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The litter tray

Join our community of cat lovers on the Mumsnet Cat forum for kitten advice and help with cat behaviour.

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Original poster

Cat suddenly wont stop eating and trying to steal food/lick plates.

72 replies

SchroSawMargeryDaw · 12/04/2013 15:52

I have no idea what is going on with him, he's always been mad for treats (which we rarely give) but in the past month or 2 he wont stop eating and begging.

He mostly leaves the food that's in his bowl though but will happily eat the other 2 cats food, he opens the cupboard and rips open packets of food , we've caught him licking plates and tins and he is constantly begging.

He's quite thin (not underweight though), he became an outdoor cat about 9 months ago and lost some weight then.

He's driving us nuts but I have no idea what could be going on.

OP posts:

cozietoesie · 12/04/2013 16:51

Ah. You're thinking a 'Six-Dinner Sid' Squeaky? There could be some truth in that.

ppeatfruit · 12/04/2013 16:53

Try giving them all cereal free and watch them slim down and save you money! My DM says she gives her fat cats biscuits for their teeth but they've got bad teeth!!Weird or what.

Original poster

SchroSawMargeryDaw · 12/04/2013 16:53

Maryz I think you were right to refuse all that un-necessary treatment, if he's happy and older then it's best to leave him like that.

I am honestly scared to take my fat cat to the vets, I know they will try and put him on a diet but he hardly eats as it is and spends every minute of the day almost, outside roaming and playing.

Cozie Are cats allowed electric blankets? I didn't know this or my 3 would have had one a long time ago!

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Original poster

SchroSawMargeryDaw · 12/04/2013 16:56

Squeaky I guess you could be right there...

Ppeat Fat cat would never eat the dry stuff before about a year ago and he was fatter then than he is now! He wouldn't eat if I switched to soft food only but amazingly has great teeth.

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cozietoesie · 12/04/2013 16:57

He's an elderly boy, Schro, and I've got one of those blankets that you can sleep on. I think there would be a revolt if I tried to remove it (he has a bit of arthritis, loves his warmth and he chooses to sleep on it) and luckily he has no incontinence problem. I'll have to reassess if ever that raises its head.

Original poster

SchroSawMargeryDaw · 12/04/2013 17:00

He sounds a happy chap. :) They really rule your life don't they, I never imagined cats would be like that! I always thought (before getting them) that they just done their own thing and didn't like anyone to be in their way.

I was so wrong.

I think I may get the fat cat an electric blanket, I think his leg hurts him (he broke it falling from a window when he was a kitten) maybe it would help him.

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cozietoesie · 12/04/2013 17:11

You can get heated pads/beds for them schro - may be more practical for you in terms of space. Other posters may have a recommendation.

It would probably be a big hit if my experience is anything to go by.

dobby2001 · 12/04/2013 17:13

You can get wheatbags that you heat up in the microwave as alternative to electric blankets -cheaper to buy and run. safer with incontinent and long clawed kittys too

Original poster

SchroSawMargeryDaw · 12/04/2013 17:13

We had one of the 'heated' pads for him but it didn't seem to generate much heat! We had to to double it over and put it on top of a bed.

Have been thinking of trying one of those radiator beds but I don't know that it would hold his weight!

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Original poster

SchroSawMargeryDaw · 12/04/2013 17:14

Dobby That's a great idea, I'm sure I have seen them.

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Maryz · 12/04/2013 17:16

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

cozietoesie · 12/04/2013 17:30

Good idea, dobby.

I think the reason Seniorboy likes the blanket is that he can stretch out long which helps with his arthritis. We actually have blanket, then sheet, then duvet then fleece throw - and he sleeps between the duvet and the throw. A glorious warm fug builds up for him because it's left on all the time.

Original poster

SchroSawMargeryDaw · 12/04/2013 17:32

Bloody eck, it must be roasting under there! Blankets/Slankets don't get left out in this house as they always get claimed too.

We found out our girl cat sleeps on top of the actual boiler. Nutter.

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Original poster

SchroSawMargeryDaw · 12/04/2013 17:33

Cozie He sounds adorable.

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dobby2001 · 12/04/2013 18:28

Florrie has a cardboard fruit box with an old towel inside. It sits on a shelf near a radiator. The cardboard overhangs ,but does not touch the radiator. Couldnt work out why she preferred that to the lovely padded bed we had for her - until I put my hand in and realised the heat transferred to most of the box due to the corrgated cardboard "sandwich" making it a secondary radiator - or completley heated bed!- clever kitty

ppeatfruit · 12/04/2013 21:14

schro You have to check the ingredients in the tins and pouches because it used to all have wheat in it. Now the manuf. seem to be wising up to the fact that they've been making the animals ill so there are more foods without cereals. Its not so cheap though so i sometimes buy butchers ends and chop it small and just throw it to them raw they LOVE it.!

If you think about it no cats would pick some wheat and grind it up to make biscuits in the wild after all they're carnivores.

cozietoesie · 12/04/2013 21:27

It's a useful point, ppeat. There are several regular posters who have cats with grain intolerances.

Original poster

SchroSawMargeryDaw · 13/04/2013 14:49

I'd love to feed my cats a raw diet but they wont touch raw meat! The only raw meat they will go near is smoked salmon

I'll start checking labels more often. Thank you for that!

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ppeatfruit · 13/04/2013 16:04

It's funny ours won't touch raw UNLESS it's cut up in 'mouselike' littlish pieces then they fall on it! turkey is the favourite!

QueenStromba · 13/04/2013 18:40

Butcher's Classic is gluten free (and therefore free of at least wheat and barley) and actually cheaper than Sainsbury's own brand. We're weaning our girl onto it from Whiskas pouches and she seems to like it. We leave biscuits down for her because she's underweight and won't eat wet food if it's been sitting out for more than about three hours. I'm quite happy that she only eats the biscuits if there's no wet food or the wet food that is there is too old because cats don't have the same thirst drive as other animals so if they just eat dry food they don't tend to drink enough water which is bad for their kidneys.

I'd happily feed her raw but I trust the pet food manufacturers to get her nutrition right more than I trust myself. If she died of x deficiency when I wasn't feeding her cat food I'd never forgive myself and cat food is pretty good these days which is why cats are living well into their 20s. We give her some roast meat as a treat when we have a roast because we haven't had her long enough to remember to cut a bit off before we put it in the oven.

ppeatfruit · 14/04/2013 10:17

Sorry QueenStromba You trust the pet food manufacturers???? Really after the horsemeat scandal with the HUMAN food manufacturers?

IMO they're in it to make a profit not to be kind to animals; who do you think first put gluten\ cereals in cat food? (which as you saw from my posts makes them ill) It wasn't animals that's for sure.

Interestingly I studied the dried cat food ingredients in the supermarket yesterday they were all (even the kind to old cats ones) stuffed with cereals. Our cat was drinking manically from the tap when she eating dried stuff. It's terrible for their kidneys as you said.

You can get timed covered bowls to keep the wet food fresh all day. I think.

QueenStromba · 14/04/2013 12:30

The fact is that cats are living years longer than they used to and that is partly down to cat food getting better. If it was just a case of feeding them raw meat then I'd do it but you have to mix in liver, for example, at pretty precise quantities - not enough and she'll be deficient in important vitamins and minerals but if she eats too much then she'll get hypervitaminosis A. What if she eats the raw beef but doesn't like liver and then refuses cat food because she knows that if she holds out she'll get the nice stuff? Short of sending her out to catch her own food I'm not going to be able to replicate her natural diet. Pet food companies have people who are paid to know about cat nutrition so I'm going to trust a company who realises that you shouldn't feed a carnivore plant protein over my own ability as a cat nutritionist.

I have a choice of what I eat which means that when I'm low on potassium, for example, I crave bananas or guacamole and that's what I eat. If my cat particularly wants kidneys or liver I have no way of knowing because she has no choice other than to eat what's put in front of her.

Original poster

SchroSawMargeryDaw · 14/04/2013 12:37

I think I will speak to the vet about raw and see what they say. Mines are unlikely to touch it though!

Good point about their kidneys though, apart from the cat we are talking about, I think I have only ever seen the other 2 take a drink maybe twice ever.

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cozietoesie · 14/04/2013 12:45

They get most of their liquid from the food if they're eating wet. They will use a water bowl but you don't actually see them lapping that often.

Original poster

SchroSawMargeryDaw · 14/04/2013 12:49

Mines don't seem to like the water bowl, I've seen one cat drink from it once.

Any other time it's the tap! The one that we're talking about, he eats the most soft food and drinks the most as well. He's very energetic though and doesn't really stop moving.

Could I simply just not be feeding him enough? The other 2 leave a lot of food or don't bother too much about it.

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