Feeding Problem Need Advice

[sophie1]

I have two lovely and spoiled 5 year old Siberian cats, who have been fed since weaning on a rather unusual regimen: free-fed raw food out of a single chilled bowl - I use a Frosty Bowlz. The breeder fed them this way and highly recommended continuing that. It's been super convenient for both me and the cats.

There's not been much competition between the cats, but just in case I have been leaving Honest Kitchen out in a regular ceramic bowl in a different room. A couple weeks ago, the more-shy cat (Charlie) abruptly stopped eating from the communal bowl to the extent that he started visibly losing weight. He has gotten into the habit of urgently requesting something every evening, which I thought was for play time but now I realize he wants food. I started feeding him raw meals from his ceramic bowl, and he gained the weight back.

The problem is, that now Charlie wants food when he wants it, which is a couple of times between 6-11pm and sometimes also in the AM, and he's started to try to dictate where he wants to eat as well. He sometimes refuses to eat from either food bowl location and instead goes to another place and will only eat if I bring the food there. A couple of times he has eaten from the communal bowl but it's not reliable. He will eat the Honest Kitchen, and I know it's him since the other cat won't touch the stuff.

This is all completely new and I'm wondering what to do! I tried to set up a PM mealtime but Charlie just ignored this, and I'm afraid to push it since he's already shown that he'll starve himself. And the location thing is just mind-boggling. Help!

 

[Mamanyt1953]

Since he has gained the weight back, you may have to play the waiting game. Set out the food on the schedule you have set, and where you have decided, and if he doesn't eat, he will go hungry. It is the rare cat who will actually starve himself. Now, THAT SAID, there are a few cats on here who will. I've been trying to transition Hekitty to a good, wet food for years. I give in after three days for fear of Fatty Liver Disease. She is perfectly willing to starve herself for at least that long. SHOULD Charlie prove to be as buttheaded as Hekitty is, you may have to give up, give in, and get trained by your cat. God help you.

 

[sophie1]

Thanks Mamanyt. I gave in and fed Charlie this morning by bringing the dish to his preferred spot - as he ate nothing at all yesterday. It's different each time but it's always secluded and out of sight of the other cat.

Generally, Charlie likes to nibble a bit in the AM and do most of his eating at night. I think I'll try putting out a dish with his day's allotment of raw food for a set time (e.g. 2 hours) each evening and see if he'll eat that way. If he wants to eat any other time he'll have to go to the chilled bowl.

 

[orange&white]

I wouldn't hold out more than 24 hours; I had a cat who got hepatic lipidosis when he was about 3 years old. It's no fun syringe feeding for weeks, or having a feeding tube "installed".

Sounds like your kitties may have had a little food fight over the community dish which Charlie lost and now is scared. He'll probably get over his anxiety with a little time, but in the meantime just try to keep him eating some food wherever he wants.

 

[Mamanyt1953]

I think that orange&white may well be right about Charlie losing a squabble at the community dish. That isn't uncommon, really. Since I only have the one cat, sometimes my mind doesn't jump there automatically, which is why a community like ours works so well!

 

[sophie1]

I think there is indeed a power struggle over food going on. I just clocked that Chai (the other/dominant cat) has been guarding the second dish I'd put out for Charlie. He "buries" it frequently, including after anytime Charlie visits it, and then he lies down next to it. As he doesn't like Honest Kitchen, he never eats out of it.

I have seen Charlie nibble out of the communal bowl and I'm pretty sure he ate from it the other night. But, he's starting to lose weight again. He's refused to eat meals from his dish for 2 days now, except for licking off his favorite toppers and readily eating treats, even though I've tried a few different spots to see if there's anywhere he'd prefer. I just thought of trying him in the bathroom with the door closed to keep Chai out. And I'm afraid I'll have to resort to Friskies and meat baby food until he gets used to the meal plan.

Any other suggestions most welcomed! I'm at my wits end here.

 

[orange&white]

I successfully fed 3 cats from a community plate a decade ago (different cats) without any issues. Last year I had my senior cat on a diet, adopted a feral kitten, and started having a backyard feral come inside to eat. Since the overweight kitty would eat all the food, I have 3 mealtimes and 3 "private dining rooms" where Tangent eats in the kitchen, and the other two cats eat in each of the bathrooms with the doors closed for the 5-10 minutes it takes them to eat each meal. It is working well, and no kitty has to look over their shoulder to guard their own saucer.

 

[Mamanyt1953]

Separating them for feeding might be your best option, and certainly the easiest one to implement! Let us know how that goes!