multi cat household diff foods what do you do

just curious

in my house i have a fat cat that needs to be on a diet but the other cats are skinny still growing

in this situtaiton what do you usually do?

I'm lucky in that my fat cat can't jump very high, so I feed the skinny one on a higher shelf in the bookcase, where hefty Odo can't get to. Other possibilities include building a box with an opening that only the skinny ones can squeeze into, feeding a couple of meals per day with the overweight kitty in a separate room, or using a closet like a box and blocking the door so it is only wide enough for the smaller cats.

a food with Lcarnitine would be a good one... as it can increase lean muscle mass and help metabolize fat

My cats have different foods a lot of the time (one is nearly 2 and still growing, the other is 10). I feed them at scheduled meal times and stand over them while they eat. They both eat everything up straight away. Jaffa has always had set meal times but Mosi came to me used to free feeding. He soon got used to the idea that food was only provided 3 times a day though.

I also have a fat cat and two kittens (~6.5-7 months old).
I feed them at set meal times and put the two kittens (with kitten food) in my room and leave the fat cat out in the kitchen with his food.

This works, but is a pain as the fatty knows that the kitten food is tastier than his (I suppose) so he tries to get to their food any chance he gets.

Art

I only leave a measured amount of kibble out. My big guy likes kibble more than the other 2 cats do (they eat more wet than dry).

i did the 'food box' thing mentioned above, took a large cardboard box and cut a 6" hole in it. this was big enough for the normal cats to get in and out, while the fat cat could barely fit his face into it (it helped he is a larger breed).

however, the fat guy eventually learned to stick his arm in the box and scoop out pieces of food that had fallen outside the bowl! but he probably burned twice as many calories, with all the reaching and stretching

Originally Posted by jimmylegs

i did the 'food box' thing mentioned above, took a large cardboard box and cut a 6" hole in it. this was big enough for the normal cats to get in and out, while the fat cat could barely fit his face into it (it helped he is a larger breed).

however, the fat guy eventually learned to stick his arm in the box and scoop out pieces of food that had fallen outside the bowl! but he probably burned twice as many calories, with all the reaching and stretching

Click to expand...

OHH my ... lmao... that is priceless

haha how cute...

I have the same problem. My 3 yo tabby eats canned wet at scheduled feeding times while the kittens eat raw. They love the raw but try to get at the canned as soon as they've finished eating their own food. (yes they get enough to eat, they just LOVE kibble and canned food, probably because I won't let them have it)
If she's taking her time after the kittens have finished I just put them in the other room until she's finished...

luckily they're still too small to get up to her dry food that I leave out for her...

I have 3 cats. One is on a wet food only diet. I feed him 2x a day in the bathroom. My other two cats eat mainly dry food. I feed them in the kitchen and their bowls are on the kitchen floor when I am home to keep an eye on their food. I only work part-time right now. When I go to work then the food in the kitchen is put away. My cat on the wet food only diet does not try to eat the dry food anymore.