I've got two cats who I love dearly.
Niko is a 2yo tabby who currently weighs about 12 or 13 lbs (overweight for his size). I've been able to get his weight down to about 10 or 11 lbs which is much healthier for him, but it's a struggle to keep him at that weight. Lola is a 1yo tuxedo who weighs about 8 or 9 lbs (on the small size but healthy).
Niko will eat all day, every day if allowed to. Lola is a grazer, she eats just enough but takes all day to eat it.
Both cats eat the same food (dry indoor cat kibble) which does simplify things somewhat, but I'm worried that NIko is overweight to the point where I'm going to have to switch to a low-cal food for him which will only complicate the problem..
I used to feed them separately once or twice a day which kept Niko at a good weight, but the problem is that Niko will gulp all his food and then try to take Lola's food. If I feed them in separate rooms Lola will eat about a quarter of her allotted food and then meow until I let her out. She literally will NOT eat more at once unless I keep her locked in a room with her food for hours. So this doesn't seem like a feasible set up for Lola.
Currently I use a WirelessWhiskers feeder (http://www.wirelesswhiskers.com). It's set to basically allow unlimited food for Lola but to limit NIko. Initially it was great, until Niko figured out how to worm his paw in to the bowl and get extra food out. Lola does great with the automatic feeder.
I don't know how to feed my two cats with such different feeding habits. Feeding them separately once or twice a day seems like the best option for Niko to keep him from overeating. But it means Lola has to stay locked up for hours or she won't eat enough and I don't want to do that. The automatic feeder is good in theory but not so good in practice.
I've thought about installing a cat door with selective locking mechanism that only Lola can use in an interior door in my house (i.e. into a closet) where I can put Lola's food and allow her free access but feed Niko on a schedule. But that's a pretty big step to take.. My boyfriend isn't happy about having to destroy a door and install a $150 cat door...
Does anyone have any other ideas besides allowing NIko to keep gaining weight or keeping Lola locked in a room by herself all day?? Any ideas are greatly appreciated!!
Niko is a 2yo tabby who currently weighs about 12 or 13 lbs (overweight for his size). I've been able to get his weight down to about 10 or 11 lbs which is much healthier for him, but it's a struggle to keep him at that weight. Lola is a 1yo tuxedo who weighs about 8 or 9 lbs (on the small size but healthy).
Niko will eat all day, every day if allowed to. Lola is a grazer, she eats just enough but takes all day to eat it.
Both cats eat the same food (dry indoor cat kibble) which does simplify things somewhat, but I'm worried that NIko is overweight to the point where I'm going to have to switch to a low-cal food for him which will only complicate the problem..
I used to feed them separately once or twice a day which kept Niko at a good weight, but the problem is that Niko will gulp all his food and then try to take Lola's food. If I feed them in separate rooms Lola will eat about a quarter of her allotted food and then meow until I let her out. She literally will NOT eat more at once unless I keep her locked in a room with her food for hours. So this doesn't seem like a feasible set up for Lola.
Currently I use a WirelessWhiskers feeder (http://www.wirelesswhiskers.com). It's set to basically allow unlimited food for Lola but to limit NIko. Initially it was great, until Niko figured out how to worm his paw in to the bowl and get extra food out. Lola does great with the automatic feeder.
I don't know how to feed my two cats with such different feeding habits. Feeding them separately once or twice a day seems like the best option for Niko to keep him from overeating. But it means Lola has to stay locked up for hours or she won't eat enough and I don't want to do that. The automatic feeder is good in theory but not so good in practice.
I've thought about installing a cat door with selective locking mechanism that only Lola can use in an interior door in my house (i.e. into a closet) where I can put Lola's food and allow her free access but feed Niko on a schedule. But that's a pretty big step to take.. My boyfriend isn't happy about having to destroy a door and install a $150 cat door...
Does anyone have any other ideas besides allowing NIko to keep gaining weight or keeping Lola locked in a room by herself all day?? Any ideas are greatly appreciated!!
