Insatiable Cat

[belimoo]

Does anybody else have a Ragdoll, or any other cat, who is constantly hungry?

My boy is always following me around screaming for food and is rarely satisfied. So far today he has had:

8.30am 1 pouch of natures menu country hunter (96% protein)
12pm as above
4pm 1 treat meat stick (like a peperami but for cats)
5pm 1 pouch of Felix mixed with pumpkin (he needs the pumpkin to prevent messy litter trays and Felix is his favourite so means he eats the pumpkin)
7.30pm small portion of cod
9.30pm he is screaming at me as though he is starving.

I will give him a snack before bed but it seems like a lot of food! And he is constantly asking for more. He is recently wormed and last time I took him to the vet (in Jan) she advised that he was slightly overweight.

If I don't feed him then he becomes a bit aggressive, cries non-stop and eventually starts to bite and lunge at me.

Should I just be feeding more or is this a lot already? I don't want him to get fat and unhealthy but also hate the thought that he is hungry and unhappy.

Thanks for the suggestions. I will add more dry food in a puzzle feeder!

You could also hide food around the house for him to find. As he's so food motivated you can use that to keep him busy.

My latest rescue isn't interested in food at all and it's a PITA as I can't bribe her!

My cats eat 2 pouches a day between them but also have dry food out for them to eat when they want. I dont measure it; just pour some in but not too much

My fat catboy has a meowee treatball which stops him getting bored or eating too much; he has to bat it around for the treats to fall out so if he is actually hungry he will work for more treats.

I think I need one for myself 🙄

@BridgetInHerBravery thanks for the suggestion. Unfortunately he's not very bright on that front. We put some biscuits on 'his' part of the new sofa a few months ago and he mostly sat on them without realising they were there.

@MusicTeacherSussex

@dementedpixie thanks, I think I need to introduce more dry food by the sounds of it. I removed it when I was trying to figure out what was causing his stomach issues

Could it be a summer thing? My cat is constantly ravenous at the moment. She polishes 3 pouches and still meows for more, while she is skinny as a rake. This happens every summer though, I think because she spends a lot more time outdoors running around. In the winter she barely manages two pouches a day and still gets chubby.

Cat milk? Mine likes some in the summer.

@ichundich oh maybe! He is spending a lot more time outside than usual.

@MrsPelligrinoPetrichor I've been a bit nervous about anything like milk given the stomach issues but could be worth a try

Here's an obligatory photo of the hungry fatso

He's not fat he's fluffy

Try a bit, I also add a bit of water to the pouches too which helps in the summer.

Sounds like he needs some dry food too.

Nope didn't RTFT

Tbh that does not sound like such a lot. My cat is never satisified and could easily down two sachets in one sitting. He is constantly crying for food even when just fed, he also has dried food out all day to nibble on.

[quote belimoo]@BridgetInHerBravery thanks for the suggestion. Unfortunately he's not very bright on that front. We put some biscuits on 'his' part of the new sofa a few months ago and he mostly sat on them without realising they were there.[/quote]

Mine eats natures menu only and usually 2-4 pouches a day. He's 3.4kg teeny so I feed him whenever he asks and I reckon it averages 3 pouches a day. God knows where he puts it

The advice I was given with my last FatCat was to feed to his ideal weight. This would have worked if he wasn't both a Six Dinner Sid and a very proficient and efficient hunter and eater of giant rats.

My British shorthair used to get so hungry and stressed she'd throw up if I didn't feed her every 6 hours. I had to give her a last bit of food at midnight then she'd wake me at 6am begging for more. I got through 2-3 pouches of royal canin kitten wet food and a bowl of dry kitten food everyday. She grew out of it and now just grazes. She's a tiny 3.5kg as an adult and has never had any weight problems.

My cat would eat until she was sick if she could (and this has happened in the past when she’s got access to things by accident) - she is obsessive about food and we battle with her weight.

I have found what helps is only feeding at set times. So she eats in the morning and at teatime. She generally knows there is no point crying the rest of the time, although she will still always come running if she hears that we’re in the kitchen or something that sounds like a packet. She gives up quickly though if it’s not time to eat!

My cats get a pouch of Felix each per day (half at breakfast, half for dinner) and unlimited access to good quality dry food.

They would constantly eat wet food if they knew I'd give in to them though! I find a routine for their wet food really helps and they know that pestering at any other time of day won't get them anything.

Another advantage of dry food is you can get it specially formulated for greedier cats, a sort of "diet" version. You can also get dry foods specially formulated for delicate stomachs. I feed my pair on just 1.5 sachets of Felix AGAIL a days with dry ad lib, but I use 2 different drys and swap between them occasionally (indoor cat, and anti hairball).

This has all been really helpful, thank you everyone!

I'm going to try going back to some dry food but will get a sensitive stomach/diet one as suggested and will also be more regimented with wet meal times which will go down like a lead balloon.

Thanks again!