usvi-on-line
Need advice from cat owners
Lulu-
I too have a fat cat that would eat me out of house & home (only if the house was tender beef & liver flavored though) if I let him.
He was also a stray.
I cannot free feed him so I feed him @ 1.5 Fancy Feast cans twice a day, just like the dogs.
He also has a slight weight issue and the older he gets the more worried I get about diabetes. I had him on weight management dry food with a bit o canned tuna and he had lost a bit but not much.
So, I asked the doctor recently and she told me to go old school and feed him one can of non-gravy Fancy Feast at each feeding. She said that the dry weight loss foods are not showing the results that vets were hoping for and that cats are carnivores- they don't need fiber fillers and ground veggies in their food.
In your case, due to the extreme hunger and weight gain, I would maybe have some blood drawn and some tests done. Hyperthryroidism causes extreme hungry but weight loss- not gain. Diabetes causes loss of appetite, increased thirst, increased peeing and lethargy. There are more diseases and issue but you should have some blood tests done and talk to your vet.
Before you spend all sorts of $$ at the vet though, try limited access to food, twice a day, for a week. there may be crying and the ole sad eyes but if the cat starts to adjust to the new schedule, you just saved some buckage at the vet. If not, make an appointment.
My Fancy Feast can reccomends 1 can per 3 lbs of body weight a day. That would mean 4.5 cans for my fat ass cat! Since he needs to lose a few, he seems satiated with 3 cans a day or 1.5 at each feeding.
Good luck!!
I too have a fat cat that would eat me out of house & home (only if the house was tender beef & liver flavored though) if I let him.
He was also a stray.
I cannot free feed him so I feed him @ 1.5 Fancy Feast cans twice a day, just like the dogs.
He also has a slight weight issue and the older he gets the more worried I get about diabetes. I had him on weight management dry food with a bit o canned tuna and he had lost a bit but not much.
So, I asked the doctor recently and she told me to go old school and feed him one can of non-gravy Fancy Feast at each feeding. She said that the dry weight loss foods are not showing the results that vets were hoping for and that cats are carnivores- they don't need fiber fillers and ground veggies in their food.
In your case, due to the extreme hunger and weight gain, I would maybe have some blood drawn and some tests done. Hyperthryroidism causes extreme hungry but weight loss- not gain. Diabetes causes loss of appetite, increased thirst, increased peeing and lethargy. There are more diseases and issue but you should have some blood tests done and talk to your vet.
Before you spend all sorts of $$ at the vet though, try limited access to food, twice a day, for a week. there may be crying and the ole sad eyes but if the cat starts to adjust to the new schedule, you just saved some buckage at the vet. If not, make an appointment.
My Fancy Feast can reccomends 1 can per 3 lbs of body weight a day. That would mean 4.5 cans for my fat ass cat! Since he needs to lose a few, he seems satiated with 3 cans a day or 1.5 at each feeding.
Good luck!!
CanuckNYC - We've got a one year old cat named Oliver who is a BIG biter. He starting the whole lunging-at-us-with-an-open-mouth thing when he was just a wee kitten. We've tried everything, from nose tapping to water squirting to loudly saying "NO," and nothing has worked. He's now very, very large and still bites. Our vet actually advised us to return him to the outdoors. He's now an inside/outside cat and seems much happier, though he still bites.
According to our vet, some cats have a very strong hunting instinct and just aren't very tame. Oliver is one of those cats. When/if we have kids, we'll have to put him outside 100% of the time.
Anyway, the point of my rambling... try the suggestions given here, but know that in a few select cases, it's tough to break a biter.
According to our vet, some cats have a very strong hunting instinct and just aren't very tame. Oliver is one of those cats. When/if we have kids, we'll have to put him outside 100% of the time.
Anyway, the point of my rambling... try the suggestions given here, but know that in a few select cases, it's tough to break a biter.
Yes- I wanted to address the "outside cat" as well.
As the last poster mentioned, some cats just need to be outside. They are not domesticated in character and need to be out and about pouncing and hunting and leaving fun dead things for you on the doorstep.
I agree there are many hazards to being an outdoor cat- feline leukemia, feline aids, cars, bobcats, other cats, dogs, porcupines- but sometimes its best to do what's best for your cat.
I have an indoor cat but he's pretty happy being indoors.
Are there indoor hazards? Yup!
We have dogs that the cat likes to taunt and there have been some scuffles but no broken skin.
He managed to slice off a piece of his ear in a mystery accident involving the heat regsiters in the living room- not a dog bite (we were out a dinner).
And he just lost sight in one eye due to a severe mystery blow to the head- again, not a dog bite at all- no puncture wounds (we were at work). The vet thinks he was chasing one of the dogs and slammed into the fridge or some other stationary object. Yup- he's a keeper.
As the last poster mentioned, some cats just need to be outside. They are not domesticated in character and need to be out and about pouncing and hunting and leaving fun dead things for you on the doorstep.
I agree there are many hazards to being an outdoor cat- feline leukemia, feline aids, cars, bobcats, other cats, dogs, porcupines- but sometimes its best to do what's best for your cat.
I have an indoor cat but he's pretty happy being indoors.
Are there indoor hazards? Yup!
We have dogs that the cat likes to taunt and there have been some scuffles but no broken skin.
He managed to slice off a piece of his ear in a mystery accident involving the heat regsiters in the living room- not a dog bite (we were out a dinner).
And he just lost sight in one eye due to a severe mystery blow to the head- again, not a dog bite at all- no puncture wounds (we were at work). The vet thinks he was chasing one of the dogs and slammed into the fridge or some other stationary object. Yup- he's a keeper.
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joanybelle
- Posts: 87
- Joined: Sat Apr 19, 2008 10:09 am
- Location: SC
I have a cat that LOVES to bite, too! Dumas came to us as a stray kitten. We live on a farm, across the street from from a vet. We're sure he was abandoned outside the vet. He is an outside cat/occasional inside cat. He runs to greet me when I arrive home from work. He loves for me to pet him, but out of nowhere, he will attack my hand, arm, leg, whatever he can get to. He'll sink his teeth in and hang on to the death. I've tried all the things listed above, but he continues to bite. I've just learned to watch his eyes. I can usually detect when his bi-polar switch goes off and dodge the attack.
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Teresa_Rae
- Posts: 2053
- Joined: Mon Oct 09, 2006 5:44 pm
- Location: Downstate IL
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Kathyzhere
- Posts: 527
- Joined: Thu Dec 27, 2007 5:04 pm
- Location: Cape Cod & SW FL
I haven't really had any kitties with biting or scratching probs beyind their kitten years. I know that spay/neuter does help with their "agression".
We need a kitty Cesar Milan!
That guy is amazing!
Maybe using toys that are extended away from human hands may help??
I've used water squirt bottles, a loud clap and firm voice, which have worked in the past. I guess some cats can be a lil' crazy just like us and nothing may help.
My cats have pretty much all their lives been on prescription food and weight has really never been an issue. One time though; my lil' petite Chloe (she's a bit nervous ever since we moved down here)must have been a lil' stressed when we left on vacation for the 1st time and over ate a bit, cuz when we came home she was shaped like a football
We used one of those continuous dry food feeders and I guess she didn't know enough to stop! For some; if the food is there they'll keep eating...hmm, have I ever done that before?? 
Oh and if anyone has probs with them scratching the furniture...sticky paws (dbl sided clear tape) works great.
Good luck!
Kathy
We need a kitty Cesar Milan!
That guy is amazing!
Maybe using toys that are extended away from human hands may help??
I've used water squirt bottles, a loud clap and firm voice, which have worked in the past. I guess some cats can be a lil' crazy just like us and nothing may help.
My cats have pretty much all their lives been on prescription food and weight has really never been an issue. One time though; my lil' petite Chloe (she's a bit nervous ever since we moved down here)must have been a lil' stressed when we left on vacation for the 1st time and over ate a bit, cuz when we came home she was shaped like a football
We used one of those continuous dry food feeders and I guess she didn't know enough to stop! For some; if the food is there they'll keep eating...hmm, have I ever done that before?? Oh and if anyone has probs with them scratching the furniture...sticky paws (dbl sided clear tape) works great.
Good luck!
Kathy
Teresa_Rae, please keep me posted on the invisible fence. Our subdivision restrictions say pets, including cats, must be kept on your property. I was thinking about you yesterday, because I made GF banana bread. It was as good, if not better, than the "real" stuff. Would you be interested in the recipe?
(I'm getting my cat threads confused.
)
(I'm getting my cat threads confused.
)
Last edited by pjayer on Fri Sep 26, 2008 11:00 am, edited 1 time in total.
When the end of the world comes, I want to be in Kentucky, because everything there happens 20 years after it happens anywhere else. – Mark Twain
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joanybelle
- Posts: 87
- Joined: Sat Apr 19, 2008 10:09 am
- Location: SC
Dumas (aka Dumb A$$ by my husband) was neutered two days after he showed up. He is spoiled and lives the life of Riley. When he has a biting "episode", it's like he is saying, "pet me, love me, pet me, STOP! (bite)." I can't deside if it's an over stimulation thing for him, or a control thing, but I just love that cat! The vet says he is a blue russian, but I don't know anything about the breed. The last time Dumas went to the vet, she told me she polished his horns while he was there. 
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Teresa_Rae
- Posts: 2053
- Joined: Mon Oct 09, 2006 5:44 pm
- Location: Downstate IL
Most cats love those cardboard scratchers and also the sisal rope ones. When I let the cats out of their cages at the shelter they run like a herd of sheep to the scratchers. They scratch not to sharpen their claws but to clean them. None of our five cats are declawed and as long as they have their scratchers we don’t have really any problems. We do trim their claws so they aren’t so sharp.
I don’t know why pet stores sell the carpeted scratch posts….that type just confuses cats because they associate them with floor carpet and soft furniture and get themselves into trouble.
Pjayer, right now my friend is trying a Skyline trolley with a harness for her cat (they went with this less expensive option first):
http://www.petsmart.com/product/index.j ... Id=2755028
He was used to having free reign so it was an adjustment at first, but I’d think that if it was all the cat ever knew it probably wouldn’t be a problem. Is there a reason you’d want to let the cat outside? I think it’s a lot easier to keep them inside all the time. There are exceptions of course, but I think that most cats are content to stay inside all the time.
My friend’s cat was inside-only for years but then he got outside once by accident and then started howling at the door to be let out…and when she wouldn’t let him out, he’d poop in the sink (pooping improperly is an angry reaction for cats…urinating in the wrong spot is often health related, but when it is just poop, it is meant to send a message). The last straw was when she was changing her son’s diaper and the cat jumped up on the changing table, pooped, and stared at her. So now she lets him out on the Skyline and he doesn’t leave angry "presents" in the house anymore. He’s trained her into getting what he wants. Initially she was letting him roam, but a neighbor complained that she saw him kill a bird so she’s keeping him contained now.
Oh, and I’d love the banana bread recipe, thanks for thinking of me.
I don’t know why pet stores sell the carpeted scratch posts….that type just confuses cats because they associate them with floor carpet and soft furniture and get themselves into trouble.
Pjayer, right now my friend is trying a Skyline trolley with a harness for her cat (they went with this less expensive option first):
http://www.petsmart.com/product/index.j ... Id=2755028
He was used to having free reign so it was an adjustment at first, but I’d think that if it was all the cat ever knew it probably wouldn’t be a problem. Is there a reason you’d want to let the cat outside? I think it’s a lot easier to keep them inside all the time. There are exceptions of course, but I think that most cats are content to stay inside all the time.
My friend’s cat was inside-only for years but then he got outside once by accident and then started howling at the door to be let out…and when she wouldn’t let him out, he’d poop in the sink (pooping improperly is an angry reaction for cats…urinating in the wrong spot is often health related, but when it is just poop, it is meant to send a message). The last straw was when she was changing her son’s diaper and the cat jumped up on the changing table, pooped, and stared at her. So now she lets him out on the Skyline and he doesn’t leave angry "presents" in the house anymore. He’s trained her into getting what he wants. Initially she was letting him roam, but a neighbor complained that she saw him kill a bird so she’s keeping him contained now.
Oh, and I’d love the banana bread recipe, thanks for thinking of me.
Let us live so that when we come to die even the undertaker will be sorry.
- Mark Twain
- Mark Twain
OK, Teresa_Rae, I am so glad I read your post. The cats I've had with those carpet scratchers have always still scratched my furniture -- now it makes sense. Ever since I got Portia the cardboard one, she hasn't scratched anything else. I love it.
As for her food issues, she seems to be doing better. I did break down and fill her dish before I went to bed last night, and this morning there was still a little dry food left. I put her tuna and gravy pouch in with the dry food and when I left for work, there was still some of both. Maybe she is realizing I am not going to let her starve to death.
As for her food issues, she seems to be doing better. I did break down and fill her dish before I went to bed last night, and this morning there was still a little dry food left. I put her tuna and gravy pouch in with the dry food and when I left for work, there was still some of both. Maybe she is realizing I am not going to let her starve to death.
"...and when she wouldn’t let him out, he’d poop in the sink... The last straw was when she was changing her son’s diaper and the cat jumped up on the changing table, pooped, and stared at her."
Honestly- that is one of THE funniest things I've ever read.
Thank you, thank you, thank you Teresa for the fun Friday laugh!
Honestly- that is one of THE funniest things I've ever read.
Thank you, thank you, thank you Teresa for the fun Friday laugh!
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Kathyzhere
- Posts: 527
- Joined: Thu Dec 27, 2007 5:04 pm
- Location: Cape Cod & SW FL
Hey LuLu I never tried the cardboard scratchers, but will try it out this weekend, thanks.
And, Teresa Rae, DUH, never even gave one thought to the carpet scratch post and the actual floor carpet.
Chloe loves to use the carpet and why not, she doesn't have to go far to get to it
Enjoy the weekend you kitty lovers!!
And, Teresa Rae, DUH, never even gave one thought to the carpet scratch post and the actual floor carpet.
Chloe loves to use the carpet and why not, she doesn't have to go far to get to it
Enjoy the weekend you kitty lovers!!