Can cats suffer from Prader-Willi Syndrome?

Question

Its that syndrome where you never feel full, you're hungry all the time. I have two cats, one is 13 and the other is about 8-9 months old. The one that is 13 weighs 14 lbs (yes I know its a lot for a cat but his vet says that his bone structure is bigger than other house cats), He gets one 5.5oz can of wet food daily, spread into two meals, but he still begs for food all the time, and if there is a way for him to get food he will find it, from knocking over the trash can to getting into my dry groceries to climbing in the cupboard to get any food on the shelves. This cat is not underweight, his bones do not protrude, he has a bit of a belly and feels very sturdy when I pick him up, so why does he act hungry?

Answer 1

I dont know that they can, I dont know that they cant. But I have seen this behavious in other cats, for various reasons:



Is this new behaviour or is it life long?



If its new(ish), your cat may be in the early stages of feline dementia/ kitty altzhemiers (iv heard diffrent vets call it diffrent things, but they descrbie the same symptoms and progression) . One of the common early symptoms is "forgetting" that they have been fed, another is forgetting "lessons learned" and developing *new* bad habits they didnt even try as a kitten. I have one cat like this, hes 15 and started this about 2 years ago and progressivly got worse. The bad news is there isnt an "approved" treatment for cats yet (there is one for dogs). The good news is there are some expermental treatments that you maybe be abel to get from your vet, and my cat shows remarkable improvment with it.



If its life long, was this cat a rescue? I have seen (and owned) cats that were starved or on the street for some time who act like this. Some of them calm down after a few years of a steady supply of food, but some of them act as thought they are convinced that once the food dish is empty that the food supply is gone and they are NEVER going to be fed again. I guess if the people who were supposed to love and feed me just stopped one day (or worse kicked me out onto the street) Id be a little neurotic about food too.



If neither of those look to be the answer, looks at the following:



Is this food, or the amount of food a change? Was the cat fed more at some point in its life? Was it fed something diffrent? It may be that the current food isnt doing it, or that a cat used to free-feeding on dry kibble is unwilling or unabel to adjust to regulated food intake.



What are you feeding? Theres a possibility that if the food your using is missing something nutrionaly the cats brain might still be sending "im hungry" signals because its missing something it needs. It happens to people too.



What are your feeding guidelines on the can? Most, not all, but most canned foods iv seen recomend about 5.5-6oz per 6-8 lbs of body weight. If your cat is 14lbs and your vet says that your cat is on point givven breed and bone structure, it is possible your feeding your cat 1 to 1 1/2 cans less then recomended for his body weight and he really IS hungry.

Answer 2

maybe that cat fodd isn't very filling, you should try a better food, maybe a dry food, with a lil bit of wet mixed in. . . i usually tell peeps to stay away from filler foods but i think you should be checking the ingredients for them, but less fattening aswel

Answer 3

prader - willi syndrome seems to be a genetic disorder in humans causing obesity among other things. Are you cats on any medications that could cause constant hunger, one of mine (10yr old) is on meds & this causes her to constantly want food & doing the same as yours.