Hi everyone! I’m posting here because we’re starting to feel a bit at our wits' end with our little Praline’s behaviour. We’d love some advice, tips, and especially to know if anyone else has been through something similar.
To give you a bit of background:
We adopted Praline on 18th September from a rescue centre. She’s a neutered female cat, about 9 months old, who lives strictly indoors. We live in a 78 m² flat on the second floor of a building, so Praline doesn’t go outside.
When she arrived, she weighed about 4.4 lbs (2 kg). The rescue advised us to let her free-feed on dry food. However, we quickly realised she was eating huge amounts, as if she was never satisfied. Her belly had also become very bloated. In just two weeks, she put on about 2.6 lbs (1.2 kg), reaching 7.1 lbs (3.220 kg) at her last vet visit. The vet confirmed this weight gain was far too rapid, so we’ve started portioning her food.
The main problem: non-stop meowing!
Since we stopped the free-feeding, Praline meows constantly. And when I say constantly, I’m really not exaggerating. It’s literally hours and hours of meowing, sometimes almost without a break. She’s always begging for food. As soon as someone stands up, she starts meowing and leads us straight to her bowl. Even when she’s just finished her meal, she starts up again immediately!
We’ve tried to distract her by playing with her. It works for five or six minutes, but then she loses interest and the meowing starts again, louder than ever. To be totally honest, it’s becoming really hard to cope with every day. I feel like I spend all my time telling her off and, even though I know it’s probably not the right solution, I’m starting to lose my patience. I adore her, but this permanent meowing is driving me mad!
Regarding her diet:
We’ve started transitioning her to a raw meat diet from a brand called Qru, which was our plan from the start. Currently, she gets about 110 to 113g of raw meat a day, split between the morning and evening. We’ve spoken directly with the brand, who confirmed this amount is suitable for her age, weight, and activity levels. As of today, we’ve also decided to give her a little dry food at midday and around 4 pm to supplement her two raw meals and try to spread her intake out better across the day. Despite this, she still starts begging the moment she’s finished eating.
Another issue: she doesn’t seem to know how to play without biting really hard.
We try to play with her regularly, but her bites are quite something. She doesn’t just nip; she bites with all her strength, to the point of leaving bruises! When she bites, she seems to want to use her back teeth, as if she’s trying to crush something or break a bone. That’s really how it feels. I don’t think she knows how to control her strength or understand the difference between playing and hurting us. It’s also difficult to manage because between the biting and the meowing, I feel like I’m constantly having to correct her.
And yet, she can be lovely!
That’s what’s so confusing. Aside from these behaviours, Praline is a very affectionate cat. She’s happy to be stroked and purrs very loudly. Every night, she sleeps with us very quietly without disturbing us. But as soon as one of us gets up in the morning, it starts all over again: she meows non-stop and leads us straight to her bowl. It really feels like her whole life revolves around food.
So, we really need your advice:
Have you ever had a cat that meowed for hours on end begging for food? Could it be linked to her past, perhaps not having enough food when she was younger, or some kind of food-related anxiety? How should we react when she meows like this? Should we ignore her completely, even when it goes on for hours? How can we teach her to play without biting so violently? Can these behaviours improve over time once she feels totally secure in her new home?
We really want to give her the best life possible, but we’d also like to get back to a slightly more peaceful daily routine. We know she’s still young and might need time to adjust, but after over a month at home, the situation is becoming frankly exhausting.
Thank you so much to anyone who takes the time to read this and share their experiences. ❤️🐱
