You are here:

Cats/Food aggression!?

Advertisement

Expert: - 5/29/2010


Question
I have never seen food aggression in cats..

I took in an orphaned 7 week old kitten. The litter was attacked and killed by a pitbull. (or fed to.....)

This is the only surviving kitten of the litter.
He still isn't quite weaned but is eating soft food and food soaked in KMR.

However, he refuses to eat with my other cats, and when I give my cats treats, he will snatch the food from the others and growl and hiss savagely and will scratch, swat at and chase the others. It's a funny sight because he's so tiny, but at the same time, I don't want him to grow up and be food aggressive.

What do I do? will he grow out of this?

thanks.

Answer
Desirai,

At 7 weeks, the kitten is able to eat solid food and no longer needs KMR.  Our kittens are completely weaned by 5-6 weeks of age.  You have not told me how long you have had the kitten.

Anyway, the "food aggression" at this age is common, especially if the kitten was feral.  In time he will learn to eat with the others and not bother "protecting his food" territory.  

Cats have a number of different pecking orders, and food is one of them (litter pan use and territory are two others). So, your new kitten is trying to establish his place in the food pecking order.

So, in a nutshell, I would not do anything.  I find with cat inter-relationships the best approach is no approach. Let them find their own places with respect to each other. Any human intervention just seesm to make matters worse, and, usually, no one really gets hurt anyway.

Best regards... Norm.  

Cats

All Answers

Answers by Expert:

Ask Experts

Volunteer

Norman Auspitz

Expertise

I can answer most non-veterinary questions about cats. My particular expertise is pedigree cats, breeding and showing. However, I am versed in feline behavior, cat breeds and their characteristics, general feline husbandry, and the like.

Experience

I judged for the Canadian Cat Association from 1975 until 1982. I am currently an approved allbreed judge for the Cat Fanciers'' Association (the world''s largets cat registry), and have been judging for them since 1991. I have been breeding pedigreed cats since 1971 and have been exhibiting pedigreed cats in shows since 1970. I obtained my first pedigreed cat in 1970 and have never looked back. In 1971, I obtained my first Abyssinian which has become my primary breed. In addition, I have bred Manx and Persians. Currently, besides the Abyssinians, I am also breeding Maine Coons.


Organizations
Cat Fanciers'' Association, inc. (CFA) and the Manx, Maine Coon, and Abyssinian breed councils. I am currently Abyssinian breed council secretary.

Publications
Cat Fancy Magazine, The Abyssinian Chapter in The Cat Fanciers'' Association Complete Cat Book, and Articles for various editions of The Cat Fanciers'' Association Yearbook

Education/Credentials
I received a B.S. from Drexel University in 1968, a M.Math from University of Waterloo, in 1970, a Ph.D. from University of Waterloo in 1975, and a MBA from McMaster University in 1980. I received my approved allbreed judging status in the Cat Fanciers'' Association in 1999.

Awards and Honors
We have produced a number of Cat Fanciers'' Association (CFA) National winning Abyssinian and Maine Coons. We have produced a number of Abyssinian and Maine Coon Distinguished Merit females (an award for a top producing cat), including the first Distinguished Merit Abyssinian in the red (sorrel) color. I am the CFA Abyssinian breed council secretary and belong and/or hold office in a number of cat clubs. I am also a member of the CFA Judges Association.

©2012 About.com, a part of The New York Times Company. All rights reserved.