Does your cat start howling for food as soon as your feet hit the floor in the morning? Do they bolt into the kitchen every time you use the can opener?
While a few extra pounds can make your cat especially huggable, if unchecked, your cat’s growing weight could become a problem. With a food-obsessed cat, you can count on future health issues, not to mention the nuisance that comes with a demanding pet.
Fortunately, once you understand the reasons behind your cat’s food obsession, you can take steps to discourage their binge-eating.
Your Food Obsessed Cat May Have a Medical Condition
An underlying medical condition such as diabetes, hyperthyroidism, parasites, or worms could be the culprit behind your cat’s ravenous appetite.
While an increase in appetite may be a simple response to boredom or stress, there are accompanying symptoms to look for that signify a more serious medical issue, such as:
- Increased thirst
- Vomiting
- Diarrhea
- Protruding Belly
- Dramatic Weight Gain
Solution:
A dramatic increase in your cat’s appetite warrants a trip to the vet. If they receive a clean bill of health, your cat’s food obsession might be the result of a psychological issue, rather than a physical one.
Your Cat’s Instincts Could Be Fueling Their Food Obsession
In the wild, cats are accustomed to hunting and eating multiple times per day. When your cat realizes that food is not freely available to hunt, they’ll learn to consume large amounts of food in one sitting. This obsessive gorging can lead to major health complications.
Solution:
Since cats are biologically programmed to consume smaller meals throughout the day, try mimicking their natural eating patterns.
Don’t leave out a bowl of food 24/7 because some cats will binge eat every time you refill their dish. Instead, schedule multiple mealtimes. Consider purchasing a timed cat feeder. Or try a “food puzzle” to satisfy your cat’s natural predatory instincts.
Your Cat’s Diet May Be Nutritionally Deficient
Low-quality cat food may not provide the nutrients your cat requires. If your cat’s food is not meeting their nutritional needs, they will eat obsessively to try to satisfy their hunger.
Solution:
Examine your cat’s food. Read the label and check how nutritionally-rich (or deficient) it is. Does it have the proper amount of protein? How about vitamins? Consult with your vet to make sure your cat is getting the vitamins and proteins they need to thrive. Your vet will help you determine your cat’s ideal body weight, as well as the amount of food they should eat to maintain that weight.
Your Cat Might Be Bored, Lonely, Or Depressed
Just as humans overeat during heightened emotional states, cats can use food as a self-soothing tool. Cats may become obsessed with food if they are depressed, stressed, or simply bored.
Some cats have even been diagnosed with “psychogenic abnormal eating disorder,” a psychological condition that boosts their drive for food.
Solution:
Ease your cat’s nerves by removing stressors from the home (i.e. loud music, shouting, or excessive touching).
If your cat is overeating because they’re bored, incorporate more structured playtime into her routine. Increase your cat’s activity through stimulating toys like food puzzles or a food-dispensing cat toy. These will slow down an obsessive eater while helping her burn more calories and keeping her mind engaged. You can even go the DIY route by punching holes into a plastic bottle and filling it with kibbles.
Be sure to give your cat plenty of attention. Her persistent meowing could be a desire for your affection rather than a request for food.
There Are Ways to Help Your Food Obsessed Cat
One final solution:
Ignore your cat’s begging. When they meow excessively or rub up against you, don’t reward this behavior with food. It’s equally important to avoid responding negatively because they’ll learn that this behavior gets your attention. When they beg, just ignore them.
Long-term overeating can lead to serious health complications for cats. If your cat is hungry all the time, talk to your vet about what could be driving their insatiable appetite.
Is your cat an overly enthusiastic eater? Tell us about your experiences in the comments!
A feral mom cat had a litter of 4 kittens: 2 females and 2 males. They were all rescued and brought inside. My spouse and I adopted the 2 male kittens. I have had 2 other sets of cats at one time and have NEVER experienced these 2 behavior when in the kitchen or getting ready to be fed. Once someone goes in the kitchen, they are obsessed, they come from anywhere, walking everywhere, getting into everything and quite obnoxious. They get SOOOOO excited, crying and jumping over each other, when I prepare their wet food in the a.m. and p.m., along with some dry food in the afternoon. We are at our wits end on how to train them out of this behavior. Please HELP!
Hi, I came across your post whilst trawling the internet trying to find a solution to two food obsessed male siblings which are behaving exactly the same as yours are/were. Did you find a solution or do you have any tips? Their behaviour is driving me nuts
My cats do the same thing. Looking for solutions. Did u find any?
My cat has always been very talkative but recently he’s gotten so much worse in addition to hopping up on counter tops and eating every crumb off the floor. All he wants to do is eat and I refuse to feed him every time he cries at me. He’s a healthy weight and get’s a lot of attention but it seems like he’s completely lost interest in playing so I can’t even distract him when he’s begging. I understand if he’s lonely or bored because we recently moved him from a house with two other pets and constant feeding but, it’s been four months since the move and he’s only gotten worse. We’re considering taking him to a vet in case there’s a more serious issue but I don’t want to if there’s something we can do at home to calm him down and get him better acclimated. Other than the food craze, he’s completely fine and happy. Any suggestions?
Everything my cat does he has to eat first I mean every time he gets up he has to eat then after he gets done playing or getting attention he eats he is at the food bowl 20 times a day no joke. Why is he doing this? He is only a year and a half old and he looks like a football with a head no neck and a big booty.
I have taken my cat to 3 vets and known of them have even a mild suggestion as to how the begging can be halted
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I got my cat almost two years ago and he was 19 pounds, they had him on the cheapest cat food around and I wanted to spoil him so I bought him 9-lives dry cat food and Sheba wet cat food also, well he started gaining too much weight so I took him off of the wet cat food and now I have him on Purina One dry cat food. But he’s always hungry. He got up to 24 power a couple of months ago so I put him on a diet, as soon as he eats I pick his bowl up and give it to him in an hour but I forgot to pick it up once and in 15 minutes time he went back to it 3 times. I have started playing with him to get some exercise with his wand toy every evening, he did lose two pounds within the first two weeks. I honestly think he’s either adding to food or eating out of boredom
my 7 year old cat breaks through all the packages in our home, i mean all of them including boxes and eats everything obsessively and doesn’t stop going from one to the other! She will sneak into the refrigerator and eat EVERYTHING inside obsessively! this is a continuous occurance ALL DAY LONG!!!!
My kitten Pugslie is a Maine coon and she growls if you put your hand near her when she eats a treat but only that! She also tries to yowl while she’s eating which is hilarious but I wonder why? And every time she eats she wolfs it down, the only got her from wasn’t a very good place and we are testing it to that but I’m not sure how to stop her from being so food aggressive if anybody has any tips that would be awesome?!