Expert: Norman Auspitz - 7/9/2009

Question
QUESTION: We adopted a rescue cat 3mo ago, we just adopted another one.  Our problem is...the first one feels the need to eat all the time, the other eats only when hungry. The first eats his food and then proceeds to eat the other. Can this relationship work? We tell him no, take him away, but nothing so far works. This is stressing us out.  
Thanks, maybe you know how to make this relationship work.

ANSWER: Catherine,

First of all NO is meaningless to cats!!!!!  Cats also do not do well with negative discipline.

The only way out iof the problem is to get them on the same feeding time table.

Usually, by not doing anything, it might all work out as the cat sho is used to grazing discovers that he is going hungry because he is not getting his share.  Usually, the first one should figure out he has to speed up eating to get his proper share.  It also may behoove you to feed the separately and anything left over after the second one finishes gets tossed!  This way the first one will learn that to get his fill, he will have to eat a bit more quickly. Anyway, you get the idea.

Best regards... Norm.



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

QUESTION: How do I get my cat to stop thinking so much about food? He is always circling to see if I put more food in his dish. If I go outside for a min. come in, he runs to his dish meowing. It seems that's all he thinks about. He hardly plays, or does much of anything but eat or desires to eat. We don't over feed him, b/c he does need to lose 4 pounds the vet. said.
He looks at the cupboard constantly where we store his food. He even knows the word 'food', we say, you want food? He goes crazy!
Thanks for your help.
We had him checked for worms, he was fine. He had a really good checkup, he's fine.

Answer
Catherine,

Cats are nothing if not persistent.  When you begin to have your cat lose weight, his body will react by slowing down his metabolism. So, it will take a bit of time before that effect will be countered by feeding less, so you will just have to be persistent.

What you will need to do is learn to ignore the cat when he tries to entice you into providing more food.  Somewhere, he learned this behavior, and he will continue to try nit until it works.  Your job is to outlast the cat, which is not easy to do, believe me, as they know all the tricks for manipulating human behavior.

Your cat will eventually give it up (many weeks or months later), but you are doing the right thing by controlling his food consumption. Obesity is cats exacerbates kidney and liver problems, the number one killers of cats.

Best regards... Norm.