My cat is hungry all the time... need suggestions on what to do

[Dead of Knight]

My cat, who is around 11 years old, has been blessed with excellent health almost her whole life. But for the past few days, she has refused to eat her cat food, and even when we feed her real food like chicken or meat, she still seems to be hungry after only an hour or so. I would call a vet, but we don't have an official one (since she has always been so healthy) and thusly would be a pain to get to talk to one. Before I search for a vet, I'd like to know if any CAGs's cats have ever had a problem like this and what the deal was. She has no other symptoms of being sick, so I'm pretty doubtful that she has a worm of some sort. Thanks.

[bignick]

I left food out for my cat 24/7. Maybe its belimic? Post your pics at www.dylanthecat.com!!! Vets love to prey on the love we have for our pets. They will try to sell you expensive tests. Some may be needed, but keep an eye out.

[Dead of Knight]

We always have food out for her, but the cat food remains untouched and she's been on our ass the past couple of days like she's hungry. She gobbles down chicken in less than a minute even though she's eaten a few times previously in the day. I was just wondering if this was a common problem before I call a vet.

[jshorr]

So..she just stopped eating her cat food out of nowhere.....but she'll still still eat human food? The worm thing would explain why she's still hungry but not why she'd stop eating her cat food all of a sudden. Do you feed her wet or dry cat food. Sometimes if a cat's teeth are giving them problems they'll stop eating dry food because it hurts to crunch. Definately find a vet so your cat gets the best care possible. Good luck!

[uesc]

she may have a thyroid problem. is she really overweight? our one cat lucy had to go on some medicine for her thyroid, and she's still pretty fat, but we have her on a diet now. we used to leave food out for her all day and night, and she went from 9 pounds to 20.5 in about a year's time. at first she started gaining a little weight, but it was during the winter and we didn't think anything of it. then in the summer she just kept gaining, and that's when we took her to the vet to get her checked out.

i'd keep an eye on her, if she meows funny when you pick her up or she starts to loose or gain weight rapidly, i'd get her to a vet.

[bignick]

Ya, that teeth thing sounds good. Worms too, is the litter box full? When you go to the vet, bring a sample.

[Dead of Knight]

She's overweight, but not grossly overweight. She's always been fat though, and her weight has never fluctuated.

We can't pick her up at all, and we haven't been able to for years. She has a bit of an attitude problem, she always has, so this isn't anything new. If you try to pick her up, she'll scratch and bite you like you're trying to kill her.

I think what jshorr said is probably what is going on, either the worm or the teeth thing. We give her dry cat food, so the teeth thing is definitely a viable problem. Thanks guys!

EDIT: I told my mom all this, and apparently she DOES eat the cat food if we won't give her anything else. I'm still kinda worried though. We'll probably wait a couple of days and see if there is still a problem. If so, we'll call a vet.

[moiety]

It's possible that your cat doesn't like that particular brand anymore? I know my cat will only eat certain brands. Hopefully it's nothing serious, but checking her out with a vet is a safe route, even if nothing is wrong. At least you can rule out the worst. Good luck!

[jshorr]

I left food out for my cat 24/7. Maybe its belimic? Post your pics at www.dylanthecat.com!!! Vets love to prey on the love we have for our pets. They will try to sell you expensive tests. Some may be needed, but keep an eye out.

cat picture sent via email.

[WhipSmartBanky]

http://cyber.law.harvard.edu/blogs/static/dowbrigade/smfat.jpg

Your cat wants salad.

[Spacepest]

http://cyber.law.harvard.edu/blogs/static/dowbrigade/smfat.jpg

Your cat wants salad.

OMFG :shock:

I have a housecat that weighs like 20 pounds, and that cat in the pic is twice her size! :shock:

Take you kitty to the vet. If its a cat that has access to outdoors, it could be worms. Or it could be the cat is getting old and has tooth problems, which will trigger picky eating habits. I have a housecat that is 18 years old and she is the same way...she is very picky about eating hard to chew food.

[bignick]

http://cyber.law.harvard.edu/blogs/static/dowbrigade/smfat.jpg

Your cat wants salad.

damn!!!! Now there is a cat for bignick!

[Dead of Knight]

My cat doesn't go outside at all, and never has... does that pretty much rule out worms?

BigNick, I'm attempting to send a pic of my cat but Gmail is saying "the server is busy." It'll be sent eventually.

EDIT: Pic finally sent'd

[Drocket]

You said that your cat is still eating human food: how much? If she's eating enough people food that you're not worried about her starving to death, then its probably not too serious of a problem. If she's only nibbling at the food (and especially if she's throwing up more often than normal), she may have an intestinal block, which will require surgery.

If she's eating a lot of people food, though, and keeping it down, then she may simply be sick of the cat food. My cat does this 2 or 3 times per year: She'll eat 9 Lives (and nothing but 9 Lives) for 6 months or so, then one day, out of the clear blue sky, she absolutely refuses to eat it, and we have to buy other stuff until we figure out what she wants now (Fancy Feast? Nope. Iams? Nope. Friskies? Yep, and nothing but Friskies until she changes her mind again.) She drives me nuts :P

Another possibility is that she's found another source of food in the house and has been pigging out when you're not looking. If she's acting hungry, though, that's probably not it...

[VelvetHammer]

Cats can have a funny way of acting like they are starving, when in fact that's not the case. A vet will tell you to start a very regimented feeding program. Such as twice a day at set times and set amounts. Leave the food down for 20 minutes and then take up what is not consumed. A cat her age should only be eating 1 to 1 1/2 cups of food a day. Given that she's slightly over weight, and her age makes her less active, I'd go with a less active formula of Iams or Science Diet. The tooth problem is a very good possiblity (nice catch original poster) and you may have to moisten the dry food or mix it with wet. The process of adjusting to a new feeding routine can take a few weeks, but she will learn that she can only eat at certain times and will. The reason she's on your ass about the human food is that it's 100 times better tasting and she wants that from now on. Problem with feeding them that kind of stuff is they don't get a balanced diet.
Bottom line, take kitty to the vet if you can afford it. My annual visit for just one of my cats costs $100, and it's a good investment if you want to keep them around for a few years longer.

Let us know what you find out.

[Dead of Knight]

Yeah, she gobbles down the food and keeps it down. The only time she throws up usually is if she's been eating plastic. :shock: For some reason, she has liked to eat plastic wrap for most of her life, but then of course she throws it up. Does she learn from this? No.

She has been eating her regular food; I think the problem is is that we've spoiled her too much by allowing her to have human food. I'll keep you posted of any development.

[bignick]

Yeah, she gobbles down the food and keeps it down. The only time she throws up usually is if she's been eating plastic. :shock: For some reason, she has liked to eat plastic wrap for most of her life, but then of course she throws it up. Does she learn from this? No.

She has been eating her regular food; I think the problem is is that we've spoiled her too much by allowing her to have human food. I'll keep you posted of any development.

My parents cat is super old. I cant remember a time when he hast been here. He begs for people food. He learned from the dog. He is so old. He is starting to bald!

[The Successful Dropout]

My cat is having a crap load of problems as well. I've been seriously contemplating putting her to sleep for the past few days. I'm not sure what the hell to do. The cat is around 15 yrs old and for the past couple months shes been gaining weight, losing weight, gaining weight, losing weight. It doesn't make sense. We leave the food out for her 24/7 just like we always have. We switch from dry food to can food every now and then to see if that might help it. Whenever we put food out, she runs over and eats the hell out of it. One of our cats has been pissing and shitting around the house, but we cant' figure out which one it is. We're assuming its her because of the eating problem. We're also assuming that its just old age. We noticed the other day that out of nowhere, she lost like 5 lbs. We didn't actually weigh her, but it was crazy looking. Shes always been a light-weight cat, but out of nowhere, her stomach went from like 4-5 inches thick to 1 inch thick. You could see her rib-cage breathing heavily in and out from about 2 inches (in) to about 6 inches (out). I was freaking out and their were no vets open, so I opened like 10 cans of cat food and put em all on this huge plate, hoping she'd eat the hell out of it and gain some weight. She was making noises when she was breathing and her white fur was turning yellow. It didn't make sense at all. One day she was perfectly fine and the next she was like this. That happened a few days ago. Shes been doing a little better now, just when I was getting ready to have her put to sleep. I don't want her going through any pain, and she doesn't seem to be going through any pain at all. I definitely don't want to wake up one day to her dead body lying around. And I'm not taking her to the vet to here them say, "its just old age...that'll be $450." Or they may find out something wrong with her, fix it, and she'll just die from old age a few months later. I never thought I'd be so emotional over a damn cat before. I thought I was past that stage, but I guess cat's really do become part of the family after a while. When putting her to sleep, I just have trouble thinking to myself that I'm going to judge when she dies, and she has no idea at all...that just doesn't seem right. Any suggestions?

[bignick]

I feel you trust. Vets tend to take advantage of people's love for their pets. They wanted to do some $300 byopsy on my parents cat. The thing is ancient! You have to draw the line some where. I would get her checked out though, that should be about $75.

[Smell]

Hide Catnip in her catfood she will eat the catfood looking for it

[VelvetHammer]

I'm not a vet. But that sounds like a heart condition, Trust. My parent's neighbors had a cat that experienced a rapid weight loss like you described. It ended up being an inflamed heart. There was nothing they could do, it was really sad to watch him waste away. If you see a vet, be straight up, tell them you only have X amount to spend. They'll do the best they can within that range.

[batman2million]

it could either b a stomach problem or she jus depressed! yea i kno...but look at her tail..if its stays up most of the time..thn it could b the stomach.. but keeep an eye out...

[dafoomie]

My older cat does something similar, but she's just picky.

She won't eat catfood thats been sitting on the tray but she'll eat it when we give it to her out of the bag, or just pick some up off the tray and put it in front of her.

Mine likes to eat all the time too, and shes fat, but we figured something out. We'd just give her a little food at a time, and she'd be happy. Now she likes to eat frequently but a little at a time, and we don't have to worry about the aomunt of food we leave her. My other older cat never got fat, he just eats a couple times a day when he's hungry, but he drinks a lot of water.

[Drocket]

Yeah, she gobbles down the food and keeps it down. The only time she throws up usually is if she's been eating plastic. :shock: For some reason, she has liked to eat plastic wrap for most of her life, but then of course she throws it up. Does she learn from this? No.


Does your cat have access to grass? (I mean the yard stuff, not the 'other' grass :P ) Cats need grass occasionally to help them with furballs. I've found that if they don't have access to grass, they'll also use plastic (especially garbage bags) to help instead. You should probably give your cat a small handful of grass every couple of days - its a lot better for them than plastic.

[Smell]

my cat Stinkbutt thought that stuff in Easter baskets was grass and he ate a bunch of it and puked it up on the wall

[bignick]

All of you have cats! post you pics at www.dylanthecat.com!

[Dead of Knight]

Yeah, she gobbles down the food and keeps it down. The only time she throws up usually is if she's been eating plastic. :shock: For some reason, she has liked to eat plastic wrap for most of her life, but then of course she throws it up. Does she learn from this? No.


Does your cat have access to grass? (I mean the yard stuff, not the 'other' grass :P ) Cats need grass occasionally to help them with furballs. I've found that if they don't have access to grass, they'll also use plastic (especially garbage bags) to help instead. You should probably give your cat a small handful of grass every couple of days - its a lot better for them than plastic.

:shock: THE MYSTERY HAS BEEN SOLVED!!! THANK YOU!

[jshorr]

All of you have cats! post you pics at www.dylanthecat.com!

Nick,

Thanks for posting my cat (Saber, and it's a HE actually :) ) but dude no way that cat posted below mine is better looking.....

I have two other cats but one of them (my girlfriend's cat before we moved in together) isn't top calibur looks-wise (still adore him though)....but I have another cat that will blow everyone away, just got to get a good picture of her.

[Dead of Knight]

All of you have cats! post you pics at www.dylanthecat.com!

Nick,

Thanks for posting my cat (Saber) but dude no way that cat posted below mine is better looking.....


Sorry, but that is my cat. You got pwned.

[jshorr]

All of you have cats! post you pics at www.dylanthecat.com!

Nick,

Thanks for posting my cat (Saber) but dude no way that cat posted below mine is better looking.....


Sorry, but that is my cat. You got pwned.

I'm not dissing your cat, just disputing those scores in comparison.... someone set up a vote :lol:

[bignick]

I jsut wasnt feeling the cutness of your cat. The one below it was cuter. Plus it wsa first named Jenna, like my cat so thats wheren the bonus .5 came from. Plus, you are comparing your cat to Dylan, the cutest cat ever.

[cag1000]

serioulsy get your cat to a vet. she should be having regular shots and checks. if her shit is creamy she could have worms. give her water see if she drinks alot. cold fresh clean water. oh and feed her half a can of fancy feast(seafood). with crunchies on top(just a little bit) she dont eat that somethings wrong. thats a cats favorite meal. anyyy cat

[charcoalfeather]

i agree witht the dry food theory... that happens a lot when i cat gets old.... that is the only thing i can think of with your cat still being hungry but not eating the cat food.... i know sometimes when people get animals that some are picky enough not to even eat cat/dog food and you have to ween them off..... but i highly doubt this is the case. try adding gravy (specially made you can find at pet stores) to the cat food to soften it up a little and give flavor. I know that this works for my dog who eats irregularly.

[pimp_daddy_smurf]

just kill it

[alongx]

drain-o. cats love it.

[Lootr2Core]

Inspired by 'running free running $$$gooot' (not meant to flame just the name of skit) from Kids in the Hall.

(skit is lampooning southern intolerance)

Mark and Bruce: This is a song about a great folk hero. [singing] Running free...running free...running $$$$$$. Running $$$$$$ running free; see the $$$$$$, see the running $$$$$$, running $$$$$$ running free.

Scott: Howdy stripling.

Kevin [Stripling]: Howdy....$$$$$$.

Scott: Well, what can I do for you?

Kevin: My puppy's hungry, I don't know what to do!

Scott: Hm. Why not try feeding it puppy food?

Kevin: Good idea, $$$$$$! Why don't you stick around and see the results?

Scott: Nope. Gotta be hitching a ride on the wind.

[charcoalfeather]

just kill it


that is horrible

[The Successful Dropout]

so....did anyone else bury their cat today?

[snotknocker]

http://cyber.law.harvard.edu/blogs/static/dowbrigade/smfat.jpg

Your cat wants salad.

My China man wants your cat

[Mr_hockey66]

Hey man. You need to take her to the vet! I had a dog for 11 years and this past year she seed to be refusing food. She kept getting skinner and skinnier! We finialy took her to the vet and they said she had got dog diebetics and could not process the food anymore! They had to put her to sleep! They said if we had gone sooner they might have been able to save her! Take the cat as soon as possible. A few 100', a worth having your beloved pet still around! I really wish I had taken mine sooner!

[Dead of Knight]

The cat is actually fine now. She's the same fatass as before. Thanks for all the concern.