# Constantly Hungry



## Duchess (Sep 1, 2010)

Hi, me again!

I've had some great advice on here so I'm back again!

My cat is constantly hungry! She has the recommended amount of James Wellbeloved (dry) once a day in the morning, I keep a little of it to one side for the evening as she started fussing at 5.30am otherwise. 

But now she always appears hungry, she follows me round the house meowing and she goes crazy when I cook or prepare anything to eat, I have to go as far as to shut her in another room as she'd be up on the worktop trying to eat! This is a new thing, she's never shown an interest in what we eat before.

Surely this can't be 'normal' kitty behaviour? I feel awful, I feel like I'm starving her but obviously I can't just give her more and more food, she'll end up the size of a house! 

Could there be something wrong with her?


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## Gem16 (Aug 5, 2010)

I don't know but i just started giving one of my cats all dry food and she is driving me mad meowing all the time, i feel guilty too about it  but i do think a lot of it is just pushing their luck, hoping we will give in lol.


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## dougal22 (Jun 18, 2010)

James Wellbeloved isn't the best food to sustain your cat imo. It has too many grains which cats do not need. Kind of the equivalent of us humans eating McDonalds then wanting something else an hour later 
You might be better posting this question in the nutrition section as you could get more replies. Meantime, have a look at the A-Z guide of wet and dry foods in the nutrition section, it's brilliant. If you're currently just feeding your cat dry JWB, you could think about giving wet meals or even some raw


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## Aurelia (Apr 29, 2010)

dougal22 said:


> James Wellbeloved isn't the best food to sustain your cat imo. It has too many grains which cats do not need. Kind of the equivalent of us humans eating McDonalds then wanting something else an hour later
> You might be better posting this question in the nutrition section as you could get more replies. Meantime, have a look at the A-Z guide of wet and dry foods in the nutrition section, it's brilliant. If you're currently just feeding your cat dry JWB, you could think about giving wet meals or even some raw


^^^ This :thumbsup:

I wouldn't ever recommend someone feed their cat a 100% dry diet. I'm a total convert with food for my kitties. They no longer have any dry food, and they are much happier for it


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## Dally Banjo (Oct 22, 2009)

How old is your cat?


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## Duchess (Sep 1, 2010)

She'll be a year old in November.

Didn't realise that it's not great to feed only dry food! She has plenty of water available as I got her a fountain which she loves. 

I'll re-post this in the nutrition section too. Thanks for your replies, I'll check back on this post if anyone wants to add to it.


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## Dally Banjo (Oct 22, 2009)

Duchess said:


> She'll be a year old in November.
> 
> Didn't realise that it's not great to feed only dry food! She has plenty of water available as I got her a fountain which she loves.
> 
> I'll re-post this in the nutrition section too. Thanks for your replies, I'll check back on this post if anyone wants to add to it.


I was going to say thyroid but not at that age I would'nt imagine  x


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## Taylorbaby (Jan 10, 2009)

that isnt enough at all! dry food down 24/7 and then the wet on top!


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## kota (Jun 17, 2010)

And what about worms? Have you checked your cat and when (for the last time)?


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## ktkat (Oct 14, 2010)

My 2 kittens (9 months old) are the same as this, they are fed 80-100gms each in the morning, the same again around 5pm then again around 10pm. Each time while myself or my partner are sorting their food they cry as though they haven't been fed for ages, recently they are both trying to climb the kitchen unit while the food is being put in their bowls, when I go to put the bowls on the floor they are both trying to pull it down faster if they arn't trying to jump up into the bowls!!
Is this normal or something they will grow out of or can be trained out of?

P.S They are fed on Animonda Carny


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## hobbs2004 (Mar 12, 2010)

ktkat said:


> My 2 kittens (9 months old) are the same as this, they are fed 80-100gms each in the morning, the same again around 5pm then again around 10pm. Each time while myself or my partner are sorting their food they cry as though they haven't been fed for ages, recently they are both trying to climb the kitchen unit while the food is being put in their bowls, when I go to put the bowls on the floor they are both trying to pull it down faster if they arn't trying to jump up into the bowls!!
> 
> Is this normal or something they will grow out of or can be trained out of?
> 
> P.S They are fed on Animonda Carny


How much do they weigh because I think you may be feeding them too little.


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## Aurelia (Apr 29, 2010)

hobbs2004 said:


> How much do they weigh because I think you may be feeding them too little.


I was just gonna ask the same!

Usually the rule with kittens is just to feed them as much as they want isn't it Hobbs?


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## Taylorbaby (Jan 10, 2009)

ktkat said:


> My 2 kittens (9 months old) are the same as this, they are fed 80-100gms each in the morning, the same again around 5pm then again around 10pm. Each time while myself or my partner are sorting their food they cry as though they haven't been fed for ages, recently they are both trying to climb the kitchen unit while the food is being put in their bowls, when I go to put the bowls on the floor they are both trying to pull it down faster if they arn't trying to jump up into the bowls!!
> Is this normal or something they will grow out of or can be trained out of?
> 
> P.S They are fed on Animonda Carny


they arent getting enough or are extremly hungry dry should be down all day with wet on top of it


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## Aurelia (Apr 29, 2010)

Taylorbaby said:


> they arent getting enough or are extremly hungry dry should be down all day with wet on top of it


Taylor hun, shouldn't that be "Dry could be left down between wet meals if you feel it's necessary"? 

Dry food is something that should be considered, not forced I reckon, don't you?


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## ktkat (Oct 14, 2010)

One weighs approx 3kg the other is approx 3.4, we have tried putting down more food be it wet or dry, they both wolf it down and then look for more, feeding them more led to one or both of them being sick almost everyday (undigested food), we have also tried to leave dry down for them during the day but again it doesn't last very long and again this leads to vomiting of undigested food, they are getting approx 280-300gms of wet food everyday which research shows is ample for an adult cat so we thought this would be moire than enough for a 9 month old kitten!?


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## billyboysmammy (Sep 12, 2009)

free feeding isnt something i would reccomend with kittens personally ( i know its not a rule many people agree with me on), but i like to know exactly how much each is eating.

If they are so hungry i would up their portions a little, and possibly offer some wet too!

Its no secret i'm not a fan of dry, but if its working for you stick with it.


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## Aurelia (Apr 29, 2010)

ktkat said:


> One weighs approx 3kg the other is approx 3.4, we have tried putting down more food be it wet or dry, they both wolf it down and then look for more, feeding them more led to one or both of them being sick almost everyday (undigested food), we have also tried to leave dry down for them during the day but again it doesn't last very long and again this leads to vomiting of undigested food, they are getting approx 280-300gms of wet food everyday which research shows is ample for an adult cat so we thought this would be moire than enough for a 9 month old kitten!?


Have you considered a timed feeder? I wonder if that would help add a couple more meals during the day, in smaller portions so they can digest it a bit better?

The other thing to consider is the type of wet you're feeding. Some wet foods have a completely different value to others in weight.

If for instance you fed high meat content food (say 70+%) you might only need to feed them 300g a day, but something with lower meat content might mean feeding them more to satisfy them?

Kittens do need a lot more than adults though, as a rule. My adult girl eats about 120g of DAF minces a day, but the 6 month old kittens vary from 280g - 380g a day, which is normal 

Edit: Sorry just re read your first post and see you mentioned the food you're feeding. I'm pretty sure Hobbs will be able to help you out here with some advice xxx


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## lorilu (Sep 6, 2009)

ktkat said:


> One weighs approx 3kg the other is approx 3.4, we have tried putting down more food be it wet or dry, they both wolf it down and then look for more, feeding them more led to one or both of them being sick almost everyday (undigested food), we have also tried to leave dry down for them during the day but again it doesn't last very long and again this leads to vomiting of undigested food, they are getting approx 280-300gms of wet food everyday which *research shows is ample for an adult cat so we thought this would be moire than enough for a 9 month old kitten!*?


*A nine month old kitten needs MORE food than an adult cat not less. Kittens are still growing and need more calories and more protein than adult cats.*

All the cats described in this thread sound like they are not being given enough to eat.

The guide on the food label is a guide only and not to be taken literally, every cat and kitten has different needs. Kittens should be fed small portions through out the day. about a table spoon at a time, then another table spoon and so on until kitten stops eating, then a few hours later repeat, and so on.

However don't mistake hunger for attention needs. Cats and kittens need interaction from you every day, if you don't give them enough play time and other one on one interaction they will beg also whether they are hungry or not because they just want you to pay attention to them.


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## hobbs2004 (Mar 12, 2010)

ktkat said:


> One weighs approx 3kg the other is approx 3.4, we have tried putting down more food be it wet or dry, they both wolf it down and then look for more, feeding them more led to one or both of them being sick almost everyday (undigested food), we have also tried to leave dry down for them during the day but again it doesn't last very long and again this leads to vomiting of undigested food, they are getting approx 280-300gms of wet food everyday which research shows is ample for an adult cat so we thought this would be moire than enough for a 9 month old kitten!?


But kittens at this age are still growing too. Not by as much as they did when they were a little younger but they still aren't classified as adults at that stage.

I personally would do three things.

1) I would up the amount of food they are getting. Increasing portion sizes when you are already feeding a good amount at one sitting isn't going to work as they start vomiting it back up when they overeat.

So, is there any way that you can add an additional meal either before you go to work or during the day? Perhaps look into a timed feeder as Aurelia has suggested.

If that is not practical, how about offering them some more dry food but in a treatball so that they have to work to get at it and cannot scoff it in one?

2) I would start introducing some other high-quality foods, such as Bozita tetrapacks, Grau, Smilla red tuna. Start feeding these in rotation with the Animonda.

3) I would feed some raw food instead of some of their meals. I would feed them some big chunks of raw meat (lamb, beef, venison, rabbit) so that they need to chew and tear. Not only is it good for their teeth but I have also found in the past that raw food is more satisfying for them. If you feel a bit more adventurous then perhaps also try some appropriate raw bones, such as chicken necks, chicken wings, quail, wood pigeon, poussin, rabbit ribs.

Hope that helps


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## gskinner123 (Mar 10, 2010)

Only read bits of this thread and I'm sure someone else has already said it - I personally think it a very bad idea to leave dry food down 24/7 and an even worse idea to plonk wet food on top of it. Either way, dry food does spoil (and can grow mould an awful lot quicker than you might imagine) quickly and though at a year old you probably won;t be worrying just yet about your cat becoming overweight, free feeding of dried food in more mature, neutered cats can and frequently does lead to weight and other health problems.


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## ktkat (Oct 14, 2010)

Hi again, since I last posted we have upped both kittens food intake to between 350-400g's each per day, but they still cry/whinge, moan and act as though they have not been fed for days while their food is being put into the bowls, they have also become a little worse when we attempt to put the bowls down with them physically trying to get at the food before the bowls are even on the floor this is now becomming very annoying and I'm wondering how long before either of us gets clawed by them during their attempts to get at the food quicker!

The bigger of the two has also started to wee in different parts of the house even though there is 2 litter trays for the pair of them!


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## Aurelia (Apr 29, 2010)

Have you wormed them both regularly, with good stuff from the vets? SOrry if you've already mentioned this, I have a migraine kicking in and can't focus long enough to read through it all again.


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## ktkat (Oct 14, 2010)

Aurelia said:


> Have you wormed them both regularly, with good stuff from the vets? SOrry if you've already mentioned this, I have a migraine kicking in and can't focus long enough to read through it all again.


Hi, yes both have been wormed regularly, my partner has also looked for evidence of worms in their poo to double check and found nothing.


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## queentutti (Sep 2, 2009)

My cat has a small tin of applaws at 6am but he wants his other tin at 11am! Then he goes till 9pm before he eats his dry. Is this ok?


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## buffie (May 31, 2010)

queentutti said:


> My cat has a small tin of applaws at 6am but he wants his other tin at 11am! Then he goes till 9pm before he eats his dry. Is this ok?


I think this is a question for hobbs.The reason I say that is because applaws wet food is a complimentary food,not a complete one,therefore all his other required nutrients will have to come from his dry food.Dont know enough about food ect to be able to advise you how to balance this out.


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## hobbs2004 (Mar 12, 2010)

buffie said:


> I think this is a question for hobbs.The reason I say that is because applaws wet food is a complimentary food,not a complete one,therefore all his other required nutrients will have to come from his dry food.Dont know enough about food ect to be able to advise you how to balance this out.


Quite right Slayer, it is complementary food with a really low fat content, so it isn't very surprising that he doesn't feel full. If you want to continue feeding him the wet applaws then it might make sense to offer him his dry food for during the day. Incidentally, how much dry food are you feeding him and what brand?

However, I personally don't see the point of regularly feeding a cat food that doesn't provide him/her with all the nutrients s/he needs. So I would be looking to change the wet food to one that is complete. Has your cat ever had any other wet food apart from Applaws? If yes, what was that consistency? Pate? Chunks in jelly? Gravy? Or more shreds in broth?


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## queentutti (Sep 2, 2009)

I have tried every brand of wet food and he wouldn't eat it. He loves his applaws. I feed him Iams dry food or go cat.


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## hobbs2004 (Mar 12, 2010)

queentutti said:


> I have tried every brand of wet food and he wouldn't eat it. He loves his applaws. I feed him Iams dry food or go cat.


My goodness, *every* brand of wet food - then you are doing better than me :tongue_smilie:

Seriously though, what wet foods have you tried? Do you ever buy online? How old is your cat? Personally, I don't rate go cat very highly as a dry food, IAMS is slightly better but there are better ones.


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