# Feeding frenzy



## BandB

Does anyone have any tips on calming down two cats when feeding. We now lock them out the kitchen when dishing up food as they would be jumping and going crazy. At least now we can dish up safely but when we are ready to put the food down they jump up and grap the food out of bowl as it's being put down. It's so crazy and we often get scratched. They are still kittens at 5 and 6 months old. I'm hoping they will calm down but wondered if anyone had some good advice to try.


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## peecee

How often are you feeding them? As kittens, they should be eating as much as they need.


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## BandB

I'm feeding them three times a day. Meat morning and evening and biscuits mid day.


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## buffie

Sounds to me as though your kittens are hungry.
As peece says kittens should really be fed as much as they want/need as they are growing at such a rate.


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## oliviarussian

I agree with the others, they are hungry... When a kitten is having a growth spurt it can be frightening how much food they can put away, I would up the frequency to 4 or 5 meals a day or free- feed them (have food down constantly) and you will find after a while they will self regulate


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## Jannor

They sound very hungry to me too - that's not normal behaviour. Unless they were deprived of food before you got them?


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## BandB

If I leave biscuits down for them they just eat it immediately, so leaving food out for them is difficult unless as you all suggest they will, in time calm down. My female cat was found abandoned so she had been fending for herself. The boy had a foster mum. Bella was fine until we got Bailey and now she is really crazy with her food. Defense I guess. She's already getting a chubby tummy so didn't want to over feed. They have to be house cats here too although we have a large flat for them to run around in. Thank you for your replies!


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## ForeverHome

When I joined PF I was worried about Molly becoming a little portly, as I've always free-fed all my cats and never once had a weight problem. I was advised to cut out the dry altogether and free feed so there was always food down, and that Molly would know it was always available and self-regulate. Although I've always believed this I didn't think it would work to help her slim down once she was already a bit overweight, but I did and she has. It does really work, and it allows a cat to have days when they want to eat more than others.


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## BandB

When I just had Bella I could just leave food out and she would eat what she wanted and then leave some, it wasn't a problem. I would leave food down at night and there would still be food in the morning for example. Since I got Bailey this is when things have changed. He will eat everything and quickly and if I don't supervise he will go for Bella's food. Since getting him she has become much more food concerned, eats much quicker and much more desperate.


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## oliviarussian

BandB said:


> When I just had Bella I could just leave food out and she would eat what she wanted and then leave some, it wasn't a problem. I would leave food down at night and there would still be food in the morning for example. Since I got Bailey this is when things have changed. He will eat everything and quickly and if I don't supervise he will go for Bella's food. Since getting him she has become much more food concerned, eats much quicker and much more desperate.


It will take them a couple of weeks of gorging themselves before they finally realise that food will always be there and there is no need to bolt it down or compete for it!


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## carly87

That's right. Just keep filling that bowl until they can eat no more, then fill it again! The key to successful free feeding is to make sure they know there is food down 24-7, so the bowl must never be allowed to become empty.


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## peecee

BandB said:


> If I leave biscuits down for them they just eat it immediately, so leaving food out for them is difficult unless as you all suggest they will, in time calm down. My female cat was found abandoned so she had been fending for herself. The boy had a foster mum. Bella was fine until we got Bailey and now she is really crazy with her food. Defense I guess. She's already getting a chubby tummy so didn't want to over feed. They have to be house cats here too although we have a large flat for them to run around in. Thank you for your replies!


The point is, up to a year old, kittens are using up a lot of energy growing so they do need to eat as much as they want. After this time, you can cut down. At this stage in their life, there is no need to worry about over weight issues. They really do need this food to grow well. They will calm down with time.

It will also help if you can also feed wet food that has a higher meat content like animonda carny, smilla, macs, catz fine food, butchers classic, Hilife.


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## BandB

Thanks for your comments. I'm feeding them Applaws wet and Applaws kitten dry. I'll have a go at filling there bowls and let you all know how it goes.


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## carly87

Applaws wet is not complete. As wet should be making up the greatest proportion, if not all, of their diet, I'd suggest finding a different wet brand.


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## BandB

What do you suggest instead of applaws? Have you heard of Almo Nature?


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## BandB

Or a Wellness?


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## carly87

Where are you based? Almo is not complete either. Guessing if you've access to Wellness you're in the US. I'm not really familiar with their brands I'm afraid.


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## chillminx

Some wet cat foods available in the USA:

Fancy Feasts (Gourmet)
Friskies
Wellness
Natural Balance


I think those are all complete foods, but I advise you to check the list of ingredients on the manufacturers websites to be certain.


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## Bette

ForeverHome said:


> When I joined PF I was worried about Molly becoming a little portly, as I've always free-fed all my cats and never once had a weight problem. I was advised to cut out the dry altogether and free feed so there was always food down, and that Molly would know it was always available and self-regulate. Although I've always believed this I didn't think it would work to help her slim down once she was already a bit overweight, but I did and she has. It does really work, and it allows a cat to have days when they want to eat more than others.


Could I ask which wet food you feed ForeverHome? I have 2 cats-one who really likes his food and the other who is take it or leave it so it's difficult to get the balance right because the other one dawdles about and he will eat her food. I want the one who eats more to lose a bit of weight before he puts on any more as I think he 's at risk of putting on too much.


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## peecee

BandB said:


> Thanks for your comments. I'm feeding them Applaws wet and Applaws kitten dry. I'll have a go at filling there bowls and let you all know how it goes.


Feeding Applaws wet is also a problem. One, because it is a complementary food and should only be fed as a treat. Two, because it is low in fat and other vital nutrients. Cats need a certain amount of fat in their diet and Applaws wet as a complementary food will not supply this.

Also, as your kittens are still growing,it is important they eat as much as they want to fuel their fast growth spurts they are experiencing. They also need to have their proper nutrients. Where are you located? In much the same way babies need to be fed often so do kittens.


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## ForeverHome

Bette said:


> Could I ask which wet food you feed ForeverHome? I have 2 cats-one who really likes his food and the other who is take it or leave it so it's difficult to get the balance right because the other one dawdles about and he will eat her food. I want the one who eats more to lose a bit of weight before he puts on any more as I think he 's at risk of putting on too much.


Only Butchers. If you're in the States I've no idea if you can get it there. I've now learned it relatively low calorie and thought oh bonus that's even better for filling them up without fattening them up. Bobby is possibly a little under, Molly definitely a little over.

Have had a bit of a nightmare since going over to the new Really Meaty though. They asked for food 4 times in 2 hours this morning. I ended up putting the whole tin down. Then they didn't touch it again and I threw half of it away 2 hours past their tea-time!

We need to get back into a rhythm but that involves me getting to grip with how much at what time to keep them going till next mealtime. And I reckon that's why they kept demanding this morning, because I must have put down too little (ie the normal amount I used to put of Classic isn't enough of Really Meaty because they love it more??)


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## BandB

I'm based in Hong Kong for now, there is a large variety of cat food. I've shared a link of a popular online pet store so you can see the brands....
Canned food - Cat Food & Treats - Cats
I want to do the best for them so busy looking at decent alternatives.


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## chillminx

Goodness, loads of choice on that website:thumbsup: Wellness I believe is OK, as is Natural Balance. I am sure there are others I haven't heard of in the list...
Some of the chicken and rice foods look good.

Avoid foods that are listed as suitable for *cats AND dogs* as the chances are they won't have taurine added (which is essential for the health of the cat's heart and eyes).

Also some of the foods listed are not complete e.g. Almo Nature. Although it is a good quality food it should only be given as a treat, no more than 10% of the diet ideally.

I'd advise avoiding all cat foods that contain tuna or other deep sea fish, as tuna should only be fed occasionally (e.g. once or twice a month) to cats because of the level of contamination by pesticides etc.


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## BandB

Thanks so much for taking the time out to look yes it's actually a bit overwhelming. I'm going to have a good look into the ingredients this morning and narrow some down. Thanks for the reminder about tuna etc... We forget that even as humans we are warned not to eat too much a week of certain types but forget it will effect animals just as much.


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## Jonescat

I'd be inclined to have a look at Happy Pets as well, provided your cat is ok with carrageen, looks interesting from here. 

Nothing to do with content, but there are some cute labels there!


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## BandB

I've been down to my vet and had a good chat with the vet technicians and have been looking at the range of food they stock. I've come away with some tins of Wellness kitten food and some adult pouches, they've had the kitten food tonight and loved it....we shall see how it goes.


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## Bette

ForeverHome said:


> Only Butchers. If you're in the States I've no idea if you can get it there. I've now learned it relatively low calorie and thought oh bonus that's even better for filling them up without fattening them up. Bobby is possibly a little under, Molly definitely a little over.
> 
> Have had a bit of a nightmare since going over to the new Really Meaty though. They asked for food 4 times in 2 hours this morning. I ended up putting the whole tin down. Then they didn't touch it again and I threw half of it away 2 hours past their tea-time!
> 
> We need to get back into a rhythm but that involves me getting to grip with how much at what time to keep them going till next mealtime. And I reckon that's why they kept demanding this morning, because I must have put down too little (ie the normal amount I used to put of Classic isn't enough of Really Meaty because they love it more??)


I might give Butchers a try again as I 've read quite often on here that it's got quite a good percentage of meat in it etc.I did try it absolutely ages ago and they turned their noses up at it.


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## BandB

It has been seven days and I've changed their feeding routine and food. I'm now feeding them Wellness kitten food morning and night, with Applaws occasionally. I also give them a measured amount of dry food to see them through the main part of the day, they no longer eat it in one go and when I do feed them their meat at 6pm, I can now do it without locking them out the kitchen. Much calmer and they also know exactly which is their bowl and just wait next to them. Super, thanks for the advice.


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## peecee

There's Weruva on that link and that's meant to be a good grain free brand as well.


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