# Help! My cat acts like he's starving....



## Carey_PA (Oct 24, 2008)

Ok so about hmmmm 6 months ago I switched all 3 of my cats from free feeding dry food to wet food.

They each get 1/2 a can in the morning and 1/2 can in the evening. The one I'm writing about now was the biggest problem but he's come around famously and they all only eat wet food now.

My problem is that Blade is constantly crying, rubbing up and purring against me or anyone, jumping on the counter, racing you out to the kitchen, just non-stop acting like he doesn't get fed at all. What do I do? I'm starting to feel really bad....ya know like I'm starving the poor guy.

He's the kitty that weighs the most too. He's about 17 lbs. He's lost a lil bit of weight but nothing major....but I wouldn't dare feel him LESS.

Any advice? I figured 6 months was enough time for him to get used to his feeding schedule and not be wanting food everytime he sees somebody. Although in his defense he wasn't a full 6 months....I had to gradually ween him off the dry to the wet. He started w/ dry in the am and wet in the pm. 

Help please. Thanks.


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## WhiteKitties (Dec 22, 2008)

Keep track of Blade's weight and energy level, and that will give you a good indication of if he's crying because he's hungry or if he's crying because he misses the dry food. A couple of months ago I switched my girls from one wet meal a day to two, and Fern does the same thing. She's a total dry food junkie, and some days she will turn her nose up at her wet food and cry by the pantry door because she knows I have some dry food in there. But her energy levels have skyrocketed since the switch from mostly dry to mostly wet, so I know she's fine. She's lost about half a pound, but that was just the little pooch she had, and looks fantastic. 

Oh, and as you're noting Blade's weight, pay attention to whether you're weighing him before or after he poops.... I've weighed Fern before AND after a few times, and there's been up to a half a pound difference! :roll:


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## Carey_PA (Oct 24, 2008)

Thanks Diana. I will definitely keep track. His energy seems fine to me. Especially when I find his lil mouse that he hides sometimes. He loves chasing that thing around.

I mean he's eating, drinking, playing...doing everything normal in my opinion. I wouldn't say that he's got increased energy, but he's got energy. I mean seriously as I type this he is right on top of me purring and rubbing up against me (I just came in with groceries.) OMG he's so adorable.....

I will def. have to keep in mind when I'm weighing before or after he poops. You know what I was also wondering..you know how for people they say to weigh in the am...does that go for cats too?


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## laurief (Jun 22, 2008)

I weigh my cats every two weeks at generally the same time of day. I figure this keeps things as consistent and accurate as possible. I also track their weights in a spreadsheet on my computer so that I can see at a glance exactly how each cat's weight has changed over the last couple of years.

What I noticed in my own cats was that when I first put them on a weight loss diet and they started to drop weight, they were pretty demanding of food. But after a few weeks, most of them stopped obsessing about food except right before mealtimes. A couple of them, though, still try to convince me that they are starving and need to be fed all the time (I'm not convinced).

What size is the can you're feeding your boy? If it's a 3 oz can, that's certainly not enough to maintain adequate weIght in a 17 lb cat. A 5.5 oz can may not be enough, either. Again, you need to weigh your boy regularly so that you know if he's maintaining proper weight on his current food portions.

If your boy is acting hungry all of the time AND is dropping weight quickly, you should get him to your vet for a bloodtest including thyroid test. Rapid weight loss is dangerous in cats and may indicate an underlying medical problem, assuming you're feeding an otherwise adequate amount of food.

Remember that there is no one-size-fits-all diet plan for cats. The amount of food your 17 lb cat requires is likely to be more than a 10 lb cat would require. Be adjustable.

Laurie


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## Carey_PA (Oct 24, 2008)

Laurie,

You made some good points. I feed him a 5.5 oz. can of food. I really haven't noticed that much weight loss.....but I will check him out again (I've been doing it once a month but I lost all of my data for all of the months prior to last month grrr.)

Maybe I should give him more but it's confusing because he's not really losing a huge amount of weight on 1 can a day and I certainly don't want him gaining more weight. I'll post the numbers tomorrow for just the other month and this month just to see if you can get an idea (I know 2 months ain't much but I can't find the other months numbers.)

My other cats are 12.5 lbs and 14 lbs. They eat a 5.5 oz. can of food a day as well and they act hungry alot too but nothing close to Blade (the 17 lb guy.) They are all due to go to the vet this week so I will make them all get a thyroid test


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## laurief (Jun 22, 2008)

Are these fat cats or just big-boned cats? My biggest boy, Noddy, was morbidly obese at 26.45 lbs before I started the kitty kids on a diet. It took about 16 mos to get Noddy down to a very lean 16.25 lbs. At 16.25 lbs. Noddy is actually a bit too thin, but he has a MASSIVE bone structure - the largest I've ever seen in a cat. It's hard for me even to imagine a cat with a larger skeletal structure than Noddy, so I am assuming that your Blade is overweight at 17 lbs. If that's the case, it's a good idea to gradually take the extra weight off of him.

Laurie


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## Carey_PA (Oct 24, 2008)

laurief said:


> Are these fat cats or just big-boned cats?


Gosh...I have no idea. I think he's just a lil chunky, but nothing major. I mean, I personally, thinks he looks fine but the vet always said he could stand to lose a few pounds and whenever new people meet him they say boy he's fat. (of course I yell at them lol)

If I can post pictures here...I'll post one and you can tell me what you think.


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