# Hungry cat



## Kateeeeeeecat (Nov 21, 2013)

I have 3 cats and I am having a hard time with one of them. In the last year, she has suddenly turned rather nasty. She acts like she is starving all the time, all my cats have access to dry food in the day and get wet food additionally in the evening. She constantly meows all day, she climbs into the bin and sink to get to food. When she is eating, she hisses constantly if you walk past her. When she eats she is very greedy and it will be gone in a minute flat and then she will go and attack the other cats and eat there's too, she has even done this to my dog! My neighbour has been putting meat on the fence and she is very aggressive when I take it off her (I worry what he's putting in it)! She has also began to meow constantly to the point where I've put her outside because I'm that irritated. I need help!


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## lostbear (May 29, 2013)

Kateeeeeeecat said:


> I have 3 cats and I am having a hard time with one of them. In the last year, she has suddenly turned rather nasty. She acts like she is starving all the time, all my cats have access to dry food in the day and get wet food additionally in the evening. She constantly meows all day, she climbs into the bin and sink to get to food. When she is eating, she hisses constantly if you walk past her. When she eats she is very greedy and it will be gone in a minute flat and then she will go and attack the other cats and eat there's too, she has even done this to my dog! My neighbour has been putting meat on the fence and she is very aggressive when I take it off her (I worry what he's putting in it)! She has also began to meow constantly to the point where I've put her outside because I'm that irritated. I need help!


She may have an overactive thyroid - this would make her very hungry indeed. I would ask your vet to take a blood test. Thyroid problems are very common in cats, but fortunately are easily managed.

QUESTION: Why in the name of God's create is your neighbour putting meat ofn the fence?


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## Kateeeeeeecat (Nov 21, 2013)

I'll get the vet to check her over! If it's easily managed, that'd be wonderful. 

He throws bones over the fence aswell causing the cats and dogs to fight over it! He's very odd!


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## chillminx (Nov 22, 2010)

Hi Kate, you don't mention how old your cat is? 

Could it be she is of middle years, entering her senior years, say 11 or 12 upwards? If so, apart from over-active thyroid (which I agree you should definitely get checked by the vet) there could be other possible health reasons why she is suddenly hungry all the time. So it is important the vet does a thorough health check. 

Any health condition that affects her metabolism, would make absorption of her food less complete, so she might no longer be getting the full benefit of what she's eating. Have you been keeping a regular check of her weight, and has she lost weight recently? 

Another reason for hunger might be she has started producing too much acid in her tummy, which burns the lining of her tummy, and makes her want to eat all the time. (I have had several cats like this) This is not uncommon in some older cats, especially if there is a condition like kidney disease. 
The answer would be to try feeding little and often, using a high meat protein diet, which is digested slowly (avoiding supermarket foods such as Whiskas, Felix etc). 

Another condition that might affect her appetite, making her want to eat more is Diabetes (Type 2). This would also make her thirsty often too.

There is also the possibility she has developed a food intolerance, which again could cause burning in her gut mimicking hunger pains. Food intolerances can appear suddenly, for no obvious reason, but might also be an indication of her immune system being under par. 

Please understand she is crying a lot because she is so hungry, and is trying her hardest to get you to understand how she feels. If you put her outside in this cold UK weather when she is hungry, there is a risk she will get very cold and then ill. 

So, why not just feed her as much as she wants for the moment until you get her to the vet and get the results of some investigations? She is not going to get massively overweight in just a week or so of feeding on demand. 

Also, I would ditch the dry food, which being full of carbs and fillers, is not going to keep her satisfied for long. Feed a high protein wet food such as HiLife Natures Essentials, Hilife Tempt me Chicken & Lamb, Wainwrights pots, Natures Menu, all from [email protected] But no supermarket food.


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## Kateeeeeeecat (Nov 21, 2013)

I've had her for about 7/8 years and she was 10 weeks when we got her! (I'm not good with kitty years) 

I've booked her in with the vets so hopefully they will help me with the issue! 

I have increased her feeding and still nothing changed, she meows constantly at the back door to go out and as soon as I open the door she runs back into the room, it's all confusing for me because she meows even when I give her what she appears to want! Dry food is available all day, and I use a brand the vets recommended, they suggest a dry food only diet, but not the normal biscuits, a type of meaty dry food type (it's a weird food). It's just frustrating because I've done what the vets said and she's just getting so irritating with her constant meowing and trying everything to get her to stop want a happy kitty


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## Kateeeeeeecat (Nov 21, 2013)

I've had her for about 7/8 years and she was 10 weeks when we got her! (I'm not good with kitty years) 

I've booked her in with the vets so hopefully they will help me with the issue! 

I have increased her feeding and still nothing changed, she meows constantly at the back door to go out and as soon as I open the door she runs back into the room, it's all confusing for me because she meows even when I give her what she appears to want! Dry food is available all day, and I use a brand the vets recommended, they suggest a dry food only diet, but not the normal biscuits, a type of meaty dry food type (it's a weird food). It's just frustrating because I've done what the vets said and she's just getting so irritating with her constant meowing and trying everything to get her to stop want a happy kitty


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## Sparkle22 (Oct 26, 2013)

Kateeeeeeecat said:


> I've had her for about 7/8 years and she was 10 weeks when we got her! (I'm not good with kitty years)
> 
> I've booked her in with the vets so hopefully they will help me with the issue!
> 
> I have increased her feeding and still nothing changed, she meows constantly at the back door to go out and as soon as I open the door she runs back into the room, it's all confusing for me because she meows even when I give her what she appears to want! Dry food is available all day, and I use a brand the vets recommended, they suggest a dry food only diet, but not the normal biscuits, a type of meaty dry food type (it's a weird food). It's just frustrating because I've done what the vets said and she's just getting so irritating with her constant meowing and trying everything to get her to stop want a happy kitty


All you can do really is wait for the vets diagnosis but I would say regardless of the vets advice, ditch the dry food.
It is terrible for cats and strongly linked to kidney problems, especially in male cats. 
The vets favoured brand is probably hills or royal canin, both full of fillers and carbohydrates.
Not, what a carnivorous animal needs to stay healthy..


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## wicket (Aug 22, 2012)

Its great you are getting her checked at the vets - hopefully there will be some easily solved medical reason for her constant hunger. 

If not please look at her diet - I was fooled for many years by a "vet recommended" dry diet - I had one cat who was overweight, with a dry scurfy coat and who was forever hungry. Most dry diets are loaded with carbs - carbs are not a cats natural diet , they are obligate carnivores. Have you ever suffered from carbo craving yourself? ie had too many sugary snacks, only to crave more when the sugar high wears off? Well this is what happens to some cats fed on high carb dry diets. My cat is 15 now, 2.5 kilos lighter, doesnt nag for food and is fed NO DRY and only high quality wet and raw. Please dont listen to your vet if he continues to push a dry diet, he is paid by the dry food company to do so and has no nutritional training.


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## Kateeeeeeecat (Nov 21, 2013)

I've rang a few vets to get a second opinion aswell, I worry about them a lot 

I'm more than happy to feed her only wet , meat foods but I've had different dry food brands recommended by a large variety of vets as I questioned it myself and rang round to see what other vets thought.  

She takes pizza, chips, pasta, even vegetables and anything else from the bin aswell, which is even more confusing about what it is. My other cats are perfectly fine and they are healthy, and eat with no problems and don't meow to the point where I'm pulling my hair out.


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## chillminx (Nov 22, 2010)

It seems apparent from her desperate hunger to eat anything she can get hold of that either (as already mentioned) she has a serious health condition affecting her metabolism, OR that she is not getting the right kind of nutrition from the diet you're feeding her and her body is shouting for her to find something that will nourish and satisfy her. 

Whatever the case her behaviour is not normal and is indicative of something being wrong. 

If you phoned a whole bunch of vets, at least 19 out 20 would probably tell you dry food is a good diet for cats The one in 20 vets who won't tell you that will be vets who have done a proper post graduate training course in pet nutrition. There is one such vet who is based at the Out of Hours vet practice I have used occasionally. That vet is knowledgeable about pet nutrition and disapproves strongly of feeding cats dry food, which, as she points out is fed purely "as a convenience for owners", with no intention of feeding the correct diet to an obligate carnivores such as a cat. In fact her advice is to feed as much fresh meat as possible to a cat, i.e. a balanced raw diet. 

If you want good, sound advice from a vet about pet diets, then phone around for a vet who can tell you they have done a recognised post grad university course in pet nutrition.


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