Female cat Always looking for food

(Uk)

Hi

My son has a female cat who he loves dearly but her behaviour is causing him problems.

She eats well and has a good diet. She's a healthy looking cat, checks by the vet have revealed no problems.

She is constantly looking for food.

Every time you go into the kitchen she's meowing, climbing onto the kitchen worktops.

If you open the refrigerator she tries to jump in to grab food.

If anyone is eating she tries to grab what they're eating. When the grandchildren visit she takes food from their hands or plates.

She climbs into the bin to get waste food from it.

She tears open bin bags left outside.

When you come home with the shopping she will try to tear open the bags to get at the food before you put it away.

He loves her dearly but she's driving him insane.

We'd appreciate and advice you could offer.

Thankyou

Answer from Kate
Hi
Sometimes this sort of behavior occurs when a cat has previously been a stray cat who had to find food wherever they could. this need to find food remains with them as they are constantly afraid that there wont be next meal. Silly i know for a domestic cat with a home but very common in this sort of situation.

Another possibility is that it is purely a learned behavior from always getting food when she asks for it rather than at set meal times. This then becomes a sort of game to get what she whats whenever she wants it.

In either of these situations the only thing you can do is to try and set a meal routine for her and not to fed her in between and to never give in to any requests for food outside of these times. when she pesters for food you will need to pick her up without saying a word to her and put her in another room for awhile. this is a negative experience and over time should be associated with begging for food etc. It takes time but is the only way to break the habit.

https://www.our-happy-cat.com/cat-discipline.html

There are some medical conditions that can make a cat very hungry indeed and always crying for food. I don't know if your vet has tested for a thyroid problem etc but its worth a thought. Please see this page for more on this condition

https://www.our-happy-cat.com/cat-thyroid.html

best wishes Kate

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