Diy Feeding Station

[mwallace056]

i free fed my cats, they always have access to food which works well for me as they are not overweight, so right now the bowl is in my room and whenever they want, they come in the window and eat but I'm thinking feeding them outside so Does anyone have any ideas for a feeding station for cats that will keep dogs both small and big?
I'm thinking of building one, but how do I keep the large dogs from putting their whole leg and paw and trying to pull the bowl out? I'm thinking of setting it up few feets off the ground, maybe that will prevent them getting their paws in the hole? but I don't think it will work well, it will keep the small dog out. We have my brother's cat and I had to change his feeding place from the floor to a shelve in the bathroom, which only 3-4 feets off the ground otherwise the shih tzu will eat his food, and this works so far, she haven't tried jumping on the shelve, so keeping the feeding station few feet off the ground should work for the shih Tzu whenever she goes outside but maybe not so much for the bigger dogs. They could be able to pull the bowl out and eating it, so maybe I will have to build one and set it off several feets from the ground with a ramp but how do I keep the shih Tzu from climbing the ramp and going in it and eating their food? Do I build a feeding station, set it off several feet and build a stand few feets off ground and connect it to the station with a ramp or ladder? where the cats have to jump up onto the stand and up the ramp. This seems to be the best idea? Does anyone have any better ideas? Does anyone have any links to plans similar to what I described or built one like it? Pics?

Bonus if you have any ideas to keep chickens out, that would be appreciated, but there no need as we don't have chickens now (thank god) but who knows we might next year

 

[mwallace056]

im looking at products like a microchip feeder or such as this, it uses a id tag that you connect to their collar But I don't like the idea putting collars on them. And it probably don't lock the lid so I don't know

Or maybe putting a microchip door on the feeding station? But that will requires going to a vet to get the microchip or a shelter that hosts events for pets who don't have a microchip, they are having one next week, it's only cost $20 for each pet but of course I won't be able do that because whatever excuse my mom will have. I have a hard time going to the store getting food for them when I need it, so I learn to always have a full bag so that doesn't happen otherwise I have to wait until my mom needs or wants to go to the store, even if we go down every other day, she won't go the store unless she WANT to. which is extremely frustrating, so yeah I learn to get a bag almost every time we go and make sure I have a full bag of food.

P.s sorry for my rant, it just frustrating to having to deal with this

 

[1 bruce 1]

Where do you feed them at, are they indoors, outdoors,both?
I know some people get those big gates that keep dogs out but have a very small gate you can unlatch at the bottom that's cat-sized. Most dogs can't fit through this, a shih-tzu I bet couldn't. A determined large dog could probably knock it down, but odds are they wouldn't and this way the cats could have their own space with their food away from dogs any time they wanted.
Another option is feeding them up as high as you can. Do you have bigger dogs in your home? A window sill or even a counter top would work if you don't have any dogs the size of Great Danes.
We don't free feed but feeding time is a circus to keep everyone at their own bowl. Every time I walk away from a feeding time I feel like a referee who has aged 10 years

 

[mwallace056]

I feed them inside my room because of the dogs outside, they are not allow inside but I allow them in my room anyway because there no other place to feed them and they sometimes likes to sleep with me, so they're outside, partly inside cats I'm looking into options feeding them outside and keeping both small and big dogs out. saint bernard and great pyrenees.

 

[1 bruce 1]

I feed them inside my room because of the dogs outside, they are not allow inside but I allow them in my room anyway because there no other place to feed them and they sometimes likes to sleep with me, so they're outside, partly inside cats I'm looking into options feeding them outside and keeping both small and big dogs out. saint bernard and great pyrenees.

We don't have Saint Bernards but have had Pyrenees and they're marvelous animals.
Both breeds are pretty big and heavily boned, so a higher station might work because most of the time those breeds aren't capable of climbing or jumping up high. If feeding them in your room works and isn't causing a problem, I would continue this. It's also nice that you let them inside some of the time.
Do you think they would adjust to a feeding schedule? You could feed them some food two or three times a day (assuming you're home and available to do so), we do this with our barn cats to cut down on pests like raccoons and possoms, but it's also a good way to make sure everyone is accounted for and make sure no one is limping, sick, injured, etc.

 

[mwallace056]

We don't have Saint Bernards but have had Pyrenees and they're marvelous animals.
Both breeds are pretty big and heavily boned, so a higher station might work because most of the time those breeds aren't capable of climbing or jumping up high. If feeding them in your room works and isn't causing a problem, I would continue this. It's also nice that you let them inside some of the time.
Do you think they would adjust to a feeding schedule? You could feed them some food two or three times a day (assuming you're home and available to do so), we do this with our barn cats to cut down on pests like raccoons and possoms, but it's also a good way to make sure everyone is accounted for and make sure no one is limping, sick, injured, etc.

Yeah I might have to keep feeding them inside my room, my window is always open for them but technically they are not allow inside lol. So eventually I'm going to be made to keep them outside and be force to feed them outside by my parents, mainly my dad.

I'm sure I can get them on a feeding schedule, I just don't know how much they each eat on average or how to figure that out. And I kinda don't want to as free-feeding been working for me, i know leaving food out can attract pests but I never saw pests coming and eating their food when I used to feed them on the deck, and I haven't had problems keeping track of them, they almost always nearby and they will drop whatever they're doing and come if I call for them, it's the day that one of them won't come when called that worries me, which already happened with tucker , he likes to hunt and roam and sometimes like to roam too far which is rare, he stays pretty close but there been couple of times I didn't see him for a day or two so plus he walks slow because of his foot so he does limp ever since he was a kitten but even more so, I'm looking into the prices at few of the vets near me like cost of wellness exams and xrays and blood work de so hopefully I will be able to talk to mom letting me being him in.

 

[mwallace056]

I'm thinking getting my dad to build something like this, I'm hoping he will insulated it Like in the video so they have some place for the winter plus an area where they can eat, thoughts?
I do have a k&h heated shelter which is in my room because I kept the cats in my room during the last winter and it only fits one cat although Mae and Tucker had managed fit themselves in it before. I'm thinking either stealing the heated pad from it or buying another heated pad from TSC or runnings

 

[mwallace056]

https://meowspace.biz/
it basically a box with a microchip door on it, I'm hoping to get my dad to build one like it out of wood of course. or would putting a microchip door on a storage tub work? Id prefer building a insulated shelter like the one above but that probably won't get done before winter.

 

[mwallace056]

My dad is willing to build a shelter for them but not willing to insulated it. He believes having a heat source is good enough for them. I will do whatever to get him to insulated it. what some cheap insulation that works well? Or what tips you have to keep heat trap inside the shelter?