Ask Me Help Desk - Cat is always hungry

My cat is a 15lb female two-year-old rescued stray that has been vaccinated and spayed. I've owned her for eight months, taking possession of her from the vet who rescued her. She has a large frame, taller than most cats, certainly taller than my previous cat or my neighbor's cats. I keep her indoors and have no other cats in my home. I live alone and work all day, so I imagine she gets bored while I'm gone.

My cat is always hungry and whines constantly for more food, even immediately after her breakfast or dinner. She has gained 2 or 3 lbs since I've owned her, from 12lbs to about 15lbs, though I don't believe I'm overfeeding. She gets 1/4 cup of dry Nutro Complete Care in the morning, 1/4 cup in the evening, and no snacks. She's indoors, so she's not supplementing her diet at all. Fresh water refilled every morning is available all day.

Until I noticed her weight gain four months ago, I was feeding her 1/3 cup dry Nutro in the morning and 1/3 cup in the evening. She's had this insatiable appetite for food since the first day I've owned her. Apparently she had this same behavior when cared for by the rescuing vet.

She eats all food available to her, so she can't be allowed to self-feed. She would eat until she bursts, it would seem. She eats her food immediately when I give it to her and meows for more.

I feed her dinner when I come home from work. Sometimes I immediately leave home again to get groceries or run an errand, and when I come home an hour later she gives me the same meowing and begging routine thinking she'll fool me into a second dinner. It's annoying as it will take a long time for her to settle down.

I recently switched from regular Nutro Complete Care Indoor to Nutro Complete Care Weight Loss formula, staying with a total of 1/2 cup per day. My cat drinks her water. Litter box behavior is normal. Urination seems normal and she has one bowel movement per day. Switching to the weight loss formula seems to have drastically reduced the odor of her poop, so that's been a good change. She also seems to like the flavor of the weight loss formula better too.

I've cared for cats my whole life and I've typically fed them more food than this, but haven't had such a problem with weight gain and unending appetite.

If it wasn't for her weight gain I'd give her more food based on her size. I've fed smaller cats more food than this (typically 2/3 cup per day) without this weight gain. My previous cat was also a reliable self-feeder so I could leave a day's worth of food and it would last until the next morning.

The whining and begging is annoying and she interrupts my sleep for food starting at 4:30AM (breakfast is at 7AM). I've locked her out of the bedroom sometimes which usually quiets her down.

Maybe this is just obsessive stray cat behavior. I hope she eventually grows out of it.

Since she clearly can't be hungry,I think you hit the nail on the head that she has probably learned this behavior from being homeless.
Bless you for taking her in.
Perhaps if you got her some low cal kitty treats and handed them to her,not when she is asking but when she isn't she will begin to make different associations with food.

Artlady's answer is spot on.

As for feeding her less than a smaller cat... I have this problem with my poodle, she gets a bit less food than she should for her weight but she is still a bit chubby. Animals are like people, their metabolisms run at different speeds.
Has your cat been fixed? That can be another thing that cause weight gain.

Don't forget to her her some scratching poles and toys for while you are at work :)

My cat doesn't appear to have stress issues. She has her scratching post and some toys, but she prefers more interactive play with me, or anyone else who happens to be around. She's gentle, playful, bright, obedient and easygoing, and not at all shy when meeting new people.

When she whines for food (literally whining, pathetic, loud, long series of meows) I have to agree with her that a 1/2 cup of diet dry food per day is light fare for a cat her size. I'd like to give her more food, but she'd likely whine and complain for more even if I gave her larger portions. She complained back when I was giving her 2/3 cup per day. I don't give in, but I don't know how else to drop the lbs. She's got a belly now.

Maybe this size is just the way she will be. Many years ago I had an outdoor cat (before the coyotes invaded this area and made this impossible to do) who weighed 16-17 lbs with a large frame and she lived to 18 years. She'd eat a 1/2 can of her own wet food for breakfast, steal the other cat's breakfast, then spend the day outside eating all the mice, moles, chipmunks and birds she could catch. Then she'd have some dry food for dinner! She was large and muscular, and an efficient mouser.

Any ideas on the portion size I should be feeding my cat? I'm concerned that by underfeeding (1/2 cup/day) I'm causing her metabolism to drop because her body might be going into "starvation mode." I'd never have thought a cat could maintain 15 lbs on so little food. As an indoor cat she is getting very little exercise. My most recent cat before this one was an indoor cat (also a rescued feral) who grew a belly but stayed below 11 lbs while self-feeding about 2/3 cup per day.

I found this article and I think you may find it useful.He really sounds lovely and I can only imagine how bad you must feel for him.
Feline Obesity

Quote:

Originally Posted by artlady

I found this article and I think you may find it useful.He really sounds lovely and I can only imagine how bad you must feel for him.

Thanks for the article. I didn't mean to give the impression that she is obese or that I thought her weight was an emergency. I can feel her ribs and she looks fine. I think if she could lose 2 lbs so she weighed 13 instead of 15 lbs she'd be in fine shape. She weighed 12 lbs when I got her and she was rather slim then.

I only feel bad for her because she is hungry. Tonight she has already eaten all of her 1/4 cup of dinner and she's jumping all over me now trying to get my attention for more food.

She won't become obese because I don't give her enough food. I'd like her to be more satisfied with her food that she gets, and maybe someday stop gobbling her food as fast as possible. I believe this is the stray cat behavior I'd like her to outgrow.