best food to fill up a cat

debsue

He needs his thyroid checking, take him to the vet

oldandhappy

Our little girl is food mad and named miss piggy. We had to rescue her at the early time of 6 weeks old and soon discovered she had tape worm..poor little mite, but soon rid of the blighters and never looked back. We cut her down to two meals a day as soon as we could and her weight is fine...but we do have to be on guard when our two are eating at the same time...She will eat anything almost..in the cat food ranges..Iams and like with high meat contents seem to be long satisfying and I buy coley fish which only takes about a min and half to cook in a small amount of milk in microwave...that fills her up...likewise fresh chicken. Felix is fairly filling also. Gourmet has smaller portions although well liked. Likely she is just a bit of a spoilt cat like ours and they will take advantage and soon get into the habit of begging at every opportunity. Mrs Happy
....the picture is our lovely twosome on a best behaviour moment
If she does have thyroid issues it is easily dx'd and treatable.

piptiddlepip

Cats are like children in a way and will often "try it on" to see if they can get any extra. Ours are always on the blag, even if there if food in the dish sometimes. All cats are different of course but we are firm with ours and they know we won't give in to them if we know they're not hungry or if there is still food in their bowl. We give them about 4 sachets a day between them, plus biscuit which they use as "snacks" while we're out.

If thyroid turns out not to be the problem, my guess is you need to be firm with him and also your husband - no more slipping him treats!

samjones39blue

My little baby Bella (7 month old) seems to have been eating a fair bit recently. I thought this was normal for a female after she'd been 'done' (was told this my the vet) but now I'm worried she might have worms!!!

As a cat owner I probably should know but how do they get worms?? and how do I know if she got them?? She's not really been outside yet (just a 5 minutes here and there in the garden)

hamaradam Like the idea of cooking some fish bits think I'll ask my local fish monger when I'm next in town. How long do you cook it in the micro for?? Oh just thought maybe I can get fish bits from the supermarket if they have a fish counter??????

daphne_descends

I've got two kittens, and one of them, Louis (pictured) has taken to waking me up by tapping my face in the morning when he wants feeding. He knows perfectly well what he is doing, we try to feed at regular times but he has woken me up as early as 3am before, I can tell you that's not hunger, that's greed - and it serves me right for giving in (though not always my fault - I assumed it was time to get up i.e. 6am the first few times!).

The other, Hurley, does not bother me to be fed so much but is a nightmare when I'm having breakfast, meowing with that innocent look trying to get you to give in...

If a cat is ignored they will eventually give up. Our two are just getting used to exploring the garden and I can't exactly explain to them why they cannot go out at 10.30 in the evening, sometimes it's tempting to give in but they do give up after a while.

lizzyb1812

OP - what you have there is a teenage boy! Ask any mum of teenage boys and they will tell you they have hollow legs and will eat them out of house and home.

Every cat I've had (5 so far) has clapped on weight in the winter/colder months. I think it's to do with the cold, building fat stores, etc, but OH reckons it's boredom - less to do/catch outside! They all returned to their beautiful svelte selves in spring. I've had a mix of boys/girls/neutered/un-neutered.

If you've wormed him and he's not overweight and your vet is not worried, then your real problem seems to be an economic one. Our latest mistress Bella (snap samjones!) was fed on Whiskas dry - tuna flavour only as she is definitely a "fishy" cat. One week I tried her on Lidl's tuna flavoured "Coshida" dry food and we've never looked back - it's about half the price of Whiskas, and dry food costs less than tinned generally anyway.

A cat will always try it on, and will try to wear you down by doing the "I'm waiting" thing until you give in - never underestimate the power of a determined cat - but put down plenty of dry food and a good supply of clean, fresh water and your conscience will be clear.

There is one final tip - if OH persists in giving treats then abdicate responsibility for feeding the cat. OH will definitely not let him starve and there will be no possibility of the cat pulling off the "no-one's fed me today" trick!

Cats - I love 'em!

lizzyb

And dogs too

lizzyb1812

Samjones - re your Bella - your vet should have told you about worming - unfortunately it is perfectly possible for kittens to be born with worms. However this is easily sorted by regular worming - but please do your own research as to when/how often, because I'm a long time cat owner not a vet!

izzyb

oldandhappy

Vetuk you can buy the good flea and worm treatment much cheaper than the Vets normally.

Eels100

A medical problem such as a hyperthyroidism is really unlikely in a cat of this age and providing your cat isn't losing weight I really wouldn't be concerned about this issue. However, do take your own vet's advice on whether it might be causing a problem.

A couple of pointers though - it has traditionally been advised that dry food is better for dental health as the crunching action cleans the teeth. However, eating biscuits cannot compare to crunching bones, which is what cats are designed to do, and many cats on dry food still develop dental disease. If this concerns you I'd advise starting a brushing regime ASAP. I think a more significant problem is that of FLUTD (feline lower urinary tract disease), which is definitely linked (although not exclusively) to overweight, sedentary male neutered cats on dry foods.

My advice would be to continue feeding wet food on a meals basis but leave good quality biscuit available ad lib (something like James Wellbeloved is fab) with several shallow dishes of fresh water available throughout the house. It is likely that the voracious appetite will settle down as your cat reaches maturity, but you will also find that if you stop feeding him treats and ensure he cannot steal food then he will become less demanding too. I would advise that you weigh him regularly and consult your vet about his optimal weight, because if his eating habits lead to obesity you will be facing an awful lot more trouble. Dieting a cat once it is overweight makes achieving peace in the Middle East look easy!