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- Jul 12, 2016
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Hi folks!
So, I have three cats. Two are a healthy weight with normal appetites.
My third cat is has a much bigger appetite. She is about 6 years old and has been this way since I took her in 4-5 years ago (she was a stray then, and skinny.) She is on the cusp between normal and overweight, but she is petite (still under 10lbs) and I don't want her to get so big that she can't groom properly or move easily. She is also the least active of the three, rarely getting the zoomies, and more of a ground cat with little interest in climbing.
I give her 1/3 cup of grain free kibble in the morning (each cat has a microchip bowl so they can't steal from each other) which she eats immediately, and wet food in the evening which is freely available to all cats, which she eats slowly but is not too keen on. I had hoped she would some day develop enough of a taste for it to eat enough of it to be fuller throughout the day, but that hasn't happened yet. I give the cats a reasonable amount for all three of them, I don't see her eating that much of it, and there's usually a little leftover, so I know she's not ploughing through it the way she does her kibble.
She is healthy, but my concern is more how she feels about it. She starts getting hungry, or at least asking for good, as soon as we get up, which is when we feed in the morning. She is still hungry after she eats her kibble, and watches the other cats' bowls and tries to get into them. In the late afternoon/evening, she will start asking for food several hours before the usual dinner time. She is not easily distracted from her quest for food.
As someone who struggles appetite, I feel this deeply, and I just feel bad for her. I know I'm responsible for their care and health, but I also don't like controlling their environment to the point that they are unhappy for an hour every day. She doesn't understand - she just knows she's hungry but can't access food.
So, does anyone have tips on how to manipulate the feeding schedule, times, frequency, etc to maximize fullness without overfeeding? Or am I overthinking this?
So, I have three cats. Two are a healthy weight with normal appetites.
My third cat is has a much bigger appetite. She is about 6 years old and has been this way since I took her in 4-5 years ago (she was a stray then, and skinny.) She is on the cusp between normal and overweight, but she is petite (still under 10lbs) and I don't want her to get so big that she can't groom properly or move easily. She is also the least active of the three, rarely getting the zoomies, and more of a ground cat with little interest in climbing.
I give her 1/3 cup of grain free kibble in the morning (each cat has a microchip bowl so they can't steal from each other) which she eats immediately, and wet food in the evening which is freely available to all cats, which she eats slowly but is not too keen on. I had hoped she would some day develop enough of a taste for it to eat enough of it to be fuller throughout the day, but that hasn't happened yet. I give the cats a reasonable amount for all three of them, I don't see her eating that much of it, and there's usually a little leftover, so I know she's not ploughing through it the way she does her kibble.
She is healthy, but my concern is more how she feels about it. She starts getting hungry, or at least asking for good, as soon as we get up, which is when we feed in the morning. She is still hungry after she eats her kibble, and watches the other cats' bowls and tries to get into them. In the late afternoon/evening, she will start asking for food several hours before the usual dinner time. She is not easily distracted from her quest for food.
As someone who struggles appetite, I feel this deeply, and I just feel bad for her. I know I'm responsible for their care and health, but I also don't like controlling their environment to the point that they are unhappy for an hour every day. She doesn't understand - she just knows she's hungry but can't access food.
So, does anyone have tips on how to manipulate the feeding schedule, times, frequency, etc to maximize fullness without overfeeding? Or am I overthinking this?