My cat overeats to the point of vomiting (we often call him bulimic)

Question

we cannot leave a dish of food out for him or he will eat it all, when we go to sleep at night we are awakened several times by him ramming our door and will not stop til we get up and feed him a bit.....i do not want to cover the bottom half of the door with tin foil to deter him....what should i do ? I dont think that timed feeders would work either with him.....

Answer 1

how old is he? kittens from food eating age to about a year and a half don't really have that "stop eating your full" mindset. they will literally eat them selves to death. try filling a spray bottle with water and when he attempts to get you to feed him extra (by scratching your door or whatever he does) yank your door open and spray the h**l out of him. he'll learn fast enough. also try feeding him a little in the morning and a little at nigth from now on. don't leave food for him.

Answer 2

give him less food  

Answer 3

have you thought of giving him smaller portions a few times each day?  eventually he will become accustomed to the feeding schedule.  right now, he has you trained.  try to ignore him (for short bursts, while he is whining), try pushing the feeding time when he is beating at the door in 20-30 minute incriments until you can set him up with your regular schedule.  he will eventually become aware that your wake up time is his feeding time, instead of his feeding time being your wake up time.

Answer 4

Mine does this too! he eats and then pukes right in the food bowl. It sounds like your only option at this point ARE timed feedings. It might take a while for him to adjust, but keep trying!

Answer 5

Try dog food or bird seeds. :))

Answer 6

How old is he? Has your vet done bloodwork to check for health issues such as thyroid disease, diabetes, etc.? What food are you feeding him? If you are feeding him poor quality dry food, he may not be getting the nutrition he needs. Cats need a diet high in meat protein, meat fat, and moisture. Dry foods often contain mostly grains such as corn and meat by-products. Try feeding him canned food 3 times per day with a good quality, meat-based dry food (Wellness, Innova, B,G. are examples) available as a snack. You can put a ping-pong ball in his dry food to make him eat more slowly. Canned food can be spread out on a plate for your cat to slowly l**k. I hope his health checks out O.K. and this is a behavorial or nutritional problem. See the links below: