My little kitty is snarling with food. Now we have two (of the three we have) that like a little chicken breast, I know it's a bad habit when we're eating, but hubby really couldn't resist the "beg eyes" and by the time I found out, it was already too late, she had the habit. Now the little one, a rescue, has food aggression. I gave my 7 month old a piece of chicken breast, and saw the little 2 month old waiting.. so I turned to get a little for her.. before I turned back, the 2 month old had beaten and stolen the 7 month old's chicken and had made a run for it a few feet away. The 7 month old doesn't fight. There is NO shortage of food. We free-feed chow with a surplus feeder (one of those that you fill up and when it goes low the food automatically flows out). And they eat all day, a nibble there, a nibble here, so they're never hungry. How can I train out the growling and snarling and stealing? Or will it go away with time and trust?
I have a recent recue who acts the same way. If a kitten has been hungry and had to compete for food they don't soon forget it. She may calm down a bit but be prepared for it to remain to some extent.
i have a kitten that does the same thing, she isnt quite as bad as when we first got her. But still does it if her brother is around her or if we feed them any kind of real meat from dinner
Would you believe I had to join care2 to post??????
All kittens have food aggression when they are enjoying what they are eating, and they will growl while eating to make sure nobody takes their food. I don't think it has much to do with being hungry, as much as it has to do with liking the food they are eating. They will eat the food, and keep putting their paws down on someones head to stop them from getting their food.
ALL of my cats, big and small like Chicken, raw and cooked. I have one cat that will not touch cat food.
no, this is not your growl that likes food.. she's stealing from the other cat and fighting.. i've been bitten TWICE and pretty badly too..
Check under her tail for signs of tapeworms.
She must have really had a rough time if this is not so, trying to get food when she was out there. 
our kitten was pushed aside by the bigger kittens and mother cat in the household that we took her from. The other kittens were bigger than her.They could wait to get rid of her because of her aggression. She had to fight for it which made her aggressive towards people about her food, she'd steal it from the other resident cats inn my home too, she was very nasty when it came to her food. What we have been doin with her is if she sits without pushing up to get the foodd and without the aggression she will get a small piece, but if she throws her attitude she doesnt get any. The cats are usually on the table, if she misbehaves she gets put down off the table but if she does good she gets a lil piece of what she wants. if she goes after some1 elses she gets blocked. Just a thought maybe it might work. It has slowly been working with her.
I'll try that, it's not too bad, just stealing the other cat's food, and my cats don't fight
