Petco Text Logo
Petco Pet Logo

My cat is overweight and always hungry. How can I help her adjust?

Updated On September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Cat | American Shorthair | Female | spayed | 1 year and 2 months old | 13 lbs

Why is my cat always hungry? I was overfeeding her and she's a little overweight, so I now feed her the recommended amount of food twice per day, but she's always hungry much sooner than the next feeding time. This morning she went so far as to eat a small piece of rotten meat out of the garbage. It's been two months, she's still not adjusting to the feeding schedule and she's still overweight. I've been feeding her Blue Weight Control dry food, and Sheba wet food occasionally.

This question includes photos that may contain sensitive content. Click to view.

View more to consider that the photos may include sensitive content.

1 Answer

Most Helpful Answer

Image profile

Answered By Dr. Strydom, DVM

Veterinarian

Published on July 14th, 2019

It is more likely she is bored rather than hungry. You should do some environmental enrichment for her and I would also suggest you get an automatic feeder that will dispense food every few hours (her daily amount broken up into multiple smaller feedings through the day). I would cut out the wet food all together. Some Feliway diffusers may help to calm her a bit as well. ( https://www.feliway.com/us/Products/FELIWAY-CLASSIC-Diffuser ) ( thedrakecenter.com/materials/environmental-enrichment-indoor-cats ) ( https://www.amazon.com/PetSafe-5-Meal-Automatic-Dispenses-Digital/dp/B000GEWHNS/ref=sr_1_3?crid=3LGP5X3KNCN9U&keywords=automatic+cat+feeder&qid=1563116991&s=gateway&sprefix=automatic+%2Caps%2C485&sr=8-3 ) Hope this helps. If you have more questions you can always opt for a private consultation where we can chat back and forth. That way you can ask as many questions as you'd like. Best wishes.

Vote icon

1Pet Parents found this answer helpful

image
Have A Vet Question?

Book an appointment with the pros – our expert vets are here to help.

Sponsored