Maybe a dumb question but......

snugglecat

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Has anyone that feeds feral cats always fed at the same time every single day?

I usually never do anything or go anywhere if it falls during the time I normally feed the cats. I never go out to eat with family or go to their houses if I know I can't be back in time to feed at the normal feeding time. I just feel so guilty knowing they are waiting on my front porch for me to feed them. I have tried going out to dinner with family but then I just get upset and worry about the time and don't enjoy myself.

My Mom and stepdad are celebrating their 40th Anniversary and I have been invited to go out to dinner with them and my sister. I want to go but I know I will make myself miserable and everyone else worrying about feeding the cats on time.

I guess I'm asking if the cats will be fine eating later then usual. I know 5 of them will be here waiting but one of my feral cats does not live on my porch with the others and I'm afraid he will get tired of waiting and not get to eat this evening.

I'm torn between going tonight with my family or staying home to feed the cats. People think I'm crazy because I won't go do anything if I can't be here to feed on time, maybe I am. I hardly ever leave the house and my anxiety over feeding the cats keeps me from doing anything with anyone. I always back out at the last minute so I can be here to feed them.
 

red top rescue

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Go out with your family and enjoy!  Your ferals are so lucky to have you because they can count on one meal a day, which is all they need.  It doesn't matter what time it is.  Most ferals don't get to eat every day.  Most of them eat whenever they cat catch something edible, like a bird, a mous, eor a lizard.  I too feed ferals, and yes, they turn up at the same time and expect food, but if it isn't there, they WAIT, or else they just come back later.   I have several cat trees with cat houses and beds in them, and on rainy nights or if I have been out and come home late, the trees will be populated by cats.  They are all sleek and well fed and there is not a bony frame among them.  They will not starve if I am late, and yours will not starve if you are late either.  Your ferals will learn that when you are home, they will be fed.  Cats are not dumb at all, and they will associate your car, rather than the time, with feeding.  There may not be a cat in sight if you drive in at 2 AM after a night out with friends, but by the time you get in the house, the porch will be populated with the usual crew, and if not, then maybe that one caught something and ate it and is not hungry that night.

In short, don't give up your life to feed the cats, they wouldn't want that.  They have their own lives and so should you.

And thanks for what you do for them!  Take care of yourself so you can keep doing it, with love.
 
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snugglecat

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Go out with your family and enjoy!  Your ferals are so lucky to have you because they can count on one meal a day, which is all they need.  It doesn't matter what time it is.  Most ferals don't get to eat every day.  Most of them eat whenever they cat catch something edible, like a bird, a mous, eor a lizard.  I too feed ferals, and yes, they turn up at the same time and expect food, but if it isn't there, they WAIT, or else they just come back later.   I have several cat trees with cat houses and beds in them, and on rainy nights or if I have been out and come home late, the trees will be populated by cats.  They are all sleek and well fed and there is not a bony frame among them.  They will not starve if I am late, and yours will not starve if you are late either.  Your ferals will learn that when you are home, they will be fed.  Cats are not dumb at all, and they will associate your car, rather than the time, with feeding.  There may not be a cat in sight if you drive in at 2 AM after a night out with friends, but by the time you get in the house, the porch will be populated with the usual crew, and if not, then maybe that one caught something and ate it and is not hungry that night.

In short, don't give up your life to feed the cats, they wouldn't want that.  They have their own lives and so should you.

And thanks for what you do for them!  Take care of yourself so you can keep doing it, with love.
Thanks, they actually get fed twice a day morning and evening meal. I just wish I could learn to relax and not worry so much. I don't have a car so if I go anywhere my family picks me up and can't come home until they are ready to go home.

I still haven't decided yet if I will go. I feed morning and evening meal around the same time every day. In fact they all start coming on the porch and staring at the window an hour or so before feeding time.
 

fyllis

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Cats don't wear watches.

If you are afraid of them starving while you are out (which they won't!), place a dish of kibbles out on the porch when you leave. It will be there when they show up. Otherwise, feed them when you get home if you don't want food sitting out on your porch. I hope you are also supplying them with a big bowl of fresh water every day too - especially if you are feeding them dry food. They need water to help digest their food and to stay hydrated!

In the future, start altering the feeding times... set food out a little earlier one night, and then an hour or so later another night. That way they won't become so dependent on a routine. They know they will get fed - they will just have to adapt to YOUR schedule.

You are in Washington state and while you have fairly decent weather (unlike us in the mid-west with ice, snow and freezing temperatures) I am wondering if you have some type of shelter available to protect them from the wind and rain? Even at 50F, a windy, rainy night can be a bit chilly to spend out in the elements. Just a cardboard box with a few old towels or blankets placed against the house would be enough to shelter them.

 

Thanks for feeding them!

Note: GO OUT AND ENJOY YOURSELF!  
 
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nsav8

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Snugglecat:  You MUST go to the dinner.  You are doing more than most anyone would do for the ferals.  I, too, used to feed a group of ferals.  They knew my car when I pulled up.  If I could not make it, I used to ask a friend to feed them or feed them earlier in the day.  Your ferals can eat early that day.  They will smell the food and come out from hiding.  I worry about people as compassionate as you obviously are.  You can get fatigue from having so many depending on you.  You must take care of yourself before you can take care of anyone or anything else!  
 

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snugglecat snugglecat Did you decide to go? I agree with the previous posters - it's not a problem if the ferals have to wait a few hours, especially since they're being fed twice a day.

Our shelter maintains an on-site colony of about 30 ferals that are fed twice a day. If there's a veterinary emergency or horrible weather, they (and the tame pets) may find themselves waiting two or three hours for their food. It doesn't happen often, but it does occur.

Some of yours will stick close till the food arrives, while others will check back later.

Our ferals are flexible and somehow know what day of the week it is. I go in quite early, and they gather about 30 - 60 minutes after my arrival. Two mornings a week they're fed later by somebody else and act accordingly. It's as if they tell themselves, "Oh, it's Wednesday/Saturday, so that means a late breakfast."
 

lavishsqualor

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I agree with everyone else!  I used to spend my weekends driving to the fourteen apartment communities I manage feeding all of the ferals.  I never had a day off!  Then I started appointing trustworthy tenants and it became so much easier.

Please go and enjoy yourself.  Your ferals WILL NOT STARVE and will be there when you get back.

You are a kind soul and your cats are lucky to have you.  I promise you they won't begrudge you a night out.
 

kittychick

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@snugglecat -- I hope you decided to go! I know how all-consuming it can be caring for little furry beings. My husband's the early riser at our house, so he does the 7 am morning feeding of our little colony---and for a long time I'd stress horribly if I realized he wasn't getting to it by 7:30. The other day he left for a very early morning meeting and I realized at 9 am that He hadn't fed them before he left...so in 35 degree weather ..I ran out in my pjs & bare feet the minute I realized they hadn't gotten their usual 7 am meal..& then threw a big hissy fit with him when he got home. Thankfully he's a bit more sane than I am :) and after I was done ranting he very kindly & gently walked me outside where the whole furry bunch was doing their post-meal bathing.....and he calmly pointed out that not a single one was starving. In fact, after months of being the colony's primary food source, 4 of them could now be considered "chunky". Not just "winter coat fluffy" but chunky. :) And every single one of them also completely forgave our lateness and haven't missed a meal since :)

So what I'm trying to say is that it sounds like your guys are very cared-for, loved, with happily full tummies---and they'll absolutely, positively be 100% fine if meal time needs to be later or earlier so that you can enjoy a nice evening out. In fact, I'm a firm believer that kitties very much are effected by the moods & feelings of their guardians. Our stress transfers to them --and I guarantee, if they could talk, they'd all tell you they'd all rather see you happy & enjoying yourself, even if it means they eat a bit later. And try to remember that if they didn't have a wonderful caregiver like you, and they were having to catch their meals, they'd have far from a set schedule.

So please cut yourself some slack & try to start letting yourself relax on occasion about timing. Your colony would definitely tell you you deserve it!!!!
 
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snugglecat

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@snugglecat -- I hope you decided to go! I know how all-consuming it can be caring for little furry beings. My husband's the early riser at our house, so he does the 7 am morning feeding of our little colony---and for a long time I'd stress horribly if I realized he wasn't getting to it by 7:30. The other day he left for a very early morning meeting and I realized at 9 am that He hadn't fed them before he left...so in 35 degree weather ..I ran out in my pjs & bare feet the minute I realized they hadn't gotten their usual 7 am meal..& then threw a big hissy fit with him when he got home. Thankfully he's a bit more sane than I am
and after I was done ranting he very kindly & gently walked me outside where the whole furry bunch was doing their post-meal bathing.....and he calmly pointed out that not a single one was starving. In fact, after months of being the colony's primary food source, 4 of them could now be considered "chunky". Not just "winter coat fluffy" but chunky.
And every single one of them also completely forgave our lateness and haven't missed a meal since


So what I'm trying to say is that it sounds like your guys are very cared-for, loved, with happily full tummies---and they'll absolutely, positively be 100% fine if meal time needs to be later or earlier so that you can enjoy a nice evening out. In fact, I'm a firm believer that kitties very much are effected by the moods & feelings of their guardians. Our stress transfers to them --and I guarantee, if they could talk, they'd all tell you they'd all rather see you happy & enjoying yourself, even if it means they eat a bit later. And try to remember that if they didn't have a wonderful caregiver like you, and they were having to catch their meals, they'd have far from a set schedule.

So please cut yourself some slack & try to start letting yourself relax on occasion about timing. Your colony would definitely tell you you deserve it!!!!
I decided to go at the last minute and I actually had a good time. I don't have a watch so it helps that I can't sit there and look at the time through the whole meal. I did start out looking outside and going by how dark it was getting. We met for dinner early around 4:00 pm. When I got home they were all waiting at my front door. My stepdad thought is was funny that they were sitting on the door mat as close to the door as possible when we pulled in the driveway.

Because some of them have issues with food, I can't just sit out a bowl of food for them to eat. Making up each dish for 6 cats with different foods is a chore and then I have to watch and make sure Maddie doesn't get into the others food because she has allergies to foods I feed the others. Then I have one who will only eat kitten chow and I have to keep the others away from her because they have reactions to whatever is in that food. From start to finish it takes me 45 minutes to feed and clean up the bowls. It's a full time job


My feral cats are spoiled, they have 2 shelters on my porch, a scratching post and some toys that they play with. Then I have a little area that has another shelter and straw bedding next to that in a corner out of the wind and rain.

I think I did pretty good not worrying so much while I was gone and had a good time visiting with my family. I don't get to see my sister very often and she was buying us all dinner.

Thanks for all the advice and for not saying I'm crazy.
 

mazie

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So glad you went and had a good time. Think of it this way, if we are not happy and content with our lives, how can we make a difference in our furry friends lives and be the best we can be for them?
 
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