Cats living at home live their own lives. Sexual activity can occur at any time of the year. 10 months after birth, cats become sexually mature. They start asking for a cat. There are a number of signs by which you can recognize such desires in a cat: frequent urination, slight enlargement of the external genital organs, colorless discharge. Males, unlike cats, are always ready to mate, all year round.
The cat constantly asks to eat: normal or pathological
In the wild, cats eat once every few days, when the hunt is successful, and when they see food they try to eat as much as possible. At home, the cat is fed 2 times a day, if the food is natural. The animal gets used to the fact that if it does not eat the food, it will be removed and until the next time the bowl will be empty. And so the owners suddenly switch the pet to granulated dry food. This is convenient, because the food does not spoil.
And, behold, the pet speaks again. The owner puts a handful in the bag of granules, but notices that there is food in the bowl. Out of politeness, the cat walks around and eats some food. Actually, the cat is fine. The problem is not with the pet, but with the owner. He does not understand that the animal does not require food, but attention. In such a situation, the cat just needs to be petted or played with.
If the cat is not exhausted, he is definitely not hungry. And when gluttony is combined with exhaustion, this is pathology. It is likely that your pet has worms, which take away more than half of what he eats, or hormonal disorders, which accelerate the metabolism
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Signs that a cat has gone on a spree
The cat announces the beginning of the mating period by changes in behavior and loud sounds. Detailed signs of a cat's sexual desires:
- The main sign of readiness for mating is wild, guttural screams. If there were no cats in the house before, it will be strange and unusual. Loud screams and meows are natural instincts to attract a mate.
- A cat's heat is accompanied by discharge that leaves marks in the house. Cat markings on the floor also serve to attract a male.
- Some cats mark their territory with urine during heat.
- When a cat asks for a cat, it takes positions characteristic of mating. She squats on her front legs, leaving her back raised. The cat moves its tail to the side. The pose signals the cat's readiness for copulation.
Cat pose during heat - The period when a cat wants a cat is accompanied by hormonal changes in the cat’s body and affects appetite. It is seriously reduced or absent altogether. The animal refuses to eat.
- Another deviation from the norm will be frequent urination. The need for a tray will increase significantly.
- The cat will tell its owner that it wants a cat by being excessively affectionate. The pet will begin to fawn on the owner, rubbing against his legs with a loud purr.
- However, opposite cases of mood manifestations also occur, when the animal becomes aggressive. The cat spoils furniture and objects in the house, although this has never happened to it before. Tears objects he doesn't like into pieces.
Prolonged heat exhausts the cat and the owner. Therefore, you need to take additional measures if the cat asks for a cat.
Why did the cat start eating a lot?
An increase in appetite occurs for the following reasons:
- Unbalanced diet that uses flavor enhancers. The cat eats a lot and produces a lot of feces.
- Season: cats walking outside gain fat during the cold season, so their appetite increases.
- Castration: the cat loses motivation for physical activity, he begins to eat a lot out of boredom.
- Pregnancy and lactation. In a cat carrying a litter, the calorie requirement increases by 30%, in a nursing cat - by 3 times. Therefore, food should be in the feeder at all times.
- High worminess. Parasites constantly require food.
- Metabolic diseases.
The beginning of sexual heat in a cat
During the period of sexual activity, animals lose their appetite, they ask to go outside, literally break free. Cats are aggressive during this period; they can attack their owners or other cats. The unpleasant aspect is that there are marks all over the apartment that smell very unpleasant, and getting rid of this “aroma” is quite difficult.
What to do if your cat starts eating a lot
Manufacturers of economy-class food are interested in selling their products, so they introduce taste enhancers into the feed mixture, causing the pet to overeat. Not all components are completely absorbed. The body converts excess carbohydrates into fats, and the cat accumulates excess weight, which becomes the cause of diabetes and other chronic diseases. You should switch to ready-made food of premium class and higher.
A large amount of dietary fiber (fiber) limits consumption. The brain evaluates the degree of satiety by the fiber content, the amount eaten and the time spent. As a result, the pet consumes 50-70% less food and does not feel hungry. The volume of feces decreases significantly.
For neutered cats and elderly pets, ready-made food rich in dietary fiber is produced. Veterinary feeds have been developed for animals suffering from chronic diseases. But what should straight fans do? Include vegetables in the menu. They contain dietary fiber and vitamins that are missing from meat, fish and dairy products.
If the cat constantly asks for food, but is thin, you need to contact a veterinarian, who will prescribe treatment with drugs that expel worms or eliminate hormone imbalance.
Medicines for cats
Owners can defeat the natural instincts of their pets and give them medications to drink. There are a great many of them on sale. It is advisable to consult a veterinarian before use. The easiest way to give a cat is drops that suppress sexual desire. The tablets can be crushed and added to food. There is no clear answer to the question: do medications affect the health of pets? All of them are aimed at regulating hormones in animals. It is not recommended to give drugs frequently, it is better as needed. Many tablets are made on the basis of natural ingredients, mint is added, which makes the process of feeding the cat these tablets easier.
Castration should be carried out if there are no plans to have offspring in the future.
Should I restrict my pet's food?
The packaging of the finished food shows approximate daily portions for animals of different weights and ages. Of course, there are individual characteristics, as well as uneven living conditions: cats walking outside, and even in winter, need more food.
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Should I limit my food intake? Despite the fact that high-quality feed contains consumption limiters, a program is provided for obese animals in which the daily portion is significantly reduced. But what to do when a hungry cat starts meowing? Distract him with entertaining games.
To castrate or not
Owners must understand that life in an apartment is very different from their natural habitat. Therefore, you must be prepared for all the hardships that a pet will bring with you. A cat must mate with a cat at least 9 times a year, while hormones can “play” at any time, and the cat will mark the territory. This method of protection from enemies in the natural environment does not bother anyone, but in the apartment there will be a persistent smell of urine. It is necessary to think in advance about how life with a pet might turn out and decide to castrate it.
Castration - stopping the production of sex hormones through surgery. The operation to remove the testes is classified as simple.
During the heat period, cats cause a lot of trouble to their owners. They can walk around the apartment day and night and meow heart-rendingly. They may start rushing from room to room, knocking on doors and tearing upholstery. Cats, on the other hand, are very affectionate during sexual activity. They wriggle, rub themselves on everything that gets in their way, climb into the arms of their owners, and try in every possible way to attract attention to themselves.
What you should know before spaying your cat:
- After sterilization surgery, the cat will never have kittens.
- Before the procedure, you must undergo an examination by a veterinarian.
- Only after you have a general picture of your cat's health can you decide on this important step.
- The procedure for sterilizing an animal is carried out under full anesthesia.
- It sometimes happens that a sterilized cat asks for a cat. This phenomenon is supposedly explained by the fact that the animal is able to almost completely regenerate some organs (in this case, the ovaries). But there are controversial debates surrounding such a statement.
Help your pet survive the difficult period of the cat's “hunt”. Just try to do this by more humane means. Often the owners, completely exhausted by sleepless nights and restless days associated with the cat's yelling, lose patience. And then, trying to “sober up” a screaming cat, they use a spray bottle to spray the animal’s face or raise their voice. It even goes so far as to dunk the once-beloved cat into ice water right in the bathtub! These methods, naturally, are powerless against the rules of nature.
And the recommendations below, although to a small extent, will be able to smooth out the “sharp corners” of this period:
- Don't raise your voice in response to a cat's meow. Don't be like an animal. Now you understand that the cat is controlled by nature, and not just by the desire to spoil your nerves. Talk to your pet in a normal, calm voice.
- When the cat is “rolling” on the floor and purrs invitingly, stroke her head and even her tummy.
- Try to bring the cat to some degree of fatigue in games. A furry prankster running and jumping will spend more energy, which in other circumstances would have been spent on yelling and howling.
- Make sure your cat doesn't forget to eat. At least small portions of cat food should enter her body.
- The same applies to the water that the cat should drink. Make sure your cat always has access to fresh, clean water.
- Bathe your cat in warm water so that after bathing she will start combing her fur and getting herself in order. In such a situation, there will be a little less time and energy left for screaming.
How long will the cat’s “walk” last?
Each animal's body is individual, and the time will depend on many factors. But most often, it takes about half a month for the cat to calm down. How much the cat asks for will depend on whether the gulena met her feline “prince” or remained alone all this time (or rather, did not mate with the cat). If you passed the test with honor the first time, don’t relax! A cat that did not get what it deserved during the breeding period will repeat everything that you were able to experience, but only after 4-8 weeks. If fertilization has occurred, the cat itself will begin to drive cats away from itself.
No. 1 Kitty asks for a treat
If you often pamper your purr with treats, then he may well begin to “beg” even if he has just eaten. Cats know very well where everything is, so if your pet looks expressively at the shelf where his favorite treat is located, it means that he is not so much hungry as he wants to “treat himself” to something tasty.
Sterilize?
But quite often it happens that even after using drugs, the cat asks for a cat. Plant substances turn out to be powerless against the natural needs of the animal, and hormonal substances over time can cause problems more serious than your pet screaming throughout the entire block with a guttural scream. There will most likely be only one method here. But this option is irreversible and can also have some bad consequences. Sterilizing a cat is something that will help the owners and the cat forget about problems with having offspring every 4-6 months.
No. 5 The cat has an increased appetite, but is losing weight
If your cat eats a lot but is losing weight, there is cause for concern. A pet’s increased appetite may indicate serious diseases, the most common of which are diabetes, hyperthyroidism, and even malignant tumors.
To find out what is happening to the cat, you must visit the veterinarian and do all the necessary tests. After receiving the results, the situation will certainly become clearer.
Well, we hope that your pet has a healthy appetite and loves to eat delicious food simply because food gives him pleasure!
No. 3 The cat eats quickly, but then asks for more
This behavior can be detected in a cat that has been starving for a long time. Greed for food and eating it without even chewing are signs that may suggest the sad past of a pet who has known a hungry life on the street.
Here the hunger has an exclusively psychological reason - the cat is afraid that the food will run out and the next one will not be given. If so, you need to eat for future use.