New to us cat

Slinky

We've very recently adopted a rescue cat. Aged about 2 years, weighs about 3.5kg, so very petite. He's very friendly and an absolute joy. The rescue told us to feed him 30g of dry food in the morning and a 100g packet of wet Felix at night as that's what he's been used to, at least for a few weeks before transitioning to anything else.  This seems a very small amount of food, bearing in mind now he's moving around much more than being in a pen. He's not yet going outside. His history is that he was found as a stray, so could be used to scavenging. He seems to be permanently hungry. I've just rescued him from having his head in the plastic bag recycling where he can obviously smell some sort of food on a plastic bag.

He's gobbling the food we give him down really quickly and crying for more. He does seem a bit skinny. We have been giving him a bit more than the 30g.

Our previous cats we've been able to feed some wet food morning and evening, and leave out a bowl of biscuits for them to graze on through the day, but I think he'd just keep eating any amount we leave out until he's sick.

Has anybody ever had a cat who clears their food immediately transition to being more of a self regulating grazer? None of our previous cats were overweight but always had access to dry food whenever they wanted it.

I will speak to the rescue centre for advice, but I'd be interested in any experiences the forum can offer.  TIA.

ButterCheese

Has the cat been wormed?  Hunger and over eating is a sure sign, you might want to check if you are up to date with worming tablets.

Other than that, I've had 6 or 7 cats in my time and none were what I'd call greedy.  Our current one (1YO) just eats dry biscuits and a bit of wet meat sometimes.  She's always trying to eat the dog food but once we shoo her away, she just goes back to her nap or goes outside.  She is very petite also, and we leave a bowl full of biscuits out but she only ever eats little and (not very) often.

It might be that being a stray, he feels he's got to gorge when he gets the chance.  Maybe just keep on being strict and he'll stop gorging once he knows he can get food whenever he wants?

Slinky

Yes he was wormed in August. He's not been outside or in contact with other cats so worms are very unlikely at this stage. The pen he was in was an indoor one, so very unlikely that a rodent would have been eaten. Next wormer due in November according to the rescue.

Rodders53

What is this cat's ideal target weight (range)?  Ask the Rescue and/or your Vet.

If it's within the guidelines then..... do not over-feed and allow him to get overweight.  Keep weighing him.  If he's losing weight then he obviously needs a bit more food.

Only really used to a Cavalier King Charles but they are so prone to being over-fed I cringe when I see some fat ones out and about.  Ours used to start snoring if we were too generous with the food.  Regular weighing was essential.

The late in-Laws' Siamese cat was a 'fussy eater' and had foods swapped for different stuff by M-i-L and the rejected food wasted  --- when we looked after him and ignored his (very vocal) complaints he eventually ate all that he was given. PS our dog and their cat got on OK.

springmagpie

We have two cats, one is happy to graze on biscuits, he's a big fluffy boy but not overweight. We also have a skinny rescued farm cat, who is permanently hungry, she cries like she's never been fed. She's wormed etc, I think she just has a fast metabolism, she'll happily eat 6 pouches of wet food a day and stays skinny  

Slinky

He's not yet been to our vet, and we're feeding him what the rescue said so presumably he's in the range they think is correct. He was 3.51kg when seen by their vet at the start of August, and 3.47kg when we took him home on Saturday. He seems quite skinny in front of his pelvis.

Brie

Our Artemis was petite (4+ kg) compared to her twin sister Ariadne (6.5kg) and compared to unrelated Smudge (male & about 9 kg).  None were fat but Smudge always cried for more and was over the moon when the kittens joined the household as their food was so much yummier than his.  

But Artemis as a teenager would inhale her food, bang out the cat flap, race around the garden and bang back in the cat flap to happily deposit all her food in the kitchen or on the lounge rug.  (why inside?  why not outside??) We couldn't regulate her food too easily due to greedy Smudge but were pleased that she stopped upchucking when she hit about 4 years.  (well it slowed down over the years 1 - 3).  

I'd suggest to not give in to the crying for more (bad habits) but maybe just up her food ever so slightly particularly in the morning and see if that helps.  Maybe mix a bit of water in the wet food to make it more filling and see if that settles things a bit.  

Keep ALL food away so that scavenging doesn't become the norm again. A previous cat Wimsey who was a pig would eat anything that was left out.  Worst was finding him face first in a very garlicky caesar salad - cat with garlic breath anyone?  Or having shredded open a bag of frozen croissants my FiL had left thawing on the kitchen counter for breakfast all the way down the hall.

Also try to set up a signal to announce meals which will make him more willing to come home knowing that dinner will be served.  We had a bell outside our kitchen door that would be rung if all 3 cats weren't sitting and waiting for their fodder.  

Slinky

Good suggestions, thanks

Mnoee

If he's gobbling down dry food quickly, there's a few options to slow him down. Snuffle mat to hide the food in - not just for dogs! There's balls to chase around with holes in that let out food. There's also a whole range of 'activities' and puzzles for food. 

Mine were rescues too and the former stray really took to this sort of thing. They're all fairly cheap at £5-20 ish, but you could DIY similar things to be super money saving - few kibble in each section of an egg carton, kibble hidden in folds of a blanket, shallow box with holes cut in and kibble inside... 

YBR

My parents-in-law have an ex-rescue cat that will eat and never stop. She ballooned in weight when they first had her but now is in a strictly limited diet to main a reasonable weight. She never ceases to complain how hard-done-by she is! She doesn't seem to have settled enough to stop that behaviour and she's been with them 5 to 8 years I guess.

Savvy_Sue

I think some cats really enjoy telling the world that no-one has ever fed them, and that they are going to starve to death before your eyes if you don't remedy this situation, and no, you did not just see food provided by some other cat-servant, it was your imagination because did you not hear what they just said, NO-ONE HAS EVER FED THEM!

This is often accompanied by winding themselves around your ankles in case you can't hear their complaints, which may slow you down but seems to be a necessary part of the performance.

Of course check weight and condition with rescue and vet, but some of them really do sound piteous for no sound reason.