Feeding Time - free access vs??

[Catlady88]

Hello all,

I have two cats, Presha and Peanut.

Presha: 13 years old, petite, manages her own weight well with free access to food, sensitive tummy. If she does not have free access to food, she scarfs it down and gets sick all over the house. She’s vocal but very much a pushover.

Peanut: 3 years old and is an absolute chonker. A furry bulldozer with legs. Clearly needs to be on a diet, but runs Presha off of the “slow feeder” I have them using and is quite the bully.

Question is… how do I manage feeding them? I don’t want to have them separated, and I don’t want to spend over $300 for two of the RFID feeder things. I already tried one of the feeders that they have to “work for it” but Peanut just camps out all day and still eats just as much.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated! Also, they eat dry food. I’m not opposed to switching to wet food (obviously would be a slow process, but manageable).

 

[daftcat75]

You only have to get one of the RFID feeders for Presha. You only need to keep Peanut out of Presha's food. Not the other way around, right? You can put Peanut on a schedule.

A variation on the RFID feeder is the RFID cat door. You can construct a feeding crate or feeding room for Presha using the RFID cat door as the entry.
Amazon.com : PetSafe Interior and Exterior Cat Door – Microchip RFID Pet Door – 4-Way Locking – Works With up to 40 Programmed Pets : Pet Supplies

Wet food will fill them up longer than dry food. Being lower in calories, it will also be more helpful in weight management. And considering that many diseases of older cats can either be prevented or improved with increased moisture, it is well worth the effort to transition them now before their health forces your hand. Wet food may also be better for Presha's sensitive stomach as it will have fewer inappropriate, irritating, and indigestible ingredients.

You can get timed feeders to feed those odd hours that free access to dry would cover for you like daytime (if you work away from the home) and overnight while you're sleeping. You can get a pair of timed feeders for about $40. Though I do recommend deploying them in pairs in case on fails to open. In that case, there is a dual-clamshell design for an extra $5 per feeder, or about $50 for the pair.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07FTFZNK6/?tag=thecatsite

Another alternative is a wheel feeder. I normally don't recommend these because they rotate uneaten food back inside the wheel, effectively putting a time limit on each portion. However, for weight management, this could work in your favor. Instead of giving Peanut free access, divide his daily food across all the compartments. Assuming you can keep him out of Presha's, you could do the same for her too. This would effectively switch them from free access to a schedule. Presumably, you could even mix and match wet food and dry food in the compartments giving them scheduled dry snacks between scheduled wet meals.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08ND958NF/?tag=thecatsite

 

[mrsgreenjeens]

Is there ANY food that Presha likes that Peanut doesn't? I ask because I actually have the same situation in my house, with one who is a grazer who vomits if he doesn't eat frequently, and another porker. I do feed scheduled meals of wet food, but I've found a food that my porker won't touch (so far) that I set out for the other one to eat at his leisure.

Another thought, thinking about what daftcat75 mentioned, is can Presha get to places Peanut can't? Perhaps he can't jump as high since he's overweight, like the top of a bookcase, or maybe he can't squeeze into places she can. If so, put her food there. Even if you have to build something with a tiny opening in it that only she can fit through, or wedge a door open just a little bit so she can get into a room but he can't. Doesn't cost much at all .

 

[daftcat75]

Is there ANY food that Presha likes that Peanut doesn't? I ask because I actually have the same situation in my house, with one who is a grazer who vomits if he doesn't eat frequently, and another porker. I do feed scheduled meals of wet food, but I've found a food that my porker won't touch (so far) that I set out for the other one to eat at his leisure.

Another thought, thinking about what daftcat75 mentioned, is can Presha get to places Peanut can't? Perhaps he can't jump as high since he's overweight, like the top of a bookcase, or maybe he can't squeeze into places she can. If so, put her food there. Even if you have to build something with a tiny opening in it that only she can fit through, or wedge a door open just a little bit so she can get into a room but he can't. Doesn't cost much at all .

"You must be this skinny to eat at this buffet."