My cat is angry all the time

[BigPawsBrown]

My cat is a ginger tom with issues. He was a stray and is obsessed with food - he finishes his bowl within ten seconds and could never eat enough. He's on a diet because he's fat.

He's angry all the time though. I've never known a cat with such a temper. He shouts at us ALL EVENING until we feed him. He looks at me and pushes things off the coffee table. He strides angrily around the bedroom in the mornings. He doesn't play - he pulls his scratching post over, beats his toy mouse around the head and sprints off. If he could slam doors he could.

He's getting very unpleasant to live with. What can I do?

[Vintagecakeisstillnice]

He's beautifuullllllllll

Would giving him a mix of dry and wet food help at all?

[TimeToPassGo]

He is just gorgeous! And I'm not a fan of ginger cats tbh!

[wigglybeezer]

I had a thread about my fat, food obsessed cat.

I have had some success switching her to dried food with NO carbs in, it has ways more protein even than wet pouches ( can't get her to eat wet food very reliably). It seems to keep her satisfied for longer and although she still hangs around the food bowl she no longer wakes us up at four in the scratching at the door, a major improvement.

the brand we use is applaws ( expensive, but lasts longer )

[ppeatfruit]

Agree with the posters who say he needs 3 pouches a day. OR get some raw turkey pieces on the bone and try him on those (don't cut them up so he needs too chew them properly). Our cats especially the strays love them!

It sounds like he's withdrawing from the biscuits (which are totally unnatural and very fattening) maybe he's nicking some from a neighbour )

[BigPawsBrown]

We do play quite a lot, but he has a tendency to, after a few minutes' play, get stressed/angry and run off. He'd never play for twenty minutes. If I follow him I feel like I'm terrorising him. He's a sensitive soul.

GOD I envy the poster whose cat scratches at the door! He used to run into our bedroom door (he took run ups from the back of the bathroom) until we were forced to sleep with him. Now he spends most nights in between us with his head on the pillow, until he wakes DP up at 7 most days by getting onto his back and lounging/flexing paws over his shoulders menacingly.

We're not really in a financial position to pay for high-end foods, though I do have constant guilt about whiskas (he used to have Pets at home dry food though which was much worse). But if there is a high protein food that is similar price (we currently spend about £5/week) I would be willing to switch.

He will eat anything including his own food that he's belched up because he eats too fast

[Corygal]

OOOOO! He is BEYOND ADORABLE.

And that's my constructive comment.

[issey6cats]

hes absolutely georgous and you have given me the best laugh of the day with his antics i dont think you are going to change him just delight in the cat who is a character rather than a boring cat, then again ginger cats always seem to have something about them, my ginger and white boy is known as the hooligan in our house

[sublimecorpse]

I have no advice but I WANT that cat! He's a handsome fucker!

I may have to follow you on Instagram if that's ok op?

[BigPawsBrown]

That's fine, follow away

We also have a blog......

[aristocat]

Another here who agrees that he is adorable :)

[Corygal]

He is clearly a fine young lad with plenty of character. Who wants to live with an introvert dullard of a pet?

He is probably a little bit moody/outraged and livid because of the lack of food. Have you tried feeding him chicken (slimming) and constantly paying attention to him? Cuddling, talking, snuggling. They like that. So should you if that fluffy tum is anything to go by... ideal for a belly rub.

Sleeping with his face in your hand is faintmakingly sweet. He loves you.

[BigPawsBrown]

Belly rub - not on your life! He'd bloody kill me!

I will try chicken and more attention. I do luffs him so very very much.

[Corygal]

Yes, they attack the hand that approaches the belly. Out of sheer love

[BigPawsBrown]

I think he wasn't well socialised when he was young; he's got real issues with his belly!

[GimmeDaBoobehz]

Oh I love these cats.

We used to have a really aggressive female cat the exact opposite of her sister (got them both from the same litter) who is really docile though will protect things she cares about like any other cat but is very nurturing.

Her sister was intolerant of children, difficult with strangers, didn't play or do anything 'fun'.

I much preferred her from my aunts cat though who used to be extremely aggressive. I mean he hated men. I think he still does, though now he's about 15/16 has calmed down an awful lot.

He actually jumped onto my sisters ExPs lap and scratched him. No trigger, just went and done it. Also my aunts friend housesat and when they were sleeping in aunts bed friends partner got scratched in the bollocks. He's also scratched my Dad and my aunts ExH.

I haven't been scratched by him but always gave him a big gap between us due to his aggressiveness.

I don't know if neutering can affect their behaviour but my aunt always thought he was more aggressive due to being 'doctored' and felt not manly enough if that makes sense.

I suppose cats just like humans have different temperament. Perhaps he is a cat equivalent of a sociopath or something like that?

[Corygal]

They all have belly sensitivity - my tabby Mr Cory can whip off fingers if he doesn't feel like a tickle.

It's something to do with being attacked in the soft spot (not acting as an agent of mindless slaughter to their benighted human slaves).

[ppeatfruit]

None of our cats like chicken. You can get special cheap meat pieces that butchers put by (it shouldn't be expensive).

Our house little female is very picky about who she honours by allowing them to scratch between her ears and she won't go to anyone who wants her to.

dh just said that large cats should have up to 5 pouches a day !! The fresh meat is much cheaper than the pouches IMO. It's a problem to put a cat on a diet just make sure he goes out a lot for exercise

[Fluffycloudland77]

How about butchers choice or aldi in the salmon, chicken or tuna (the other tins have cereals).

Have you tried zylkene?

[wigglybeezer]

You have to watch though, many foods say no cereals but have potato or tapioca starch instead, equally fattening. My wee cat lost weight on Applaws dried but it is 47% protein as compared to @8% in a typical tin.
Actually just reread the ingredients, it has a wee bit of potato but not much.
When I ran out and put her back on Aldi dried for a week she got very greedy again.

[Lovethesea]

Mine are doing well on Aldi's cheap tins. Really economical and on being meat it fills them up more than the biscuits. If coming off whiskas he will protest as I think it has something addictive in it and cats love it but it's not that healthy for them.

He does sound brilliant. I love my feisty Tortie and she is quite angry at times.

[Fruli]

Lamb bones. Hours of fun and virtually no calories - and you get a yummy roast dinner out of it first

We have the opposite problem - eats less than yours and still throws it up. Stop eating your hair and you'll feel better you daft animal!

[cozietoesie]

Yep - he's quite gorgeous but he is just a tad......chunky!

I'd second the bones suggestion. Any bones that aren't going to splinter so lamb is a good thought. (Nicely stripped down after your yummy roast dinner. Cats like roast lamb.)

[catameringue]

Your cat has clearly watched the O2 'be more dog' adverts.

My male cat sounds similar. Squeaks at me every morning as if unhappy whilst trying his best to vandalise my belongings. Terrorises the girl cats. Pushes drinks over onto the floor or sticks his head in and sneezes, eats everything including trying to eat a needle and thread yesterday. Opens doors by pinging the door handle all night. My other cat does stress farts and saves up the smelliest of farts and poos for any return from the cattery.

yep, cats are penises. But they're awesome.

[ChubbyKitty]

Ohh my god. He's so beautiful and looks so cuddly!!

My angsty teenage girl cat shouts at me when she thinks it's time for food and she's also a little on the rotund side a black meatball with a collar I tell her she's had breakfast and if she wants a snack there are biscuits but she's always got an answer.

I tied Christmas wrapping ribbon to her cat tree and she seemed amused with it for a while. But then she tried to eat it so I'd recommend sticking with non-plastic ribbon..

I was also going to suggest the red dot until I read that he doesn't approve - shame really as little chubby gallops up and down for ages with it and I'm hoping she might start to lose a few pounds.

Isn't there a special kind of diet cat food? My vet mentioned something once but I was more interested in the other cat's infected leg

DP has a ridiculous trick of treating her as you'd treat a naughty child and saying 'if you're going to act like a baby then I'll treat you like a baby!' And picks her up and holds her like a baby. She's so unimpressed with him that she forgets she was shouting for a bit. Maybe your boy wants cuddles? Is he a cuddler?

The angry poo sequence is the funniest thing I've read all year. I hate when they make eye contact!