Issues with feeding behaviors

[Twylasmom]

I have another thread dealing with Twyla’s health issues (CKD and Hyper-t) which deals a lot with her variable appetite and getting her to eat, however I believe that at least part of the issue might be related to food bowl behavior between her and my younger cat, Hooper. Wet food mealtimes aren’t a problem, however Hooper wants to eat her dry prescription food. Even though I feed them their dry at the same time and a good distance apart Hooper will finish first and then head over to Twyla’s bowl and she will move away and he will go for her food. When I try to divert him, she will walk away. Also, Twyla is more of a grazer so ideally I want to leave her food out so she can free feed. Hooper is fed on the counter so Twyla can’t get into his food. I feel that Hooper going for her bowl and my attempts at diverting him are causing an aversion. I am really frustrated and concerned that these issues are complicating an already complicated situation.

Would a microchip feeder work here? Twyla isn’t very food motivated anymore so could she be trained to use it? I’ve read mixed reviews and the cost is a consideration. Can they detect the smell of food when the lid is closed?

The only other thing I can think of is to keep them separated when I am not home with food, water and litter box for Twyla in the upstairs room where she likes to be In the hope that she will free feed a bit during the day. I have been home all summer but school is starting back up so I will be away during the day starting in a couple of weeks. This would mean adding a third litter box and I’m not keen on shutting her in but she spends most of the day up there anyway.

Any insights, particularly if you have experience with a chip feeder would be appreciated. I’m feeling super frustrated.

 

[Furballsmom]

Twyla isn’t very food motivated anymore so could she be trained to use it?

Maybe, but this might be a tougher thing than separating them, since as you mentioned she typically spends a lot of time in that upstairs room already. Plus, you'd have to start working with her and a feeder right now in order to be sure she's using it. To her, the option of separation would be a non-event

 

[Twylasmom]

Maybe, but this might be a tougher thing than separating them, since as you mentioned she typically spends a lot of time in that upstairs room already. Plus, you'd have to start working with her and a feeder right now in order to be sure she's using it. To her, the option of separation would be a non-event

She usually doesn’t eat much during the day, so this isn’t necessarily an either/or. Looking at the room option as an opportunity to give her the option of food when I’m not at home, which seems reasonable. Worried she may never want to come downstairs though! Microchip feeder would be so I wouldn’t have to police them when I am at home. For example, she woke me at 4 am wanting food and I then had to supervise eating because Hooper eats faster and came over to her bowl. Once he does that or I move to intervene she gets distracted and walks away. So she didn’t eat much. Not to mention that having to stand nearby and watch them eat probably doesn’t help her either and is causing sleep disruption for me.

 

[Furballsmom]

Oh, I see. Can you get a "slow feeder" for Hooper?

 

[Astragal14]

A microchip feeder could work very well for your situation! We have one for our girl who likes to graze, she isn't food motivated either. We can't leave food out because our boy will nibble on anything that is potentially food - eat first, figure out if it's food later

I was so worried if she would take to it, she can be hesitant and cautious in general. She took to it right away! Literally right away, she immediately ate her food as soon as we set it up. We only wanted her to stand under it long enough to register her microchip but she cleaned her bowl

There is a cover/barrier available as a separate purchase; it goes around the back of the unit so no one else can sneak in. This wasn't available when we purchased ours and we've been fine without it, but our boy also lost interest after a few weeks. Although there are some scratches on our unit from when he was trying to figure it out!

You can also adjust the opening and closing speed. We have ours set to medium, which I sometimes wonder if it's too slow but again our boy lost interest. Only once did I see him barge in while she was eating and the lid closed once she moved away.

It is expensive, we purchased ours 5 years ago with the Home Again partner discount. I'm not sure if the discount is still available. Home Again is about $21/year and we saved around $50, so it was definitely worth it.

As a side note, Home Again also offers free access to the ASPCA Poison Hotline, which we did have to use a few times for some pretty unusual calls. Our boy once ate the wick of a Feliway diffuser while I was changing refills - he really does eat first, figure it out later!

 

[Twylasmom]

A microchip feeder could work very well for your situation! We have one for our girl who likes to graze, she isn't food motivated either. We can't leave food out because our boy will nibble on anything that is potentially food - eat first, figure out if it's food later

I was so worried if she would take to it, she can be hesitant and cautious in general. She took to it right away! Literally right away, she immediately ate her food as soon as we set it up. We only wanted her to stand under it long enough to register her microchip but she cleaned her bowl

There is a cover/barrier available as a separate purchase; it goes around the back of the unit so no one else can sneak in. This wasn't available when we purchased ours and we've been fine without it, but our boy also lost interest after a few weeks. Although there are some scratches on our unit from when he was trying to figure it out!

You can also adjust the opening and closing speed. We have ours set to medium, which I sometimes wonder if it's too slow but again our boy lost interest. Only once did I see him barge in while she was eating and the lid closed once she moved away.

It is expensive, we purchased ours 5 years ago with the Home Again partner discount. I'm not sure if the discount is still available. Home Again is about $21/year and we saved around $50, so it was definitely worth it.

As a side note, Home Again also offers free access to the ASPCA Poison Hotline, which we did have to use a few times for some pretty unusual calls. Our boy once ate the wick of a Feliway diffuser while I was changing refills - he really does eat first, figure it out later!

Thanks for sharing your experience! I have a QR code from my vet that gives me a discount. Would the footprint of the feeder allow for it to be placed on a couple of books? Twyla needs a raised bowl because of her arthritis.

 

[Astragal14]

Thanks for sharing your experience! I have a QR code from my vet that gives me a discount. Would the footprint of the feeder allow for it to be placed on a couple of books? Twyla needs a raised bowl because of her arthritis.

Yes, the microchip feeder could definitely be placed on books or something similar. Ours has a solid base that is about 8 inches x 11 inches. The only potential issue would be if your cat could still reach the bowl if the whole feeder is raised. I would love to find a way to raise our feeder, but at an angle for easier access (so the front would be lower than the back). Maybe I just need to be creative and look for something that could work as a non-skid wedge...

The bowls included with the feeder are plastic but I don't like plastic bowls. Stainless steel bowls are sold separately and were $30 last time I checked. PetSmart has a bowl that is a very close fit - Whisker City Stainless Steel Oval Cat Saucer for $9. I bought several of those on sale!

I tried to post a link to the PetSmart bowls but it got really weird, so I deleted it!

 

[Furballsmom]

look for something that could work as a non-skid wedge...

.. .. like an open-door wedge?

 

[Astragal14]

.. .. like an open-door wedge?

THIS IS BRILLIANT!!! THANK YOU!!!!