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My cat is overweight and always hungry. How can I help her adjust?

Updated on September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Cat | American Shorthair | Female | spayed | 1 year and 2 months old | 13 lbs

Why is my cat always hungry? I was overfeeding her and she's a little overweight, so I now feed her the recommended amount of food twice per day, but she's always hungry much sooner than the next feeding time. This morning she went so far as to eat a small piece of rotten meat out of the garbage. It's been two months, she's still not adjusting to the feeding schedule and she's still overweight. I've been feeding her Blue Weight Control dry food, and Sheba wet food occasionally.

2 Answers

Most Helpful Answer

Answered By Dr. Strydom, DVM

Veterinarian

Published on July 14th, 2019

It is more likely she is bored rather than hungry. You should do some environmental enrichment for her and I would also suggest you get an automatic feeder that will dispense food every few hours (her daily amount broken up into multiple smaller feedings through the day). I would cut out the wet food all together. Some Feliway diffusers may help to calm her a bit as well.

( https://www.feliway.com/us/Products/FELIWAY-CLASSIC-Diffuser )

( thedrakecenter.com/materials/environmental-enrichment-indoor-cats )

( https://www.amazon.com/PetSafe-5-Meal-Automatic-Dispenses-Digital/dp/B000GEWHNS/ref=sr_1_3?crid=3LGP5X3KNCN9U&keywords=automatic+cat+feeder&qid=1563116991&s=gateway&sprefix=automatic+%2Caps%2C485&sr=8-3 )

Hope this helps. If you have more questions you can always opt for a private consultation where we can chat back and forth. That way you can ask as many questions as you'd like. Best wishes.

1Pet Parents found this answer helpful

Related Answers from Veterinarians

Answered By Dr. Heidi DVM, CVA, CCRT, CVTP, CVSMT, CVCH
Veterinarian, Certified Veterinary Acupuncturist, Certified Canine Rehabilitation Practitioner
Published on November 21st, 2017
Poor Pearl. I'm sure she misses you. Cats commonly overeat when they are bored. If she is used to having you around, she may just be eating because she is bored. Unfortunately, we can't tell cats to stop eating when they are full, so we will have to measure her food to ensure weight loss. I typically recommend 2-3 meals a day for cats because that works best for most people's schedule, but cats like many small meals throughout the day. I would recommend measuring her total amount of food for the day, then dividing it into something like feeding balls or a no bowl feeding system.
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I have also had good luck transitioning cats from dry to canned food for weight loss. Finally, if there are any other clinical signs or if she is not losing weight as expected, be sure to have your veterinarian examine her and possibly check bloodwork for any underlying health concerns.
Good luck! I hope that was helpful. Thanks for using PetCoach.
1Pet Parents found this answer helpful

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