My Cat is ALWAYS hungry!?

Question

I have a 1 year old male nuetered cat. I feed him half a can of wet cat food inthe morning and the other half at night.. he always has fresh water and fresh hard cat food... but he is always hungry! he finshes his wet food in like 2 seconds and he is always meowing for more.... should I feed him more? do I feed him enough? or is he just a pig? lol JK..... he looks skinny tho.. ever since we moved into a new house and ever since I got him nuetered he looks really skinny... I havent changed his eating habits or anything.. so should I feed him more cuz he looks skinny? help!

Answer 1

Sounds like your Kitty may be ill, I hope this is not the case. However you have described a cat that appears to be poorly nourished, even though your feeding him adequately. I would strongly suggest taking the kitty to the vet, possible parasites. Possibly feline leukemia, I hope not. But something is ad mist with your cat. Hope it's on the speedy road to recovery quickly.

Answer 2

I think a one year old is way top young to have a metabolic problem such as hyperthryroidism which gives a cat an insatiable appetite.

If you are feeding a poor quality food from the grocery store I suggest you try to go to something of higher quality with more wholesome protein in it. Try some Natural Balance with him, both wet and dry. I suggest that as it is not really more expensive than the Whiskas, Friskies, Fancy Feast stuff you may be feeding. Since he likes to eat he should enjoy it. They have a number of different varieties in the canned food.

Natural Balance uses human-grade meat, not by-product meat in its formulations. There are many other quality brands to try too. I am just suggesting it because my cats seem to like it a lot. Nature's Organic is a pricey canned food and very nutrient dense. You can get that from Pet Food Express and you might get twelve cans of that and intersperse them with the Natural Balance.

See if the better food isn't more satisfying for him. If he eats that he may not seem so hungry all the time. My adult cats who are in their teens weigh in at around twelve pounds and are trim. Some cats just aren't "porky" by nature.

When you open a can of wet food in the morning be sure to put the rest in a glass dish for later in the day. I was told that food should not be left in a can for future servings.

Answer 3

Have his thyroid level checked.

Also, read the label on the can and dry food. The amount you should feed is on the package (brands differ due to 'filler', so not all food is created equal)

BTW - would you rather eat a fillet mignon or a London broil? He's going to cry and want more canned food before he digs into the dry food. He'll eat the 'London broil' if he is truly hungry.

Answer 4

If your cat is eating properly (I feed my cat twice a day with a snack sometimes in the afternoons) and not gaining weight, you should seek a vet's opinion. It may be a medical problem.

If medical problems rule out, maybe you should switch food brands. There are quality kibble brands like Eukanuba, Felidae, and Natural Balance that have meat as the main ingredients.

Answer 5

Could be worms or a metabolic disorder. Take in a stool sample and have it checked. Eggs aren't always shed, so it may take 2 or 3 samples to find them. The vet has special dewormers that are safer than those over the counter. Never use OTC meds. The stool sample should be fresh that day and refrigerated until you can drop it off.

Answer 6

Weird, my cat is a girl and when I had her spade, she blew up and gained about 10 pounds!! I think it is just cats though, my cat eats a can of wet food a day and a can of wet food at night and I leave her a bowl of dry food and water all day. Cats will only eat what they can though, so I don't think you have to worry about overfeeding him. Or maybe he is like my cat and doesn't like that brand of dry cat food you are leaving out for him. Does he eat the dry cat food at all?? He may not like the dry cat food and therefore is only eating when you give him the wet food. Try changing the brand of dry food and see if he eats that, that might help. Or, don't give him any wet food, when he gets hungry enough, he will eat that dry food when he sees that is all he is getting. I think the dry food sticks to their stomachs more and fills them up more.

Answer 7

what food brand??
typically the low quality foods (ALL that are sold in grocery or Wal Mart) use mostly filler and have little nutrition so cats have to eat more..
fillers = corn, wheat, by products (beaks feet feathers) etc...
cats are true carnivours they need REAL meat source...

half a can of wet is too much... they shouldnt have more than a table spoon a day at that age (bad for their teeth otherwise)

was he dewormed??

when you feed a good food your cat will infact eat less.

Answer 8

If you're feeding him just half a can, try giving him one whole can twice a day in addition to the dry food...my cats can eat one whole can twice a day and I keep dry for them as well...I buy the 9 lives brand and they will only eat the beef flavor....I think you're not feeding him enough of the canned food but for the peace of mind that you need and for the sake of your cat's health definitely take him to the vet for a checkup. Let us know how he progresses, okay...

Answer 9

I think you should feed him more because if he looks skinny then he isn't eating enough. Also try and get him some cat treat the soft ones my cat loves them. Usually after you get a cat neutered they usually get fatter so if your cat doesn't get fatter when you feed him more then take him to the vet.

Answer 10

No, I dont think theres any need to worry. dont listen to the kitty. my dogs are ALWAYS hungry too. they would do anything for a bite of food. we feed them plenty, but they are still asking for more. some animals just dont know when to stop. ive heard of animals who have eaten themselves literally to death. so just give your cat the reccomended portion by his vet, and maybe you can share some bites of your food here and there, but dont over feed him. You kitty is probably just a pig like my dogs.