Both cats are on a hunger strike at once! (kittens, eating, weight)
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My older cat, Allie, who has either IBD or an intestinal lymphoma, can be a real picky eater. She's on Depo Provera (a steroid), Mirtazapine and B12 (both to stimulate her appetite). She'll usually eat pretty well for the first three weeks after she gets her Depo shot. Then, on the fourth week, she loses her appetite quite suddenly. My vet doesn't want to give her shots any more frequently than that, and so far (we're into it six months), it's been working pretty well. She had a shot a week ago, though, and is still hardly eating a thing.
Now, I'd be really concerned about this except that something odd has happened. For the last three or four days, my almost 1-year-old kitten, Samantha, has also practically stopped eating. Now I mentioned to my vet a couple of weeks ago, when I had my puppy in for a checkup, that I thought Samantha would probably eat six 3-ounce cans of food a day if I'd feed them to her. I've been feeding her twice a day ever since we got her, and she has always -- until three or four days ago -- gone after her food like we're starving her to death. She tries to get to the dog food before the dogs do, and we can't leave anything on the counter. She has never been the slightest bit fussy, and is essentially a bottomless pit when it comes to the ability to consume food.
But both cats on a hunger strike at once? It's just so unusual. I'd be calling the vet about Allie if Samantha hadn't stopped eating at about the same time. The only thing I've done differently -- and it could be a bigger factor than I expected it to be -- is that I've started leaving kibble out for them to munch on between meals. I asked my vet if I could do that since Samantha just never seemed to be satisfied with two cans of food a day. She said it would be okay, but I didn't expect it to practically replace the canned food. Neither cat wants much to do with water, so I feel like they definitely need the moisture they get from the canned food. I guess my question is, is kibble more satiating than canned food? And since both of them are almost completely refusing the canned food, should I be concerned as long as I keep offering it to them (for the moisture) and let them subsist primarily on kibble.
1. Kibble is HIGHLY addictive. It is sprayed with icky carp to entice and addict them.
2. A kitten should eat as much as he/she wants. On average, a kitten eats twice the amount as an adult cat.
3. Ditch the kibble. NOTHING about it (or any brand) is good for a cat.
Kibble is not more satiating, but it can destroy the appetite, like any junk food can. A cat with IBD/suspected lymphoma should not be eating any kibble at all.
Adult cats (again, especially a cat with IBD) really should be fed at least 3 wet meals a day. 12 hours is too long between meals.
I would feed Samantha at least 4 meals a day for a while longer as she is still growing, then she can be dropped to three. 12 hours is much too long for even an adult cat to go without food, and your kitten WAS starving going that long. I know it was not your intent, but kittens need a lot of food, and often.
I would get rid of the kibble immediately.
Last edited by catsmom21; 06-21-2018 at 05:02 AM..
Our alpha cat would not feel well on and off and then would not eat as much or skip during his illness process.
His buddy kitten whom he allowed to watch him and play a bit with him...would leave her food plate when he did. She took her cues from him. She was young, she was new, he was an alpha. Not necessarily a thought process on her part but a natural survival, pack member thing...alpha leaves food plate, something is up, lesser members of the pack leave their food plate.
With those particular two, when the alpha passed away, the younger one gained weight and maintained. Not from grief...she just ate normally.
See if your two will allow each other and themselves to be fed separately and see how that goes....where the little one doesn't hear or see the older one leave her food/hang around waiting.
1. Kibble is HIGHLY addictive. It is sprayed with icky carp to entice and addict them.
2. A kitten should eat as much as he/she wants. On average, a kitten eats twice the amount as an adult cat.
3. Ditch the kibble. NOTHING about it (or any brand) is good for a cat.
Thanks for your reply Lola. I'm sure you know that there are differences of opinion on this even within the veterinary community. I did ask my vet about supplementing the moist food with kibble, and she said it would be okay. The nutritional content of kibble is what makes is good or bad, not the fact that it is kibble. And I disagree that a kitten should eat as much as he/she wants. My kitten would be eating six cans of food a day if I let her. Overweight babies and toddlers become overweight adults. The same is true with kittens.
Kibble is not more satiating, but it can destroy the appetite, like any junk food can. A cat with IBD/suspected lymphoma should not be eating any kibble at all.
Adult cats (again, especially a cat with IBD) really should be fed at least 3 wet meals a day. 12 hours is too long between meals.
I would feed Samantha at least 4 meals a day for a while longer as she is still growing, then she can be dropped to three. 12 hours is much too long for even an adult cat to go without food, and your kitten WAS starving going that long. I know it was not your intent, but kittens need a lot of food, and often.
I would get rid of the kibble immediately.
I have pretty much decided to stop feeding either cat the kibble. I was putting it out primarily for Samantha, thinking she'd eat it as my previous cats have, as a between-meal-snack. That apparently was not the case, though. Also, I wasn't even expecting Allie to find it as I put it someplace she seldom goes. But she did find it and she has been eating more of it than I believe is good for her.
Samantha is about two weeks short of being one year old. She's healthy and a good weight for her body build. I am going to be going back to feeding both cats at about 9:00 AM and 5:00 PM., and will no longer be feeding them kibble.
By the way, the last cat I had lived to be 22 years old. She was healthy right up until two days before we had to put her to sleep. She ate both canned food and kibble.
Our alpha cat would not feel well on and off and then would not eat as much or skip during his illness process.
His buddy kitten whom he allowed to watch him and play a bit with him...would leave her food plate when he did. She took her cues from him. She was young, she was new, he was an alpha. Not necessarily a thought process on her part but a natural survival, pack member thing...alpha leaves food plate, something is up, lesser members of the pack leave their food plate.
With those particular two, when the alpha passed away, the younger one gained weight and maintained. Not from grief...she just ate normally.
See if your two will allow each other and themselves to be fed separately and see how that goes....where the little one doesn't hear or see the older one leave her food/hang around waiting.
Thanks for your input petsandgardens. I've always fed my two cats separately. If I didn't, the older one wouldn't get a bite to eat! That's interesting about one cat being the alpha. I've never really thought about that in cats, but more in dogs. In the case of mine, the younger one (the normally voracious eater) is definitely the alpha cat. She is actually the alpha member of our family, which includes my husband and me, two dogs and two cats. She runs the show and nobody tells her what to do. We all serve her every need, and when she meows, "Jump!" sixteen feet all leave the floor.
I took up the kibble last night and both cats ate well this morning. I hope the problem is solved. I had hoped they (especially Samantha) would just nibble on the kibble between meals, but it appears as if they both were choosing it over their canned food, which is not what I wanted to happen.
Thanks for your input petsandgardens. I've always fed my two cats separately. If I didn't, the older one wouldn't get a bite to eat! That's interesting about one cat being the alpha. I've never really thought about that in cats, but more in dogs. In the case of mine, the younger one (the normally voracious eater) is definitely the alpha cat. She is actually the alpha member of our family, which includes my husband and me, two dogs and two cats. She runs the show and nobody tells her what to do. We all serve her every need, and when she meows, "Jump!" sixteen feet all leave the floor.
Our alpha I call a supreme alpha. He reigned magnificently and sensibly. The other cats liked him or just were careful...although those being careful were not pariahs by any means, just had their own thing going on.
With our dogs, when the alpha who could control any size dogs who wandered on our property just with the look, no growl, no bared teeth, when she herself was 8 lbs...when she passed away the others were just like brothers and sisters.
That was that generation but we still have cats and dogs.
To answer your original question, kibble is LESS satiating than wet food to cats. It would be like humans eating cereal all of the time--you never feel quiet full.
FWIW, since Samantha is still a youngster, you can try giving her a little extra canned food and monitor her weight. Also, you can trick her into thinking she's getting more by adding some water to the food and mixing.
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