Why is my cat always asking for food

By Isabella Storyclaire

last updated September 14, 2024

Contributions sourced from

Why is my cat always asking for food?

When cats meow next to their empty bowl, it is often because they are hungry. Its, therefore, understandable to think that your cat wants an extra portion of food when they do this. However, there might be another reason behind their hunger. In this article, we will go over a few reasons why your cat is constantly asking for food and propose some solutions to help them before it becomes a habit.

Why is my cat always begging for more food?

There are many reasons why cats may be hungry all the time. For example, it could be because your cat is picky or bored. It could also be because your cat has parasites or an illness.

Your cat might have parasites

Cats can get parasites by licking, eating prey or playing outside. For example, pests such as ticks and fleas, can hide in your cats fur and suck on their blood. Intestinal worms, on the other hand, can get into your cats body and feed on the food that your cat ingested. This prevents your cat from getting the nutrients from their food. All parasites, whether they be internal or external, weaken your cat. To compensate for this loss of energy, you cats body might be convincing your cat that they need to eat more. This might be the reason why your cat is asking for food more often.

Your cat might have an illness

Several infections and viruses can cause cats to want to eat more food. For example, diabetes, cancer and hyperthyroidism can make it difficult for your cats body to properly absorb nutrients from their food. Because of this, your cat might feel like they need to eat more.

Your cat might be bored

Similar to humans, cats may want to eat just because they are bored. For example, cats may meow next to their bowl after they have already eaten because they want to have something interesting to do. If your cat is bored, feeding your cat may not be the appropriate solution. Instead, you should try to find a way to keep your cat physically and mentally stimulated.

You might like reading this article: How to keep your cat stimulated on a daily basis

Your cats food might not be suitable for them

Cats are very picky eaters. For this reason, finding the right food for your cat can be difficult. Especially since some breeds have delicate digestive tracts that require a special diet. Moreover, not all cat food brands offer good quality food. The ingredients in your cats food can directly affect your cats behavior.

A cats diet should be balanced with a significant amount of protein, carbohydrates, vitamins, and fats. If a cats diet is unbalanced, it will try to compensate for this by eating more. In addition, some brands add appetite-boosting ingredients. These formulas cause your cat to want to eat larger portions.

A few solutions

Now that you know a few reasons why your cat may be constantly asking for food, here are a few possible solutions to help your cat.

Keep your cat busy

The first thing to do when your cat is always asking for food is to check if they are actually hungry. To do this, try diverting your cats attention from their food bowl by playing, cuddling, or brushing them. If your cat decides to play with you instead, it might because your cat was bored and not actually hungry.

Change and monitor your cats diet

There are foods specially designed for older cats, young animals and those who are sterilized. Each recipe is designed to meet your cats needs by providing the nutrients required to stay in shape. It is, therefore, important for owners to choose wet food and dry food that fits their cats profile and health.

In addition, some foods should be avoided in a cats diet because they can upset their stomach. Raw proteins, such as eggs, meat, and fish can contain bacteria and cause infections. In addition, food scraps, bones, and milk are not part of a cats normal diet and should be avoided.

You might also like this article: Top 26 dangerous foods for cats

Giving the right amount of food is also important. Not giving the right portion of food could be the reason why your cat is always begging for food. Typically, cat food boxes and pouches have detailed charts on them that can help you determine how much your pets should be fed daily. These charts are usually based on weight, age, and your pets health.

Contact a veterinarian

As mentioned earlier, an insatiable appetite may be a symptom of a serious illness. If you are sure that boredom or poor quality food is not the reason why your cat is always asking for food, you should contact a vetirinarian.

For example, if a cat is scratching itself frantically and is always asking for food, this is often a sign of parasites on its skin. You can examine your cats coat to look for fleas or other pests.

A pet with diabetes tends to drink a lot, pee frequently, and constantly asking for food.

When a cat vomits, is hyperactive, or gasps when asking for more of food, this could be a sign of a thyroid problem.

Without the help of a veterinarian, it can be difficult to determine exactly why your cat is always asking for food. While your cat may want to eat more because they are not eating enough, it could also be because they are bored and need entertainment.

When a cat contantly wants to eat, this is sometimes a symptom of a more serious problem. As mentioned before, this could show that your cat has parasites or an illness.

If your cat changes their eating habits for no apparent reason, its best to consult a professional. This is because obesity can lead to other complications that can reduce their quality of life. Whether it be because your cat needs more attention or because your cat has a medical condition, it is important to intervene quickly.

10 Reasons Why Cats Beg For Food When Their Bowl Is Full

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Our cats can sometimes seem pretty darn demanding.

Whether its insisting that all doors in the house are always left open or demanding pets with a well-placed headbutt to your hand cats arent shy about communicating with us.

But the hard part is figuring out exactly what our cats are trying to tell us. Headbutts to the hand and meowing at the door are easy enough to figure out but one of the more confusing scenarios is when cats beg for food despite having plenty of food in their bowl.

Whats going on here and why do cats beg for food even when their bowl is full?

In many cases, cats may actually be asking for your attention and not food but the difference between begging for attention and begging for food can sometimes be confusing. Outside of that explanation, cats may be unhappy with the food youve provided for them or may be suffering from some discomfort that makes eating painful.

Lets dive in and take a closer look at whats going on here with 10 reasons to explain this strange feline behavior.

Reason 1: Your Cat Actually Wants Attention

I know, it mayseem like your cat really wants more food but in some cases, cats are simply looking for your undivided attention.

But this isnt just speculation- one study on feline obesity found thatOwners are sensitive to the intensity of cats solicitation behaviors and may misinterpret these social interactions as hunger, and give the cat more food, which can lead to weight problems.

While wed all agree our cats are quite communicative, they really only have a handful of ways to express themselves so its no surprise the messages can get mixed.

A cat thats begging will rub their cheeks on you, vocalize more, try to climb in your lap, or just generally get into whatever youre doing. But a cat that reallywants attention will show many of the same behaviors.

Most cat parents (including me) believe they can tell the difference but I could also see how I may be wrongat least every now and then.

This explanation could be even more likely depending on how you interact with your cat during mealtime. Id guess that you dont just drop off the food and spring into the other room.

Instead, if youre like most cat parents, feeding time can be a bit of an experience that includes plenty of positive praise and petting. Cats will quickly realize that begging leads to petting and quality attention from their favorite person. Food is certainly a nice bonus but it may not be the primary reason.

So the next time your cat begs with a full bowl, try doing something other than feeding them. Not only is responding with something other than food a fundamental part of discouraging cats to beg in the first place, but you may find that your cat prefers a petting or play session over food as well.

Or even better, they may eat the food theyalreadyhave after play or pet time!

Reason 2: Your Cat Doesnt Realize Their Bowl Is Full

It may seem obvious to you that theres food in the bowl but it might not be so clear to your cat- there are two possible explanations for this.

First, your cat may just assume that the food bowl is empty. Imvery familiar with this behavior since its something that my cat likes to do, although there are probably a few other reasons at play.

But as soon as we wake up, she lets me know that its time for breakfast even though she still has dinner waiting for her. Were in the bedroom and the food is in the kitchen so she cant see it in front of her but she seems to be making the assumption that I need to get to work and feed her.

Of course, she could have walked into the kitchen at any point and eaten on her own but she either doesnt realize theres food ready to go or she wants a little company and I suspect its a little of both.

The second issue is that some cats may have real trouble seeing that their food bowl has food in it. As the folks at Live Science explain, Because cats lack the muscles necessary to change the shape of their eye lenses, they cant see things clearly quite as close as humans can and need to be further away.

On top of that, the experts at Trupanion explain that Since a cats cones are most sensitive to blue and yellow wavelengths of light, they do not see colors like red, orange, or brown. They are similar to people with red-green color blindnessred hues likely appear as the color green to your cat.

If you combine a cats poor vision up closeand their inability to distinguish between many colors, including the brown color of kibble, it should be no surprise that cats cant see whats in the bowl!

If you suspect poor feline vision might be at play, try shaking up the food bowl and even moving the kibble around with your hand. If were talking about wet food, try moving some of the mush to the middle of the bowl and see if this doesnt help your cat understand that there is food in the bowl.

Even if they cant see the kibble, the sound and your movements will let them know that theres food available.

Reason 3: The Food Is Stale

This is especially true if the cat food, wet or dry, has been in the bowl for a few hours or overnight.

Of course, when I say stale Im referring to feline standards which could mean that the food has only been out a few hours or less. So while you may think your cat has plenty of food in their bowl, what theyre really begging for is some fresh food.

But when you really think about it, this may not be as crazy as it sounds, and to be fair to our cats, wet food does look pretty gross after a few hours.

However, this isntjust about a cats high standards. Eating fresh food and drinking fresh moving water would be an important part of surviving in wild. Your cats wild ancestors and feral cousins eat several small meals a day as they need to hunt down prey before they can eat.

In other words, its not so long ago that your cat wouldonly eat fresh food. Not-so-fresh and already dead meals would generally be avoided since they could be less safe.

This is different from dogs, who, according to Pet Helpful, are scavengers for a good part. They would probably be happy to eat 100-year-old cat food.

While I dont have as much scientific evidence to back it up, I suspect that fresh isnt just about how long the food has been out but how long ago you added fresh food is just as important. It seems that cats want to see the food prep process just as much as they want the food to be fresh.

This could explain why many cats seem satisfied with a little top off of fresh kibble or wet food even if its only a very small amount of additional food.

Reason 4: Your Cat Doesnt Like Their Food

Cats are naturally a bit picky about their food, especially if theres something different about it.

So if your cat is begging despite a full bowl of food, one of the first things to consider is whether or not something has changed. It could be as simple as an updated recipe or even an entirely new brand.

Again, theres a scientific reason why some cats are such picky eaters and like many feline behaviors it ties back to their ancient instincts. In the wild, cats wouldnt want to eat every new food they could find since new foods could be dangerous or cause an upset stomach. The risk of an upset stomach may soundpretty mild but everything can be dangerous when youre small enough to be prey for larger animals.

As a result, it appears that cats are quite committed to their usual routine.

Of course, some cats are just plain picky and there may not be more to it than that. Ive reviewed dozens of cat food and written hundreds of articles about feline nutrition. Along the way, Ive also read thousands and thousands of cat food reviews and the number one complaint is that cats wont eat the food.

This is true ofevery cat food Ive ever looked out and it tells me that no matter how great the cat food is, you can find a cat that will refuse to eat it.

So its not justyour cat thats picky!

Look for any possible change in your cats normal diet to explain the begging with a full bowl behavior. Keep in mind that some of these changes can be quite subtle but also realize that cats will usually come around pretty quick.

Reason 5: Your Cat Wants A Treat

Your cats begging could be their way of holding out for something better than what they already have in the bowl.

Your cat could be asking for wet food over the dry they already have or they could be asking for something even more delicious like a cat treat. Or even people food if you made the mistake of introducing your cat to the world of human food!

Essentially cats could be saying, Uhh, thanks for the kibble. May I have some ham?

In most cases, cats will quickly realize that tastier food isnt coming but we really cant fault them for giving it a shot.

Reason 6: Whisker Fatigue Could Be To Blame

Whisker fatigue might sound like something that guys who are tired of shaving would complain about but its actually a feline condition where the whiskers become overstimulated or uncomfortable as a result of constantly rubbing against food or water bowls.

Our cats have 24 very powerful whiskers that can are powerful enough to sense extremely subtle changes in wind current among many other superpowers. The problem is that cats cant turn their superpowers off and have to rub their sensitive whiskers against the side of narrow bowls any time they want to get a drink of water or a bite of food.

Over time, this can lead to discomfort and whisker fatigue. Potential signs of whisker fatigue include spilling food, flipping their food bowls, and of course begging for food even though their bowl is full.

Cats with whisker fatigue will beg because even though their bowl has food in it, the remaining food is harder to reach with uncomfortable whiskers. That could explain why so many cats seem to only eat food from the center of the bowl while leaving the edges with plenty of kibbles or wet food.

Luckily, this is a pretty easy problem to solve and by switching to a wider bowl or even just a plate for food and water you can completely eliminate the potential for this problem. There are also many whisker-friendly food and water bowls available and weve reviewed the best ones here.

There may not be a lot of hard science supporting the idea of whisker fatigue and at the time of writing, I havent been able to find any study that evaluated the condition. Still, that doesnt mean it doesnt occur and the idea behind it makes sense so its worth mentioning as a possible explanation.

Reason 7: Your Feline Friend Could Be A Social Eater

Yep, social eaters are arealthing. Sometimes called affection eaters, these are cats that enjoy your company while eating.

Some cats may simply want to be watched while they eat but many will prefer to be pet and given your undivided attention until theyre ready to chow down.

Some cats may only become social eaters in a stressful environment and when I worked at one of the largest shelters in the United States, we had an entire team of volunteers who were dedicated to offering appetizing food to shy cats while giving them plenty of attentionand the program worked really well.

But your cat doesnt have to be stressed for this to be the case and an especially social eater may beg with a full bowl of kibble because theyreally want you to pet them before they chow down!

For a great example of a social eater, check out the handsome ear-tipped feline in the video below:

Notice how as hes being pet, he almost seems to have a sudden urge to eat?

Thats a social eater!

So your cat may be hungry, but they just need a little encouragement from you before they start their meal.

Its not entirely clear why cats are social eaters, especially since it doesnt make a whole lot of sense from an evolutionary perspective, but it could be that they feel more comfortable with a little security or eating is just how they express their love for their favorite human.

Reason 8: Your Cat Has A Medical Issue

Cats with a painful or uncomfortable mouth may beg despite having a full food bowl right in front of them. In my experience, these cats seem visibly conflicted in that theyre clearly hungry but still refusing to eat and their affection ends up looking like begging.

According to some studies, dental disease affects somewhere between 50% and 90% of cats and while the vast majority of cats will just eat through the pain it can get so severe that some cats will refuse food or be hesitant to eat certain types of food.

But dental disease isnt the only concern and theres a wide range of medical conditions of the mouth that can lead to food hesitancy and in some situations weird movements of the mouth along with it.

If you suspect that any kind of illness could be at play, whether its related to dental disease or not, its always a good idea to talk to your veterinarian and let them know what youre seeing. Even more so if its been a while since your cat had an exam with a veterinarian.

Reason 9: The Bowl Isnt Full Enough

So far, most of the reasons on this list havesome kind of science backing them up, but sometimes cats just do things because thats what they want to do.

With the prevalence of cats begging because the bowl isnt full enough (at least based on a cats judgment) I think its fair to say that this is just one of those cat quirks.

And the internet seems to agree with hundreds of hilarious cat memes about partially full food bowls.

Still, weve seen that this kind of begging could be related to a variety of things including a cats poor vision or preferences for food thats as fresh as possible.

But sometimes, begging with a full food bowl might just be part of a cat being a cat.

Reason 10: Your Cat Wants You To Move The Food

Its possible that your cat isnt actually begging for more food but instead is begging you to move the food they already have.

I know, that seems unlikely which is why Ive put it at the bottom of the list but there is some real science behind the possibility of this explanation.

In the wild, cats would regularly bury or cover their food in order to prevent potential predators from sniffing it out. We see this behavior today and many cats will try to cover their food bowl by pawing around the bowl despite the hopelessness of covering their food with hardwood flooring.

So what does this have to do with begging while theres still food in the bowl?

Cats may be asking you to move the food bowl out of reach so as not to blow their cover. Its the same sort of logic that explains that cats may be bringing your dead animals in order to teach you to hunt.

Again, I wouldnt start with this explanation, and the others on this list are more likely but I still wouldnt rule it out entirely either.

Its Probably NotJust One Reason

Its important to realize that with any complex creature, such as our feline friends, there is probably more than just one explanation that motivates their behavior.

For example, I suspect that my cat is both a social eater and doesnt realize that the food bowl is already full. She insists on me walking into the kitchen with her because she wants the company but she may have also forgotten that the food bowl could potentially be full- or just doesnt care.

Other cats may have some whisker fatigue and decide that as a result of this discomfort its not worth the hassle of eating food thats been sitting overnight

Im sure you get the idea here but the point is to not pigeonhole your cat into just one reason for begging despite a full bowl of food. Instead, look at the big picture of feline behavior!