A couple behavioral problems...

Would like the opinion of you more experienced folks on a couple
issues:

(1) When I started looking after this 10 month old cat, she used to
come in from outside in the evening (5PM-7PM?), have dinner, go to bed,
want to eat around 5AM, go out, and then goof around all day in the
yards. For each meal, we were feeding one 3oz fancy feast can. This was
pretty steady for a few weeks.

Now, since the last few days she has started coming in and demanding
snacks at additional times, twice during the day and sometimes even
once during the evening. For example, yesterday she wanted to eat at
5AM, 9AM, 2PM, 6PM, and 10PM!

I am worried if she is eating too much. Initially, it was possible to
divide two cans into 3 meals, but 5 is difficult and I think she is
eating more than before.

My SO is very soft-hearted and says at 10 months is only a kitten and
her behavior tells us the by following the adult guidelines we have not
been feeding her growing body enough?

Need your thoughts on all aspects of the situation. Should we let her
eat as much as she wants as long as her body looks to be in good shape?
Beside quantity, should we give her food/snack as often as she wants?

(2) While we are serving her food, she seems and acts extremely excited
as well as agitated about any perceived delay. While I am putting food
on the plate, or God forbid microwaving for a few seconds, she jumps
and meows and pulls on my clothes and rushes back and forth to the
feeding area. We do find it cute, but I am beginning to wonder if we
can/should do anything to encourage her to approach her meals calmly?

(3) Finally the 5AM wake up. We would prefer if it was 7 or even 6:30
and we tried to delay a little. However, in our experience the best way
to sleep is to feed her, let he rout, and then go back to sleep.
Otherwise, while we can postpone her feeding, we can't get much sleep
during that time. So I guess that's that.

Thanks for listening and for any thoughts.

Am I correct to sayou are giving her can food all these times?? If so, IMO
dont! Leave a bowl of dry food out during the day for her to munch on when
hungry. You feed her canned all the time, will eat you out of house ..plus,
wouldnt be good for her. Also, maybe buy some treats to give her a little
at a time.
"RPSinha" wrote in message
...
Would like the opinion of you more experienced folks on a couple
issues:

(1) When I started looking after this 10 month old cat, she used to
come in from outside in the evening (5PM-7PM?), have dinner, go to bed,
want to eat around 5AM, go out, and then goof around all day in the
yards. For each meal, we were feeding one 3oz fancy feast can. This was
pretty steady for a few weeks.

Now, since the last few days she has started coming in and demanding
snacks at additional times, twice during the day and sometimes even
once during the evening. For example, yesterday she wanted to eat at
5AM, 9AM, 2PM, 6PM, and 10PM!

I am worried if she is eating too much. Initially, it was possible to
divide two cans into 3 meals, but 5 is difficult and I think she is
eating more than before.

My SO is very soft-hearted and says at 10 months is only a kitten and
her behavior tells us the by following the adult guidelines we have not
been feeding her growing body enough?

Need your thoughts on all aspects of the situation. Should we let her
eat as much as she wants as long as her body looks to be in good shape?
Beside quantity, should we give her food/snack as often as she wants?

(2) While we are serving her food, she seems and acts extremely excited
as well as agitated about any perceived delay. While I am putting food
on the plate, or God forbid microwaving for a few seconds, she jumps
and meows and pulls on my clothes and rushes back and forth to the
feeding area. We do find it cute, but I am beginning to wonder if we
can/should do anything to encourage her to approach her meals calmly?

(3) Finally the 5AM wake up. We would prefer if it was 7 or even 6:30
and we tried to delay a little. However, in our experience the best way
to sleep is to feed her, let he rout, and then go back to sleep.
Otherwise, while we can postpone her feeding, we can't get much sleep
during that time. So I guess that's that.

Thanks for listening and for any thoughts.

On Nov 3, 3:47 am, RPSinha wrote:
Now, since the last few days she has started coming in and demanding
snacks at additional times,...

That's what kibble is for.
Keep her meal of wet food at a regular stated time.

Whatever you do, don't change the routine or you'll be
sending mixed messages to the cat and live to regret it
when kitty bothers you all day, every day because she'll
always be wondering if it's time to eat instead of knowing
when it's time.

Hi.

Cats don't always like rules but rules are part of life. For instance, I
make Isis sleep in a bathroom at night. I put a kitty nest in there, food,
water, and her litter box. It's a cozy, warm place. I do this because if I
don't I will have either a cat jumping on my bed all night or will be
awakened sometime before I'm ready to face the day. Isis sometimes gets mean
about this long established routine but this is too bad because my sleep is
more important than anything that goes on in her brain.

Living with a cat involves compromise on both sides. Your cat wants food
time, play time, and affection from you. You want a fun experience, some
laughs, and a night's sleep. If you don't want to get up at 5:00 a.m. you
don't have to. You can put your kitty somewhere overnight in a well lit room
with food, water, and a litter box and let her out when you are ready. She
may not like that but having a cat isn't all about the cat's wants and
desires. It's also about your needs. Everybody has to give up something.

Your kitty wants to eat whenever she wants. Well, like the others are
saying, you can put dry food out for day time munching and wet food for
breakfasts and dinner. Or you can put dry food out for night time eating
while you sleep. Look at it this way. Your cat needs so much food per day. A
vet can give you a good idea of how much is enough. Maybe a cup(?). That's
how much you give. She's small and growing so it might be more. Different
cats eat differently. My sister has a Cornish Rex which is very much
overweight. This is because she lets it eat whenever it wants to. Isis, my
cat, is different. She eats when she's hungry and doesn't get overweight.
You have to get to know your cat's eating habits and, at the same time,
observe it and see if it wants to overeat and either puke up food or gain
too much weight. This is where a vet can give you guidance.

"We do find it cute, but I am beginning to wonder if we can/should do
anything to encourage her to approach her meals calmly?"

Nope, there is nothing you can do here. Food time is wacky time. It's feed
me time and all you can do is be careful not to step on your kitty as she
dances around your feet.

Have you visited a vet with your cat? Do you have a good working
relationship with your vet? Have you budgeted a certain amount for yearly
medical care?

Mike in Illinois






"RPSinha" wrote in message
...
Would like the opinion of you more experienced folks on a couple
issues:

(1) When I started looking after this 10 month old cat, she used to
come in from outside in the evening (5PM-7PM?), have dinner, go to bed,
want to eat around 5AM, go out, and then goof around all day in the
yards. For each meal, we were feeding one 3oz fancy feast can. This was
pretty steady for a few weeks.

Now, since the last few days she has started coming in and demanding
snacks at additional times, twice during the day and sometimes even
once during the evening. For example, yesterday she wanted to eat at
5AM, 9AM, 2PM, 6PM, and 10PM!

I am worried if she is eating too much. Initially, it was possible to
divide two cans into 3 meals, but 5 is difficult and I think she is
eating more than before.

My SO is very soft-hearted and says at 10 months is only a kitten and
her behavior tells us the by following the adult guidelines we have not
been feeding her growing body enough?

Need your thoughts on all aspects of the situation. Should we let her
eat as much as she wants as long as her body looks to be in good shape?
Beside quantity, should we give her food/snack as often as she wants?

(2) While we are serving her food, she seems and acts extremely excited
as well as agitated about any perceived delay. While I am putting food
on the plate, or God forbid microwaving for a few seconds, she jumps
and meows and pulls on my clothes and rushes back and forth to the
feeding area. We do find it cute, but I am beginning to wonder if we
can/should do anything to encourage her to approach her meals calmly?

(3) Finally the 5AM wake up. We would prefer if it was 7 or even 6:30
and we tried to delay a little. However, in our experience the best way
to sleep is to feed her, let he rout, and then go back to sleep.
Otherwise, while we can postpone her feeding, we can't get much sleep
during that time. So I guess that's that.

Thanks for listening and for any thoughts.

On Sat, 03 Nov 2007 02:47:36 -0500, RPSinha wrote:

Would like the opinion of you more experienced folks on a couple issues:

(1) When I started looking after this 10 month old cat, she used to come
in from outside in the evening (5PM-7PM?), have dinner, go to bed, want to
eat around 5AM, go out, and then goof around all day in the yards. For
each meal, we were feeding one 3oz fancy feast can. This was pretty steady
for a few weeks.

Now, since the last few days she has started coming in and demanding
snacks at additional times, twice during the day and sometimes even once
during the evening. For example, yesterday she wanted to eat at 5AM, 9AM,
2PM, 6PM, and 10PM!

I am worried if she is eating too much. Initially, it was possible to
divide two cans into 3 meals, but 5 is difficult and I think she is eating
more than before.

My SO is very soft-hearted and says at 10 months is only a kitten and her
behavior tells us the by following the adult guidelines we have not been
feeding her growing body enough?

Need your thoughts on all aspects of the situation. Should we let her eat
as much as she wants as long as her body looks to be in good shape? Beside
quantity, should we give her food/snack as often as she wants?

(2) While we are serving her food, she seems and acts extremely excited as
well as agitated about any perceived delay. While I am putting food on the
plate, or God forbid microwaving for a few seconds, she jumps and meows
and pulls on my clothes and rushes back and forth to the feeding area. We
do find it cute, but I am beginning to wonder if we can/should do anything
to encourage her to approach her meals calmly?

(3) Finally the 5AM wake up. We would prefer if it was 7 or even 6:30 and
we tried to delay a little. However, in our experience the best way to
sleep is to feed her, let he rout, and then go back to sleep. Otherwise,
while we can postpone her feeding, we can't get much sleep during that
time. So I guess that's that.


I assume you live in a temperate region of the northern hemisphere and
that the weather is getting colder.

You have a cat that needs increasing food because she is growing like a
weed, putting on winter fat, and burning extra calories just keeping warm
outside. And you want to keep her on the same diet she ate when she was
smaller and warmer?

Cats that get exercise seldom get fat - of the thirty or so cats I have
had, and the many more I have known over the years, the only really fat
one came to me already that way, and all of my cats regulate their own
food intake: they are fed as much kibble as they want (24/7) plus whatever
they can catch, and the occasional treat. They all put on weight for
winter and loose it in the spring.

I think your problem is that you are not feeding your cat enough. As
others have recommended, leave out a bowl of kibble all the time. BTW,
plastic bowls are not for cats: they lick toxins out of the plastic with
their rough tongues - use ceramic or stainless steel.

--
T.E.D. )
tounges

"RPSinha" wrote in message
...
Would like the opinion of you more experienced folks on a couple
issues:

(1) When I started looking after this 10 month old cat, she used to
come in from outside in the evening (5PM-7PM?), have dinner, go to bed,
want to eat around 5AM, go out, and then goof around all day in the
yards. For each meal, we were feeding one 3oz fancy feast can. This was
pretty steady for a few weeks.

Now, since the last few days she has started coming in and demanding
snacks at additional times, twice during the day and sometimes even
once during the evening. For example, yesterday she wanted to eat at
5AM, 9AM, 2PM, 6PM, and 10PM!

I am worried if she is eating too much. Initially, it was possible to
divide two cans into 3 meals, but 5 is difficult and I think she is
eating more than before.

My SO is very soft-hearted and says at 10 months is only a kitten and
her behavior tells us the by following the adult guidelines we have not
been feeding her growing body enough?

Need your thoughts on all aspects of the situation. Should we let her
eat as much as she wants as long as her body looks to be in good shape?
Beside quantity, should we give her food/snack as often as she wants?

(2) While we are serving her food, she seems and acts extremely excited
as well as agitated about any perceived delay. While I am putting food
on the plate, or God forbid microwaving for a few seconds, she jumps
and meows and pulls on my clothes and rushes back and forth to the
feeding area. We do find it cute, but I am beginning to wonder if we
can/should do anything to encourage her to approach her meals calmly?

(3) Finally the 5AM wake up. We would prefer if it was 7 or even 6:30
and we tried to delay a little. However, in our experience the best way
to sleep is to feed her, let he rout, and then go back to sleep.
Otherwise, while we can postpone her feeding, we can't get much sleep
during that time. So I guess that's that.

Thanks for listening and for any thoughts.

It's probably not the best thing for the cat's health, but we solved the
problem by providing them with an infinite supply of kibbles that they can
access at any time of the day or night....Then, in addition to that, they
get additional treats, such as wet canned food only when it is convenient
for us to give it to them.

Need your thoughts on all aspects of the situation. Should we let her
eat as much as she wants as long as her body looks to be in good shape?
Beside quantity, should we give her food/snack as often as she wants?


You didn't mention if she had been to the vet for a checkup. Is she in
good health? She's young enough that she should not have any medical
issues causing the hunger, but you can't be sure until she's tested.

What is her weight? Is she an ideal weight right now?

PLEASE DON'T leave out a bowl of dry food. Cats don't need to eat
throughout the day. Two meals per day is all they need, spaced about
12 hours apart. I'd try giving her 1.5 cans of Fancy Feast twice per
day and see how she does. She does NOT need snacks or dry kibble. Wet
food is the best for her health. Part of this might be "routine." She
gets attention from you whether she is hungry or note. Instead of
feeding her, play with her instead.

(2) While we are serving her food, she seems and acts extremely excited
as well as agitated about any perceived delay. While I am putting food
on the plate, or God forbid microwaving for a few seconds, she jumps
and meows and pulls on my clothes and rushes back and forth to the
feeding area. We do find it cute, but I am beginning to wonder if we
can/should do anything to encourage her to approach her meals calmly?

Again, this is part of her routine/attention getting mechanism. If you
feed her when YOU decide and on a regular schedule, these antics
should lessen.

(3) Finally the 5AM wake up. We would prefer if it was 7 or even 6:30
and we tried to delay a little. However, in our experience the best way
to sleep is to feed her, let he rout, and then go back to sleep.
Otherwise, while we can postpone her feeding, we can't get much sleep
during that time. So I guess that's that.

Ok, she has trained you well! First, decide what time each day you
will feed her (6 a.m. and 6 pm, 7 am and 7 pm) and STICK TO IT. If she
gets you up early, lock her out of the bedroom and feed her later. She
will quickly learn that you will NOT get up to feed her/give her
attention. Second, DON'T get up and feed her right away. Get the
newspaper and a cup of coffee, etc. then feed her.. Be prepared for
meowing at the door until she is used to the routine. I had to train
my guys too, and they were already adults. Now, neither of them bother
me in the morning, not even on the weekends.

Sorry this is so long. If you have other questions, just email me
anytime!
Rene

Barb, studio, Mike, Ted, William, Rene...

Thank you all so much for your thoughtful and informative answers. I
learned so much. Here is what I have decided to try, and I'll watch if
any further changes are needed.

Some basics about this cat. (1) She belongs to close friends who are
away for 6 months and a few things are beyond my control. She has
always been an out/in cat and never seems to use any litter box either
at her home (just a couple doors away) or mine, although I keep one at
both places. (2) She has a vet and was seen about 6 weeks ago: perfect
health. I have only talked to the vet. He says she is still growing and
we should not yet try to guess what her ideal weight would be, just
keep a watch on her shape.

AMOUNT OF FOOD. Most likely I have not been feeding her enough. It was
educating to learn about extra calories needed in winter (Thanks Ted,
yes Midwest). As Rene suggested, I'll try 3 or more small cans per day.


This morning I gave her as much as she would eat, and she walked away
satisfied after about 1.5 cans.

FEEDING FREQUENCY. For the time being I'll try 2 meals per day. If she
wants a 3rd one, I'll accept that. She is extremely active all day (5AM
until 6-7PM), it's probably ok to be hungry in the middle. But I'll try
to minimize treats etc.

TYPE OF FOOD. There is understandable disagreement among you about
kibble. I tentatively believe that 95% canned food is better for her
health. :-)

How did I arrive at 5% for dry food? Basically, one meal per week, so
she will remain in the habit of accepting it when there is no other
alternative (eg, when we cannot be there to feed her and must leave
food outside).

I'll also stop buying "candy" type treats and use dry food as treat
when absolutely necessary.

Also considering including some kitten food in her diet for extra
calories during Winter.

THE 5 AM PROBLEM. I talked to my SO and we agreed about why we have
been so soft with her. It is because we know that she does not use the
litter box!

Usually she has been indoors for 7-9 hours when she wants to eat and
run out. She may just want to run around, but we are afraid what if she
has to go to "bathroom". We give in because we don't have a cat-door
and don't want an accident inside. So we won't fight that battle. It is
not a big deal.

Thanks again. There will be more to learn, but this thread has been
very helpful.

LOL...We just adopted our 8th cat...more like kitten..9 weeks old. I guess
when you only have one cat (cant remember what it is like to have just
one!)schedules may differ. Smokey Blue, our latest, is very active..he has
that energy and still growing (he weighs 2.5 lbs). So I try to have food out
for him. With 8 cats, I cant be exact how much each cat is eating daily, so
that's why I leave a bowl of food out. If I fed my cats a can of food as
you,RP, it would eat me out of house and home ..but as I said, we all do
things differ.
Enjoy your pet. That's how I got started with my brood..my neice needed me
to cat sit for hers and when it was close to departure, I knew I would miss
the cat so we adopted her half brother (nightshade) and then he got lonesome
for his sister and we got a nother one...and the neighborhood cats knew the
vacancy sign was out.
"RPSinha" wrote in message
...
Barb, studio, Mike, Ted, William, Rene...

Thank you all so much for your thoughtful and informative answers. I
learned so much. Here is what I have decided to try, and I'll watch if
any further changes are needed.

Some basics about this cat. (1) She belongs to close friends who are
away for 6 months and a few things are beyond my control. She has
always been an out/in cat and never seems to use any litter box either
at her home (just a couple doors away) or mine, although I keep one at
both places. (2) She has a vet and was seen about 6 weeks ago: perfect
health. I have only talked to the vet. He says she is still growing and
we should not yet try to guess what her ideal weight would be, just
keep a watch on her shape.

AMOUNT OF FOOD. Most likely I have not been feeding her enough. It was
educating to learn about extra calories needed in winter (Thanks Ted,
yes Midwest). As Rene suggested, I'll try 3 or more small cans per day.


This morning I gave her as much as she would eat, and she walked away
satisfied after about 1.5 cans.

FEEDING FREQUENCY. For the time being I'll try 2 meals per day. If she
wants a 3rd one, I'll accept that. She is extremely active all day (5AM
until 6-7PM), it's probably ok to be hungry in the middle. But I'll try
to minimize treats etc.

TYPE OF FOOD. There is understandable disagreement among you about
kibble. I tentatively believe that 95% canned food is better for her
health. :-)

How did I arrive at 5% for dry food? Basically, one meal per week, so
she will remain in the habit of accepting it when there is no other
alternative (eg, when we cannot be there to feed her and must leave
food outside).

I'll also stop buying "candy" type treats and use dry food as treat
when absolutely necessary.

Also considering including some kitten food in her diet for extra
calories during Winter.

THE 5 AM PROBLEM. I talked to my SO and we agreed about why we have
been so soft with her. It is because we know that she does not use the
litter box!

Usually she has been indoors for 7-9 hours when she wants to eat and
run out. She may just want to run around, but we are afraid what if she
has to go to "bathroom". We give in because we don't have a cat-door
and don't want an accident inside. So we won't fight that battle. It is
not a big deal.

Thanks again. There will be more to learn, but this thread has been
very helpful.

On Nov 4, 1:34 am, RPSinha wrote:
Barb, studio, Mike, Ted, William, Rene...
Thanks again.

_.-.~'-'~`'~)
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|,o` .// ' ; ;/'
'-\\~;'@ ( ;;'
,-'' ,-)..-_ ;' .
(,_.-``" (,..--''

Meow