My once fat cat is always hungry!

by Laureen
(Manchester)

My cat has recently lost a lot of weight after being on Hills R/D food. She was 6.3kg but is now 4.2kg - a good weight for her size. I have moved her on to normal food now to maintain her weight.

The problem is she just seems to be hungry all the time. I feed her (and my other cat who has no weight issues) twice a day. She eats her food so fast we have started feeding her with a food ball which lets a little food out at a time to slow her down. After she has eaten she still seems very hungry - she will finish our other cats food if he leaves any and she is constantly pestering us for food when we are eating or cooking as well as stealing any food which may get left out. Is there any low fat snack I can feed her to fill her up a bit, but not make her put on weight.

Reply
Hi
There are three possible reasons why your cat is always hungry. Either she is still used to getting a lot more food. Or the food she is eating is simply not filling her up. Or there is some other underlying health issue which is causing both the weight loss and the increased appetite. A thyroid problem would cause this, see my page here about this.

cat-thyroid

The difficulty is knowing for sure which it is.
If the weight loss continues and her appetite remains so strong then yes I would recommned that you take her to see a vet to have a health check.

otherwise it could simply be that she is still used to eating less and need to have other distractions to to try and break the food habit. new toys etc could be an answer.

Other than that, as long as the food you are feeding her is good quality and you are feeding her the correct amount for her weight then I would not try and find snacks to give her, as this may just continue the demand for food.

Best wishes kate

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