Cat's Odd eating habits

by Vicky + Anders
(Suffolk, UK)

Hi,

We have two kittens, both 3 months old. One is a very boistrous boy and the other a girl (the runt). Up until a few days ago they were eating fine. Though lately we have noticed the boy will try to eat anything and everything he can in the kitchen - even licking plates that have been rinsed ready for washing up! He gets very aggressive when they are given cat milk, he pushes the girl out the way and if we let him, he will drink all the milk on his own. We feed them at the same times each day and feed them the right amount for their weight.

Also, when she goes to eat or drink, he will do so after, as if he's jealous!

Do you know why this might be? I'm getting a bit worried about his bizarre behaviour.

Thanks in advance!

Vick + Anders

Reply
Hi
Well it doesn't sound that bizarre to me at all. cats don't have the same emotions as us such as jealousy etc they are driven by instinct. Cat instinct is all about territory and survival.

In your cats case your female cat is the runt and in the wild she would have not survived as she would not have been able to get food or territory as the other cats would have ganged up on her, survival of the fittest etc.

So even though our cats are now domesticated and no longer have to fight for survival they are still driven by instinct regardless. So in this case your male cat is dominant in the house and making his presence felt by your female cat i.e. i am top cat and you just get to eat my scraps.

Also some cats are greedier than others and will eat and eat if allowed to. Your best option is to feed them separately and not to leave food down for them between meals. If this routine is set up and stuck too over time your male cat will calm down and this sort of aggressive eating behavior will become less. Half of what he is doing is also learned behavior and is now a habit. routine separate feeding will make sure that he does not over eat, will ensure your female cat can eat in a calm and relaxed way and it will also help to break your male cats eating habit of over eating.

Also they are both moving into adulthood and the hormones are on the increase, after 4 months old you should consider having them both spayed / neutered as this will also help to decrease these more aggressive and territorial behaviors.

best wishes kate

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