Cat Problems

super_woodwinder · Post by **super_woodwinder** » Thu Aug 16, 2007 9:42 pm

hi, I got this kitten named Cupcake for my boyfriend for his birthday, and now it's almost 3 months old. SHE IS HORRIBLE! I'm not saying she's not cute, of course she is! But she is the biggest moucher in the entire universe! She is worse then dogs! A few days ago, i was eating on the couch, and she runs, RUNS, headfirst into my plate! That might be the spawn of the REAL problem! She is getting FAT! She's only a kitten! I don't know what to do, because when I take HER food away, she eats the dog food! or 'cute faces' her way into having people give her food when i'm not there! Diet cans of food don't work, because she finds them and EATS THE WHOLE CAN!!! This is probably a typical problem... but I've never had a cat before...

cowtime · Post by **cowtime** » Thu Aug 16, 2007 9:48 pm

Cats NEED food formulated for cats, in reasonable amounts. Put up what the dogs haven't eaten after 10 minutes. They are done with it by then. Dog food does not have the high protein,etc. that cats require. Don't give in to the begging. Otherwise you shorten your kitten's lifespan due to poor nutrition....(unless that is the goal.....)

Flogging Jason · Post by **Flogging Jason** » Thu Aug 16, 2007 10:54 pm

Get a watergun!!!!!! I PROMISE you it works. Use it whenever the cat tries to eat ANY food that is not hers. You also need to put your foot down with your housemates and explain to them that cats suffering from obesity are subject to many of the same problems that effect humans. (not to mention the fact that people food can cause serious digestive problems for kitty) Whatever you do....do NOT feel bad about squirting your cat with water.

chrisoff · Post by **chrisoff** » Fri Aug 17, 2007 2:41 am

One of our cats used to appear on your shoulder if you were eating something like chicken or fish. Cute and it usually worked as well (we're so gullible).

I would suggest keeping the cans in a cupboard where the kitten can't get to them, feeding the dogs in a room with a door so the cats can't get in (what kind of wussy dogs let a cat steal their food anyway?), only give her enough food for that meal and make sure you play with her a lot so she gets plenty of excercise.

Cass · Post by **Cass** » Fri Aug 17, 2007 2:51 am

It is unusual that a kitten this small is getting fat...have you wormed her?? She may have a belly full of worms, and these will be stealing the nutrients from her...making her seem fat (because she's full of worms), and very very hungry at the same time. At this time of her life, she will be growing faster than at any other time. She really needs to be getting her food. Check out the worm situation.

Kittens get roundworms from their mother. (Passed to them through their mother's milk). They must be wormed regularly...every few weeks until you see no more worms, then about every 3 months for the rest of the cats' life.
(Roundworms can be hard to see...like strands of cotton). Make sure you get a wormer which is appropriate for kittens.
Hope this helps.
Cass.

chrisoff · Post by **chrisoff** » Fri Aug 17, 2007 2:55 am

Have fun giving a cat it's first worm tablet

kkrell · Post by **kkrell** » Fri Aug 17, 2007 3:05 am

Cass wrote:It is unusual that a kitten this small is getting fat...have you wormed her?? She may have a belly full of worms, and these will be stealing the nutrients from her...making her seem fat (because she's full of worms), and very very hungry at the same time. At this time of her life, she will be growing faster than at any other time. She really needs to be getting her food. Check out the worm situation.

Cass.

Unless de-wormed, worms are a given with a kitten. Make sure the de-worming meds are measured for the weight of the animal.

Also, a kitten will eat more than you'd think, due to growth development and a kitten's energy requirements. An example of portions for the raw food I use, is 2.5% of body weight to maintain an adult cat's weight, 3% for slight weight gain. A kitten (8 weeks-1 year) would get 4%. Under 8 weeks, 4.5 to 8%. Kittens should be fed 3-4x/day, with their portion divided into those meals. Only 2x/day for adults.

CHasR · Post by **CHasR** » Fri Aug 17, 2007 5:51 am

sigh!
So many cats, so few recipies.

djm · Post by **djm** » Fri Aug 17, 2007 6:49 am

I have only ever given cats a dry kibble. I would seek a vet's help to see if you need to deworm or not. No extra meals or people food or treats. My last cat lived to 17, so I don't think there's anything wrong with this method.

djm

Post by **Nanohedron** » Fri Aug 17, 2007 10:07 am

Definitely have the kitten checked for worms. It's the first thing that came to mind for me. Dunno what you meant by "fat", super_woodwinder, but if it's a round belly, that could mean something along those lines, too.

I had a kitten that was crazy-ravenous, and the cause turned out to be worms. She had a rounded belly, too. After treatment everything was much better, belly and all, and like most cats should normally do, the kitten would only eat enough to be satisfied and wasn't nearly as food-obsessed as before.

I agree with djm about the dry catfood. The soft stuff is bad for their teeth in the long run. And you may have to institute a feeding regimen for both dogs and cats instead of leaving the dishes around for the picking.

kkrell · Post by **kkrell** » Fri Aug 17, 2007 10:34 am

Dry cat food is bad for the kidneys. And doesn't help all that much with tartar.

May I suggest:

http://www.primalpetfoods.com/

http://www.rawfedcats.org/

Kevin Krell

Post by **Nanohedron** » Fri Aug 17, 2007 10:43 am

A point worth considering, Kevin. My vet didn't mention that, although it may have to do with the brand and what it's made of, and it may have to do with the cat.

Last checkup, my 14-year-old is in robust good health all around, FWIW. Kidneys, teeth, and all. Fingers crossed.

anniemcu · Post by **anniemcu** » Fri Aug 17, 2007 10:58 am

I concur with getting her checked for worms.

Also the kitten formula food and no other until she's a year old.

And a thumbs up on the squirt bottle... but try not to giggle when you use it, and don't let anyone "play" with the kitten with it. It's very effective as a training tool, but you have to take seriouse responsibility for the mental health of the cat, and only use it to clearly identify what is not to be done.

Cynth · Post by **Cynth** » Fri Aug 17, 2007 12:24 pm

Lots of good advice already given. Once your kitty has been de-wormed, I think she is supposed to eat all the kitten food she wants until about a year or so. Then, like I have to do with my kitties, you may have to have specific mealtimes and not leave the food out unsupervised if you have a kitty that tends to gain weight. I guess this could be hard if you are not home during the day. If she goes after the dog food, then you will have to put that food away so she can't get to it. As far as begging for food from humans, you have to absolutely stop giving in to her, as hard as it is. Since it sounds like she is successful once in a while, why wouldn't a clever kitty give it a shot whenever she can? You have to be totally consistent. If the begging is out of hand, you might try putting her gently and kindly outside the room and closing the door gently for about 3 minutes when she does the unwanted behavior. Then let her back in. If you leave her out longer she won't get the connection between the unwanted behavior and having the door closed---so you need to open the door again and then put her out and close it only when she does something not acceptable. Being separated from you is the punishment, it is a punishment to cats to be ignored. No need to scold or be harsh at all. She wants to be around you even more than she wants food. It is hard to put a kitty outside the room and hear her cry, but if you are very consistent I think you will only have to do it two or three times. Of course, running headfirst into a plate also sounds like something a 3 month old kitty might do just for fun too

. My cat has walked across the pancakes on my plate a couple of times---just for kicks I guess. Uh oh, speaking of kitty meals, I think I must have two kitties waiting outside very hungrily for their lunches. Let us know how things work out.

Lambchop · Post by **Lambchop** » Sat Aug 18, 2007 3:22 am

super_woodwinder wrote:hi, I got this kitten named Cupcake for my boyfriend for his birthday, and now it's almost 3 months old. SHE IS HORRIBLE! I'm not saying she's not cute, of course she is! But she is the biggest moucher in the entire universe! She is worse then dogs! A few days ago, i was eating on the couch, and she runs, RUNS, headfirst into my plate! That might be the spawn of the REAL problem! She is getting FAT! She's only a kitten! I don't know what to do, because when I take HER food away, she eats the dog food! or 'cute faces' her way into having people give her food when i'm not there! Diet cans of food don't work, because she finds them and EATS THE WHOLE CAN!!! This is probably a typical problem... but I've never had a cat before...

Yes, good advice already given. I'd like to add that this sounds like normal kitten behavior! I've never had one that did not do this! I've never had one that didn't investigate and explore even the most implausibly edible substances.

One of mine ate a chunk out of an uncarved roast turkey when my back was turned. Another ate a huge hole out of the middle of a sheet pan of gingerbread. They've lapped gravy and butter, done four-footed leaps into mashed potatoes, attacked green beans, excavated salads to get at the dressing, licked sauce, and dragged pieces of chicken off the table and over the floor into another room where they could feast undisturbed.

Kittens are HUNGRY because they're growing! They grow fast, so they need food. There is special kitten food to give them the nutrition they need--directions for amounts are on the package.

They are also learning rapidly, so they investigate and explore, and they're often rambunctious about it. You might be thinking kitties should be sleepy and sedate, like "Morris the Cat," but kittens aren't! They're interested in everything, getting into things and causing mayhem. As annoying as this can be, it's a good sign--it shows she's intelligent!

All young animals have to learn to hunt for food--find it, catch it, kill it, eat it. With no live prey to catch, your kitten is learning about the next best thing . . . your dinner.

I think it's unusual for a kitten to be getting fat, so I'd check on the worm thing. If you've been restricting her food or giving her diet food, which is made for adult cats and would not have the nutrition she needs, you might be underfeeding her. She needs to GROW right now and might not have enough food to do that.

In other words, she may be desperately hungry because she's starving.

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