8 month old found tom cat

Question
My question is 2-part:

First, Shaggy my cat is always hungry. He is 8 months old now. I thought maybe because he was nearly dead from starvation when he was found, that he doesn't want to go hungry again, so eats too much.  He is loved and I try to give him what he needs, but he still always hungry.  I dont mean a little or that he's being piggish, he scarfs it down, each meal and eats 3 small cans of meat per day, plus has dry food available with water at all times. (sometimes milk too though I know not good for him).  
Second question is this:
I want to neuter him, and will..... will his "spraying"  that he does now cease after neutering?  Or is Shaggy past the age for neutering to correct this bad habit?  If so, what in the world can I do to stop him from adding his scent to everything?
Thank you.

Answer
Hi,

You've got a couple of tough questions for me!  But that's okay, because I'm glad that you're concerned enough to want to know the answers and to find answers.  

Regarding the eating and how Shaggy is always hungry, scarfing up food--many cats do that.  I don't think that anyone really knows why cats do that.  In particular, though, with rescue or shelter cats, these cats seem to be more prone to this behavior.  Some vets and animal behaviorists think it's because they have to fight for their food; or they're so afraid that the food will disappear and then they may go for days without food (like you said); or even in a shelter environment, the cats are frequently kept together in large rooms, and at feeding time, there's several bowls placed strategically and the cats are all drawn to it.  If you have a "weak" cat that doesn't nose and push his way in, he/she may lose out on the food.  So, there could be some psychological issues when it comes to food.  One of my mom's cats does the exact same thing you're describing.  She was a stray--starving, and thin as could be.  I was volunteering at the rescue the cat was at, and talked my mom into adopting her.  She scarfed her food up so fast, and would eat multiple times a day.  My mom just came to the conclusion (as did the vet) that she was so afraid the food wouldn't be there, so she had to eat it as quickly as possible, and eat whenever food is available, lest there not be anymore, and there's nothing you can do but feed them as you would normally.  Don't give him anymore food than you normally would.  Eventually, and with time, he will learn that the food isn't going anywhere and you won't withold it from him.  My mom's cat eventually calmed down.  She still at times, will scarf up her food, or act panicked if she doesn't eat it immediately, but for the most part, she's relaxed a little and doesn't get so worked up about food anymore.  But it did take her over a yr to get to that point.

I also think some breeds tend to have a genetic predisposition towards eating a lot, and eating fast.  So, if yours is a mix of anything, it's possible that part of him has a type of cat in him that scarfs down their food quickly all the time.  I also think this is more common in multicat households--again, where there's potentially a fight for food.  Ideally, every cat should have his/her own food bowl, but sadly, I know many people who provide one large bowl, and all cats eat out of that bowl.  So, if you have other cats in the house, make sure they each have their own separate food bowls.  That would be step 1 in trying to stop his behavior.  If he's the only one, or you do use separate bowls for each cat, then there really is not too much you can do other than just know that in time, he may eventually calm down and relax--but it'll take some time!

I think what you're doing is great.  You're feeding him several small meals/day, and you've got water out all the time.  That truly is excellent.  The only other suggestion I would make is consider stopping the kibble.  Kibble is nothing but empty calories (kitty crack as we fondly call it in the shelters).  It's possible if he's eating a lot of kibble throughout the day since you leave it out (free feed), he could really be hungry, because all kibble is is empty calories.  It's the same thing as human cookies, potato chips, cereal, etc.  These are not anything of nutritional value to humans, and since they're not healthy for us, we don't eat them all the time--we only have them as a snack here and there.  And what happens after we do eat say, potato chips?  About an hr or so later, we get real tired, groggy, and crash---and we're still hungry--they don't truly fill us up!  

Kibble is the same thing.  If you look at the ingredients, what's in kibble is nothing but carbs--things a cat can't digest, and should not have to try to digest.  Cats are obligate carnivores, and as such, they should be eating meat.  Research is showing more and more that cats that eat kibble have more health problems (such as diabetes, thyroid problems, renal disease, UTI's, crystals), and are often found to be hungry all the time.  The reason is the high carb content.  No cat can digest corn, corn gluten, wheat, wheat gluten, rice, soy, bran, oats, etc.  A cat's stomach is simply not meant to digest these things.  The meat content is low in kibble, and what's sprinkled/added to kibble to make it palatable is what is addictive.  Therefore, I would consider stopping the kibble and instead keep feeding the canned.  Instead of feeding the canned 3x/day, try feeding it 4x/day.  Any canned dinner is 100% better than even the best kibble!!!  And raw is 100% better than the best canned. So keep up the good work with canned, and if you are interested in learning more about a raw whole prey model diet, just let me know.  A raw diet will fill your kitty up with good stuff, will allow him to develop jaw strength, will allow him to eat what his body was designed to eat (meat), and will provide him (naturally) with the vits and minerals he needs without any fillers--and I guarantee he will feel full and will eventually grow out of the scarfing everything down and wanting food all the time.  Not to mention the numerous health benefits.  I would also suggest that as long as you're feeding canned, buy good quality canned--products that are grain free, and have limited fruits and veggies in them.  Again, fruits and veggies are not meant for a cat's digestive system, and only serve to irritate the GI tract.  Canned products I recommend (and which may fill him up because they've got better ingredients in them) are:  Ziwi Peak, Nature's Variety, Natural Instinct, Weruva, Tiki Cat, Azmira, Felidae, Innova Evo 95% meat.  

I would definitely stop the milk, as well, because like you said, it's not good for him.  Human milk has lactose in it, and cats cannot digest lactose, so it ends up causing them upset stomachs or can cause diarrhea.  There are cat milk products out there that are designed for cats and don't contain the lactose.  Those would be okay to give him once in a while, but not every day.  You can get these products at Petsmart and Petco where they sell cat treats.  

On to the spraying issue.  Neutering is the best thing for him, as it make him a healthier cat as he will not be prone to get certain cancers once he's neutered.  He may also become much more affectionate.  Unfortunately, once a cat starts spraying, it's harder to break that behavior, because now it's instilled in them.  The best way to prevent spraying is to get a cat neutered before they even start doing it.  But....that said, it doesn't mean that he's going to spray for the rest of his life.  Some male cats will come around and stop spraying after they're neutered.  Others you may have to work with, but after some work, they will be fine.  And still others will continue to spray.  

I will tell you what I've told several other people about cleaning up urine.  A cat's urine is very strong smelling, even more so for the tom that sprays.  It contains ammonia that is very much an attractant for the cat, meaning that if he smells a place where urine was, he will spray and/or urinate there again.  The reason is because the ammonia in the original stain was never removed, and as such, that tells him that because the smell is still there, it must be okay to spray and/or urinate there again.  So it's critical to clean thoroughly any urine stains you have or you will never break that cycle.  In order to clean these stains correctly, you MUST purchase a product that actually eats away at the chemical constituents of the stain so that the stain and the odor no longer exist.  This is done with enzymatic cleaners, molecular odor eliminators, oxidizers, bacterial cleaners, bacteria and enzyme teams, and encapsulators.  None of these products can be bought at Petsmart or Petco, but you should be able to get them at an independent pet store, or may have to order them online.  The products that have been tested again and again and consistently win approval are "Zero Odor," "Urine Erase," "EnzymD," and "Urine-Off."  You need to follow the directions, but the important piece is that you clean an area 10" beyond (in all directions) the original stain in order to get the entire stain, as well as pull up the carpet and clean the pad, and if necessary, the cement or wood underneath that.  

If you're just dealing with him spraying on the walls or sofa, then the first thing I would do is buy some Feliway and plug it in.  That way, he will get a low dose of "good" pheromones constantly, and it will relax him.  You may also want to buy some Feliway spray, and spray it on objects and walls that he would back his butt up to and spray (walls, sofa bottoms, etc).  Feliway is a cat pheromone that mimicks a cat's facial pheromones.  These are good pheromones--ones that cats respond to in a positive way.  When a cat smells a facial pheromone, they are relaxed, happy, and it tells them not to defile that scent, ie, with spraying.  Theoretically, if you have facial pheromones all over your house in areas where he could potentially scoot his butt up to the object or wall, then he shouldn't spray anymore.  Of course that's in a perfect world.  Some cats don't respond that perfectly to Feliway, or don't respond at all, but the majority of cats do.  So, it is definitely worth looking into and purchasing some.  You can get it at Petsmart or Petco, and is expensive--about $40 per bottle--but it will save you money down the road. I would get that immediately and start spraying that everywhere (follow the instructions).  It may take several days or even a wk for him to respond, so don't get upset if he continues to spray after 1-2 days.  Give it some time.  And even if he doesn't stop spraying before you get him neutered, I'd continue to try after he's neutered, because he may be better able to focus after he's neutered.  Right now, he's getting to the age where he just wants to find a female and fight other toms.  

So, please, get him neutered as soon as you can, because the sooner you get him neutered, the more likely you will be successful at breaking his spraying.  The more time that goes by, the less likely you will be able to break that habit.  So, the clock is ticking on this boy.  

I hope that this all makes sense to you.  If it doesn't, let me know and I will be happy to clarify things.  I wish you the best of luck, and know that you may not be able to do much about Shaggy's eating habits, but you can likely do something about his spraying habits by getting him neutered as soon as you can.  

Savannah