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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.

Original poster

Why do my kittens keep stealing food?!

68 replies

whyaremycatssohungry · 01/02/2022 20:07

I have a sibling pair of kittens, 5 months old.

They are constantly scrounging for food! They are fed a mix of wet whiskas and dry royal canin as advised by the rehoming centre. They have probably slightly more than is recommended on the packets and still have a small lunch time meal.

As well as scrounging for food they steal whatever they can get their paws on - packets that aren't out away in a cupboard/children's leftovers... and most recently a plastic straw from the washing up which has been chewed apart and quite likely ingested by one of them.

Is this normal behaviour?!

OP posts:
dementedpixie · 01/02/2022 20:12

At that age i left dry food out and gave wet food a few times a day. They are 5 and I still do it tbh. Kittens need more food than adult cats. Are they neutered yet?

ItsSnowJokes · 01/02/2022 20:15

How much wet food are you giving them?

Santahasjoinedww · 01/02/2022 20:17

My dd adopted 2 ferels.. They were like this. She has cupboard locks!!
Fill dcat toys with treats and leave when you go out...

Blossom64265 · 01/02/2022 20:24

Completely normal.

I have never met a cat who wouldn’t happily chew through a layer of paper or even Mylar to get to a fresh bag of food or treats.

I also have had multiple cats that can’t be trusted around any food. One will break into cabinets. Her favorite things to steal are butter and lollipops. I had another cat growing up that would dig through the trash to get chicken bones and then eat them in their entirely. She managed to puzzle her way through multiple bin locks. None of these cats have been food deprived. They always have free access to dry food in addition to wet food. Cats are hunters. It’s just what they do.

Fluffycloudland77 · 01/02/2022 20:38

I’d free-feed at that age, their rapidly growing at this age.

Splashinginpuddles15 · 01/02/2022 20:43

I had a Siamese /Bengal cross and she was amazing . In addition to her wet food I left dry food out 24/7 . She preferred wet food so I had to but locks on cupboards and the fridge .She was so clever she pulled the kick boards off and went in from underneath . She would open pouches as easily as a human !

Original poster
whyaremycatssohungry · 01/02/2022 22:26

Ok so I'm glad to hear this is not completely abnormal! I must have got lucky with my previous cat.

@ItsSnowJokes they get 1.5 pouches a day each, but more dry food than the advised amount (and better quality).

To those saying leave dry down all the time - honestly I think they'd just scoff the lot in one go.
We did do this for our old boy, he always had biscuits available, but he wasn't the same!

Also, what if one eats more and the other misses out

OP posts:
Original poster
whyaremycatssohungry · 01/02/2022 22:27

@dementedpixie

My boy is neutered but my girl isn't. She's booked in for the 20th

OP posts:
dementedpixie · 01/02/2022 22:31

I've never weighed the dry food. I leave it out and they come back and forth and graze during the day/night. I have 2 cats too

ozymandiusking · 01/02/2022 22:32

1.5 pouches a day is nowhere near enough food for 5 month old kittens.
our cat has biscuits down all the time. Do you give them Kitten milk as well?

MrsSkylerWhite · 01/02/2022 22:33

They’re presumably wormed?

dementedpixie · 01/02/2022 22:33

@ozymandiusking

1.5 pouches a day is nowhere near enough food for 5 month old kittens. our cat has biscuits down all the time. Do you give them Kitten milk as well?
She gives dry food too although it's a set amount. They don't need kitten milk
Fluffycloudland77 · 01/02/2022 22:35

My cat was on four pouches a day at that age.

ChangingStates · 01/02/2022 22:37

My 2 are exactly the same. I tried leaving dry down all the time when they were a few months old, like I used to do for my cat before who would happily graze a bit and wander off, but they just wolfed it down and it was all gone by an hour or so after putting it down. So I don't do that any more. They are just over one, get fed twice a day with a small extra handful of dry biscuits before I go to bed

Original poster
whyaremycatssohungry · 01/02/2022 22:41

@ozymandiusking the box says 2 pouches a day plus 20g of dry for 4-5 month olds. They get more than 20g dry.

@MrsSkylerWhite Yes they are wormed, but also not going out yet.

OP posts:
WhereIsMyGlasses · 01/02/2022 22:41

My boy is 4 months and he gets 2 wet pouches of whiskers kitten plus virbac baby dried food. He's supposed to only get 20g of the virbac but gets a bit more. We sit that over 4 feeds. He's constantly hungry and diving on any food, carrots really have been the only thing he's stolen that he's been a bit me about, but he still ate it! He's a total hangry grubber around any food. I was worried we weren't feeding him enough but it's the right amount according to his weight and the vet said kittens are like that and can't self regulate yet. He's apparently already got a podge (big boned and fluffy!). It's hard not to feel bad when they're acting starved though.

Original poster
whyaremycatssohungry · 01/02/2022 22:42

@ChangingStates and are they happy with that? It's all this food stealing that I'm just not used to. I'm worried for what they might eat that could do them serious damage!

OP posts:
Original poster
whyaremycatssohungry · 01/02/2022 22:43

Thank you @WhereIsMyGlasses - I don't want them to be hungry, but also don't want to become over weight, especially as they're not going out yet!

OP posts:
WhereIsMyGlasses · 01/02/2022 22:43

Typos!

Sit should be give (over 4 feeds) and me should be meh (about carrots).

SanFranBear · 01/02/2022 22:49

My two who are seven months are very similar although both neutered now. I was hoping this would help tame their appetites a bit as I feed a similar amount - well, probably equivalent of two pouches a day but like you, slightly more dry than recommended.

I also think if I left dry down all the time, they would just keep on eating.. I was out late one night so gave them extra of everything as well as a bowl of kitten milk each - they'd basically hoovered it all up before I'd got my coat on! They are always on my kitchen sides, scavenging which does mean I am much more efficient in my washing up!

No advice just solidarity! I thought my old boy who spent a long time on the streets so understandably could be a bit precious and greedy was bad... he had nothing on these spoiled, cosseted, 'never known a day of hardship' kitties. Luckily, they are adorable!

Welldarn · 01/02/2022 22:51

@whyaremycatssohungry

You have just said that the box says 2 Pouches plus dry food, so why are you giving them 1.5 pouches? You should give them the recommended 2 pouches, then they may not be so hungry.

GeidiPrimes · 01/02/2022 22:52

Unless they're ex-ferals, who often remain food-obsessed, I'd agree with free-feeding the dried food too. Kittens' appetites are huge at this age, mine ate the same amount in volume as next door's lab. They might pig out at first, but cats are usually good at self-regulating and should find a balance.

Original poster
whyaremycatssohungry · 01/02/2022 22:53

@SanFranBear they're gorgeous! And I appreciate the solidarity!

I wish I could upload a picture of my two, but for some reason I can't seem to access my camera roll from the app...

OP posts:
Original poster
whyaremycatssohungry · 01/02/2022 22:54

@Welldarn because it says 2 pouches plus 20g dry. I'm giving more dry so therefore less wet

OP posts:
dementedpixie · 01/02/2022 22:56

I've never weighed out dry food. 20g must be a tiny amount! I give mine 'some' and when it runs out I top it up again.