My cat is always hungry and eats wet food too fast. How to slow?

If Nuzzle is getting fat then I switch to 100% canned food. The canned food is all meat and has a high protein and fat content so they are not as hungry. Dry food has lots of carbohydrates which makes cats fat. Also I add a tablespoon of plain canned pumpkin to each feeding to add fiber to his diet and keep him from being hungry. Increasing his exercise with climbing a cat tree, playing with a laser light or chasing a toy on a string will help burn excess calories and improve his fitness. Indoor cats in particular tend to get heavy and it puts them at risk for diabetes, heart discease and arthritis. I'm glad you are addressing this when he's still young. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach to help you care for Nuzzle.

Hello. Just for convenience, most folks just leave a bowl of food out for cats to graze on throughout the day. But if Maximus is overweight, or trending toward being overweight, you will need to control the amount of food he consumes in a day or place him on a metabolic weight control diet. As I see it, cats seem to get hungry, 10 minutes after I turn off the light for bed, so having some available will help me sleep all night. If Maximus is more considerate, & you do not mind feeding when he asks for food, you can certainly do this. Ideally, I would calculate the proper amount he needs daily based on what your bag of food recommends & divide this into 3 feedings, morning, noon or early evening, & the remaining amount for snacking overnight. Remember, if you are feeding for an ideal weight, or for Maximus to lose a little weight you will feed for that weight. In other words, follow the food amount recommendations for a 10 or 12-pound cat if he needs to lose a couple of pounds. Just divide the total daily amount into 3 separate meals. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

Do you have time to run out to a pet store and get a timed feeding bowl? This will release a specific amount of food at set times, and will keep Nala from overeating. You can also put her food into a muffin tin, dividing it equally among the 12 tins. This will also force her to slow down eating and may allow her to get full quicker. Check to see if you can get the timed feeding bowl first. Good luck, I hope this helps!

Many dogs gulp or bolt their food. It’s a common issue. Continue to use the special feeder. You could also look for kibble that is disc shaped or has a hole in the center as this will slow Zeke down as well as force him to chew more. You could also switch from a bowl to a food ball dispenser. He will have to roll the ball around the get the kibble to come out and this will definitely slow things down. Canned food may help because he has to lick rather than grab. Every dog is different. Some dogs do great on canned food while others don’t. Just make sure to slowly switch the diet and to feed he proper amount. I hope this is helpful and please feel free to post any additional questions.

Thank you for submitting your question regarding Toby. It would be worth having him see his veterinarian for a physical exam to determine his body condition score and to ensure that he is overall healthy. This will give you an idea if he is at a healthy weight or not. You ideally what to be able to feel his ribs and for him to have a defined waist. Puzzle food toys are a great way to slow down his eating and keep him mentally stimulated. Cats are hunters by nature so hiding food around the house will encourage this instinct as well. Finally, be sure to accurately measure his food daily so you know the total amount he is receiving. I hope this information helps!

I would try to teach everyone to meal feed. this would mean you place everyone’s food bowl down at the same time for 30 minutes. I would put them if different areas of the house if possible. Once that time is up, the food gets picked up. If you have to add canned food to the smaller cats’ food to help entice them to eat and prevent weight loss, that’s ok. This would also allow you to feed Clover a set amount and prevent obesity. Unfortunately, this is the best solution. There isn’t a great way to prevent him from eating too much when it is always available. You can also encourage him to increase his activity by making him play more. I hope this helps.

It could be that Tiger ate his food too fast, leading him to choke a bit on it. To keep him from eating too quickly, I would portion out his food, giving him more of it after he eats a small amount. You could also put his food in a muffin tin, putting equal portions in each of the 12 tins. That will slow down his eating. I hope this helps!