Can feeding time be changed?

Nunzie

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We inherited two female cats....sisters....when we purchased a home. The owner couldn't take them and didn't find a home for them. We thought they would be separated in addition to losing their home and master....or worse.....so we made the difficult decision to adopt them so they would be able to stay together in a home they have been in for the 6 years of their lives. It appears they were fed at 5:30 AM. They wake me up every morning at that time and run to their dishes. Is it possible to change their feeding time? I've tried feeding them later in the evening to hold them over but that hasn't worked. I've tried feeding them 3 times a day rather than twice a day which is what their previous master did but that hasn't worked either. The last two mornings I have gotten up and closed the door after they have awakened me...I have to sleep with the bedroom door opened..... but 1) I haven't been able to go back to sleep and 2) I feel guilty knowing they are outside the bedroom door just waiting for me to feed them. I wait until 7 or close to it to get up and feed them. I can't continue losing sleep but don't know how to fix this. Any suggestions?
 

EmersonandEvie

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I feel your pain because this is exactly what my Emerson does. I wish I had a magic answer, but I have caved and simply get up, throw some food in a dish, and immediately go back to bed...

Have you considered purchasing a timed feeder? You can feed them a snack before you go to bed and then set the timed feeder for 4am-5am. They're a little pricey but it would probably be worth it if you are losing that much sleep.
 
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Nunzie

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Thanks for your response I will look into that. I didn't know such things existed.
 

EmersonandEvie

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You are very welcome! I don't know what type of food you are feeding them (wet or dry) but the feeder should work with both. I've never used one, but I have heard that people will freeze wet food before putting it in the feeder so it slowly and safely thaws between setup and when the feeder opens. If you feed dry food, just put it in the feeder like you would a regular bowl.

I just thought of this...can you leave out a bowl of hard food for them overnight? Or do you think they would simply sit and eat it all at once?
 
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Nunzie

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I'm sure they would eat it all before the morning...well one of them would anyway. She is an oink-oink and quite fat. In fact I was going to look at ways to putting her on a diet but I think that is impossible with two of them in the house. Miss Fatty eats all of her food and then I've caught her going to her sister's food and eating because her sister just eats a little and then leaves the bowl with food in it to munch on later. I have tried picking up her sister's bowl and then putting it down when she comes around for more food but I'm not there 24/7 and I don't want Tabitha not to have food available to her. I have multiple problems, lol, and I think have an uphill battle. I hate to see Sweetie Pie so fat because I'm sure it is unhealthy but I have no idea how to stop one cat from eating out of both bowls.
 

EmersonandEvie

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Quite the conundrum. You could look at microchip feeders (they activate when the assigned cat with a chip gets within x inches of the feeder), but they are expensive and you have to have both cats chipped! Hopefully someone will comment soon who has had a similar situation to you. Best of luck! I'm glad these kitties have found a safe, loving home with you <3
 

GoldyCat

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Do you have a room where you could shut the kitties in at night, instead of closing your bedroom door? It would be a temporary solution, maybe a couple of weeks (months?), just until they get used to the new feeding schedule. The timed feeder is also a good option.
 

Dearjujubebe

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Yes, I also agree that you could purchase a timed feeder. My cat used to wake me up at 6 in the morning to feed her. But 6am is too early, I need enough sleep to work well. Finally, I reached and found that the iPettie feeder. It does save me a lot of time!!!
 
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Nunzie

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Yes, I also agree that you could purchase a timed feeder. My cat used to wake me up at 6 in the morning to feed her. But 6am is too early, I need enough sleep to work well. Finally, I reached and found that the iPettie feeder. It does save me a lot of time!!!
[/QUOTE)
Yes, I also agree that you could purchase a timed feeder. My cat used to wake me up at 6 in the morning to feed her. But 6am is too early, I need enough sleep to work well. Finally, I reached and found that the iPettie feeder. It does save me a lot of time!!!
Thank you.
 
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