Multiple Cat Owners - need help please!!

[roderin56]

I just got back from the vet - one of my male cats has a bladder infection and a temperature of 105.4 Poor little guy. So I took today off from work to stay with him to make sure he gets better.

So the doctor told me he got the infection most likely because he's male and overweight (14.9 pounds). He suggested I buy prescription cat food (which I did) and feed him only that to get his weight down. Well, my problem is I have two other cats - one male who could lose a few pounds but not alot and one female who is by no means overweight. I'm actually trying to fatten her up a bit. So how do I avoid having my sick kitty eating the other cats' food?? My vet wasn't able to offer too much assistance - he just said it's hard, but you have to do it. ?? Um, okay??!

I've always thought that you were supposed to leave food out for cats all day - that they are grazers and eat small amounts throughout the day. And dogs are opposite - they get fed, eat their food, and wait for the next feeding.

Anyone else ever have this problem?? Can I have 'feeding time' for cats - put a measured amount of food out in the morning for all three and then again at night?? Thanks for any help!

Erin

 

[lrayburn]

Erin,
Cats are a lot harder to manage diet-wise than dogs. My thought would be to leave the weight-loss formula out for the boys and then just supplementally feed your female twice a day in a separate room (maybe mixing in a little moist food to get her to chow down).
Good luck,
Lisa

 

[tennisgirl]

I also have 3 cats, 2 boys and 1 girl. We have feeding times for them. They each have their own bowl and they eat in different places in the kitchen. We watch them to make sure they only eat their own food. I never leave food in the bowls, they would just eat it. This is probably different than what most people do, but we feed them several small meals throughout the day, usually at least 3 hours apart.

Since this is the first time we have had male cats, and I know male cats are more likely to have urinary problems, we make sure to feed them food made especially for urinary health. So far no problems.

 

[cataddict]

My experience is very similar to tennisgirls. Of our 4 (2 boys, 2 girls), we have 3 who had "weight issues" (2 girls and one boy). Our vet tried to get us to feed them separately and we finally did so. Three of the bowls have measured amounts of "diet" food and the 4th has "regular" food for the slender boy. We put the three diet bowls down in separate spots in the feeding room (it's my workout room), and the 4th is on a counter in the kitchen. The 4th bowl with "regular" food isn't easily accessible so the heavier cats don't get to it unless I forget and leave it out.

For the first several days it was complete chaos. Pork chop (our nickname for her since she's a grub--her picture is my avatar) ran around to all three bowls, while the other two older cats found a bowl and started eating after looking confused for a few minutes. The vet said to let them eat until they walk away from the bowl, which they did, and then take the bowls away. I put them down three times per day: in the morning when I get up, late afternoon/early evening when I get home from work, and before I go to bed. We've been doing this for over a year now and the three heavier ones have all lost weight and are also more active. The vet told us that some cats can handle free feeding but many can not--just like humans, I guess!

It definitely takes some adjustment on everyone's part but it's been worth it for us anyway. Two of the heavier ones are crossing that line into the "senior" category and the extra weight can cause some serious issues.

Good luck!

 

[roderin56]

Thank you all for the replies! You have given me some great information. I'm happy to hear that you can feed cats at 'feeding times' and don't have to leave food out all day. That was my biggest worry - I don't want them to go hungry!! Well, obviously they aren't or I wouldn't be having this conversation! And it's good to know that you guys have had success with the separate feeding bowls.

Thanks a lot for your answers!

 

[kathryn]

I have 4 cats, three of whom eat the same food, and one of whom eats something different (well, most of the time, LOL!). At one point, I had the 4 cats with 2 eating one food, one eating another, and one eating still another. Fortunately, I don't have to do that anymore.

I feed them twice a day, with no 'snacks' left out for grazing (I think the grazing thing is fine in nature, but it doesn't work for many cats, IMO).

I've also heard recommendation to leave the food out for 15 minutes, then what is left over gets taken up.

Some dude even recommends feeding cats once a day, for 15 minutes, but I don't think he's on the ball. That's not often enough, and my vet agrees.

The three that eat the same food are in a line in the kitchen with their own bowls (except on days when they want to play 'musical bowls,' which actually isn't that often: they've learned what "their space" is).

Pete has his own allergy food, and has his bowl on a cat tree.