Why Do Cats Ask For Food When They Just Ate: Informative Thread

If you are a cat owner, you know one thing for sure: cats are complex and confusing creatures. Anything that your cat wants you to do, you'll end up doing, even if your cat acts like the biggest jerk. And of course if you feed a cat food, they'll be begging for more food shortly after, yep, your cat is mildly annoying. But we love our cats all the same, even if their food habits are odd to say the least. 

If you've ever wondered why cats behave like this when it comes to food, keep reading, because we promise that there are still many things that you don't know about them that you'll learn from this informative thread. We hope you enjoy learning a bit more about why cats behave the crazy ways they do, and if you enjoy this sort of thing, check our our article featuring facts about Dachshunds, and our other article about why octopuses punch other fish for no reason.

Author image for Ellie Dunn Ellie Dunn
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  • 01
    Font - Why do cats pretend to be hungry when they were very well fed about an hour ago?
    via Ashley Victoria

    Mm, this is a good question, one that's probably relevant for dogs as well. We've seen cats and dogs steal hooman food when they have perfectly good pet food in a bowl waiting for them, but we suppose that's an entirely different question. After all hooman food is just plain tastier and less healthy, that's why they want to try it.

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  • 02
    Organism - Thank you, Ashley Victoria, for your request to answer this question: Why do cats pretend to be hungry when they were very well fed about an hour ago? I'm not sure cats are pretending to be hungry. They think that they are hungry. I feel it's largely a psychological matter not an empty stomach matter. Such cats are often aggressive. I know that my Velvet is. She meows loudly, tips over my garbage pail to get my attention, and generally makes a nuisance of herself in order to get what
    via Bruce Dyer

    Mm, a lot of our precious pets are rescues, and rescue animals often have complicated relationships with food because they weren't being fed enough when they were stray cats or living in an abusive home. There's nothing to be done for that except showering our precious pets with love and affection and hoping they understand. 

  • 03
    Font - Stress is one reason why cats ask for more food. The stress may not be immediate. In Velvet's case she lived with Sasha, the cat we got with her, as well as a German Shepherd, an Afghan, and a St. Bernard ... all big hungry dogs, and all of whom regularly raided her food dish. That seems to have conditioned Velvet to think that, if she doesn't get her fill of food right now, that she will go hungry. Past experience can be a motivator. Velvet sits and does the Oliver thing: "Please, sir, I
    via Bruce Dyer
  • 04
    Cat - Velvet sits and does the Oliver thing: "Please, sir, I want more." HOLISTIC adult cat foo CTA1
    via Bruce Dyer
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  • 05
    Font - Veterinarian Jennifer Coates notes that in some cases "Diseases like hyperthyroidism and diabetes mellitus, which can be associated with a ravenous appetite and altered behavior, are certainly more common than "psychogenic abnormal feeding behaviors." Cats Obsessed with Food - Cat Always Hungry Z In instances such as Velvet's she recommends distraction through play to change the cat's focus and a behavioural modification programme including food desensitization and counter conditioning wh
    via Bruce Dyer
  • 06
    Rectangle - As I noted above in specific reference to Velvet cats "think that they are hungry." They can go a little overboard with their behaviour and obsession to get more food, but playing "starving" does convey their feeling of hunger, even for cats who are overweight and clearly don't need the extra food. Indeed, "overweight cats eat too much food when that food does not have enough protein and fat to fuel their impressive metabolic engines. So they have to eat more." You are being redirect
    via Bruce Dyer
  • 07
    Font - Other times the prey instinct may drive a cat to ask for more food. It really wants to hunt but the only way to complete the prey sequence is to eat something. Another reasons for a cat asking for food may relate to the time of day. If a cat normally eats at a certain time and that hour comes and goes, then the cat may begin to beg, and, if you go into the refrigerator for something the very act of opening the refrigerator door may remind a cat that you do that when you are getting the ca
    via Bruce Dyer
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  • 08
    Font - One last consideration might be that the cat eats too quickly. It needs to relax. I know Velvet eats very quickly, likely because of past competition for the food in her dish. She just gulps her food down, frequently just swallowing without chewing. That may create a feeling that the cat is not full. To cut down on the constant demand for food, the cat must learn that there is plenty of food available so it can relax instead of feeling panic that it won't get enough and that it may starve
    via Bruce Dyer
  • 09
    Font - Cats are complex. The above are common reasons why cats play the hunger game. One or more of them may apply to your cat ... or perhaps your cat has other motives? Watch your cat closely to see what the trigger for the begging is. Normally I write Quora articles about cats and prefer to write about cats. Feel free to click on my profile to see them and hopefully read some. Hopefully you will find articles that are helpful and enjoyable. Thank you for taking the time to read this.
    via Bruce Dyer
  • 10
    Font - Bob Cleary · I had a black cat that would hoover her food down almost instantly. She was found as an abandoned kitten in the woods, never knew what happened to her mom. She was one of three cats in my house but the other two never went after her food, she would go after their if they walked away. It took her at least 5 years to get over that. Bruce Dyer Very interesting. She'd clearly faced hunger and didn't want to ever face it again.
    via Bob Cleary
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  • 11
    Font - Andrew Olson, former PIT Jockey and FC Tramp at Amazon (2017- 2021) Most cats don't have the 'wattage' to pretend, especially about things like food. They really aren't the brightest bulbs on the tree. (If you want smart, get a pig.) So, if they beg and eat, they probably are hungry. This is a problem if they just a because they'|l get fat. And, like most humans, the top two items are ... 1. They aren't getting the nutrition they need from their food. This can range from too much junk, wh
    via Andrew Olson
  • 12
    Font - 2. Habits. If they ever went hungry, it can be hard to convince them it's not going to vanish again. We do free feed kibble, but only the best we can get. Minimal carbs, maximum nutrition you can get in something you can leave out. All the boys were a little piggish at first. Now they'll walk away from canned if there's something more interesting to do, after a very small meal. Only Sasha still gets a little grabby and then defensive with food, especially things like meat (and potatoes, t
    via Andrew Olson

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