my cat wont stop eating...?

Question

we have a 7 month old male kitten and he will eat anything!!! He always acts as though he is really hungry, but he is getting the daily recommended amount of food for his age. He pesters throughout the day and night for food! even when we give in and feed him a little bit extra, he still wants more! We are pretty sure that he hasnt got worms as there are no signs of them in his poo, or around his bum... He even pesters us for food off our plates at meal times... he would eat anything in site given the chance! He even tries to go through the bin to get something! He is not overweight at all, and otherwise is a healthy kitten... HELP!!!

Answer 1

You've got the feline equivalent of a teenaged boy on your hands. He's doing a lot of growing, and that takes a lot of fuel and nutrients. The portion sizes on the packages of pet food are just suggestions - my adult cats end up with about half of the suggested serving size because if I give them more, they gain weight. You may wish to call and double check with your vet, but I see no harm in increasing his portions, or perhaps it would work out better to simply add an extra meal per day, depending on how you feed the cat. Many people free-feed kittens because their little tummies tend to know when they need more. But of course, that's not something you can do with canned food, and canned food is best for preventing urinary tract problems later on.

Answer 2

He might have internal parasites like roundworms, which will probably not show up in the poop. Has he had a deworming yet? All kittens have worms until then. You need to take him to the vet to be sure.

I noticed you said that he gets the daily recommended amount for his age.. but it needs to be by weight and not age, since different kittens have different weights at the same ages... which would affect how much food they need. Is he destined to be a big (not fat) cat?

From the information given, I don't think your kitten is overeating at all.

If he's very, very active, I'd go ahead and feed him until he doesn't want anymore.

Answer 3

My sister got a male kitten about 8 months ago and I remember her telling me the same thing. He was always hungry and meowing for food. He is not like that anymore so I guess they grow out of it. I have 3 female cats and they too ate more when they were growing up but now they eat normally so I guess it is normal for small cats to eat more while they are growing up. Also, make sure you are feeding him good quality cat food that contains meat as the main ingredient and not corn or by products so that he gets full with less. Below is a list of some premium cat foods. This is what I feed my cats. I rotate their food so they don't become addicted to a specific brand and so that they have some variety.

California Natural
Solid Gold
Felidae
Innova
Nature's Variety Prairie
Natural Balance
Merrick
Chicken Soup for the Cat Lover's Soul
Wysong
Pinnacle
Wellness
Nutro Natual Choice Complete Care
Newman's Own

Answer 4

I'd take him to the vet and get dewormer. My vet has had me deworm every pet I've either purchased or adopted. The reason is that some worms hide out in the muscles and don't show up in the feces. At the end of pregnancy, the hormone changes in the mother releases the worms from the mother and passes them into the kittens/puppies. The worms also pass through the mom's milk. So even if the kitten was dewormed once, they could be hiding out in his muscles. A second deworming will make sure they're gone.

Answer 5

Do what I had to do. Give it small portions of food four to five times a day. Your kitten might also have worms which would make it want to continually eat. You should take it to the vet to be sure. Here's a tip. In its food, put a small portion, maybe a teaspoon of plain yogurt. This helps kill the parasites that kittens often pick up. Keep in mind, Kittens eat twice as much as a grown adult, because they burn it up twice as fast. They are still growing and need the nourishment. Good Luck.

Answer 6

First, check the food you are giving him. Although it may cost a little more than most brands, try switching to a name brand like Iams or Purina. Your kitten may not be getting the nutrients that he needs at his age. Meanwhile, it probably wouldn't hurt to get him checked for worms as a precautionary measure. Furthermore, just like people, anxiety and stress can increase/decrease an animals appetite/ metabolism. My cat heads for the food bowl every time we leave the house for over a day and everytime something upsets her.

Answer 7

wow! you will have a monster cat on your hands if he's not trained quickly. I've never had that experience yet and I've had cats all my long life. Do you feed him dry or canned food at his feeding station (only feed him there) Dry food with water might fill him up for longer.

I know it will be hard (kittens are so cute) but you have to persist and train your kitten to eat when and where you want it to.

good luck - have a word with your vet also

Answer 8

The only worms that you usually see in poop are tapeworms, there a bunch of different species of worms that you never see with the naked eye. Get a fecal test done to check for internal parasites.

Another common disease in cats is hyperthyroidism that causes them to eat constantly. Usually cats don't get that this young, but you might want to get him checked for it to make sure.

Answer 9

I have a female cat who thinks everything that is food is hers, she is 14 mouths and eats what I give her and tries to get my and my moms meals still. She has learned to not beg from my mom in less it is fish she loves fish. So bare with him you can teach him, just not all we had to cover are bin. good luck.

Answer 10

young male kittens are usually very hungry for most of their first year.. he will be fine as long as he stays active.