# Very VERY Greedy Kittens, HELP!



## MissLJM (Jan 26, 2012)

Can anyone please help us as our greedy kittens are driving us up the wall  We got 2 male kittens at 9 weeks old, they are now 16 weeks old and their greedy wails just seem to be getting worse. 

We feed them 1 third of a wet pouch in the morning (with lots of biscuits on top), 1 third + biscuits when we get in from work, and 1 third + biscuits about 9pm. We started to give them more thinking they were genuinely hungry, but then they were sick, and even 30 minutes after they've been fed they miow/wail LOUDLY for more continuously, so they are definitely just being greedy. When we prepare their food the noises they make are shocking, all of our friends & family are gobsmacked by it, and we've always grown up with cats but have never known anything like the noises they make. One is slightly worse than the other, he jumps high into the air & tries to pull the bowl down with his paws (I've lost count of the amount of times he's made the food/water spill all over the floor!)

We've tried shouting, tapping their noses, locking them out, ALL SORTS! Nothing is working & it's getting us both down. We have trained them not to jump on the dining table (which they continuously done at first), so they are trainable, and we are persistent, but nothing seems to work on the greedy front. We hoped they'd grow out of it but it's just getting worse. Other than that they are very happy kittens & are best buddies, always playing together or sleep cuddled up & grooming each other, and they are very loving to us both enjoying lots of tickles & cuddles.

Any advice or similar stories would be a god send. Thank you all in advance!


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## Treaclesmum (Sep 26, 2011)

One wet pouch a day is NOTHING for 16 week old kittens!!!!!!!!!!  

They were probably sick just because they ate too fast, as they were so hungry!! The should be having at least twice that, if not more, and what dry food is it?? It may not contain enough meat to even begin to fill them up!!!!! 

And have you wormed them?????? If not , then they are literally STARVING as the worms eat their food!!!!


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## lymorelynn (Oct 4, 2008)

My first piece of advice would be 'don't give them biscuits, feed a wet food instead.' Kittens, in my experience, tend to gobble biscuits, making them sick so I would always advise keeping to wet food. You really can't overfeed kittens but if they are having a good quality wet diet they might not seem so hungry.
Have you thought that they might not be hungry but want your attention? My son used to say that about our semi-feral boy - 'He's not hungry, he just wants love and affection.'


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## buffie (May 31, 2010)

Sounds to me that all that is wrong with your kittens is that they are hungry.Kittens should be fed as much as they want to eat.Most kittens at 16 weeks will be eating at least 3 or 4 times the amount that you are feeding yours.
Can I ask what brands of food you are feeding and also the weight of the pouches.The better the quality of food the less they will need but there is no real guides to how much they will need.Kittens are unlikely to over eat and the best way to feed them is small meals, as often as possible.


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## ShelybellyandTeamC (Dec 13, 2011)

when my boy was a kitten up until he was 1yr he had 3 - 4 pouches a day! so I dont think 1 pouch a day is anywhere near enough even with kibble on top im afraid.


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## flora696 (Jan 5, 2012)

My kittens have had at least 3 pouches each since 10 weeks!! I would never deny them food if thats what they wanted, i know how i'd feel if someone did it to me!! As for tapping their noses???? have you tried giving them a bit of attention? mine wake me up at 5am every day and I am happy to feed them but yesterday I had to starve them for Hunters op so I got up at 5 and played with them for half an hour, then went back to bed and they were quite happy to wait. What is your reasoning behind not wanting to give them more?


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## Guest (Mar 13, 2012)

1 pouch a day :skep: please feed them more!


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## purrr (Feb 5, 2012)

Treaclesmum said:


> One wet pouch a day is NOTHING for 16 week old kittens!!!!!!!!!!
> 
> They were probably sick just because they ate too fast, as they were so hungry!! The should be having at least twice that, if not more, and what dry food is it?? It may not contain enough meat to even begin to fill them up!!!!!
> 
> And have you wormed them?????? If not , then they are literally STARVING as the worms eat their food!!!!


have to agree with above, they ARE NOT getting enough food, i have a 16week old boy and a 10 week old girl and they get one and a half can's a day with there dry food one the side, but they never seem to bother with the dry, then they also get meaty treats and dreamies treats daily


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## spid (Nov 4, 2008)

first post guys:001_rolleyes:


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## MissLJM (Jan 26, 2012)

Thank you for the quick replies, however the masses of abuse really wasn't fair or neccessary 

We give our kittens alot of attention, we play with them and cuddle them constantly! They are very loving and we spend alot of time with them, so please stop insinuating otherwise. Very unfair.

However I made a mistake when I said we give them 1 third of a pouch 3 times a day, I meant 3 quarters of a pouch, therefore 3 pouches a day in total between them, with lots of biscuits ontop each time. But if you all still think that is not enough them perhaps we should increase??? I have grown up with cats, all who get alot less than 3 - 4 pouches a day each(??), and all of our friends and family who have had kittens over the past few years said 1.5 pouches a day between them is enough as long as mixed with plenty of biscuits. 

The kittens have been fully wormed, flea treated & vaccinated, so it has nothing to do with that. They have been vet checked twice and are very healthy, he also said they were a healthy weight. We feed them with good quality brands of kitten food & biscuits (Whiskers or Felix) as we'd already read somewhere that cheap brands are made with all the rubbish.

Perhaps we should start giving them more then, but like I said we did try that & they both threw up on the carpet (making us think their stomachs couldn't handle that much & they were just being greedy).


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## trueblue19 (Mar 11, 2012)

Perhaps you can try giving them moderate amount but more meals a day, so they don't eat too much and throw up after a big meal. When my kitten was yours age I used to feed him 1 pouch per meal, 4 meals a day+dry food to graze on...when they grow to 6 months old they might even have another boost in their appetite. Cats are all different and maybe you're only lucky to have 2 little monsters this time.


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## Cats cats cats (Feb 4, 2011)

MissLJM said:


> Thank you for the quick replies, however the masses of abuse really wasn't fair or neccessary
> 
> We give our kittens alot of attention, we play with them and cuddle them constantly! They are very loving and we spend alot of time with them, so please stop insinuating otherwise. Very unfair.
> 
> ...


hi  I'm sorry you feel some of the replies are a bit harsh . We're a good bunch and it is just genuine surprise , we all want the best for your kittens thats all 

I have two kittens , now 7 months old and from when i got them at 14 weeks , they have eaten and eaten and eaten and .........  

They easily get through a 400g tin of wet food , a mountain of dry food and some raw rabbit between them daily  

My kittens are norwegian forest cats though which are a big breed so they probably eat more than some 

Kittens seldom overeat and i think the reason your kittens are sick when you offer more food is because they eat too fast because they genuinely are hungry 

Feed as much as they will eat at this age and i advise that you completely ignore any feeding guidelines on the packets . Like people , all cats are different , some need more food , some need less . Kittens .......... usually more  

Hope this helps


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## MissLJM (Jan 26, 2012)

Great thank you. I know you were all just trying to help & looking back I guess you were all just gobsmacked by me saying they only have 1 pouch a day each (infact it's 1.5 pouches each with lots of biscuits, but clearly this still isn't enough). I just felt upset by the few people insinuating they wanted more attention or more love, 100% not possible 

I will start giving them 3 pouches a day each & will report back after a week or 2. Poor kitties I feel terrible now  

Thank you all!


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## MissLJM (Jan 26, 2012)

The 2 tinkers in question, Eddie (left) & Sven (right)


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## Cats cats cats (Feb 4, 2011)

MissLJM said:


> Great thank you. I know you were all just trying to help & looking back I guess you were all just gobsmacked by me saying they only have 1 pouch a day each (infact it's 1.5 pouches each with lots of biscuits, but clearly this still isn't enough). I just felt upset by the few people insinuating they wanted more attention or more love, 100% not possible
> 
> I will start giving them 3 pouches a day each & will report back after a week or 2. Poor kitties I feel terrible now
> 
> Thank you all!


Aww don't feel bad , at least you've come on here for advice and are going to try more food 

Pictures of your kittens are essential on this forum by the way


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## Cats cats cats (Feb 4, 2011)

MissLJM said:


> View attachment 86393
> 
> 
> The 2 tinkers in question, Eddie (left) & Sven (right)


:001_tt1: :001_tt1: :001_tt1: :001_tt1: :001_tt1: :001_tt1:


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## buffie (May 31, 2010)

MissLJM said:


> View attachment 86393
> 
> 
> The 2 tinkers in question, Eddie (left) & Sven (right)


Beautiful furbabes :001_wub:.

It might help if you cut back a bit on the dry food and increase the wet.Often when kittens are hungry they will eat dry food so quickly that they just bring it back up again.Wet is best but if you want to feed both ,perhaps give them their wet food and leave a little dry to graze on while you are out.I'm sure with a bit of trial and error you'll find the right balance.


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## havoc (Dec 8, 2008)

Unless I've missed it you don't say which brand of pouches you are using. It really does make a difference if you look for a satisfying food. It may seem more expensive but if a better make fills them up and satisfies them for longer it will work out cheaper in the long run.


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## lymorelynn (Oct 4, 2008)

MissLJM said:


> Great thank you. I know you were all just trying to help & looking back I guess you were all just gobsmacked by me saying they only have 1 pouch a day each (infact it's 1.5 pouches each with lots of biscuits, but clearly this still isn't enough). *I just felt upset by the few people insinuating they wanted more attention or more love, 100% not possible
> *
> I will start giving them 3 pouches a day each & will report back after a week or 2. Poor kitties I feel terrible now
> 
> Thank you all!


I did not mean to insinuate that you were depriving them of attention, only that cats and kittens too will use food as a means of getting your attention 
Just feed them as much as they want, my only reservation was that kittens do gobble dry food and then bring it back up.
They are very cute by the way :001_wub:


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## jo-pop (May 27, 2011)

Hi and welcome. What brand of food is it you are giving them?
Cats and especially kittens need a high protein diet. A lot of the brands you can buy off the shelf are full of fillers such as jelly. Yes the cats love it but it is a waste of your money as it does nothing for them. 
I would recommend you VERY GRADUALLY change them over to a high meat content wet food in a pate style. It is much more filling for them and will most likely save you money.

Many of us on here buy from Zooplus. Pet Supplies, Pet Food, Dog Food, Cat Food and Pet Accessories at Zooplus. If your order comes to over £19 delivery is free.
I buy Animnonda Carney and Smilla which are both pate style. If fills my kitten up better than anything with gravy or jelly. Works out about £1 per tin (400gm)
Also if you feed this decent food you do not have to bother with kitten food. Adult is fine. This only goes for good food, if you are feeding the likes of F*l*x or the other one beginning with W  then you must buy kitten food.

I really urge you to very gradually make this change as i think it will help the kittens hunger and your purse too. Just add a spoon or two to their normal food to begin with and greadually add more and decrease the old food over a week or 2.

I assume they are fully up to date with their wormer. They really need doing monthly at that age.

Hope this helps.


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## ShelybellyandTeamC (Dec 13, 2011)

Your kittys are beautiful!!!! 

I love your ginger boy reminds me off my boy when he was little!!!! :001_wub: :001_wub:

What brand of food do you feed???


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## wellsandmittens (May 29, 2011)

As various others have said, the advice with kittens seems to be to give them as much as they will eat, but in small portions if possible. Our cats were rescues so I wouldn't know from experience. I would just say too that cats vary a lot and if your boys grow up to be big you might find that they still eat more than some of your friends have advised you. My boys, now 3, are big and active and will eat 200g each at a sitting so a tin between them if it is chunks in jelly style food. They love chunks in jelly but they do eat less if the food is pate style, I guess less filler so more to digest! However I have found for that reason that pouches are uneconomical for us (I would have to feed between 6 and 8 a day!) so it is tins all the way in this house. I have friends with smaller cats who only feed a couple of pouches a day so it does vary. Despite large appetites, the boys seem to burn it off as they are no overweight - I am careful as they are grownups not kittens! However, I understand that kittens eat more than adults so they must have eaten their previous owners out of house and home when they were kits.


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