Expert: Ali - 5/24/2009

Question
QUESTION: How much wet food should an 8 pound 1 year old cat be eating per day?  My
cat went from 2  3 oz. cans to 3-4 per day and cries if you don,t give him it.  
He was found about 2 months ago outside and has been examined by a
vet(given shots/neutered).  Also--he seems less cuddly-he was frequently
staying on our laps but now seems more hyper lately--he was walking on a
bannister about 15 feet high over my family room!!  I am afraid he will do
something that will result in injury.  Is this "normal" for a one year old cat?--
may be part siamese-part domestic shorthair.

ANSWER: Denise,

Has your kitty been showing obvious signs of weight gain? If not when you put that together with more hyperactivity it could mean that he's got an overactive thyroid. Your vet can do a simple blood test to tell you whether that's what's going on. If you've already had the blood work done the vet's ruled out issues with his thyroid there may be other causes for his massive appetite and strange behavior. Sometimes excessive hunger can be a result of other health problems, other times it's directly related to the quality of the food the cat's eating. Many of the pet foods on the market aren't nearly as good for cats as the manufacturers and some veterinarians would have us believe. You may want to try changing the cat's diet, if you'd like to do a bit more research you can check out the website my vet referred me to - catinfo.org. If you aren't able to feed the diet recommended on that site I'd suggest considering feeding him a high quality holistic cat food made from human grade ingredients. The two commercially available foods that I feel comfortable recommending are Wellness and Spot's Stew by Halo. These foods both come in canned and dry forms. Wellness is designed to be fed as a combination of canned and dry food which can be a bit pricey, Spot's Stew can be fed any way that you're comfortable. If your cat continues demanding extra food without weight gain even after being on one of the high quality diets I've recommended I would recommend that you consider seeking the advice of a holistic veterinarian, these doctors are trained in conventional medicine as well as one or more alternative therapies such as homeopathy, acupuncture, herbal medicine or massage to name a few available options. If your kitty begins gaining weight rapidly while continuing to ask for more food each day you may want to consider the possibility that he's eating out of boredom rather than being genuinely hungry. You can do simple things like put a bird feeder out to attract song birds to an area outside your cat's favorite window, have interactive play sessions totaling a minimum of 30 minutes each day or you can even build a safe outdoor cat run that allows your cat to use a kitty door to go outside - he can watch the activity of birds, bugs, butterflies and other critters while he suns himself outside.

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: My cat is getting a really "big belly" compared to the rest of his long lean
muscular frame.   He used to be 6 lbs, but was frail from being outside/stray
and was 8lbs a month later, now looks like 10 lbs a month later--is he
making up for prior deprivation or are abdominal tumors something likely in
a cat? He is also starting to bite and he wasnt doing that before. We do play
about a half hour with him(or more per day). PS. he was declawed in the front
about a month ago.

Answer
Denise,

The weight gain is an indicator that you're feeding your kitty too much. I'd still suggest switching over to a high quality holistic food made from human grade ingredients, feeding what's recommended for an 8-9 lb cat and not allowing the cat to dictate when and how much you feed him....I know that it can be difficult to cope with a cat who's constantly begging for food, but now that he's living in a good home with access to an appropriate amount of food to meet his needs it's best if you don't allow him to send you packing with guilt trips. If you're concerned that there may be tumors or other medical issues it's best to have your kitty examined thoroughly by a vet because the sooner health problems are caught the more likely it will be that they can be successfully treated.

Many veterinarians don't take the time to inform pet parents about what's actually involved when declawing a cat. I know that you didn't ask about what is actually involved in declawing, but I suspect some of the behavioral changes you're seeing are related to this surgery. I feel strongly that pet parents should be allowed to make informed decisions about their cat's care and potential behavioral consequences of performing cosmetic surgeries like declawing. These surgeries often result in temperament and behavior changes such as house soiling, biting, aggression towards people and other pets in the home and I feel strongly that it's important to help ensure that pet parents are aware that there are other alternatives to declawing cats. It's disturbing to see just how many vets are quick to declaw a cat without taking the time to help cat caregivers understand exactly what the surgery involves, the risks associated with the surgery and the potential for serious behavioral, emotional and physical problems to emerge in some cases years after the surgery was performed. I think it's very important that pet parents understand how important claws are to a cat's physical and psychological well-being.

Cats are highly intelligent and very trainable once you discover what motivates your cat or kitten - food, praise, and affection are common ways to motivate cats to learn basic manners, obedience and tricks. Contrary to popular belief cats don't actually sharpen their claws when they sink their claws into furniture. Cats are actually stretching and strengthening muscles in their shoulders, back and front paws when they're clawing their scratch post or piece of furniture. Cats are very territorial animals and they communicate with each other by marking objects throughout their territory with their unique scent. When a cat 'sharpens' they're actually using scent glands located in their paws to leave a scented business card of sorts for the next cat that comes along. Cats also have scent glands in their face and the anal glands are also used for scent marking, they're located inside the cat's body on either side of the anus. Each cat's scent provides other cats with a substantial amount of information about them for other cats to take in including age, sex, reproductive status, diet and health problems.

Declawing is an exceptionally painful cosmetic surgery for cats that's often compared to amputating human fingers at the first joint, but in reality the surgery is somewhat more complex than that. Humans don't retract their finger tips, cats do, this means that declawing involves amputating tendons, ligaments, bone and soft tissue along with the cat's nails. Cats are very difficult to treat for pain because not all medications are safe or effective for cats and it can be difficult to determine if a cat is in pain because they're hard wired to hide weaknesses from predators. This is such a painful surgery that the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) recommends that cats who are to be declawed be given a long acting pain reliever immediately after being sedated for surgery. Before the surgery begins the AVMA also recommends administering nerve blocks at multiple sites in the cat's paws to minimize pain levels immediately following surgery. It's also recommended that cats that have been declawed be sent home on a strong narcotic like Fentanyl administered in patch form. The physical risks associated with this surgery include heavy bleeding, infection, the need for further surgeries to correct an improperly performed first surgery and there's also a risk that cats can develop chronic pain which may not be recognized because they are quite stoic and hide signs of pain and illness well. Unfortunately house soiling and biting are far more common in declawed cats than those who have been allowed to keep their claws and these behaviors can lead to abuse, abandonment, relinquishment to a shelter or euthanasia performed by a private vet. It's possible that your kitty may settle down some if he's given an anti-inflammatory or other long acting pain medication because he may be experiencing pain similar to a phantom limb pain that's well documented in people who have lost limbs to amputation so it might be worth asking a vet about trying pain medication to see whether or not your little man's behavior improves when he's receiving pain medicine.

Cats that have been declawed are more likely to have certain behavioral issues including litter box avoidance, biting or temperament changes. I suspect that the litter box avoidance is a result of phantom limb pain, this disorder is known to occur in human beings that have lost a limb. Since cats are quite smart my guess is that the litter box issues are a direct result of the cat trying to find a less painful place to use the toilet. Biting in declawed cats is most likely related to the fact that they've lost their early warning system and when they become agitated they finally resort to biting. Cats don't normally defend themselves by biting, this is strictly a last resort. In my experience cats are actually quite polite when they're attempting to communicate their desire to be left alone. Normally cats will start off by swatting the offending cat or person with carefully sheathed claws, then they gradually intensify their defense by scratching the cat or person that's bothering them. During fights between the feral/stray cats I've cared for it's been my experience that most heated discussions that occur between cats are all about posturing. Intact male cats will defend their territory and discuss who will have the right to mate with receptive females by engaging in displays that include caterwauling, growling and a staring contest of sorts - the winner is the cat who backs away first.