Problems with the cat

SummerB0607

Since some of you on here are cat owners I thought I would ask you about my cat problem. Perhaps some of you may have suggestions or can point me in the right direction. My boyfriend's cat is generally very sweet and loving. Until you bring out the food. This cat acts like he is starving ALL THE TIME. And he's not. It started with him chewing open a bag of cat food. So we started putting his food in a container. And then he terrorizes my chiweenie and won't let him eat his food. So we started feeding him in another room. Finally, he will climb into our plates when we are eating and he won't stop. He also gets into boxed foods in the cabinets. Is therea way to train a cat to stop this?

Kehlepop

Have you taken him to a vet to see if there are internal problems?

SummerB0607

No, but that's a good idea!

mockingjay1

Kehlepop said:

Have you taken him to a vet to see if there are internal problems?

This. That does not seem like normal cat behavior, it sounds like he might have a medical issue. I'd take him to the vet sooner rather than later. 

SummerB0607

Okay. I am not a cat person and know very little about them so wasn't sure if it was maybe just a behavioral problem that could be fixed at home or not. Thank you ladies!

KLKilgore

We put our cat on the food from the vet. They have food that helps them "feel full". He gets fet twice a day and seems to be ok. Yes, he does try talking us into extra snacks eveytime we walk into the kitchen. We ignore him and he stops. Good luck!

ssstephanie214

I'm not sure this is such unusual behavior. Your cat sounds like kind of a bully but some cats are just like that. My cat is greedy too, jumps on the table at dinner, opens the cabinets to look for food. 

I bought this product a while ago and it has been a lifesaving miracle device:

It keeps my cat from eating too fast (leaving enough time for a dog, or person, to eat in peace), and also, I believe, exercises his cat mind. Any minimally smart cat should be able to figure it out--they're natural hunters. The tubes come in three sizes and can be changed up for new challenges. 

Other behavior changes I'd recommend are (1) establish a feeding schedule that you stick to, (2) make dinner time the same for everyone--you two, cat and dog, and (3) keep consistent with "NO" and removing him when he jumps on the table. Cats are slow to train and don't respond to punishment. So don't get frustrated, just be patient and consistent. 

It would be good to take him to the vet to at least rule out a thyroid problem. Is he very overweight? Underweight? Those can be indicators. 

Kristil2014

I would say that there is some kind if internal problem going on. This isn't a normal cat behavior.

SummerB0607

He's not overweight or underweight. I wonder if maybe he is jealous and trying to get attention. Me and my dog just moved in a month ago and he was used to having my boyfriend all to himself before then.

Melodyhay

Jackson Galaxy from the show "My Cat From Hell" is a great resource. https://jacksongalaxy.com/

Jpinky9

My parents cat started getting like that, not agressive, just wanting to eat all the time. My mom had to buy an automatic good dispenser that would release his food at a certain time or else he would just scarf down all the food in his dish in one sitting. He seems better now.

My friends cat was the same way and they took her to the vet and apparently she had a thyroid issue and was put on meds and is fine now.

I hope your kitty is ok!

mander82

Do you have food out for the cat all the time? Cats are grazers and need to have food available all the time. We keep a bowl of crunchy food out for ours all the time, then I give her some canned food several times throughout the day.

ssstephanie214

SummerB0607 said:

He's not overweight or underweight. I wonder if maybe he is jealous and trying to get attention. Me and my dog just moved in a month ago and he was used to having my boyfriend all to himself before then.

Honestly that could have something to do with it. Cats can get disturbed and act out as a result of  disruptions in their routine. The cat will probably appreciate it if you can establish a new one. And give him some space by himself away from the dog (a perch by the window?) 

SummerB0607

He's only a year old. We leave food out most of the time, but he only gets a certain amount to last through the day. He has lots of window perches the dog can't get to. I think he's just angry the dog is there, because while I have been there several times the dog has not.

MmmPopcorn

Does your cat ever go outside? It's possible that your cat has a case of worms or something. We do the same thing you do (serve a measured amount of food, but leave it out). How often do you feed your cat? You may want to increase feedings.

Another thing that helps is making sure your cat is eating the right serving size. Our cat grew very rapidly when we adopted him. It took us a few months to figure out that he needed to be eating a larger serving size of food, so we had to DOUBLE his portions. He's a big breed.

lizgrace03

mander82 said:

Do you have food out for the cat all the time? Cats are grazers and need to have food available all the time. We keep a bowl of crunchy food out for ours all the time, then I give her some canned food several times throughout the day.

This. Mine don't get wet food though. I just leave the food out in a self feeder and it's not a big deal. I think having too much ritual around their feeding can cause issues.

LMM1215

The cat may be trying to establish dominance / territory over the dog. He wants him to know that it was his house first. My cat acted similarly when we added our dog to the house.

DoubleUp8

Bat signal @runningmama14

cindyNmark2010

We have 2 cats and the older one does this all the time.  He had crystals a few years ago and the vet put both of them on special dry food for it.  No medical issues that are causing his constant wanting to eat though, he's just an AW.  We feed them in the am and pm while I make dinner and he still begs at the table like a dog but NEVER comes up on the table.  I "squirt bottled" that right out of him, it grossed me out.  Maybe try playing with him and tiring him out?   

lisaren

@runningmama14‌ maybe you can suggest something?

runningmama14

Definitely worth while to take him to the vet to get checked out for thyroid disease, intestinal parasites and other issues which may contribute to the behavior you are seeing.  I would also take the bag of food you feed into the vet with you.  They may be able to steer you towards a different diet once they rule other all medical issues.

He's pretty young for hyperthyroidism, but that doesn't make it impossible.  Even indoor cats can have intestinal parasites (especially if they weren't put through a full deworming course as kittens and the worms are still hanging around).  This may or may not have a medical cause contributing, but the behavior seems extreme enough that I think it's worth ruling out before trying to tackle the problem purely from a behavior standpoint.

I personally am not a fan of free feeding cats in most situations because most indoor cats that are free fed end up morbidly obese which predisposes them to a host of medical issues, including diabetes.  Not many owners want to have to give their cat insulin injections daily!

Good luck!

As a side note to other cat owners with cats that get bossy around meal time, I have mine on an automatic feeder.  I love it because after awhile, they stopped associating me with feeding time.  When it's almost feeding time, they go wait at the feeder instead of begging me to come put food in the bowl.

SummerB0607

I have an appt set up for him for next Tuesday. Hopefully there's no problems

runningmama14

SummerB0607 said:

I have an appt set up for him for next Tuesday. Hopefully there's no problems

Please keep us posted!

SummerB0607

I will :-)

creativesoul83

My male cat acts like that sometime. I am glad you made an appt. we grew feed our two but they are both at good weight. neither have medical issues and strictly indoor.

having a dog that goes out could bring a parasite in.

for behavior issues that he is showing dominance I use either a squirt bottle. once little spritz has him running. when he gets rough we use a clown horn ithas helped train him to but get to wild. I love my rambunctious furball.

Hope everything is ok.

crystaldh

In addition to my other cat issues, my cat has become really weird about food too. He used to eat just about everything. Then he suddenly he went off Wellness canned food. I had to buy him Fancy Feast to get him to eat anything at all. Now he's being picky about the flavors. One day he likes chicken, the next day he doesn't! It's almost like he just wants me to wait on him more than anything else. 

I'm wondering if cats sense our changing hormones and it makes them act out.

Shananagann

Kinda sounds like what happened to my hubby's cat before we got married. He thought it might be a thyroid disorder but never got a chance to check it out because he disappeared the day before he was going to take him to the vet (he was an outdoor cat during the day).

Nfranco973

mander82 said:

Do you have food out for the cat all the time? Cats are grazers and need to have food available all the time. We keep a bowl of crunchy food out for ours all the time, then I give her some canned food several times throughout the day.

I totally agree. This was my question also. Do you leave dry or wet food out all day or do you feed on a schedule ?
I notice that my boy cat will start to knock things down off my dresser, nip me or meow if he's out of food. He doesn't enjoy human food but if he runs out of cat food and I'm not home he will go through the trash. I now leave him a big bowl of dry food when I leave out for work and he has stopped doing it. He really started getting greedy after he got fixed.
My DH thinks it's funny but I hiss at him ( mock his behavior ) when he does something bad. He gets the point lol