I adopted a very lovely kitty in early December. I’ve never had any cats before, but I’ve always wanted one. He’s an adult around 2 yrs old and they told me he was a stray.

Admittedly, initially, I was kind of overwhelmed. He came and immediately had diarrhea issues and was kicking out his litter constantly. He is a food fiend; I had to learn not to leave any food out and get a locking trash can because if it’s remotely edible, he’ll get into it.

But I adapted to how messy his litter was and I just sweep everyday. His poos are still soft, but we’re working on identifying what’s making them soft at the vet since he’s had a number of tests and had some antibiotics. It’s not his fault and I know eventually it’ll work out.

What gets me now is his food habits. I feed him twice a day (every 12 hours) along with my dog. He gets a 1/3 cup of kibble mixed with homemade chicken and rice (I make it for my dog since she’s a picky eater), and he eats voraciously. He also gets plenty of treats in between meal times. But he’ll still meow at me any time I’m in the kitchen because he wants food. I’m kind of weird about constant noise and I’m not annoyed, but it worries me. Am I not feeding him enough? Why is he still meowing for food even if he’s just eaten? Why will he still eat if he’s not hungry? Would an automatic feeder help?

Also does anyone have any tips on how to train him to be less aggressive when he eats? I want to give him treats in my palm but he’ll just bat them out of my hand and sometimes scratch me on accident because he’s so excited about food. I just have to dump some on the floor. I’ve tried wearing thick gloves and holding a treat in my palm and withholding it until he eats it gently, but that doesn’t seem to stick.

I’m just overwhelmed I think. I love him and he’s very sweet outside of this, but I just am not sure if this is normal or not. It makes me wonder if I should rehome him with someone who can better train him to behave nicely with food.