss while waiting for you to give him his food, and then stops after he has gotten it? I wasn't sure because you said "giving it to him and taking it away if he hisses or growls". Is it possible that he is hungry, and either he needs more food or just fed more frequently? Or, is this related to human food, since you also said he does this "esp. when someone is eating". How to handle it kind of depends on the answers to the above questions.
If the only time he does this is related to food/being fed - and not any other time, I doubt it would be pain related. He could be scared you'll take the food away or not give it to him, I suppose.
If the only time he does this is related to food/being fed - and not any other time, I doubt it would be pain related. He could be scared you'll take the food away or not give it to him, I suppose.
- Thread Starter Thread Starter
- #3
He does it when I'm bending down to give him the food and stops when I stand up or eventually give it to him. Doesn't matter if he's right next to the cup or the next room over, if I bend over to put the food in his bowl or put down the bowl he hisses/growls. I feed him a bit more than recommended because he needs to gain a little weight and every few hours. When I said he meows when someone is eating, I was just saying he might want food when he sees others eating. He doesn't do that when no one is eating.
I had Pepper for 23 years and every time I would serve her food or go near her food bowl while she was eating she would growl and hiss at me. She knew I was not going to take her food away because back then I free fed her. And she started this when I brought her home at 2 1/2 months old and long before Harley was even born so it wasn't from protecting against another cat. I just assumed that she was protecting her food from anyone
Are you able to pet/touch him without any hissing/growling? If he is pretty skittish it might just be that he is concerned not that you are feeding him, but rather that you are taking his food away from him. It would seem he is food insecure. Does he always eat all that you give him before you put more down?
I take it this is a new development, as opposed to something that has gone on since you got him? If so, change in food dishes/bowls perhaps? Or, even a recent change in feeding location? Can you leave more food out so as not to have to feed him every few hours - so that he can 'graze' if he wants? And, if you feed him mostly canned, maybe leave out some dry all the time as his 'back up'?
If this somehow a food insecurity, I am not sure taking the food away from him is going to stop him from growling/hissing.
Edit: See if anything in this article helps to make sense of his behavior.
How To Manage Food Aggression In Cats
I take it this is a new development, as opposed to something that has gone on since you got him? If so, change in food dishes/bowls perhaps? Or, even a recent change in feeding location? Can you leave more food out so as not to have to feed him every few hours - so that he can 'graze' if he wants? And, if you feed him mostly canned, maybe leave out some dry all the time as his 'back up'?
If this somehow a food insecurity, I am not sure taking the food away from him is going to stop him from growling/hissing.
Edit: See if anything in this article helps to make sense of his behavior.
How To Manage Food Aggression In Cats
Last edited:
- Thread Starter Thread Starter
- #6
He does not like being petted or touched, but he doesn't hiss or growl if I try to. I can feed him by hand without problem though, the problem comes when I feed him in his bowl. He does eat everything everything I give him.
It is a new thing, we got him around September and he started doing this about a month ago. I did change from a plastic bowl to an aluminum one but that was after he started doing that. I don't like the idea of giving him more food at a time since he will eat everything I give him immediately but I will try leaving him some dry food, maybe he will start eating slower.
I will look at the article and thank you so much for the help!
If you think by leaving out dry food that he will end up gobbling it all up at once, you can try something like a miniature muffin pan, and place some food in each muffin cup. There are also slow feeders you could buy.
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