When I say a lot I mean she eats 3-4 bowls of food a day and then it's empty again in the middle of the night. Granted, the bowl isn't a huge one, (holds about 2 handfuls) but it takes my 6 year old cat 3 days to eat her bowl of the same size.

Is this normal for a cat of 12 months? I've always kept food out instead of having timed meals but my 6 year old cat never took full advantage of it quite like my new cat is.

So I'm a little bit concerned.

Each cat is different. You can't go by what your 6 year old cat does. It's going to have to be you who sets the eating habits for the 12 month old cat. Slowly cut back on the food. Put food in bowl in the morning and some in the early evening. Don't worry about the middle of the night. You can't be getting up in the middle of the night to feed your cat. You cat will soon get used to the new routine. If you put the food in the dish your cat will eat it at this point. It's up to you to change all that. Your kitty is still pretty young yet. However he/she really doesn't need to be constantly eating. Could be former owners didn't feed the cat, so now you kitty may be afraid that it won't get any food to eat.

Put her/him on a schedule. Kitty will soon find out that he/she won't go hungry any more if that was his/her past history.

I think its not too abnormal for her to eat that much since she is a growing cat, but she still could be cut down to about two bowls a day. My cat was drastically overweight when we adopted her because her previous owner fed her whenever her bowl got empty. Since then she has dropped a lot of the excess weight because we feed her a 3/4 bowl of food once in the morning and once at night. So just feed your cat once when you wake up, then again around 7 pm.

Experience

Tape worm is a possiblity. Or she's growin! :) Remember how much humans eat when they grow. I would suggest giving your local vet a ring and see what they have to say. Afterall, the internet can be misleading.

You already got some good advice. I bet she was starving when she was picked up. Both cats need to be dewormed.

What are you feeding your cats? The quality of the food can be to blamed most of the time. Look at the ingredients. Is the first, second or even third item a meat of some sort? No? Time to try a new brand. Brands like Purina, Dads, Alley Kat, Kit N Kaboodle and similar low quality, inexpensive foods get away with giving your cat improper nutrition because they have been around so long, their names are easily recognized. (Same for Ol' Roy with dogs...that ingredient list will make you sick, let alone your dog!) pets question and answers,www.5d2d.com

The other posters are correct as well. Many kittens are born with tape and/or round worms if they are born outside. This could cause her to eat excessively.

Also! Growth spurts! Your cat is still a baby! She's coming into her teenage years, but that doesn't mean she is done growing. She will continue to grow until she is almost 2 years old and sometimes later. :)