My cat was starting to get more fat than fluffy, I bought a puzzle feeder and she has lost about a pound and a half in the past year or so. In addition she isn't throwing up near as much from eating to fast because she has to pull what she wants to eat out of the feeder. I used to feed her about a cup of food a day, now with two cats I throw food in whenever it's empty, maybe once a day? They just bat some out when they're hungry, I never have to worry that they're starving.
Not sure why Luna is doing that but you may want to try something like this: Catit Senses 2.0 Food Tree https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00D3NI31Y/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_8-JfybK9QDZDV It will slow her down and possibly help her realize when she's full to stop eating. Hope this helps. This was just the first thing that popped up on amazon after searching "cat hunting feeder". I haven't tried this particular product.
I have a cat that is a larger breed had the same problem with free feeding from a bowl. She was getting a few pounds overweight, losing energy to play or do anything and vomiting all over the carpet on a near daily basis after speed-eating (gross!)
I bought one of these bad boys about a year ago and ever since my cat eats slower and has drastically cut back 95% of the vomiting. Not only that, she has dropped a few pounds and is wayyyy more active around the house. Plus I think they enjoy playing with it lol. You might here little clinks throughout the day as the kibbles hit the next level, but overall a great stress-reducing investment for me.
This is why I stopped feeding my cats their wet food in the morning. I got this food maze thing so they have access to dry food anytime they are willing to work for it, and gave them the wet food when I got back home. Its been working pretty well, both cats are a healthy weight and don't wake me up nearly as much as they used to.
My chunky cat likes to beg for food all the time too. In reality she is not hungry but board. What helped my chonk loose 3 pounds was this feeder. Catit Senses 2.0 Food Tree https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00D3NI31Y/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_ctHuCb9VPD33T It essentially takes a few seconds for every piece of kibble and keeps her entertained, like she is hunting, without having to beg every couple of hours.
My cat has a food puzzle (this one)
My cat is engaged while eating, and doesn't scarf down all her food at once. Highly recommended.
^disclaimer—she ^is ^way ^better ^at ^stealing ^food ^with ^her ^fast, ^fast ^little ^paws
You can try ping pong balls! They may serve the same purpose as the ice cubes but without the mess. Also, check out food puzzles. You can turn meal time into play and it'll enrich their lives and help them stay slim too.
https://www.amazon.com/Catit-Senses-2-0-Food-Tree/dp/B00D3NI31Y
(Not OP) If you search for "cat slow feeder" on Amazon, you get a link to lots of bowls which hide the food in a lot of maze-like ridges. For dry food,this one worked with our cat once we'd screwed it to a piece of plywood to stop our too-clever cat from knocking it over.
I have 4 cats eating the same food and I use Catit Senses 2.0 Food Tree – Interactive Cat Toy https://www.amazon.com/Catit-Senses-2-0-Food-Tree/dp/B00D3NI31Y?dplnkId=855eb51f-d2b7-4ef2-ae92-c5d4b9f655ed&nodl=1
They all have their own bowls and I feed them breakfast at the same time in their bowls and then add enough food to the tower for the day. I add more food to it in the evening for overnight. They eat slower since they have to work for it
we got this food tree dispenser thing so that the cats can eat more slowly and also to keep them mentally stimulated
I hear them using it 👀
They’ve known each other for 6 years
I feed them with a puzzle like this Yes they’re both spayed
We got our extremely food driven kitten a slow feeder. We measure out a day's allotment of quality cereal (half a cup), and pour it in the top at dinner time each day. She has to work for it, so there's usually food left throughout the night and she doesn't cry for food while we're sleeping.
Thanks. Already got this one. I note they've changed the lid as the hole in mine was so large she's stick her head in and eat directly. I had to tape it shut.
https://www.amazon.com/Catit-Senses-2-0-Food-Tree/dp/B00D3NI31Y
She's an expert at it now so it doesn't slow her down much. I also have the type that rolls around on the floor but for some reason she's not interested in even trying to get food out of it no matter how hungry she is.
My son has two cats and one is a complete guts with food. He got him a Catit food tree and Mr I'm Starving to Death, has to work for each piece. He isn't prepared to work too hard so he self regulates his intake. Maybe not a perfect solution but it works for them.
It could be a lot of things. My cats will throw up often if they are shedding a lot, so I brush them often to keep the loose hair under control.
A lot of cats tend to eat too quickly as well, and this can cause vomiting because their digestive tracts can't physically handle a fast influx of food.
I use a tower feeder that's designed to make them work for their food and slows down how much they eat at a time.
Vomiting can also be related to stress, food allergies, and other illnesses.
I recommend some kind of puzzle feeder or something that will control the speed and amount the cat can consume at once. My boy (even though he’s 6) would barf up his dry food whenever he got it from eating too much too fast (he loves dry food, he eats his wet much slower). We got him a puzzle tree where we put his daily serving and he can only pull out a few pieces at a time. This also makes it so that he won’t eat it all right away and only goes for the food if he’s really hungry and WANTS to WORK for it. I’m sure there are ones that work with wet food equally well.
Edit;
This is the one I use:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00D3NI31Y/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_OJheFb85QN9S7
Little off topic, if your cat is throwing up regularly and not due to any specific medical issue it's often just from eating too fast. I scatter kibble across the floor, or put it in a food dispenser, to slow them down. The Petsafe Fishbowl, a cut open tennis ball, Busy Buddy Twist and Treat, or similar food toy. Or there are neat towers like this one that my cats love.
This thing seems super gimmicky, but it's working wonderfully for my cats. We scoop 1/2 cup into the top in the morning, and because they have to work for their food, it takes all day for them to get through it unlike when we just put it in a bowl. Then another 1/2 cup in the evening, which lasts through the night. They claim that it also makes them more engaged and huntery. I think it definitely seems to entertain them, but can't vouch for fulfillment of evolutionary hunting instincts. Either way it slows them down and makes them less shouty on less food.
We recently got this food tree. It seems to cut out some of our cats' food anxiety because they have some control over their food. Hungry? Make the food fall down! Not sure it'd help with your situation, but I love it for our needy feeders.
Yea, try getting something that forces him to eat slower, this is the tower I have Catit Senses 2.0 Food Tree – Interactive Cat Toy https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00D3NI31Y/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_glc_fabc_7Js1Fb2TXX1F7
Amazon! This is the one I got but there are several on the market
Catit Senses 2.0 Food Tree https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00D3NI31Y/
If your cats eat dry food or dry treats, you can also try a food puzzle that you only put out at night!
https://www.amazon.com/Catit-Senses-2-0-Food-Tree/dp/B00D3NI31Y
I had the opposite issue, so switched to a fixed feeding schedule. I absolutely believe it’s the way to help cats that either under or overeat (it’s also the first step used in eating disorder recovery for humans).
For my girl (2yo, fixed) I have settled on this routine: Half a pouch of wet food in the morning and another at night, and then bikkies in the slow feeder. I use Catit senses tree which is relatively easy, and kong wobbler which is much harder.
It can be difficult with two cats when one can regulate their eating and the other can’t. I think your best bet is a regular routine with feeding and keeping them separated during mealtimes so that your girl can get her fill.
There is the cat puzzle feeder for example: https://www.amazon.com/Catit-Senses-2-0-Food-Tree/dp/B00D3NI31Y/ref=mp_s_a_1_14?crid=1R2FLUT33YH9O&keywords=catit+senses&qid=1656324954&sprefix=catit+sense%2Caps%2C347&sr=8-14#aw-udpv3-customer-reviews_feature_div
You can probably find many more of these on different websites.
Did you try a slow feeder with that one? One like this where they have to get each bite seperate? https://www.amazon.de/Catit-43151W-catit-Futterbaum-Food/dp/B00D3NI31Y/
Item | Current | Lowest | Reviews |
---|---|---|---|
Catit Senses 2.0 Food Tree – Interactive Cat Toy | $21.98 | $21.98 | 4.3/5.0 |
^Item Info | Bot Info | Trigger
I just stumbled across this post catching up on what's new in this sub and was basically about to comment exactly what this commenter said! It's SO important you react as little as possible to the attacks-- don't make my mistakes!
I have a lovely cat whose background is very similar to your kitten (improper socialization and lots of energy), and because I didn't respond in this manner from the beginning due to lack of education on cat behavioural issues, I'm STILL training this play aggression out of my cat and she's now 4yrs old!
> He will continue to wrap and attack as we pick him up and place him on the floor. Most times he'll charge right back up for an even more aggressive attack.
This is something I rarely see other people describe when they explain their cat's play aggression, but this is exactly what my cat was doing and even made me briefly think it was something more than play aggression bc no one else mentioned it! I'd remove my cat from the attack (he fav Target Zone was also when I was just chillin on the couch lol) but she'd immediately flip around and keep trying harder to attack until someone else would interfere or I'd put her in the bathroom for 5mins to chill out. It can seem silly to others who haven't experienced this and only see a lil kitten, but I totally get it, these attacks are scary! My top tips as someone who has b e e n through it (and is still going through it a little-- it's been 1.5 weeks with no successful attacks so far 🤞):
Remember that, no matter how scary it seems, your kitten genuinely thinks he's playing with you! Kittens wrestle and hunt their family as play-- you're his family now, so he's gonna wrestle and hunt YOU! Really, the fact that he's attacking you means he trusts you and feels safe.
When he attacks, making yourself as boring as possible is SUPER important-- this is what has stopped my cat's attacks the most, to the point that even when they do happen they're like, a couple noms to the leg and then she walks away lol On the couch wrapped around your arm? Just sit there, staring anywhere except at your kitten. Jumping/chasing after your legs? Stop moving immediately and just stand there.
NOW this ignoring is really hard to do when claws are sharp (with the "ow" strat you've been doing, your cat's bite inhibition is probs pretty good!) so it's very important that you get your cat on a weekly nail clipping schedule ASAP!
Mental stimulation! Got a screened window? Crack that window open so your cat can not only see but smell and hear the sights (bonus points for bird feeder placed outside the window)! For my cat's dry food, I also use this "food tree"-- she LOVES it and purposely knocks the kibble out one by one so she can "catch it" like she does with bugs lol
On that same thread, the BEST form of interactive play time I've found for my cat to satisfy her intense prey drive is basically taking a handful of her dry food, and then throwing the kibble bits one by one all over the house (up the stairs, down the stairs, down the hall, under the couch, you get the idea). Not only does this help wear her out, she gets to chase and hunt something that isn't me! Throwing kibble for her to chase is also super helpful for when I want to navigate the house without fear of being pounced lol If I take a few bits of kibble that I can throw ahead of me to redirect her from stalking me to stalking the kibble.
Also I'll be honest, one of my biggest regrets is not knowing that kittens should always be adopted in pairs-- all of the play aggression issues my cat has shown over the past 4yrs would likely be non-existent if I had known to get her a buddy :( I really hope you can get some fostering situation/play date thing set up because that would likely be the MOST beneficial thing you can do!
Good luck with your kitten-- stay strong and stocked up on polysporin!
Our cats get no dry food that isn't in a puzzle. We buy all kinds of dog and cat puzzles and swap them out when they get boring.
Here are some of the ones we like best:
https://www.amazon.com.au/Catit-Senses-2-0-Food-Tree/dp/B00D3NI31Y/
https://www.amazon.com.au/All-Paws-Interactive-Feeding-Dish/dp/B00IAR8LLK/
https://www.amazon.com.au/Paws-Interactive-Puzzle-Feeder-Treat/dp/B07W9KDJ5B/
https://www.amazon.com.au/gp/product/B009WPXKUQ/
https://www.amazon.com.au/Catit-Senses-2-0-Digger-Cats/dp/B015P13QMM/
Got it from Amazon
I'm not sure if it helps but:
or
Thanks! That's a cat tree for special treats. Here's the Amazon link: Catit Senses 2.0 Food Tree https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00D3NI31Y/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_fvD-BbNFQ8DVM