cat's eating habits

I have an 8-year old male cat who has been putting on some weight the
past few years. He weighed in at 14 pounds his last vet visit in April
and was put on a diet (weight control dry Iams, 1/2 cup a day). He
initially adjusted well to his new diet, but since we moved a month ago
he has been eating most if not all his food as soon as we put it down,
then whines for the remainder of the day. We split his feedings to
twice a day, 1/4 cup each time. He still does the same thing -- eating
most or all his food right away then whining until dinner time. My
husband has a home office and it is starting to drive him nuts, though
he has never fed the cat to quiet him. This is also keeping us up at
nights, since he starts whining around 2am. Again, we have never
gotten up to feed him. It is almost as though he is stress eating. I
have tried to distract him by playing with him. He will initially run
after the toy then after 10-20 seconds he will go back to his food
dish. I have tried taking his food away from him after he eats about
half, but then he'll start the whining again until we put it back down
for him.

This behavior has been going on for the past 3 weeks, and while I am
hoping it will stop as he adjusts to the new house, I am hoping someone
out there has gone through this as well and has any tips r advice.
Thanks in advance.

Steiny's Momma

On 16 Jan 2005 13:20:02 -0800, all of a sudden,
exclaimed:

I have an 8-year old male cat who has been putting on some weight the
past few years. He weighed in at 14 pounds his last vet visit in April
and was put on a diet (weight control dry Iams, 1/2 cup a day). He
initially adjusted well to his new diet, but since we moved a month ago
he has been eating most if not all his food as soon as we put it down,
then whines for the remainder of the day. We split his feedings to
twice a day, 1/4 cup each time. He still does the same thing -- eating
most or all his food right away then whining until dinner time. My
husband has a home office and it is starting to drive him nuts, though
he has never fed the cat to quiet him. This is also keeping us up at
nights, since he starts whining around 2am. Again, we have never
gotten up to feed him. It is almost as though he is stress eating. I
have tried to distract him by playing with him. He will initially run
after the toy then after 10-20 seconds he will go back to his food
dish. I have tried taking his food away from him after he eats about
half, but then he'll start the whining again until we put it back down
for him.

This behavior has been going on for the past 3 weeks, and while I am
hoping it will stop as he adjusts to the new house, I am hoping someone
out there has gone through this as well and has any tips r advice.
Thanks in advance.

Steiny's Momma

The only idea that comes to mind right off is put one of his meals in
one of those dole-out-the-kibbles sort of toys, so he has to work for
a while to get all his food. Not sure if that'd work, but might be
worth a try. You are doing the right thing, though, by not giving in
to his whining. Might want to check with your vet too, this does seem
like excessive hunger, might be triggered by a medical problem.

Also, some Feliway dispensers might help too. I've never used
Feliway, but I've seen it suggested enough times on this NG to think
it probably does work for new-home anxiety.



jmc
usenet [at] jodi [dit] ws
Any day you learn something isn't a total waste.

wrote in message
ups.com...
I have an 8-year old male cat who has been putting on some weight the
past few years. He weighed in at 14 pounds his last vet visit in April
and was put on a diet (weight control dry Iams, 1/2 cup a day).

Get him off dry food and feed him half a 3-oz can of Iams or
Wellness or any of the premium foods they sell at PetSmart.
(I don't really like Iams that much but it is usually the only premium
food they sell at grocery stores around here. I am trying to get my
cats off of Fancy Feast as it is a crappy food. How can you tell a
crappy food? The first ingredient is "by-products," whereas with
Iams, Nutro, Wellness, and others the first ingredient is "chicken,
turkey, beef," or something similar.

Your cat wants to keep eating more because he is not getting what
he wants-- he wants MEAT, not that starchy so-called "diet" cat food.
It's like when humans eat constantly when on a diet, stuff like popcorn
and snacks, when what they want is a steak or a grilled cheese!
There is a school of thought that says if you eat what satisfies you
will be happy with less. It works, too!

My cat gained so much on Iams dry I switched her to canned
on the advice of the people here and she lost three pounds in
a year. Another up side: you have a cat that is visibly healthier
and happier--shiny coat, bright eyes, very active. Try it--it
really works.

Mary wrote:
wrote in message
ups.com...
I have an 8-year old male cat who has been putting on some weight
the
past few years. He weighed in at 14 pounds his last vet visit in
April
and was put on a diet (weight control dry Iams, 1/2 cup a day).

Get him off dry food and feed him half a 3-oz can of Iams or
Wellness or any of the premium foods they sell at PetSmart.

That's definitely something to consider, thanks for the tip. Now, is
that 1/2 of a 3oz can for the whole day, or 1/2 a can twice a day?
Steiny's Momma

Mary wrote:
Get him off dry food and feed him half a
3-oz can of Iams or Wellness or any of the
premium foods they sell at PetSmart.

While getting this cat off dry food is correct, the rest of your advice
is wrong and is dangerous. Feeding one half of a 3 ounce can per day is
too little and will create a fast weight loss and put the cat at risk
for developing hepatic lipidosis. Also, calorie content varies from food
to food and it is important to know what your cats calorie requirements
are to lose weight slowly, then maintain the target weight and feed
accordingly. There is a lot more to weight loss than what you are
prescribing the OP do.

Megan



"The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do
nothing."

-Edmund Burke

Learn The TRUTH About Declawing
http://www.stopdeclaw.com

Zuzu's Cats Photo Album:
http://www.PictureTrail.com/zuzu22

"Concerning all acts of initiative (and creation), there is one
elementary truth the ignorance of which kills countless ideas and
splendid plans: that the moment one definitely commits oneself, then
providence moves too. A whole stream of events issues from the decision,
raising in one's favor all manner of unforeseen incidents, meetings and
material assistance, which no man could have dreamt would have come his
way."

- W.H. Murray

wrote in message
oups.com...

Mary wrote:
wrote in message
ups.com...
I have an 8-year old male cat who has been putting on some weight
the
past few years. He weighed in at 14 pounds his last vet visit in
April
and was put on a diet (weight control dry Iams, 1/2 cup a day).

Get him off dry food and feed him half a 3-oz can of Iams or
Wellness or any of the premium foods they sell at PetSmart.

That's definitely something to consider, thanks for the tip. Now, is
that 1/2 of a 3oz can for the whole day, or 1/2 a can twice a day?
Steiny's Momma


Half a can twice a day about 12 hours apart. And you will become
The Food Goddess who weilds The Holy Can.

wrote in message
...
Mary wrote:
Get him off dry food and feed him half a
3-oz can of Iams or Wellness or any of the
premium foods they sell at PetSmart.

While getting this cat off dry food is correct, the rest of your advice
is wrong and is dangerous. Feeding one half of a 3 ounce can per day is
too little and will create a fast weight loss and put the cat at risk
for developing hepatic lipidosis.

Oh really? Then Buddha ought to be dead, as this is what she
has been eating for over a year now.


Also, calorie content varies from food
to food and it is important to know what your cats calorie requirements
are to lose weight slowly, then maintain the target weight and feed
accordingly. There is a lot more to weight loss than what you are
prescribing the OP do.


Well do elaborate, Miss Thing. But try removing that stick
from up your ass before you do. It gives you a tone.

"Mary" wrote in message
. com...

wrote in message
oups.com...

Mary wrote:
wrote in message
ups.com...
I have an 8-year old male cat who has been putting on some weight
the
past few years. He weighed in at 14 pounds his last vet visit in
April
and was put on a diet (weight control dry Iams, 1/2 cup a day).

Get him off dry food and feed him half a 3-oz can of Iams or
Wellness or any of the premium foods they sell at PetSmart.

That's definitely something to consider, thanks for the tip. Now, is
that 1/2 of a 3oz can for the whole day, or 1/2 a can twice a day?
Steiny's Momma


Half a can twice a day about 12 hours apart. And you will become
The Food Goddess who weilds The Holy Can.



Herr Meghan Been There Done That Got the Tone To
Prove It tells me this is not enough for some cats. Ask
your vet. Buddha is somewhere around 18 lbs now. She
should weigh around 8 pounds, as she has a small frame.
(Long story, I did not do that to her! She was fat when
I got her.) She began at 16 lbs and went down to 13 in a
year, with none of the ill effects Herr Meghan described.
Then we corrected her hyperthyroid and now she is
back up to 18 as her metabolism has slowed down.
Phil, where are you? Don't you have a good formula
for how much canned food to feed? Or does this
poor OP have to resort to emailing Megan?

Mary wrote:

While getting this cat off dry food is
correct, the rest of your advice is
wrong and is dangerous. Feeding one half
of a 3 ounce can per day is too little
and will create a fast weight loss and
put the cat at risk for developing
hepatic lipidosis.

Oh really? Then Buddha ought to be dead,
as this is what she has been eating for
over a year now.

That's nice, but the OP's cat is not Buddha. You also failed to mention
that you were feeding 1/2 cup of dry food along with that three ounce
can:
http://groups-beta.google.com/group/...e907b1cd27c0ad
You can't just pre-emptively say use "x" amount when you haven't
considered the weight of the cat, his particular calorie needs or
activity level. 1/2 of a 3 oz can is not nearly enough to maintain a
safe weight loss in a 14 pound cat and recommending such is dangerous
advice. I hope the OP has the good sense to do some research and ignore
you since you can't seem to even remember what you're feeding your own
cat. I'm currently working closely with 12 overweight cats and their
owners. None of the cats have the same requirements and while there is a
basic formula to start, calories have been tailored to fit each
individual cat's needs and they're all losing weight at a safe, slow and
steady rate.

Also, calorie content varies from food
to food and it is important to know what
your cats calorie requirements are to
lose weight slowly, then maintain the
target weight and feed accordingly.
There is a lot more to weight loss than
what you are prescribing the OP do.

Well do elaborate, Miss Thing. But try
removing that stick from up your ass
before you do. It gives you a tone.

Errrr...speak for yourself.
Here's a free clue...if you want
information it won't be provided when you unnecessarily insult the
person you're requesting it from (which has been a long standing pattern
with you.)

Megan



"The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do
nothing."

-Edmund Burke

Learn The TRUTH About Declawing
http://www.stopdeclaw.com

Zuzu's Cats Photo Album:
http://www.PictureTrail.com/zuzu22

"Concerning all acts of initiative (and creation), there is one
elementary truth the ignorance of which kills countless ideas and
splendid plans: that the moment one definitely commits oneself, then
providence moves too. A whole stream of events issues from the decision,
raising in one's favor all manner of unforeseen incidents, meetings and
material assistance, which no man could have dreamt would have come his
way."

- W.H. Murray

Mary wrote:
Buddha is somewhere around 18 lbs
now. She should weigh around 8 pounds,
as she has a small frame. (Long story, I
did not do that to her! She was fat when I
got her.) She began at 16 lbs and went
down to 13 in a year, with none of the ill
effects Herr Meghan described. Then we
corrected her hyperthyroid and now she is
back up to 18 as her metabolism has
slowed down.

She's back up to 18 because you didn't bother to calculate her calorie
needs or closely monitor her weight and are feeding her too much food,
putting her at serious risk for diabetes and other health problems. You
control the food dish. Don't be so lame as to blame your cat for your
own failings. And then here you are telling someone else to feed amounts
based on your own cat's skewed metabolism.

I seriously doubt Phil would agree with this approach you are promoting,
and considering he recommends *more* calories than I do for weight
loss, I seriously doubt he'll back you up on feeding a 14 pound cat what
amounts to 98 calories (3 oz. can of Wellness) a day. Why don't you just
accept the fact that you're wrong instead of going on another desperate
suicide mission which inevitably results in making you look more
foolish? (another pattern of yours...)

Megan



"The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do
nothing."

-Edmund Burke

Learn The TRUTH About Declawing
http://www.stopdeclaw.com

Zuzu's Cats Photo Album:
http://www.PictureTrail.com/zuzu22

"Concerning all acts of initiative (and creation), there is one
elementary truth the ignorance of which kills countless ideas and
splendid plans: that the moment one definitely commits oneself, then
providence moves too. A whole stream of events issues from the decision,
raising in one's favor all manner of unforeseen incidents, meetings and
material assistance, which no man could have dreamt would have come his
way."

- W.H. Murray