Why does my cat eat so fast?

judgefudge

Hi guys,

I got a cat there about a month ago from the DSPCA shelter. All is good, he's a lovely little fella. I've never had a cat before but everyone I've spoken to has said they normal graze when it comes to feeding, so they eat throughout the day. I feed mine twice a day (7am and 6pm) 30g each time. He eats the food in about 10 minutes flat and then sometimes he'll meow at me later on (I'm presuming for more food).

I'm just confused as to if this is normal or a problem? I would feed him more often but I work all day and it's not really an option. I'm worried that he's spending a lot of the day hungry, he goes nuts when I'm about to feed him, very impatient.

I'd expect this from a dog, but I don't know what to make of it.

Any advice would be appreciated.

Nody

It's normal; even our cats who are recently fed will follow us out to the kitchen if we go out there 5 min after they finished because they might get more...

If you're feeling guilty about it simply leave out kibble to eat between means along with water (I'm assuming you're serving wet food) as most cats will not stuff themselves on kibble once they realize it's always available (but make sure it's quality stuff).

mymo

Maybe he does need more food, like said above leave a small bowl of dry out for him to pick at all day.
30g doesn't seem like a lot, is it wet or dry?
Mine eat about 4 times a day, one is under a year and very active, still growing, the other two are older but one of those is also very active and will demand food (with head butts and purring) when hungry.
We feed dry all day and wet at bedtime.

judgefudge

It's 30g of dry (purina pro plan) food, twice a day. So 60g total. This was the same diet he was being fed at the shelter, and he doesn't appear to have lost weight or anything. His coat is very nice and he has plenty of energy.

I'm sure he may be fine like this I just feel guilty that he's sitting round all day without a scrap to eat.

Alun

Our two are as different as chalk to cheese in this regard, and we have to keep an eagle eye out to make sure each gets their correct amount of food.

Buffy will just eat as much as she needs, and if it was just her on her own, we could leave a bowl of food out all day and she'd just graze.

Holly, on the other hand, will wolf down all her food in a fraction of the time Buffy takes to eat just a small amount of hers, and if we don't watch her like a hawk will push Buffy away and eat hers too. To prevent this I have a heavy wooden lid I put over Buffy's bowl to stop Holly pinching the rest of her food. Not only that but if she detects I've taken the lid off to allow Buffy to have a another bit of food, she'll appear from nowhere and hover around waiting to pounce. I strongly suspect that if I filled Holly's bowl to the brim she'd eat every last bit and make herself sick in the process.

So yes, some cats will graze, others seem to eat as if their next meal will be weeks away.

miezekatze

My cat was like that too for the first few months after I adopted her from the DSPCA, she always ate her meals really quickly and couldn't wait for me to put the food down. She was in the outside part at the DSPCA, the cats don't seem to have their own bowls there so I think she was a bit nervous that another cat would steal her food or something. She calmed down after 2 or 3 months and now she never eats all her food at once.