cat overeating

[catloquita]

My cat is a one year old cat and overeats a lot, like a dog, as soon as I fill his bowl he wolfs it down in a few minutes. He doesn't vomit it however.

[catloquita]

He used to lived in a house with another 3 or 4 cats. So I guess is from then that he learned to eat a lot. When I got him, I thought he had worms and that was  the main reason for his ways of eating. So I kept giving him food whenever he was hungry. So now I'm not sure how to fix these bad habits now. I know if I keep giving him a lot of food in less than a month he will get very fat!

[Savas]

Well, that rules that out.

If this was a stray you picked up, or a cat from a large litter, it's possible it's a behavioral issue. Usually animals learn that food is plentiful in the household and adjust, but sometimes old habits die hard.

i'm actually like that. To this day I still bolt my food... comes from eating when a kid with two older brothers. :)

[catloquita]

No he is still with all his parts. I had to have him to fix before but he got sick in the way to the vets so I couldn't get it done then. But I will soon take it back to the vets

[Savas]

I have one question here; did you get this cat fixed recently? Sometimes a recently fixed cat will obsess on food... I call it "Eunuch Syndrome". :)

[PrettyKitty1]

Oh well if he isn't overweight and he goes out then I wouldn't worry. He'll burn those calories outside. In your case, I would worry about my cat getting hit by cars, abused by kids or hurt by other ferral cats on the street.  I just saw a dead, beautiful tabby kitten in the midle of the road. If you wish to just keep him from gaining weight, try feeding him only wet foods. Dry foods are high in carbs. Cats don't need carbs. They need protein, fat, vitamins and minerals. Im not saying dry food is bad (actually it is, kindda, too many diabetic kitties out there) but wet foods contain less carbs. If you keep him on a lean protein diet he'll grow lean muscle and great body, perfect to run and burn those extra calories.
My cat needs to lose 2 lbs. He eats a combination of wet and dry (wet only 2ice in a week). Again, I hate giving him dry foods but I have no choice. His stool comes runny when he eats a lot of wet food and it gets stuck in the hair....disgusting. He is indoor, sleeps with me and gets on every place in the house. I cannot have a cat with butt biscuits dangling in his pantaloons lol....April2 would laugh hard if se was reading...
However, you have a cat which goes outside. I bet he also evacuates outside so you don't have to worry about cleaning his behind and having pieces of stool left on the counter LOL, yes, that is my case only when Abby eats wet foods.
Feed him twice a day if he is already an adult. Keep his water fresh. It is normal for him to drink a lot of water if he is exposed to the sun, runs, hunts and/or eat dry foods.

Good Luck.

[catloquita]

I just got this cat one month ago or so. Since he came to my house he ate like that. I took it to the vet for vaccination ( I wasn't sure he got it before) and worms treatment. However, he kept eating a lot. He also eats mice from the garden, although at the beginning he used to leave the dead animals in the garden. I don't find any now. I'm trying to give him food 3 times a day now, but after your note I will give him food only twice a day. He also drinks a lot of water. He wasn't overweigth or at least that said the vet before, but I noticed he is getting some weight now. I know he does a lot of physical activity, he is out a lot during the night and different hours during the day.

[PrettyKitty1]

It is not healthy for a cat to just eat and eat and eat this fast. How often do you feed him? Is he indoor/outdoor? Depending on their physical daily activity and nature, cats will either eat a lot or not eat as much. Going to the extremes isn't healthy. At 12 months you are basically supposed to feed him twice a day. Is he overweight?