Need help: Feeding situation

Hi... I just adopted a six-month-old kitten, and I have an eight-year-old cat. They have been eating each other's food (I have traditionally free-fed), especially the older cat eating the kitten's food. I don't want him eating kitten food because it is high in calories and he is already overweight. So, do I need to stop free-feeding and put them on a regimented schedule? If so, what are the best times to feed them? Morning and evening? Morning and late night? Any advice would be appreciated. Thanks!

Can you feed them in different rooms?

What food does the older cat eat?

My friend has two cats, one on a renal diet and the other on wellness. She feeds them twice a day, they each get like a 1/4 of a cup am/pm. Both cats have done really well with the schedule and immediately eat their food, so that might be something to try.

I'm having the same problem, only more in reverse. In my opinion, cats dont care if you feed them in seperate rooms, they will still go after each others food. I feed my cats across the apartment from each other and they still each the others food.

You could try to get an all life stages food so even with them eating each others food it will still be healthy for each.

Originally Posted by sharky

Can you feed them in different rooms?

What food does the older cat eat?

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The older cat eats very good quality food: a mix of Royal Canin Urinary SO to prevent urinary tract infections (since he had a UTI in the past), Science Diet T/D for tartar control, and Iams hairball-and-weight-control formula. I think the kitten would be okay on this mix. He seems to like it well enough. So I could transition him as soon as the kitten food runs out.

It's hard for me to do a regimented feeding schedule because I'm very busy, working two jobs and sometimes being gone from 6:45 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. And I don't really have time in the morning to monitor the cats' feeding. So I think I will continue to free-feed both foods for now, till the kitten food is gone.

Since two of the three in your mix are RX ask the vet if they would be okay for the kitten( also discuss the fact that you mix as it may cancel out the RX benefits of the SO )... The Iams you can check the AFFCO statement for either All life stage or growth and maintenance )

Originally Posted by sharky

Since two of the three in your mix are RX ask the vet if they would be okay for the kitten( also discuss the fact that you mix as it may cancel out the RX benefits of the SO )... The Iams you can check the AFFCO statement for either All life stage or growth and maintenance )

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Thanks for the advice. As you suggested, I asked the vet about the adult mix I have been giving the older cat (Murray), and he said the only problematic part of the mix for the kitten (Yuki) would be the Urinary SO. He said the Urinary SO isn't good for kittens under the age of nine months, and Yuki is only six months. (Otherwise, he didn't seem to think mixing the different foods is a problem.)

Therefore, I think I will try taking the food away except for scheduled mealtimes in the morning, late afternoon, and bedtime. I will have to do some reworking of my busy schedule to make it happen, but I love my cats enough to make some sacrifices.

If the scheduled feeding times don't work, then I will just take the Urinary SO out of the mix until Yuki is nine months - and free-feed both cats the mix of t/d and Iams - and then mix in the Urinary SO again when Yuki hits the nine-month mark.