Free Feeding Transition For Multicat Household

I currently have 12 street rescues, all different ages, males, females, some related, some not. Over the course of a year I have seen normally thin or okay weight cats get plumper and I have always free fed kibble, with wet food given every morning. Now we have a kidney patient who is own his own special food, fed separate so I am taking this opportunity to get all the rest on a diet and go to timed feedings. It seems easy, give everyone a portion of their allowable amount in bowls, let them eat and then pick it up. NOT! I have a couple of hogs who will go bowl to bowl. Yes, I guess I can feed them separately also, but my day begins at 3am and herding cats with a walker (I'm partially disabled) is a sight for a home video show!

Currently they eat the dry kibble on pans that resemble a cookie sheet and I watch to make sure they all get a share before they start walking away to clean and nap, but the pan stays done until it is empty throughout the day, I then put half the amount down for overnight. Can I continue to do this but a few times a day, no longer leaving it down all day and with their wet food still being fed in the morning, and see weight loss results?? Do I need to increase feeding wet food to twice a day and kibble 2x a day? My goal is to see 3 feedings a day. BUT I also dread what they will do without food overnight, when they are quite active.

Any input with this many cats and not free-feeding would be appreciated! Thanks!!

Hi! Can you increase wet food to twice a day and kibble twice, where one of the feedings is late and then at 3 am? ...I'm thinking out loud here ..

The kidney cat shouldn't have any dry kibble at all ideally. So I would even say increase the wet more often and decrease the dry as much as possible/affordable... I had multiple cats at one time and I would feed one in the bathroom, one in the bedroom, the kitchen floor, the kitchen table, the kitchen counter so I could see when one is finishing or eyeing up another bowl to run to and intervene.

Furballsmom said:

Hi! Can you increase wet food to twice a day and kibble twice, where one of the feedings is late and then at 3 am? ...I'm thinking out loud here ..

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That is a possible scenario, I am just wondering how many times a day is going to show a loss of weight for the hefties

jen said:

The kidney cat shouldn't have any dry kibble at all ideally. So I would even say increase the wet more often and decrease the dry as much as possible/affordable... I had multiple cats at one time and I would feed one in the bathroom, one in the bedroom, the kitchen floor, the kitchen table, the kitchen counter so I could see when one is finishing or eyeing up another bowl to run to and intervene.

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I am glad you mentioned the dry and kidney cat BECAUSE the vet is the one who put him on Hill's prescription c/d PLUS the wet formula. And this is after I almost lost the cat due to a medication mistake (different vet) that almost shut his kidneys down and who has suffered boughts of FLUTD/FIC for the last 8 months. Talyn was taken into emergency care 2 weeks ago and his Creatine and BUN #'s were so bad the vet gave me no hope of survival, let alone recovery. A few days in hospital, thankfully he pulled through.

I get the feeding them all in different places, and I may have to give it a try. It is just very difficult when hobbling around a house with a walker. My disability is almost as new as my kidney issue furbaby. Thanks for your input.

I have tried meal feeding several times, 3 of mine would be fine with it, but my little white cat is not, she will not eat enough at one time, or 2 or 3 or 4 times a day to stay healthy. Vet said stop it, she need free feed or she will get very sick. that is just something to watch for when you start meal feeding, but i think she is an exception, not the norm. I keep Dr. Elseys dry out all the time, works for her, and the other cats nibble it as needed, but no one over eats with it. I find my guys only over eat if free feed high carb dry foods, then i would need to meal feed.

My son meal feeds his 5, and it works very well, when ever he is out of town and i feed his guys i wish mine were that easy.

He only feeds wet, he feeds each cat a can of fancy feast classics, or splits up some cans of friskies shreds, i think he splits 3 cans with 4 cats, for each meal. he does this twice a day. one of his can only have ff classics, because thats what works for his ibd cat. He tries to get his cats around 200 calories each per day. all are at a very good weight and body condition.

He uses those small paper plates, puts the food out on a plate for each cat on the counter, then sets them all down at once several feet away from each other. They are all hungry at meal time, and chow down. Normally they all finish about the same time, so not much stealing going on. You just need to watch in case you have a timid cat, a grazer, or a really slow eater, those need extra help sometimes so others dont steal their food.

Best of luck, i think meal feeding is great, if it works for your bunch.

Hi! Due to every cat being different and digesting differently etc, are you able to pick them up so you could weigh them, and then keep a log so you'd know how each cat is doing?

Furballsmom said:

Hi! Due to every cat being different and digesting differently etc, are you able to pick them up so you could weigh them, and then keep a log so you'd know how each cat is doing?

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Yes, they all will be weighed