Why is my kitten constantly hungry and eating more than recommended?

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! This is difficult for me to answer because I’m not sure what’s available in your location. In general, I stick with the bigger name brands because they are formulated by veterinary nutritionists. These include Purina, Hills Science Diet, Eukanuba, Royal Canin etc. Choose something that says “kitten” or “all life stages” until about 9 months, then transition to adult formula. I don’t have a preference on dry or wet so whichever you and Ginger prefer. I always also tell people that if finances are a concern, mixing half high-quality and half low-quality is perfectly acceptable. As for amount, approximately 1/4-1/3 cup or 1 -1.5 can per day (split up into two or three meals ideally). This will of course increase as he grows. Best wishes to you and Ginger!

Hello. This could be a behavioral issue, or possibly a medical one. There are some intestinal disturbances that can cause extreme appetite in cats. If this is behavioral, sometimes using the anti-anxiety medication amitryptiline, can quiet some of these extreme urges. But before getting into tests & possible medications, you might try switching your cat to a canned diet. It has been shown that some cats have a longer satiety response with wet diets. You can still offer hard food, but possibly offering this in puzzles can help. Kitty Kongs & treat balls slowly release food as a cat interacts with the toy. Homemade options like milk cartons & carboard rolls with taped ends & holes punched out to retrieve treats can keep your kitties mind busy. Give this a try & then talk to your veterinarian about other options at your next visit. Thanks for contacting Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

Hello, and thank you for your question. Young kittens at 6 weeks are going through a very rapid phase of growth, so it is completely normal for them to be eating like crazy all the time. It is not advised to limit his food intake, as he needs lots of energy to grow between now and 6 months of age. After 6 months, you should start being more strict with the food portions. The best thing to do between now and 6 months is to offer him a good quality kitten (not adult) diet in both wet and dry formulations. Offer his a certain amount of wet food per day (e.g. one can), and give him as much dry food as he wants. You can try spacing out his dry food so he does not gorge and eat too quickly to the point that he throws up (known to happy in food-happy kittens!). I hope this helps, and that Lumi is otherwise doing well!

Hi, thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! So cute! Koa maybe trying to make up for lost time! I would bring her in to the Vet for an exam and deworming. Intestinal parasites may be competing with her nutritional needs. At 5 weeks I do not think you need to use the formula any more. I would feed her 3-4 times per day and leave some dry food down. Be sure you are feeding kitten food. I wish you and Koa the very best!

Hi, thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! I do recommend using the food chart that comes with the food. It is hard to make growing puppies and kittens overweight. If they are finishing the food and are not overweight then the volume of food is correct. If they are too skinny feed more but spread the meals out so it is less food per meal. If you think they are overweight cut back. Growing babies need more calories. I wish you the best!

He is just hungry and growing, but 8 cans (24 oz of food is way too much. Try to slowly reduce this to a maximum of 6-8 oz/day over 3 feeds. He will pester you for food, but you have to plow through that.

This is about normal for a kitten this age. However, different cat food brands have different nutrient profiles, so it's best to feed according to the manufacturer's directions. Each food will have a recommended daily feeding amount on the packaging. You can check this as a good guide to see if she is eating more or less than she should. I hope that helps and all is well with Anika.