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

Original poster

Very hungry cat

20 replies

grey12 · 10/09/2022 16:08

Hi

Our cat has been with us for about a year and is an outdoor/indoor cat. She comes to eat and sleep and goes back to wander around the neighbourhood.

During summer she was out all day barely eating her food and hardly ever would sleep in the house. She liked under a certain plant in the garden better 🤷🏻‍♀️ maybe she was catching mice (she did leave about 3 dead ones as gifts). Good!

Anyways, since the weather has started turning, she has been more homely. She doesn't appreciate the rain very much. She is suddenly so hungry!! By mid afternoon she's had her share of food packets and dry food and keeps miaowing for more!!! Some days I break and give her another tiny bit of biscuits or another day one of the kids got excited and fed her another packet. She fixed it all off in one go!

Is this normal? She wasn't like this before. She was fine with her food portions.

OP posts:
Paranoidandroidmarvin · 10/09/2022 16:17

Mine has been exactly the same. Barely ate anything during the hot months. And then the beginning of the week I’m getting pestered for food day and night !!!!

alterego2 · 10/09/2022 16:26

Maybe she was being fed by someone else when she was in her wandering phase - so getting double rations? She'd naturally be hungry going back to normal

ChalkHeartsMelting · 10/09/2022 16:36

She needs to put on her winter weight!

Or at least that's what mine tell me. Over the summer Fatso was barely eating at breakfast, disappearing off for the day and then coming in for food at about 9pm. Now he's back onto second breakfasts and elevensies before starting a punishing nap schedule that finishes with another pouch or two at teatime before supper at 10 and another pouch to last the night. That's him until the springtime and then he'll act shocked if you try to feed him between 6.30am and 9pm.

Original poster
grey12 · 10/09/2022 17:52

alterego2 · 10/09/2022 16:26

Maybe she was being fed by someone else when she was in her wandering phase - so getting double rations? She'd naturally be hungry going back to normal

She does have a collar 🤷🏻‍♀️ but who knows

OP posts:
Original poster
grey12 · 10/09/2022 17:54

@ChalkHeartsMelting 😂

OP posts:
verdantverdure · 10/09/2022 18:09

I suspect she has been eating and hanging out elsewhere too, possibly because she's still hungry on the amount of food you usually give her?

This issue will probably go away if you feed her enough food. (Unless you are feeding her something really cheap then perhaps she needs a better quality food?)

broadsurf · 10/09/2022 20:42

In the summer when living outside she was probably hunting and feeding or being fed by someone. I favour the former. Now she is stuck indoors she can't hunt and relies on you for food. Don't skimp! Provide hight quality wet food. Dry only is not that good as they need moisture. Is she skinny? If there is a layer of fat over her ribcage that's about right. If the ribcage feels too bony, she might be underweight.

broadsurf · 11/09/2022 05:54

A side-issue which may be worth mentioning is that because she eats a lot of mice during the summer months, she is probably ingesting endoparasites i.e. worms which are in the mice. Therefore, she will need regular deworming. Check with your veterinarian about that. It is very simple to deal with this typical problem for domestic cats who hunt regularly.

Original poster
grey12 · 11/09/2022 14:16

verdantverdure · 10/09/2022 18:09

I suspect she has been eating and hanging out elsewhere too, possibly because she's still hungry on the amount of food you usually give her?

This issue will probably go away if you feed her enough food. (Unless you are feeding her something really cheap then perhaps she needs a better quality food?)

Whiskas pouches 🤷🏻‍♀️ plus biscuits. The recommended dose for her size. Vet also said (a while ago) that she was well and I needed to be careful that she shouldn't be overfed. He ok'ed her portion

OP posts:
Original poster
grey12 · 11/09/2022 14:17

broadsurf · 11/09/2022 05:54

A side-issue which may be worth mentioning is that because she eats a lot of mice during the summer months, she is probably ingesting endoparasites i.e. worms which are in the mice. Therefore, she will need regular deworming. Check with your veterinarian about that. It is very simple to deal with this typical problem for domestic cats who hunt regularly.

Uuu good point! Thanks!!

OP posts:
Blueemeraldagain · 11/09/2022 14:18

Is she spayed? Could she be pregnant?

Boxofsockss · 11/09/2022 14:24

Is she wormed?

Original poster
grey12 · 11/09/2022 14:31

Blueemeraldagain · 11/09/2022 14:18

Is she spayed? Could she be pregnant?

I don't know 😖😖😖
vet couldn't tell and his position was if she doesn't go into heat then she can't get pregnant 🤷🏻‍♀️ but yeah it's a worry of mine....

OP posts:
verdantverdure · 11/09/2022 21:23

We feed ours twice what you do @grey12. Just like humans, active cats need more calories. When your vet okayed her she was probably being fed elsewhere.

If you are determined not to feed her more I would start weighing her so you can see if she's losing weight.

The place she has been getting food from may have installed a microchip cat flap recently to keep her out so she may be roaming around your neighbourhood all the time trying to find another food source.

verdantverdure · 11/09/2022 21:41

I don't know 😖😖😖
vet couldn't tell and his position was if she doesn't go into heat then she can't get pregnant 🤷🏻‍♀️ but yeah it's a worry of mine...

Not enough to feed her when she's hungry tho.

Or get her neutered.

Is she chipped?

Tierne · 12/09/2022 08:02

Mine is an outdoor cat and doesnt eat much during summer. When the weather turns she starts chomping away. Theyre putting on winter weight.

Tierne · 12/09/2022 08:03

Most outdoor cats I know dont need to be micro managed in terms of portions, you should be able to free feed, aka keep her bowl full at all times. Mine has never been overweight.

TheClitterati · 14/01/2023 15:43

my cats eat less in the summer & more in the winter too. I think this is normal

Furries · 16/01/2023 03:57

Might be worth getting her checked over again at the vets. Increased appetite can be a sign of hypothyroidism.

You say she’s been with you a year. Was she a kitten, or an older rescue cat?

Furries · 16/01/2023 04:00

Sorry, typo, that should have said hyperthyroidism.

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