Parasites

Intestinal parasites can lead to excessive hunger in cats. “It’s probably not super common, but when it happens, the parasitic load is either competing with the energy that the cat is taking in the diet or is inhibiting the cat’s ability to digest and absorb those nutrients,” Dr. Murphy says. “A combination of those things will cause a cat to eat more food to try to maintain weight.”

“Intestinal parasites cause increased hunger because the parasites themselves are eating nutrients ingested by the host,” Dr. Mazepa says. “This results in less food for the animal and thus increased hunger. You might also see diarrhea or vomiting, a poor haircoat, or passage of worms in the stool.”