They were hungry and i didnt know why
By saundyl
@saundyl (9783)
Canada
November 29, 2008 8:42pm CST
About 2 weeks ago I took my cats to the vet because they were acting so very very hungry and i knew i was feeding them they had crunchies all the time as well i was feeding them canned food every night. They got a clean bill of health and they werent skinny just VERY VERY hungry every time i opened the door.
Some people suggested on a behaviour forum that they were actually seeking attention not hungry. So i tried giving them extra attention.
Today I decided since i'm home during daylight hours i was going to feed them early. I fed them like i normally do...took the food out to the top of the goose house..which is about shoulder height for me...(i'm 5'5")
Took the older dog's food to him - my younger dog cant have canned food he tends to get pretty sick if he has it. The older dog is having trouble with dog crunchies these days so I make sure Zeus doesnt get it from him.
I supervised the food until Mackenzie was done his food and i went inside like normal. I put the cans in the garbage and turned to look out the window.
Zeus (hes a Husky border collie cross) was climbing the fence (i posted a discussion about this) and he Flung my cats off the roof of the goose house and was going to steal their food...I was running out the door hollering at him at this point.
To solve the issue I put the cats food on top of an old broken down combine (wont be moving anytime soon) which is at least 8 feet high and theres no fence near it. I have to roll a barrel up to it so i can get the food up. But the cats can get up there easily.
Hopefully this helps them not be so hungry. Glad i found out why my kitties were so hungry.
5 people like this
9 responses
@aprilsue00 (1991)
• United States
30 Nov 08
I have to watch my dogs when I feed them. They do the same thing. The bigger dog will push the littler dog out of the way. This happened for a couple of days before I realized what was going on. Now I will feed the little dog first then I will feed the big dog.
@Autumnrose2008 (1478)
• United States
30 Nov 08
Thats to funny. I used to have the same problem with my animals. My dogs would eat all of there food plus the cats. We just had to put the cat food on top of the fridge for the cats to eat. They were so thankful to have food they even didnt mind climbing up on to the fridge to get it. The dogs would sit and stare at the cats on top of the fridge and whine a little I am sure they really wanted to get that food and would have probably found a way to get to the food on top of the fridge.
@saundyl (9783)
• Canada
30 Nov 08
LOL i just had this image of a dog stuck on top of a fridge and it gave me the giggles. I'm glad i found out what was going on...my one cat was driving me nuts all night the last little while she'd sit and throw herself at the door so you'd hear a thump SCREEECH thump SCREECH. Theyre outdoor/barn/farm cats. I bring them in to play with and cuddle and when its REALLY cold out but they arent litter trained and they like it better out there.
1 person likes this
@munhozmib (3836)
• Sao Paulo, Brazil
30 Nov 08
Hello, Saundyl.
So, your dog was stealing the food? That's bad. Your cats must have been pretty hungry with the big dog stealing everything. I am glad that you found a new place to put the food, where the dog will not reach. But if the dog is also stealing the food, doesn't it means he is also hungry? Or is it just because he is jealous of seeing the cats eating?
Anyway, keep watching your cats to see if they are eating normally. And keep watching the dog to see if he will try anything new against the cats.
Respectfully,
Munhozmib.
1 person likes this
@saundyl (9783)
• Canada
30 Nov 08
I'm sure if he was really hungry he could just eat his own food that is always available and he doesn't have to climb up things to get...that doesn't give him diarrhea.
When i got him the vet told me I'd have to watch him because he eats and eats and eats until hes sick even if he's not hungry if theres food he'll eat it. Also that he cant have canned food (which is what the cats get) so crunchies only and its the canned food hes been stealing.
@TheCatLady (4691)
• Israel
1 Dec 08
Dogs can be naughty when it come to stealing cat food.
My hypothyroid dog, who is on a diet, finds new and inventive ways to get at the forbidden cat food. 
Dogs are naughty little fur faces. 
My hypothyroid dog, who is on a diet, finds new and inventive ways to get at the forbidden cat food. Dogs are naughty little fur faces. 1 person likes this
@TheCatLady (4691)
• Israel
1 Dec 08
Hypo = low. Hyper = high.
Yafa, my dog, takes human thyroid medication. Thyroid disorder is common and totally treatable. It's easy to treat and not too expensive. I just give her pills 2x a day. Keeping her on a low calorie diet until she looses weight is much harder.
1 person likes this
@Opal26 (17679)
• United States
30 Nov 08
Hi saundyl! Ahhhhh! Those poor kitties! They were having their
food doggie napped! So it was Zeus all along! That bad boy!
He's been stealing their food! No wonder they were starving!
I'm glad you finally caught him! That is too much! He likes
cat food too! I guess he's the really hungry one! You need
to separate him from all of the somehow so that he can't bother
any of the others. That's a shame. You have to watch so he
doesn't take the food from Mackenzie and the kitties! Oh
what a bad little boy Zeus is!
1 person likes this
@saundyl (9783)
• Canada
30 Nov 08
He's one that will eat anything and everything (including mop pails) I thought i had separated them until i found out yesterday he climbs fences. I usually sit and hold him by the collar so that he doesn't steal MacKenzie's food. I'm sure he's jealous of the others because they get canned food but...he just gets so sick (diarrhea) after eating canned food - I didnt notice it lately but since its been snowing and dark lately when im home It'd be easy to miss seeing.
Noticed a difference right away today going outside and feeding them. They didnt yowl frantically when i stepped out the door and spud didn't attack me while i was putting the food in the dish. They came up after i called them.
@GardenGerty (169453)
• United States
30 Nov 08
Who says we do not jump through hoops for our pets. Good job solving the pet food mystery. I can almost picture this. I do hope that your kitties are getting more satisfaction from their food.
1 person likes this
@metschica25 (5399)
• United States
30 Nov 08
Hey hey ,
This sounds like something that kinda happened to my cats . growing up we had a small yorkie doggie and well he would eat that cat food that was at first on the floor and then we had to put it on the table and he would jump on chair and eat it . Finally we started feeding and leaving the chow on the counter tops.
Knight 
@katemeow (847)
• Singapore
30 Nov 08
aww! good thing that they are all healthy :) I had a similar problem but with the fellow cats at home. they used to steal the other cat's food when i wasn't looking. now i have to feed them in separate rooms just to be sure that everyone is eating well :)
1 person likes this
