Cats obsessed with food

[CatMa]

Hi - first time on the forum. My son suggested I seek advice here.

I'm a long-time cat owner, so I know they all have different quirks, etc.

Currently I have three cats, all indoor - got them all at the shelter 2.5 years ago. The two males are about 3 years old, the one female is about 6. The two males are the problem, one in particular. They both are very healthy and are at the perfect weight, but the two of them obsess about food all day and all night. I feed them all Blue Buffalo canned food twice/day (and a little dry food) and they get plenty. Yet much of their day is spent trying to figure out ways to get into the cabinet where the garbage is locked up, or into the cabinet where the cat food is locked up. They also will snatch any food they can from us - if I leave a loaf of bread on the kitchen counter and walk out of the room for only a moment, one of them will be up there tearing through the packaging and eating the bread. I've tried water guns, noise makers, yelling, and knocking them down, but NOTHING works.

Our wonderful vet says they might be bored and perhaps I should feed them the same amount, just more often than twice/day. But I don't want to do that as I'm not around to do it about half the time. They have plenty of toys and interaction, as we play with them - there are my husband, me, and our teenaged girls in the house. The one cat in particular has broken cabinet doors to get to the food. I've had him checked for any medical problems that might cause this (worms, thyroid, etc) but he is the picture of perfect health. Yet, he is driving me crazy and destroying our home.

Other than this, he is loving and non-aggressive, but I so want him out of my house. If it wasn't for my teen daughters, I'd find him a new home, but I'm not sure others would put up with what we have. Now I know why he was at the shelter... lol.

Any suggestions at all? All I can think to do is lock him up - I do lock both boys in the basement at night so they won't destroy the house while we sleep, but I can't do that during the day - I'd feel terrible. And he can't be an outdoor cat for a variety of reasons - wild animals around here, neighbors cats, etc.

I'm at my wits' end.

Thanks!
Paulla

[Karen]

Perhaps keeping them busy with more toys and games during the day? Particularly active ones like a feather on a string type, or playing fetch, and even teaching him to walk outside on a leash and harness - anything to occupy his mind with other things, and leave him too tired to seek out food at night?

[Freedom]

Hi - first time on the forum. My son suggested I seek advice here.

I feed them all Blue Buffalo canned food twice/day (and a little dry food) and they get plenty.
Paulla

Welcome to the forum!

I think the problem is the food you are using. Cats are obligate carnivores; they only take in nutrition from meats. Cats have no way to digest grains or carbs of any sort.

Blue Buffalo is a high quality, excellent DOG food line. I've just pulled up their link for the cat foods. They only have one canned food which is grain free. And two of their kibbles are grain free.

I suggest you switch to Earthborn Holistic Select cat food, use one of the grain free kibble formulas (they make 2) and then use canned food as a topper - also grain free, Earthborn. Here is a link:
http://www.earthbornholisticpetfood.com/us/cat_formulas/

Here is a link to cat food ratings:
http://www.petfoodratings.net/cattable.html

You will notice Blue Buffalo is not even rated, as they are not a good cat food. (They are listed and rated, highly, on the dog food side of that same web site).

If you give this 5 days, I say you will see MAJOR improvement! Do let us know what you do, and how things develop.

[CatMa]

Wow, I did not know that about Blue Buffalo. Thank you for the suggestion, I will definitely switch.

Here's hoping! :)

[mrspunkysmom]

Paulla,

I understand your dilemma. I have a cat, Emily who is almost 14, that is obsessed with food, too. She is hyperthyroid, but treated for it. She was ill when I rescued her last summer from a home life that wasn't good for her. But she probably also competed with the dog and another cat for food for several years, so she has an obsession with food. She has gotten better in the last year, but I suspect she will never completely get over her obsession.

Blue Buffalo has changed their formulas, too. I now use Eagle Holistic wet and Natural Balance dry. Sometimes cats will eat to satisfy thirst, since in the wild most of their water comes from the animals they eat. Having a filtered fountain might also solve part of the problem. I use Cat-IT since it has a very large filter and is cheaper than Drinkwell Fountains. Mine love it.

As for toys and furniture, do you have any cat furniture? Emily has her own tree. She co-opted the tree next to the feeding station. :D My others have trees too, and plenty of beds.

Good luck with your quest.