new cat always hungry

[CanadianJohn]

We have had our new cat for a week. We got her from the local humane society; she is described as 'small', and weighed 3.39 kg, or 7.5 lbs. The humane society estimated her age as 6 - 7 years.

The ugliest cat I have ever seen, complete with what the vet called a "deformed" left ear. She also has significant hair loss. My wife fell in love with her on first sight.

It seems to me that the cat is younger, maybe 2 or 3. Very active, explores everywhere. Loves bird-watching.

The problem is, she is always hungry. There is dry food down all the time, and she has a can of wet food every day. Every time someone goes into the kitchen, the cat is twining and whining piteously. When her saucer is picked up, she desperately licks the floor, hoping for a missed crumb. When food is put down, she gulps frantically, and "eats like a labrador". Then begs for more.

I don't know whether eating has become a substitute for human contact, or she was abandoned for so long that she can't seem to catch up. I don't think she has worms.

If after a week of generous meals she doesn't gain weight and slow down on the eating, we'll take her to the vet.

Any thoughts?

Boycat was the same when he first came home, he'd gobble his food down so fast he'd be sick. Took a couple of years but he slowed right down eventually. Born a feral and trapped at a year old.

Roll on a few years and when I lost Boycat to kidney disease and Girlcat needed a companion, Tobias came home. He's still at the bolting his wet food down like there's no tomorrow but has slowed a bit, and sometimes even leaves a few crumbs for later. Spent 2 years as a stray.

I feed wet 2 x a day, and dry is down near enough all of the time.

I have always found our cats are always 9n the look out for easy food pickings. Some will really mither all day. One who we lost recently would always scoff his food down with such gusto and speed you would think he hadn't eaten for a week.

Thanks for all the comments. In answer to some questions, she always has dry food available, and gets a 156 gram can every day, usually in three or four servings. I suspect if I put the entire can down at once, she would gobble it up, and then throw up.

After 10 days with us she seems to have settled in okay... still wants food, but no longer seems quite so desperate.