# How can I tell whether my cat is hungry or whether she's just begging for food?



## sneakyocelot (May 24, 2015)

She's 9 lbs and has a small frame. I adopted her from a shelter 2 months ago and she was spayed at about the same time. She's 2 years old and an indoor cat. I calculated that she should be eating around 240 calories. I live alone in a 1 bedroom apartment and she has a cat tree. She gets 240 kcal over three meals. However, she'll still wake me up in the middle of the night with an empty dish begging for food. She gets dry food but I live in a remote area so my options are limited. I don't want to free feed her because all the free fed cats I know are obese. At the same time I don't want her to be neurotic about food


----------



## TabbCatt (Mar 26, 2014)

Oh, I think if you can offer her wet food, that would be a lot more satisfying than the best dry food...kibbles are filled with lots of carbs, which isn't filling or nutritious for a feline. It also adds the unwanted weight.

Can you get any canned cat food? First Mate is a good one to try for you if you have it in your area, it's also a Canadian brand, and we Americans know Canadians make excellent cat food!  If your kitty likes it, buy the big doggie cans, they are identical formulas to the feline ones and are more cost effective. They have it in chicken, turkey, and fish, but I avoid all fish for cats. Canned food will also have extra moisture to keep your kitty well hydrated.


----------



## radtech (Sep 20, 2014)

I just read an interesting article on this the other day. If I can find it again, I'll post it. My cats wake me about an hour to 30 minutes before they normally get fed. The article said that cats, having an excellent internal clock, will start producing a certain acid that prepares their stomachs for food. So, if my cat is used to eating at 4am, the acid will start to produce between 3am-330am. Hence, my cats wake me up around 330am every day(unless I close my door, then they just head butt the door). It also stated that if food is delayed by a great deal...like more than an hour, that they may even puke up a little bit of this acid...because it's still building in their stomachs. 

I feed my cats commerical raw, canned, very little kibble as a snack 3x a week. It doesn't matter with mine...they will still wake me up and act as if they've not been fed for 24 hours or something. That being said, I do think that some wet food would benefit her healthwise, but don't get your hopes up that she'll stop waking you up to be fed. It's just in their little quirky personalities to do so. The only thing that helps me is to close the door and put something in front of it, like a laundry basket, to stop her from "knocking" on my door. I have 3 cats and they take turns trying to wake me up


----------



## radtech (Sep 20, 2014)

Found the article. Here's the URL and I've copied and pasted the portion I was trying to remember. 
A Vomiting Cat is Not Normal | Learn the Reasons Cats Vomit


*The Timing of Meals Makes a Difference*
Portion-fed animals that are fed, for example, at 6:00 am and 8:00 pm, will begin to anticipate the next meal in advance – sometimes way in advance.
You might find your kitty waking you at 5:00 am because he knows meal time is near.
For the next hour, your cat's stomach will release hydrochloric acid, gastric juices and bile, all of which are needed to digest his meal.
Now let's say for some reason you don't feed your kitty until 7:00 am. There's a good chance he'll throw up some white foam and a bit of yellow bile between 6:00 am and 7:00 am. That's because the hydrochloric acid irritates his tummy, and since there's still no food in there for the acid to digest, his body gets rid of some of the acid to avoid further irritation.
In this situation it's best to give your cat a little something to nibble on before you feed her, like a treat or a small portion of her meal. If your pet is prone to vomiting before meals, try giving her a treat ahead of time so the hydrochloric acid she's producing will have something to work on. This will decrease GI irritation and should resolve the pre-meal vomiting as well.​


----------



## Nuliajuk (Oct 25, 2014)

Try playing with her until she's really tired late at night, then give her a snack or even one of her meals. She'll sleep a big longer, as that duplicates a carnivore successfully catching, killing, and eating prey.
Some cats, like some humans, just have more active metabolisms. Our male cat eats like a horse and is still rangy and lean. Our little female had increased appetite after being spayed, as the pregnancy hormones hadn't left her body yet, but now she barely eats a fraction of what he does, yet is still a rolly polly little thing.


----------



## laurief (Jun 22, 2008)

sneakyocelot said:


> I calculated that she should be eating around 240 calories.


Those calculations aren't set in stone. They're just generalized feeding guidelines. The obvious question is, how is your cat's weight? Is she too skinny, too heavy, or just right? If she's at a good weight now, keep feeding the calories you're feeding now. If she loses or gains weight, adjust her food portions to maintain her ideal weight. Cats who are actively losing weight can be VERY DEMANDING about food, so make sure she's not losing weight unless she needs to. Even then, make sure she's losing it very gradually. Rapid weight loss can kill a cat.

Laurie


----------



## sneakyocelot (May 24, 2015)

laurief said:


> Those calculations aren't set in stone. They're just generalized feeding guidelines. The obvious question is, how is your cat's weight?


She seems just right right no (maybe a bit on the heavy side of just right, her ribs are decently padded), but I have been strict with her food. My friend has a cat who is so fat he can't clean himself properly anymore. My girl is a young, active cat and I'd like to keep her active (feather stick etc) as much as I can.


----------



## TabbCatt (Mar 26, 2014)

Canned food will certainly keep her active and satisfied more than kibbles. People always comment once they do the full changeover the differences they see. But going raw will revv her metabolism even more. Raw isn't for everyone, and I'm still learning things myself. 

Btw, Laurief is one member who always gives great advice. Can you see your kitty's "waist line" when you look down on her from above?


----------



## Mandy and Ellie (Oct 22, 2013)

I completely agree with everyone else... especially on the fact that dry food is too high in carbs and too low in protein, on top of being horribly dehydrating and not a species-appropriate diet for cats. Cats are obligate carnivores, carbs aren't natural to their diet and leave them feeling unsatisfied and wanting more food. Wet food is high in protein, low in carbs, and high in moisture, making it the closest thing to species appropriate other than raw.

I'd highly recommend taking a look at Feeding Your Cat: Know the Basics of Feline Nutrition :: healthy cat diet, making cat food, litter box, cat food, cat nutrition, cat urinary tract health. It's a wealth of information about feline nutrition from one of the best veterinarians on feline health.

My cat, Ellie, was doing exactly what your cat was. I looked for help on the forum, asked my vet, and also read catinfo.org, and all places said she might just need MORE than the typical amount of calories (which is just a general guideline, like Laurief said). I simply give her more wet food on the days she seems hungrier, and she is still a perfect 7.5 pounds. My vet said some cats, just like people, have faster metabolisms and need more food especially if they're active! Sedentary, elderly cats and active, young cats need MUCH different amount of calories.

Many vets and feline nutritionists actually say it's fine to free-feed wet or raw food to cats without weight problems, as long as you monitor your cat. A scale is helpful in these situations. Make sure they aren't losing or gaining weight too rapidly. 

It's great that you're worried about preventing obesity (cats like your friends are just sad... poor things) but as long as you figure out the right amount of food for her (and preferably make it species appropriate) and keep a close eye on her weight, you'll be fine. If you think she begins gaining a bit much for her frame, you can easily adjust the food down. Since your girl is young and active, I'd bet she needs more calories than she's being fed.


----------



## Marcia (Dec 26, 2010)

I firmly believe that cats don't just beg for food if they are not hungry. I would get a good quality canned cat food (Wellness makes a good brand that is good quality and reasonably priced) and let her eat her fill then take the plate away until the next feeding.


----------



## radtech (Sep 20, 2014)

I have to disagree, as my cats are on a high quality raw and canned food and they continually wake me up 30 minutes before they are scheduled to eat. I feed Nature's variety instinct canned, Hound&Gatos and Primal raw, Stella and Chewy's dehydrated raw. (used to feed wellness, but it contains carageenan and they constantly threw it up). I think it really depends on the cat. I just happen to have 3 cats who like to make sure I'm not late for their breakfast. Even 1 cat will meow and run around my legs waiting for his bowl, but barely eat more than a few bites before he goes to lay back down. He'll eventually get up and eat the rest, but he's just on a schedule that can't be tampered with.


----------



## littlecatblue (Sep 3, 2013)

I have had cats for 20+ years and have stopped giving kibble, except for next week when we are on vacation. I can't ask my sister to feed my cats three times a day. LOL. They will get kibble on demand with the vacation feeder, and will probably grow fat and happy because of it! 

The cats are on a wet diet with a schedule. They each get 1 can of wet food a day. They get 1/3 serving at breakfast, lunch and dinner. I know they are getting what they need and they are learning to beg when food is expected. 

The vomiting article was interesting. I noticed my cats seem to vomit more as they grow older. Lately, Otis, the 14 year old tabby, cannot tolerate fish varieties. He likes the turkey, and that is what he will get until the end of his days. Whenever I do the fish version of his food, he vomits.


----------



## littlecatblue (Sep 3, 2013)

Oh, and they will wake me up at anytime of day to get fed. I refuse them often. Cats are opportunists.


----------

