Kitten acts like he's feral at mealtimes

[FrancisQuoynt]

I've got 5 cats the oldest is 6 and the youngest is 4 months. I've had him 3 weeks. I can't cope with him at mealtimes. I live in an open plan place so there is no other room to put him in. He creates and squeals for food so I try to feed him first. He then stands and meows and squeals because he wants food that the others have. But there is nothing in their bowls, so it's like he is waiting for me to put food in their bowls so he can steal it. I have to stand over and pick him up time and again and put him back to his own bowl when he runs over and steals from the others. They just step aside and let him nick it. He wriggles and scratches and creates when I pick him up and put him back to his own bowl. I don't know how to stop this, has anyone any ideas please? Thank you.

Honestly? I'd get a crate of some sort and feed him in there. I have 4 boys, eldest 2 are 10 & 8 and I have 2 brothers who are 14 months.

The kittens harrassed my eldest boy, hes so peaceful and calm he even let them try to feed off him personally 😅. My 8 year old got really stressed with them & ended up with kidney stones and a blockage ( I cant prove it but I think the stress caused it )

They all eat in the same room nicely now but I did put the kittens in a ( very large ) crate when it was mealtimes when they were younger ( also have an open plan downstairs )

edited to add

Some cats are just loud at meal times. The "kittens" ( we still.call them kittens despite their age 😅 ) have always been very vocal around meal times

Feed him in a different room until everyone has finished, the bathroom might be a good shout as it will be a cleanable floor and will have a lockable door. There’s not much else you can do.

and kittens need more food

I've started feeding him in the bathroom. The other cats do try to get in, but I leave him eating whilst the others get fed in the kitchen. Then the bowls and mats are taken up and washed and put away before I let him out again. He's always squealing to come out as he thinks he's missing something I think. It's a juggling act because they are all interested in what the others are having but it's better than having to constantly pick him up and move him. Hoping he will calm down as he gets older. The next youngest one is 20 months now and was a bit like that at first but she's calmed down a lot now.

He’s just hungry, does he need more wet food? The Bengal was always very food orientated

I gave him two packets this morning and he ate the lot while the other cats just had one.

He might be a big boy when he’s grown up

He’s a very spirited little lad. Give him
more food and find time for a cuddle with just him later.

He needs to be made enough fuss of, only a little baby. Snuggling will calm him down.

Kittens need loads of food - are you feeding him often enough?

I've started to up his meals now as I did think about this. He gets extra now but I think he is going to be one of those cats who you can never fill!

Has he been wormed

Yes, wormed and flea-d when he had his injections.

He should be on about 5-6 meals a day at that age - basically if he's asking, feed him!

My youngest is almost 18 months and still feral when it comes to food 😂

I put my kitten in a crate after feeding when i feed my older cat as we have the same situation (and he’s fed plenty he’s just greedy and a troublemaker)

One of mine is like this, he's 11 now so never grew out of it but we found ways to manage it.

He panics whenever there is no food available and tried to steal anything he can get - from the other cats to humans to anything left open in the kitchen.

Keeping a full bowl of kibble around 24/7 (I got a self refilling one that holds a week's worth) helps keep him calm as he always has something available. He often walks to the bowl just to look at it and reassure himself.

He can still be a bit snatchy and needs to be fed first but it took the edge off everything. Ironically he's the tiniest of the cats without a lick of fat on him despite constantly eating everything he can get his paws on.

Two days now of separate feeding and extra cuddles - things are calmer especially for the other cats.