Cat Question: Wet Food Insanity Runs - Help?
June 2, 2020 9:00 AM Subscribe
This will be the first in a series of cat questions I have as we navigate life with a young cat. We've always adopted older cats and this little guy is full of vim and vigor. Our vet recommended we give him a can of wet food a day, split into thirds. He loves it! So much! And afterwards, he tears around the house causing total mayhem and attacking us. What's happening?! Also, share your favorite wet cat food as we are willing to try other kinds if there's something that is bothering him.
Cat tax photo of our might tabby, Tora!
Cat tax photo of our might tabby, Tora!
He's got the zoomies.
My best recommendation (based on personal experience and on cat behaviorist advice like in the video above) is to do a couple of vigorous play sessions daily with something like a Da Bird cat toy to help him work off the extra energy.
(on preview, oh my goodness, he's gorgeous!)
posted by Lexica at 9:24 AM on June 2, 2020 [4 favorites]
My best recommendation (based on personal experience and on cat behaviorist advice like in the video above) is to do a couple of vigorous play sessions daily with something like a Da Bird cat toy to help him work off the extra energy.
(on preview, oh my goodness, he's gorgeous!)
posted by Lexica at 9:24 AM on June 2, 2020 [4 favorites]
What a beautiful boy!
I've noticed that right around eating times my cats (in their younger days) seemed especially energetic, perhaps because this would be the time they'd need to be catching their dinner. Have you tried playing with him either before or right after to see if you can tire him out a bit?
posted by past unusual at 9:26 AM on June 2, 2020
I've noticed that right around eating times my cats (in their younger days) seemed especially energetic, perhaps because this would be the time they'd need to be catching their dinner. Have you tried playing with him either before or right after to see if you can tire him out a bit?
posted by past unusual at 9:26 AM on June 2, 2020
Our youngest cat, who's kept a lot of her kitteny energy, sometimes has a race around after eating; also often after pooping. I think this is "whoa I feel really good right now" excitement.
"Attacking us" sounds a bit worrying though; try to redirect that into play with toys.
posted by We had a deal, Kyle at 9:32 AM on June 2, 2020 [2 favorites]
"Attacking us" sounds a bit worrying though; try to redirect that into play with toys.
posted by We had a deal, Kyle at 9:32 AM on June 2, 2020 [2 favorites]
So handsome! Our guy typically wants to play right after breakfast and supper. In the mornings he wants to wrassle and kick his larger toys on the couch or chase a laser pointer around. At night he yells at us until we grab his favorite bird toy and will chase it indefinitely. He's so much fun! We refer to his playtime alter ego as Wellington Wigout.
posted by Orange Dinosaur Slide at 9:49 AM on June 2, 2020 [2 favorites]
posted by Orange Dinosaur Slide at 9:49 AM on June 2, 2020 [2 favorites]
What's happening? You answered it: he loves it! Kittens are full of pep and vigor and hella destructive. (If this bothers you, never get a puppy, they're even worse! And human toddlers...)
You need some good cat toys. Especially the ones with a feather thing on a string like a fishing pole might help you.
posted by epanalepsis at 10:05 AM on June 2, 2020 [2 favorites]
You need some good cat toys. Especially the ones with a feather thing on a string like a fishing pole might help you.
posted by epanalepsis at 10:05 AM on June 2, 2020 [2 favorites]
Even our older cat does this sometimes. We call it CAT FOOD POWER
posted by RobotVoodooPower at 10:07 AM on June 2, 2020 [8 favorites]
posted by RobotVoodooPower at 10:07 AM on June 2, 2020 [8 favorites]
Response by poster: Good suggestions! This cat came to us with the caveat that he was unusually aggressive/fearful with other cats. This may change over time but at this point we aren't going to get another cat.
We do have Da Bird! And he gets a couple play sessions a day but I like the idea of doing it maybe *before* the meal. I don't think we've tried that.
posted by amanda at 10:07 AM on June 2, 2020
We do have Da Bird! And he gets a couple play sessions a day but I like the idea of doing it maybe *before* the meal. I don't think we've tried that.
posted by amanda at 10:07 AM on June 2, 2020
Almost every cat question on Metafilter. "Why does my cat _____?"
Answer: Because she's a cat.
And Tora's beautiful!
posted by hydra77 at 10:21 AM on June 2, 2020 [9 favorites]
Answer: Because she's a cat.
And Tora's beautiful!
posted by hydra77 at 10:21 AM on June 2, 2020 [9 favorites]
This sounds like an irritating but expected level of energy for a teen / young adult cat? Head him off or give him feedback he understands and then redirect him.
To head him off, get toys ready to go while he's eating. Once he starts zooming around, toss them at him / wave a fishpole at him / attract him to the toys and engage with him. He wants to play with you! He's bonding with you! He just needs some pointers in appropriate behavior.
If he tries to play with your body anyway, act like an irritated adult cat:
* Jump, glare and give a short, startled hiss: mouth open 3/4ths of the way, pull lips most of the way back, brief hissy exhalation. Don't swat or respond physically, humans aren't fast enough. Watch Youtube videos of cats disciplining their kids if you can't picture this? Grandpa Mason is a one example.
* Pointedly blink and look away to positively end the rebuke. If he acknowledges the rebuke, that's a good sign, but he might be too keyed up.
* Whip out a fishpole toy or something and play with him until he gets bored. It may take a lot longer for him to get bored than for you to get bored.
* Lots of non-violent physical interactions at other times to reinforce that interaction = fine, violence = not fine. It's important to reassure him that you like him just fine, you don't like being bitten / clawed.
Really important: do not physically play with him. Don't put a sock on your hand and let him wrestle. Don't let him pretend-maul your feet. None of that. It's cute! He wants to! It teaches him that you are an appropriate play toy, and that's going to go real bad real fast. Mimic older cat behavior: he can wrestle with toys around you, you will use toys to play with him, he can climb on or around you, he can thump into you or otherwise non-violently engage with you. Your body is not a toy and he'll get cat-yelled at if he tries.
If he doesn't respond after several weeks or if he's regularly biting hard enough to cause damage, that's a bit more serious. I used towel-and-bathroom timeouts for that. Get a thick towel that can totally cover him, pick him up with the towel, lock him in a cat-safe bathroom for a minute or two. Very, very short time, don't walk away and leave him to get anxious or worked up. The point is not punishment; the point is to show him that biting = boring bathroom time.
posted by Ahniya at 10:22 AM on June 2, 2020 [7 favorites]
To head him off, get toys ready to go while he's eating. Once he starts zooming around, toss them at him / wave a fishpole at him / attract him to the toys and engage with him. He wants to play with you! He's bonding with you! He just needs some pointers in appropriate behavior.
If he tries to play with your body anyway, act like an irritated adult cat:
* Jump, glare and give a short, startled hiss: mouth open 3/4ths of the way, pull lips most of the way back, brief hissy exhalation. Don't swat or respond physically, humans aren't fast enough. Watch Youtube videos of cats disciplining their kids if you can't picture this? Grandpa Mason is a one example.
* Pointedly blink and look away to positively end the rebuke. If he acknowledges the rebuke, that's a good sign, but he might be too keyed up.
* Whip out a fishpole toy or something and play with him until he gets bored. It may take a lot longer for him to get bored than for you to get bored.
* Lots of non-violent physical interactions at other times to reinforce that interaction = fine, violence = not fine. It's important to reassure him that you like him just fine, you don't like being bitten / clawed.
Really important: do not physically play with him. Don't put a sock on your hand and let him wrestle. Don't let him pretend-maul your feet. None of that. It's cute! He wants to! It teaches him that you are an appropriate play toy, and that's going to go real bad real fast. Mimic older cat behavior: he can wrestle with toys around you, you will use toys to play with him, he can climb on or around you, he can thump into you or otherwise non-violently engage with you. Your body is not a toy and he'll get cat-yelled at if he tries.
If he doesn't respond after several weeks or if he's regularly biting hard enough to cause damage, that's a bit more serious. I used towel-and-bathroom timeouts for that. Get a thick towel that can totally cover him, pick him up with the towel, lock him in a cat-safe bathroom for a minute or two. Very, very short time, don't walk away and leave him to get anxious or worked up. The point is not punishment; the point is to show him that biting = boring bathroom time.
posted by Ahniya at 10:22 AM on June 2, 2020 [7 favorites]
I would avoid finding him his favorite wet cat food. I got fancy feast one day for my lovely new young kitty and, from that time, she would not consume anything but fancy feast chicken gravy and a few bites of the chicken. She turned down all the other ones (beef, fish) ate a bite or two of dry food... but refused ALL else. For days and days. I even made her chicken and gravy from organic chicken and she turned her nose up... for many days until I gave in. I would not buy fancy feast again. I didn't have the guts to let her starve more than a week.
At that time they didn't sell ONLY fancy feast chicken, it all came in mixed packs, so OMG it was a pain, so much waste and very expensive.
posted by catspajammies at 10:23 AM on June 2, 2020
At that time they didn't sell ONLY fancy feast chicken, it all came in mixed packs, so OMG it was a pain, so much waste and very expensive.
posted by catspajammies at 10:23 AM on June 2, 2020
Just saw your update. If he's prone to anxiety & redirects that into aggression, projecting calm and affection might help. Calm & affectionate cat body language doesn't always overlap with calm human body language. There are guides you can look up. This helped me a lot with both my cats.
Since this happens specifically around food, he might have food-related insecurities? Is his food high enough, in a corner / not exposed, far enough from other activity that he can see things coming? A calmer eating location might mean he doesn't get as keyed up.
posted by Ahniya at 10:29 AM on June 2, 2020 [1 favorite]
Since this happens specifically around food, he might have food-related insecurities? Is his food high enough, in a corner / not exposed, far enough from other activity that he can see things coming? A calmer eating location might mean he doesn't get as keyed up.
posted by Ahniya at 10:29 AM on June 2, 2020 [1 favorite]
My old cats sort of do this sometimes, I just assume it's because they now feel they have energy! Time to be great hunters, yay!
One of mine will only eat Nature's Menu Country Hunter wet food. He point blank refused many different kinds of food before that, although he likes all of their flavours. Ingredients seem good too. (Other cat would probably eat flavoured cardboard.)
posted by stillnocturnal at 11:18 AM on June 2, 2020
One of mine will only eat Nature's Menu Country Hunter wet food. He point blank refused many different kinds of food before that, although he likes all of their flavours. Ingredients seem good too. (Other cat would probably eat flavoured cardboard.)
posted by stillnocturnal at 11:18 AM on June 2, 2020
IAAV, and my cat does this as well. This is a variant of normal. :) We feed Science Diet.
posted by SinAesthetic at 11:20 AM on June 2, 2020
posted by SinAesthetic at 11:20 AM on June 2, 2020
cats are weird
posted by Jacqueline at 11:31 AM on June 2, 2020
posted by Jacqueline at 11:31 AM on June 2, 2020
I think the most important thing is to model appropriate play behavior. If a kitten is not around other cats, they don't learn how to bite gently or tussle without drawing blood.
Also, I have learned that younger cats are not as much into drinking water, so it's good to add a couple tablespoons of water to their wet food.
And yes, running like a maniac after taking a poop is a thing.
posted by computech_apolloniajames at 11:40 AM on June 2, 2020
Also, I have learned that younger cats are not as much into drinking water, so it's good to add a couple tablespoons of water to their wet food.
And yes, running like a maniac after taking a poop is a thing.
posted by computech_apolloniajames at 11:40 AM on June 2, 2020
Your impulse to have a play session before the meal is a good one, since it will help him go through his natural "hunt, eat, groom, sleep" cycle. Jackson Galaxy often talks about this cycle if you want more info.
posted by doift at 2:13 PM on June 2, 2020 [3 favorites]
posted by doift at 2:13 PM on June 2, 2020 [3 favorites]
The cat expression for 'Ow, that's too hard, you're hurting me' during energetic play is a high-pitched 'Owowow' sound. Some cats react instantly. Some do not. It's worth a try.
posted by Too-Ticky at 2:27 PM on June 2, 2020 [2 favorites]
posted by Too-Ticky at 2:27 PM on June 2, 2020 [2 favorites]
You might consider a laser pointer to get off some energy at a distance.
posted by nickggully at 5:02 PM on June 2, 2020
posted by nickggully at 5:02 PM on June 2, 2020
For the food question, one thing to consider is texture. My previous cat would eat anything canned, but my current cat prefers dry kibble (Nature's Variety Instinct) and the brothiest wet food. She won't eat pate and will pick at cuts of meat, but the juice is always the first to go. She will not eat if there is no kibble, so we use a side by side dish for her. Currently she is enjoying Rachel Ray Nutrish.
posted by sm1tten at 6:32 PM on June 2, 2020
posted by sm1tten at 6:32 PM on June 2, 2020
My middle-aged guy does this all the time after meals (sans the attack), I call it the carb rush. Also post pooping is a good excuse to suddenly rush madly through the house, up and over furniture, etc. The attacking thing is probably just another expression of high spirits and a young cat who doesn't have boundaries....I agree with the suggestions above to redirect to more appropriate play.
I've had several cat vets recommend Friskies, pate style, no fish/seafood varieties. Every now and then I think that surely that can't be good for him, redo all the research, ask the vet again, and end up back there. Also he flat out refuses to eat "frou-frou" cat food. Oh, he'll humor me for a can or two, but then comes the reproachful looks followed shortly by the hunger strike.
My guy is also not a water drinker. After a dangerous incident with a bladder infection, he now gets wet food almost exclusively and I add a little water to each meal.
posted by Preserver at 6:34 PM on June 2, 2020 [1 favorite]
I've had several cat vets recommend Friskies, pate style, no fish/seafood varieties. Every now and then I think that surely that can't be good for him, redo all the research, ask the vet again, and end up back there. Also he flat out refuses to eat "frou-frou" cat food. Oh, he'll humor me for a can or two, but then comes the reproachful looks followed shortly by the hunger strike.
My guy is also not a water drinker. After a dangerous incident with a bladder infection, he now gets wet food almost exclusively and I add a little water to each meal.
posted by Preserver at 6:34 PM on June 2, 2020 [1 favorite]
Stairs worked very well for our cats to burn off excess energy. With a laser pointer when it was necessary to redirect them from doing less convenient things.
If not, a 6+ foot cat tree can serve a similar purpose if he is any kind of climber/percher.
posted by wierdo at 7:20 PM on June 2, 2020
If not, a 6+ foot cat tree can serve a similar purpose if he is any kind of climber/percher.
posted by wierdo at 7:20 PM on June 2, 2020
Response by poster: Just posting to say that we did playtime first and then food for lunch and dinner today and it was so much better! No destructive zoomies! He was legit knocking over plants, biting us and clawing things as part of his post-nom rampage. After lunch today, he took a nap. So awesome.
Now, I do need to work on re-directing the bites and ankle attacks. So, those tips above that focused on that as well were good and I'd love more.
Thanks, dedicated cat-lovers of Mefi!
posted by amanda at 7:29 PM on June 2, 2020 [12 favorites]
Now, I do need to work on re-directing the bites and ankle attacks. So, those tips above that focused on that as well were good and I'd love more.
Thanks, dedicated cat-lovers of Mefi!
posted by amanda at 7:29 PM on June 2, 2020 [12 favorites]
Thanks for the update! Some kids are just high-energy. :)
My last cat liked to ambush my ankles and climb me like an actual tree. A jump and hiss / high-pitched ow! was pretty effective at startling him out of his attack. Try to avoid instinctively kicking / pushing him away with your foot, though. Reflexively punting my cat was distressing (he was fine, just startled and miffed). Pushing him slowly away with a foot was the play response he was looking for.
posted by Ahniya at 10:35 AM on June 3, 2020 [1 favorite]
My last cat liked to ambush my ankles and climb me like an actual tree. A jump and hiss / high-pitched ow! was pretty effective at startling him out of his attack. Try to avoid instinctively kicking / pushing him away with your foot, though. Reflexively punting my cat was distressing (he was fine, just startled and miffed). Pushing him slowly away with a foot was the play response he was looking for.
posted by Ahniya at 10:35 AM on June 3, 2020 [1 favorite]
When he bites or claws: Loud, high pitched squeak. The sound kittens make for "that hurts."
My cats have a manic half-hour after eating (no aggression though, just racing around the house). Yours may grow less manic with age, but for now the play strategy sounds like a winner.
posted by Pallas Athena at 7:11 PM on June 3, 2020
My cats have a manic half-hour after eating (no aggression though, just racing around the house). Yours may grow less manic with age, but for now the play strategy sounds like a winner.
posted by Pallas Athena at 7:11 PM on June 3, 2020
This thread is closed to new comments.
Just checking. Are there some symptoms that make you think he's not happy?
If he's attacking you/other things, consider that many rescue organizations won't adopt a young cat to a home that doesn't have another cat to play with. That's because they end up getting young cats returned to them if they don't have an appropriate outlet for all their kitteny energy.
Sounds like you got a live one there.
posted by amtho at 9:16 AM on June 2, 2020 [4 favorites]