My cat is doing my head in!

Lilith1980

I am very strict about not giving my cat treats, however my husband used to give him bits off his pizzas which annoyed me no end!

I'm not sure how long I will stay at this place to be honest - the minimum let is 6 months so not sure because it's an 'ok' property but not the best. So not sure about asking for a catflap. The landlord knows I have a cat and is fine with it though.

Could I let him out in the morning and call him before I leave for work and give him his food? Although I guess there is no guarantee that he will come back.

Mankysteve

A cat can look after them quite well even in bad weather, If the weather decent then there will be no problem leaving him out during the day. The other option to cat flap is cat house just like a dog house with a cat flap attached from him to sleep in/get out of any bad weather while your away.

LittleMissAspie

You don't need a cat flap, just let him out when you're home. It's not like he's used to coming and going as he wants. It works great for my cat, she generally prefers to stay in but goes out for at least 10 mins most days, much longer in the summer.

You could try a food with a higher meat content to fill him up better. But he might just be obsessed with food like my parents cat, you can't leave anything on the sides or he'll be up there trying to eat it. Even when you make a cup of coffee he thinks it's for him. My dad poaches or soft boils an egg for him and gives him the yolk, it's the only thing that seems to satisfy him.

Lilith1980

Lol, yeah Charlie has drunk cold tea before - yuk!

I think I'll do that then, let him out while I am home and see how he goes on. Will go to the vet first and get him microchipped. Might also be worth getting one of those collar things that asks people not to feed him, otherwise I can see him becoming a podgy moggy! Not sure if they really deter people though

kjmtidea

My 2 cats always appear when I start cooking, my other half took his eye off Luigi for 2 seconds once and the last he saw of his steak was it going out the catflap :rotfl:
We have to empty the bin constantly otherwise they will be straight in it, on the upside I don't need to hoover quite so much...

rita-rabbit

Indoor cats are more clingy & greedy: fact

if you feed yr mog higher quality food he will want/eat less & behave better: fact (I found out it's actually cheaper to feed mine raw/Burns dry/Bozita wet than stuff like Felix & Go-cat - as long as you bulk buy online & in advance)

some cats will overeat despite what they say that cats don't: fact

katenut

Re: the Feliway plug-in - it worked wonders for my cat!! But he had more anxiety-related issues (traumatic upbringing bless him ), so I dont know if it would help in your case. Mine went from a clingy, neurotic mess to a semi-confident cat, he still fusses for food but not nearly as much as previously.

I would also agree with the higher quality food theory - my cat 'grazes' but he only has veterinary prescription biscuits due to a urinary tract problem, and a tiny half handful will satisfy his hunger for a few hours. Before he was ill I bought him supermarket own brand food, and he got through loads!

Definately agree with letting him out - I work in a vets and we see more long-term health problems with house cats than outdoor cats, they may go and eat all sorts and drink out of puddles but evolution has honed their survival insticts fairly well!

Fire_Fox

Noah is very greedy, he weighs a stone :eek: which the vet was happy with but he can't gain any more. I think it is partly that he was a stray, partly something to do (cannot go out due to paw condition).

Like you, Lilith, I only feed high meat content foods but find he seems less hungry on raw days, and less mew-y if he has three meals a day, the last one right before bed. Perhaps because lumps of bone-in meat take longer to eat ... Noah has to sniff everything I eat even if it is lentil soup. :rotfl:

I would try letting him out when you are around to supervise as, at the very least, that will be extra exercise which means he is less likely to gain weight. Plus if he goes out he may make friends with the neighbours and have some company whilst you are work. Maybe consider getting some solo play toys such as the Turbo Track - Noah plays with his multiple times a day.

Other than a ball feeder for dry food, you could make a cat intelligence toy to hide kibble in - search Katzenfummelbrett on YouTube.

Lilith1980

Thanks for your replies

I have started letting Charlie out and he seems to like it, he wouldn't wander far intially without me going out with him but now I open the door and he has a bit of an explore on his own.

I also got some Bozita which has gone down a treat. He has been very quiet today which got me worried actually, although maybe this means he is actually happy! I'm not used to him being quiet....he is eating ok and no signs of a scuffle with another cat. When I fed him this evening it was the first time he didn't got nuts and get under my feet, he just sat there patiently waiting whilst I broke the food up in his bowl.

I will keep an eye to make sure everything is ok. I'm never happy am I lol

caela_2

Lilith1980 wrote: »

Hi all,

Once I have fed him, I will make myself something to eat and he will want what I am having. I had some mince beef on the kitchen counter and he was eyeing that up although I told him to leave it alone, but had to keep an eye on him. He has started jumping up onto the kitchen tops as well at which point I shout at him and put him down on the floor.

We got him from a rescue centre in September last year, he was an indoor cat with myself and my ex husband. I am wondering whether I should get him micro-chipped and let him out - is he going stir crazy and this is his way of telling me??
feeding. I don't go down until it is time for me to get up (about 6am) but by then he has disturbed my sleep. Hubby used to let him on the bed but I didn't want that carrying on in my new place - but weirdly he doesn't cry for me when I go to bed.

In short, your cat is bored lol. I am not saying this to be rude, it's just we've been through the exact same thing and it was maddening!

Of course, check with a vet to make sure there is no medical reason for your cat's behaviour, but I'll also tell you what helped us.

Firstly, I re-thought the feeding regeime. Although I believed my cat was eating more than enough, seeing him alongside the neighbour's cat made me think he's quite small and I made an effort to feed him more. I feed my cat fresh food (supplemented with calcium such as milk or cheese) and for pet food, I use either http://www.petskitchen.co.uk/ or http://www.petsathome.com/shop/brands/all-brands/brands-pqr/purely-cat-food-treats/. These are both excellent brands. The right type of food will satisfy your cat for longer.

Consistency is SO important as well. Your cat must know when to expect their next meal, otherwise they will whine all day. If they are fed randomly, they don't relate a pattern and will assume the only reason they get food is because their nagging has finally paid off. In fact, the constant nagging is enough to put you off feeding and this makes it even worse :mad:.

To stop the nagging, ignore it altogether and feed every 4 hours, when you take your own meals. This is the easiest way to monitor your cat's eating, as since you eat together, you'll probably be hungry together, so you can tell when he's faking it. It also means your cat won't be tempted by seeing food around after he's already eaten. Seeing food gives the idea of eating and can make you hungry, just how I can eat dinner but still can't resist desert!

The second, most important point, is to pay your cat more attention. Cats just want to be noticed and it sounds like the clinginess you describe is your cat trying to share your time. Even just talking to a cat can change their behaviour. I've recently noticed that if I talk to my cat, without even stroking him, he starts rolling over, walking around, rubbing his head on things and generally, becoming more excited. It's very cute lol.

I know it can be annoying if a cat is bothering you all day, because it makes you want to ignore them, but he's just trying to get your attention. When a cat gets bored, they do what we do; they eat. If your cat starts nagging and he's already eaten, get a toy and start playing with him. You'll see he immediately stops thinking about food and over time, the behaviour will change. Make food a necessity, not a form of entertainment.

I would also strongly suggest letting your cat out, if it is safe to do so. If you don't live too close to a main road and have a nice area for him to roam, let him have a wander. You may want to go with him the first few times, to familiarise him to the new area. Take him on a lead, or carry him and walk (if he is calm enough lol). Make sure he's been micro-chipped, vaccinated, etc. before-hand. Now that it's summer and my cat likes to be out more, he generally only comes in to eat and if it's an empty bowl, he's straight back outside lol! The cheek! :eek:

Trust me, I know how maddening a constantly begging cat is- mine would beg my boyf for food, eat it and then ask me, as if he hadn't been fed. He would always be in the kitchen and if he wasn't in the kitchen, he'd sit in the hallway and literally watch the kitchen all day. We used to call it kitchen worshipping lol. :rotfl:Things really turned around when I stopped allowing myself to get so annoyed and didn't give in to his whinning. I basically learnt to ignore it, where before, I'd get angry, scream at him, end up feeding him anyway cos I felt guilty and basically, confuse the hell out of him.

I know it can be really stressful, I'm so with you on that, but seriously, things are so much different now. Maybe keep a record of feeding times and amounts so you can monitor it better and make sure to pay him specific attention throughout the day. It's easy to include him in what you're doing by talking to him and looking him in the eyes. Cats literally do want to be treated like children and it's quite cute. There's a rule with cats; if you ignore them, they'll crave your attention and won't leave you alone. If you give them attention, they'll turn their heads up and walk away lol. Always happens. You may notice how when you have friends round, your cat fixates on the one person who doesn't like pets and it's cos they sense the indifference and crave the attention lol. Once you turn it around so that you're pursuing your cat, cuddling and talking to them, they'll run off and ignore you. It's just typical! Our cat flaunts himself for attention all day and when you do pick him up, he struggles to get away! We call it 'cuddle raping' now cos you just have to grab him and get a quick hug in!

Crazy animals... :eek: