Do your cats polish their plates clean - and do they get any more?

[Bogburglar99]

Neurotic cat owner question of the week. Bogbastardkitten is a seven month old tiger in training kitten who from his breed is set for an adult weight of around 6kg. He gets a pouch of wet food twice daily and a handful of biscuits. It's always all gone and the plates polished to a shine. Has been neutered a couple of months ago.

i have a vague idea that cats should have something to graze on in between meals, or that I might not be feeding him enough. Is this simply an instance of his developing powers of mind control over his human slaves? He is deeply enthusiastic about the prospect of food but isn't endlessly pestering for it either.

Nope. Mine rarely finishes her bowls. She is so fussy. I get samples from the pet shop and then buy her what she likes. Then she decides she doesn't like it any more. I only replace her food bowls twice a day but there's always food left in them. Sorry, don't think I've helped at all.

3yo SparklyCat follows me around the kitchen in the morning, practising her opera singing, until I give her a pouch of wet food. She demolishes it in about 3 minutes, and then proceeds to lick the plate until it's completely clean....then sings some more in the hope that she will get more. She's a munchkin-tabby crossbreed, so quite small, and in the right weight bracket for her age and breed. I refuse to over feed her just to shut her up, so I leave a bowl of biscuits out all day, and she gets dreamies in between wet food pouches (one in the morning, one in the evening). She still acts as if she's starving when I put the wet food down. She's clearly not malnourished, and the vet tells me I'm doing the right thing, as munchkins can easily become obese.
Try giving your kitten tiger an extra half a pouch at lunchtime and see if it affects his weight??

The powers of mind control are VERY good aren't they

Thanks both, I might try putting a few more biscuits or half a pouch down to graze on, and keep an eye.

There's a cat breed called a munchkin?

Mine does and no, he doesn't get any more. He is on a strict calorie controlled diet so his food is weighed out to ensure he gets the right daily allowance. He is a 7kg cat aiming to be a 6kg cat!

If your cat has been fed the right amount for the day, letting them graze on extra will make them fat. Of course, you can spread the daily allowance out across the day though :)

FatCat has a pouch in the morning and then I have weighed out about a fortnight's worth of dry food into plastic boxes. I know that one box is his daily allowance so if he has some of it at lunch time, he will get less at tea time.

Wow, he's gonna be a big cat.
Cat1 is trim & pukes if he eats more than small amounts, while Cats2-3 are prone to obesity. They all eat from same bowl. So totally different issues from you. I put down small amounts when Cat1 pesters & the others hover to clean up after him. Bowl is rarely spotless, though.

Ours is only spotless if the dog has managed to sneak up to the cat'a room!

She likes to nibble about half an oz, leave the rest to go dry, then pester for more. All day...all night. Being an ancient moggy, she gets what she asks for. I am a very well trained Slave.

Ours has dry biscuits down all day, with a top up of half a ouch a time about 2 to 4 times a day. Our previous cat was delicate if constitution and would scoff then be sick if fed a whole pouch. Sometimes he has less wet to encourage him to eat more dry as it's better for their teeth.

It is complicated isn't it! Spread it out might be a thought.

Vet is (rightly) giving sound general advice about watching weight and not letting him put it on, but it's difficult to know what the right amount is for a growing cat who is aiming for tiger status. Most of the packet recommendations are set for normal cats!

Yes he is going to be huge, and the thick long haired fluffy coat just adds to it all. He still thinks he can sleep on the back of the armchair that accommodated him nicely at 2 months old

Not 2 months, 4! But he has more than doubled in size since then.

Yes Bogburglar! This is a munchkin cat not mine, mine is black all over with subtle stripeyness

FatCat is a huge cat. 6Kg is the ideal weight for his frame according to the vet. Most food does seem to have amounts given for his size of cat. It will be easier when he's stopped growing. Weighing the food in advance has helped me as I know he is only getting the amount he needs. Ignoring any of the dog's dinner he's eaten or stuff begged from the neighbours...

It's definitely best to not let them put the weight on in the first place as getting them to lose it is a very tough battle indeed. FatCat's problem was that we used to have a second cat who was half his size at just 3kg. Feeding each cat the right amount was tricky!!

6 mth old kitten who does not like wet food so feed her iams she gets a bowl in the morning and evening I usually chuck a few in their if its empty ( dreamies before bed) she dies get a tint bit of ham when I am making sandwichs. I think she will be a very successful hunter judging on the amount of shreaded woollen mice around the house.. If she ever makes it of the back step... Those leaves are a bit scary blowing around like that :-)

That is very cute!

BBK is rather at the other end of the spectrum. This is a Siberian which is what he is - at 6 months old!

Our cats have always self regulated.

Biscuit bowl filled on demand, token of half a wet pouch at bed time.

We currently have a sibling pair and it still works out like that.

Mine is a rescue and needs more timber on him!
Applaws pate and 100g turkey/pork/chicken mince in am
Chunks of chicken/turkey and heart plus raw chicken wing for when I'm at work
Applaws pate and another 100g mince at night
he's not used to having food when he wants (stray) and doesn't tend towards fat