Advice On Feeding Schedule

[lre17]

hi all
so my needy man Oscar has taken to waken me up at like 6/7am (I am in theatre and work nights so to me this is the middle of the night lol) not to feed him but to watch him eat (he and his brother are free fed during the day and each get a 3 once can of wet food at night before I go to bed). Oscar is/has always been very attached to me (Felix is way more chill). I wouldn't mind the getting up at 6am to watch him eat if he would let me go to sleep after but he doesn't instead when I lay back down he comes over and licks my face, headbutts me etc then runs off for like 15 min then comes back and does it again till i finally give in and get up and start my day. Any tips on how I can stop this? Could he maybe be needing another can of food in the AM? And if so when/how do I give it to him without him thinking if he wakes me up even earlier he will get fed. Would a bowl of dry food in my room help maybe?

 

[susanm9006]

I would not get out of bed to watch the cat eat, nor would I get up to feed him if that isn’t a habit you are okay living with for the rest of their lives. Shoo them out of your room, shut the door and ignore them until you are ready to get up. If you are consistent with this, their protests will die down and they will adjust to your schedule. I would suggest though that you leave their dry food out overnight so they have something to nibble on.

 

[mazie]

Yes, my cat has dry kibble available 24/7 so that she always has food available when she wants it. You did not mention the age of your cat. Adult cats need to be fed twice daily, and by twice I mean the canned, wet food. Some people feed theirs wet 3 time daily, but minimum twice. Of course, kittens need to be fed more often, depending upon their age. Also, depending upon the age of the kitten, for the dry, they should be fed Kitten chow. You say you feed your cat when you get in at night a can of wet food. Try upping the number of cans of wet and always have dry kibble available should help your problem out a lot.

 

[lre17]

Yes, my cat has dry kibble available 24/7 so that she always has food available when she wants it. You did not mention the age of your cat. Adult cats need to be fed twice daily, and by twice I mean the canned, wet food. Some people feed theirs wet 3 time daily, but minimum twice. Of course, kittens need to be fed more often, depending upon their age. Also, depending upon the age of the kitten, for the dry, they should be fed Kitten chow. You say you feed your cat when you get in at night a can of wet food. Try upping the number of cans of wet and always have dry kibble available should help your problem out a lot.

Sorry I should have been clearer-they always have their dry food out I just think they like the wet better. I’m fine with the idea of giving them another can in the AM (they are 4 btw) I’m just trying to figure out how to introduce it so they don’t associate waking me up with getting fed and start waking me up earlier in an attempt to get fed

 

[EmmiTemmi]

I’m just trying to figure out how to introduce it so they don’t associate waking me up with getting fed and start waking me up earlier in an attempt to get fed

I found it helpful to completely ignore them in the early mornings (before my alarm) and then go through a normal morning routine of my own (shower, making and maybe drinking some coffee, opening my laptop in the living room and looking at the morning news, etc) BEFORE I start prepping their food. They do not get food as soon as I wake up, because I don't want them to associate my waking up with their breakfast. I give it some time, change up my own routine, maybe coffee before shower, and only after 30-45 min do I start getting their wet food breakfast ready. If they meow for food while I'm asleep, I turn over and ignore them. If they meow for food while I'm making coffee, I ignore them. For this, consistency is key.

When I first got them, this was a pain in the rear to follow through with. They were SO LOUD in the mornings, it nearly drove me crazy. But they learned. Cats are smart.

 

[mazie]

Sorry I should have been clearer-they always have their dry food out I just think they like the wet better. I’m fine with the idea of giving them another can in the AM (they are 4 btw) I’m just trying to figure out how to introduce it so they don’t associate waking me up with getting fed and start waking me up earlier in an attempt to get fed

Katy is 4 years old as well, you should be able to get a full nights/mornings? (LOL) sleep if you make sure they have a can before you go to sleep and of course, the dry available always. Oh and also, if they like to play in the night, if you are up to it after work, play with them. If they are worn out, they will sleep. The same goes for small children.

 

[Pjg8r]

Could you use a timed feeder with canned food in it? I use frozen canned food that takes about 4 hours to thaw. I set mine for somewhere between 4 and 6 hours. If you load it and set it to open at six it won’t be associated with you at all. I did have to “teach” mine what it was a few days but it has been great for a midday meal when I’m going to be working late

 

[lre17]

I found it helpful to completely ignore them in the early mornings (before my alarm) and then go through a normal morning routine of my own (shower, making and maybe drinking some coffee, opening my laptop in the living room and looking at the morning news, etc) BEFORE I start prepping their food. They do not get food as soon as I wake up, because I don't want them to associate my waking up with their breakfast. I give it some time, change up my own routine, maybe coffee before shower, and only after 30-45 min do I start getting their wet food breakfast ready. If they meow for food while I'm asleep, I turn over and ignore them. If they meow for food while I'm making coffee, I ignore them. For this, consistency is key.

When I first got them, this was a pain in the rear to follow through with. They were SO LOUD in the mornings, it nearly drove me crazy. But they learned. Cats are smart.

I'm gonna try that tomorrow-I don't mind waking up, giving them breakfast and going back to bed I just wasn't sure how long I should wait after waking up to feed them as I don't want them to connect me waking up with food