Away From Cats For Too Long?

[Callaloo]

Hi everyone,

I have 2 4-month old kittens. I currently work full-time which means I'm out of the house for 9+ hours a day. Right now I feed the kittens immediately before I leave for work in the morning, immediately after I return, and before bed. I was thinking of taking up a part-time job. I'd go home after my full-time job, feed the kittens, go to work for maybe 4-5 hours and come back. Is this too much time away? Do the kittens need more human interaction? Or would it be okay because they have each other and are not alone? I'm new to cats so am not sure.

 

[Furballsmom]

Hi! Can you set up a camera so you could see what they do when you're away? I think that because they have each other, they probably entertain each other pretty well.

Can you put out some kitten kibble? They're very young yet and need to eat as much as possible to help provide the nutritional demands of developing bones, teeth, brains, digestive systems, muscles...that overnight stretch of time is a little long for little tummies.

You could set up a timed feeder to open sometime in the middle of the night, or maybe arrange a setup where there's an icepack underneath the food dish.

You could also utilize a timed feeder so you wouldn't have to go home, unless that works out for you but I could envision it might get tight timewise some days, and if you had a timed feeder ready to go it'd be a lot less stressful for you.

Also, this might help for some general things;
First-time Cat Owner's Guide

and, something here might help;
How To Choose The Best Toy For Your Cat

20 Best Interactive Cat Toys: The Ultimate List (2018) | Heavy.com

Home - the Ripple Rug

Food Puzzles for Cats

How To Make Your Home Bigger (at Least For Your Cats)

 

[8kitties]

I think that is okay. Just make sure they have a bowl of kitten chow (free feeding is ok when they're still growing) and some cat trees, toys, etc so they won't get bored.

 

[Callaloo]

Hi! Can you set up a camera so you could see what they do when you're away? I think that because they have each other, they probably entertain each other pretty well.

Can you put out some kitten kibble? They're very young yet and need to eat as much as possible to help provide the nutritional demands of developing bones, teeth, brains, digestive systems, muscles...that overnight stretch of time is a little long for little tummies.

You could set up a timed feeder to open sometime in the middle of the night, or maybe arrange a setup where there's an icepack underneath the food dish.

You could also utilize a timed feeder so you wouldn't have to go home, unless that works out for you but I could envision it might get tight timewise some days, and if you had a timed feeder ready to go it'd be a lot less stressful for you.

Also, this might help for some general things;
First-time Cat Owner's Guide

and, something here might help;
How To Choose The Best Toy For Your Cat

20 Best Interactive Cat Toys: The Ultimate List (2018) | Heavy.com

Home - the Ripple Rug

Food Puzzles for Cats

How To Make Your Home Bigger (at Least For Your Cats)

I've been thinking of getting a camera. That's a good idea.

I'll have to check out the how to make your home bigger article because I live in a very small apartment. And I'm always on the lookout for a good interactive toy so I'll check that one too.

The overnight stretch is about 8.5-9 hours. They eat at 11 pm then at 7:30-8:00 am. And then again at 5:00 pm. Plus lots of healthy treats.

I think that is okay. Just make sure they have a bowl of kitten chow (free feeding is ok when they're still growing) and some cat trees, toys, etc so they won't get bored.

They have a lot of toys and entertainment. I buy toys allllll the time lol.

The issue with the food is that I feed them a raw diet so I can't leave food sitting out. I'd be concerned even if I used an ice pack. Right now they are being fed three meals a day plus treats and are at an appropriate weight according to the vet and are appropriately active. I'd have to race home to feed them their second meal and then race to the second job.

 

[Furballsmom]

I can understand your concerns about raw. However, I really would suggest some kibble. I have in the back of my mind that your vet is one who is possibly extremely concerned about obese cats - that's good, but kittens need to eat, a LOT

They are only four months old. There is no guideline for how much to feed a kitten, that is, the guideline is that a kitten needs to eat as much as it can consume. There should be a little bit left on the plate at each meal, this is the ONLY way you will know that you've fed enough.

They should be getting 4-5 small meals a day. When that's not possible as in your situation, supplemental kibble will make up the difference.

Also they need to have access to food overnight, either free feeding or a couple times with a timed feeder. Again, they're only four months old. Those hours between the last meal of the day and the first meal of the morning is way too long.

 

[8kitties]

Yup. You can just feed them kibble in addition to the raw until they are finished growing (around 9-18 months old, although I would recommend 1 year). Then you can switch back to fully raw, which should prevent obesity as adults.

If you're worried about the quality of the kibble, here is a high quality one (it even has freeze dried raw in it): Merrick Backcountry Raw Infused Kitten Recipe Grain-Free Dry Cat Food, 6-lb bag - Chewy.com

Or if you are looking for a cheaper, (albeit lower quality) kibble, these are some options: Meow Mix Kitten Li'l Nibbles Dry Cat Food, 3.15-lb bag - Chewy.com
Kitten Chow Nurture Dry Cat Food, 14-lb bag - Chewy.com

I used Purina Kitten Chow for my 2 youngest cats Ninja and Ember up until they were a year old and it didn't cause any issues. It's when they are free fed corn-based dry when they are adults that they become obese. It also depends on the cat. Some stay skinny no matter what you feed them.

 

[Callaloo]

I can understand your concerns about raw. However, I really would suggest some kibble. I have in the back of my mind that your vet is one who is possibly extremely concerned about obese cats - that's good, but kittens need to eat, a LOT

They are only four months old. There is no guideline for how much to feed a kitten, that is, the guideline is that a kitten needs to eat as much as it can consume. There should be a little bit left on the plate at each meal, this is the ONLY way you will know that you've fed enough.

They should be getting 4-5 small meals a day. When that's not possible as in your situation, supplemental kibble will make up the difference.

Also they need to have access to food overnight, either free feeding or a couple times with a timed feeder. Again, they're only four months old. Those hours between the last meal of the day and the first meal of the morning is way too long.

Yup. You can just feed them kibble in addition to the raw until they are finished growing (around 9-18 months old, although I would recommend 1 year). Then you can switch back to fully raw, which should prevent obesity as adults.

If you're worried about the quality of the kibble, here is a high quality one (it even has freeze dried raw in it): Merrick Backcountry Raw Infused Kitten Recipe Grain-Free Dry Cat Food, 6-lb bag - Chewy.com

Or if you are looking for a cheaper, (albeit lower quality) kibble, these are some options: Meow Mix Kitten Li'l Nibbles Dry Cat Food, 3.15-lb bag - Chewy.com
Kitten Chow Nurture Dry Cat Food, 14-lb bag - Chewy.com

I used Purina Kitten Chow for my 2 youngest cats Ninja and Ember up until they were a year old and it didn't cause any issues. It's when they are free fed corn-based dry when they are adults that they become obese. It also depends on the cat. Some stay skinny no matter what you feed them.

I was giving them the blue buffalo wilderness dry kitten food mixed with ziwi peak.

I was leaving dry food out for them but I'm pretty sure that one of them was eating all the food because she was quite a bit bigger than the other so I'm not sure how to stop that.

 

[Furballsmom]

You could possibly obtain a chip activated feeder that opens only for that cat, or if the size difference is enough, try an upside-down box with a cutout that works only for/fits the smaller cat (weighted down so the bigger cat can't knock it around...)