My cat attempts to eat anything and everything that is even semi-edible, even attempting to eat garbage. Is this normal?

A few notes. He is a domestic shorthair and a little over two years old. I adopted him almost two months ago and the first week of bringing him home, he went to the vet for a first checkup. The vet concluded he is a healthy weight and there is nothing physically wrong with him.

However, this cat obsesses over food. I know that most cats love food, but mine seems to go a little above and beyond. Here are some examples of what he does:

1. He will hound anyone eating in the apartment by climbing on top of them and attempt to eat the food off the plate or bowl. No amount of pushing and "No"s dissuades him. It's gotten to the point where I need to lock him in the office while I eat or I won't be able to eat peacefully.

2. If any plate or bowl gets set down while eating, he will attempt to lick the plate/bowl almost immediately.

3. If there are dirty dishes in the sink, he will stick his face into the sink and attempt to eat any speck of food left.

4. If the lid to the garbage can is open, he will climb on top and attempt to eat the food out of the garbage.

5. If I'm preparing lunch/dinner, unless the counter is completely covered with items to the point where he can't jump up, he will jump onto the counter and attempt to eat the ingredients/food. I will take him off the counter and he will jump back up; this dance happens 5-10 times before I finally finish cooking.

I've done as many preventive measures as I can; cleaning my dishes immediately, always replacing the garbage as soon as needed and making sure the lid is closed, making sure that no crumbs or food is left on the counter, etc. He has certainly made me into a better housekeeper.

Again, he is a healthy weight. Also, yes, I feed him plenty. Twice a day he gets the vet recommended amount of dry food, and at night he also gets an 1/8 of a can of wet food; he devours both of these meals to the point where I'm going to get him a slow feeding device/bowl so he doesn't choke or throw up. He even gets treats sometimes if he is good; trust me, he isn't starving to death.

I have a feeling this is his stray instincts kicking in to eat anything at any opportunity. The adoption center got him from another center who didn't know his history; he came in as a stray.

Am I overreacting? Is this normal cat behavior or is this obsession with food something that will temper down as he gets older? He's a fine cat otherwise. Very cuddly and full of energy.

submitted by /u/duck_duck_fuckyou
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