My cat Leo is food obsessed. His bloodwork is all good, no obvious physical cause and we think it's in his mind from past trauma.
Would appreciate any help with how to calm him down and ease his food obsession.
My cat Leo is food obsessed. His bloodwork is all good, no obvious physical cause and we think it's in his mind from past trauma.
Would appreciate any help with how to calm him down and ease his food obsession.
Hi Melanie, this is Dr Linda, a vet with 10 years of clinical experience.
I'm sorry to hear you're having this issue with Leo and know it must be a worry.
If he has been like this since you got him, it may well be a learned behaviour from when he was being weaned, if there was competition for food and it was scarce.
While a normal blood test is reassuring, it cannot detect all medical issues. So if Leo has any other symptoms (such as vomiting, diarrhoea, weight loss or lethargy) I'd consider further testing such as an abdominal scan and/or stool analysis.
Ensure he is up to date with a good quality wormer such as one containing Fenbendazole.
I'd offer a nutritionally complete diet, perhaps a satiety one (especially if he is over weight at all).
It helps to feed these cats little and often and to use slow feeders.
Ensure he is not around any pets or people when eating, so he feels no pressure.
Help to keep him occupied and reduce stress with plenty of physical exercise, mental stimulation and games. The more he has to do, the less he will think about food.
Use food puzzles to offer treats or small snacks if these are something you usually give.
My cat also couldn't calm down, constantly demanding food. But I found a solution in the form of an automatic pet feeder and with this device I can now set the feeding time and portion size, so that the cat gets food on schedule, even when I am not home. This reduced her anxiety and made her feeding more regular. The feeder is easy to adjust and is suitable for any portions.
