Feeding Kittens With An Adult Cat Who Gets 2 Meals Per Day

WillowMarie

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Hello everyone. My introduction to Isabelle and two kittens, Persia and Katrina, has been going great. While separated, the kittens normally have unlimited dry food left out, and I feed them a full can of wet each in the morning and night.

Isabelle is on steroids for her asthma, which increased her appetite and made her gain weight, so for many years she has been fed 1 can of wet food twice a day and supplemented a specific amount of dry food to keep her weight healthy. Before this she was free fed dry, but she started gaining weight. My previous vet also pushed to feed more wet food because it helps with hydration.

With the kittens and Isabelle being around each other more, if the kittens need dry food at all times, I need to figure something out. My vet mentioned some people have cut holes in a box only the kittens can fit into that houses their kitten food. Isabelle has a very strong sense of smell, so I'm worried she would get frustrated with being able to smell food, but being unable to access it. I could also close the kittens in a room a couple times a day with dry food to let them get their fill. I've never had a kitten before, and my current vet had mentioned to make sure there is access to food at all times for them.

What suggestions does everyone have? Thank you!
 

marmoset

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I run into this problem every time I foster and I haven't found a solution either so I'm eager to read any answers you get.
 

mrsgreenjeens

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I think your best bet is to separate them when you can and then let the kittens eat their fill. BUT, I don't really know anything about the kittens. How old are they, how often can you separate them, etc.?
 
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WillowMarie

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They are about 3.5 months right now. I'm in school, and normally the longest I'm out of the house is about 5 hours at a time between school and working, etc. Today I closed the door when Isabelle was in the other room about every 2 hours to let the kitties eat. There is also the fact of overnight I sleep between 8-9 hours normally.

If Isabelle is on the lower side of her weight, I can try leaving the dry food out overnight and just continue every few hours during the day letting the kittens eat what they will when I bring out the dry food. Especially since returning to the mountains, she has required more food to sustain her weight. (Is this a thing? She went from eating 5-15 pieces of dry food along with her two wet cans when I was in Illinois, and when I went to school last year, she increased to 100 pieces at the most. Then I was in North Dakota for a summer job this summer, and she needed much less dry food because she was gaining weight. Now she requires more since we are back in the mountains. She has been to the vet multiple times, and before and after the summer as she gets blood checked every few months because the steroids she is on, and no health concerns have been found.) So I may be able to get away with letting her munch on the kitty kibble overnight for a bit, depending on where she is with weight. Just thought of that after I initially posted. But I know she may gain weight from kitty food faster, so it may not be a long term solution.
 

mrsgreenjeens

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Hmmm. Honestly, at 3 1/2 months old, I would think if you feed them a hearty meal right before you go to bed (and by hearty I mean with wet food) , I would think they would be fine until breakfast. Same with while you are at school.

I don't know why Isabelle eats less in certain locations. I know my boys tend to eat less in the summer though.
 

EmersonandEvie

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We had this same problem.

What we did was take a large dog cage and cover it with a sheet so the big cats couldn't stick their paws through. Then, we took a large Sterilite lid and cut an opening just big enough for the kitten to get through. We zip-tied the lid where the door to the cage is supposed to go and voila! An adult-cat proof kitten feeding area!
 
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