Unruly Cat... need help

[Candini]

I`ve had my cat for roughly 5 years, she was free and given to me from a friend. When I had taken her into care the owner gave me a list of the food the cat was already eating, whiskas dry kibble and wet food once in a while.

Well I`ve noticed my cat has become extremely scavenger like... is always on the counter or dinner table looking for food, is always mooching.

She also is not really eating her dry food. I told one of my friends this and she said maybe she's bored? I started giving her wet food again (half a tin a day) and now it seems like that's ALL she wants.

She also appears to be getting skinny which concerns me.

What should I do?


(Also I should mention since she has lost weight, she has found 2 mice in the house, is it likely the mouse could have given her some type of disease? )

[Natalka]

Very unlikely she got something from the mice.

Once you start giving canned food, that's all they want!

When our two seem to get tired of Whiskas dry, we switch to Purina dry for a while, then mix it with Whiskas, and go back on Whiskas. Just went through this about a month ago.

Another thing to consider is age - one of our cats is just over six years old, and sure doesn't eat as much as she used to.

I'm not a vet, nor do I play one on tv, but I wouldn't worry unless there are other symptoms - such as with litter habits.

[Natalka]

As for being on the counters/table, if that's a new behaviour you haven't allowed before, nip it in the bud - here we use a strict NO, with a swat if we can reach them in time. Otherwise, we pick up the cat, take them to the offending place, give a swat with a NO. Lather, rinse, repeat.

Oh, or a squirt of water, should you have one handy.

[TrueNorthTreasures]

If she continues to lose weight, is drinking a lot, is urinating a lot and/or frequently, and seems like she's always looking for food, please take her to a vet ASAP.

These are symptoms of feline diabetes. My cat's symptoms started showing exactly in the same way your kitty is behaving. At first it seemed like he was misbehaving (hopping onto counters to get at food, up onto our laps when we were eating, etc) but the fact was that he was constantly hungry no matter what he ate until he was treated.


Other symptoms of feline diabetes can include:

• vomiting
• weakness in the back legs (standing or walking on their back haunches instead of their feet)
• general lethargy
• acetone breath (a sweet or fruity smell - my cat smelled like honey or beeswax candles before he was diagnosed!).

[Natalka]

^ Thanks True, that's good to know!

[MortgageQueen]

Candini, I would obviously take note of TrueNorth's advice about the possibility of diabetes first and foremost.

If that is not the case, your kitty may have lost weight because she's eating only can food. That is in fact, a good thing. Kibble is full of useless carbohydrates that cats don't need and aren't good for them anyways. You could also try giving her a little more protein, maybe some chicken or cooked egg.
It's not uncommon for cats that have switched from kibble to can food because they're missing that "full" feeling from the carbohydrates.

In regards to the inappropriate behaviour, I have found with my cats, a "time out" in a place they don't want to be is a good method. That place varies from cat to cat. With mine, it was the garage, the bathroom or outside, depending on the circumstances. They still get into trouble, (because let's face it. . .they're CATS! lol ) but far less.

[Candini]

Thanks everyone !

[frugal50]

I would take her to the vet right away

to rule out any medical condition, it's not normal for cats to lose weight rapidly

there could be an underlying health issue

that you are not aware of or dental problem.

[TrueNorthTreasures]

How is your kitty doing now?