my friends cat eats a lot!!!!!

Question
Well my friends cat daisy eats a lot and she has just had kittens. She even ate a lot before she had the kittens she was just always hungry. She will go up to my friends plate and if she has food on her fork then she will steal them off the fork with her paw and then shove it in her mouth and this is after she has had a pouch of food!!!!!

Answer
Angie,

This could be completely normal behavior, or indicate an underlying health problem, such as thyroid problems.  

A pregnant queen will have the need to eat more to support her growing body, so it doesn't surprise me that she ate a lot before the kittens were born.  Even after birth, a female needs a lot more nutrition, as the babies are using a lot of what she takes in.  Basically everything that she eats is immediately being converted into energy which the babies utilize and need post birth.  

The above is very normal, and not any reason for concern.  Even the behavior of stealing food in the situations above is normal, as new moms know they need lots of food, so they may be more prone to taking what they can get.  However, there are 2 things that come to mind about stealing food.  The first thought is that perhaps she isn't getting enough food when you do feed her, and therefore, that is leaving her hungry.  She is expending a lot of energy to feed those babies, and therefore, needs more food to replace the calories lost in breastfeeding (breastfeeding uses a LOT of calories).  It would stand to reason that if you're not feeding her enough at each meal, she's simply trying to get what she can, when she can.  

Finally, I have to mention the possibility of thyroid problems.  Since she's engaged in this behavior before, I doubt this is likely, but I would be remiss if I didn't mention this.  Thyroid problems can cause a cat's metabolism to speed up, and therefore cause hunger.  The cat will be burning calories as quick as she gets food in her, so that will create essentially an unending appetite.  If the behavior continues after you have increased her food intake, then I would get her to the vet for some bloodwork.  If left untreated, thyroid problems can lead to heart problems, kidney problems, and other health problems.  So, it would definitely be worthwhile to have her checked out if the behavior continues (and while you've got her at the vet, have her spayed!!!).  

Good luck.

Savannah