How To Switch A Senior Cat From 'free Feeding' To 'scheduled' Meals?

[DeepSpaceCats]

I hope I'm posting in the right board - if I'm not, please let me know.

A little over three weeks ago, I brought a 9-week old kitten into our 1 cat/1 dog home. The introduction process is moving very sloooowly. My basenji/border collie mix LOVES the kitten and the two of them have quickly formed a sweet friendship, but my 10-year old cat HATES the new addition. Nothing but hissing and swiping so far, but it's coming along. (I think.) However, their rocky introduction process isn't the topic today.

Genavieve, my 10-year old cat, is the definition of a 'picky eater'. She eats the same kibble I introduced her to nearly 10 years ago, and ONLY that. She won't touch wet food, and switching brands is practically impossible. I admit I didn't know anything about pet nutrition 10 years ago, or how to best go about feeding a cat, so Genavieve has always had access to food 24/7. She's a nibbler. She eats slowly over the course of several days, and when she's out of food, she lets us know (if we didn't know already) and we simply refill her bowl.

The new kitten, Jadzia, eats EVERYTHING. I have already transitioned to dehydrated/frozen raw food. (Primal) She loves it. Eventually we hope to have her on the same feeding schedule as our dog. (Currently she's eating 4 times a day whereas my dog only eats twice a day.) Since we're taking things very slowly, Jadzia is currently living in a separate room, so feeding her is no problem. However, I'm almost positive that as soon as she gains access to the rest of the house unsupervised, (which isn't happening anytime soon, I would think,) she'll be eating Genavieve's food as well as her own, and I just can't have that.

Topic: Can you guys offer me any tips on switching a 10-year old, picky, set-in-her-ways cat from free-feeding to scheduled meals? Is it even possible? I can already foresee that this is going to be a massive pain, so I would greatly appreciate any tips or advice!

 

[orange&white]

I'd start by measuring out how much food she is eating for the next week or two, so you know how many calories she needs. Next, divide that into four meals, if you want to feed her on the same schedule as the kitten, or fewer meals if you want to eventually feed the cats 2 or 3 times a day.

Put her first meal of the day down. After 30 to 45 minutes pick it up and put it in a cabinet where she can't get it. She is very likely to beg you for food when she sees that it is gone. Make her wait a little while and give her a few pieces of food to nibble on until her next scheduled meal time. At her next meal, give her that meal portion plus whatever she didn't eat of the previous meal. You do want to encourage her to keep eating the same number of calories per day to keep her healthy.

She is likely to get hungry in the middle of the night and start whining. I'd suggest getting some good ear plugs for overnight. She will try to make you feel like you're starving her to death, but I'd bet within a week or two she'll be eating her average calories.

 

[danteshuman]

Have you tried feeding her fancy feast gravy lovers? I have found most cats LOVE that ... especially over the healthy wet food. It might work to help transition her on to wet food.
Feeding Your Cat: Know the Basics of Feline Nutrition
Help getting cat to eat wet food
Switching Your Cat From Dry to Canned Food - 1800PetMeds®
Cat Food: How to Switch your Cat from Dry to Wet Cat Food

 

[DeepSpaceCats]

I'd start by measuring out how much food she is eating for the next week or two, so you know how many calories she needs. Next, divide that into four meals, if you want to feed her on the same schedule as the kitten, or fewer meals if you want to eventually feed the cats 2 or 3 times a day.

Put her first meal of the day down. After 30 to 45 minutes pick it up and put it in a cabinet where she can't get it. She is very likely to beg you for food when she sees that it is gone. Make her wait a little while and give her a few pieces of food to nibble on until her next scheduled meal time. At her next meal, give her that meal portion plus whatever she didn't eat of the previous meal. You do want to encourage her to keep eating the same number of calories per day to keep her healthy.

She is likely to get hungry in the middle of the night and start whining. I'd suggest getting some good ear plugs for overnight. She will try to make you feel like you're starving her to death, but I'd bet within a week or two she'll be eating her average calories.

Thank you for the great tips!! However - and I'm not exaggerating here - she's such a massively picky cat, I don't doubt for a second that she'll just refuse to eat at the proper times. I know a healthy cat isn't likely to actually starve themselves, but I'm a little worried that she'll refuse to eat as long as she feasibly can!

Have you tried feeding her fancy feast gravy lovers? I have found most cats LOVE that ... especially over the healthy wet food. It might work to help transition her on to wet food.
Feeding Your Cat: Know the Basics of Feline Nutrition
Help getting cat to eat wet food
Switching Your Cat From Dry to Canned Food - 1800PetMeds®
Cat Food: How to Switch your Cat from Dry to Wet Cat Food

She won't touch any wet food with a ten-foot pole. We've tried high-quality holistic, and out of desperation we've even tried the lower end of cheap cat food... Nothing. (I've even tried goats milk and other raw additives.) She is actually so repelled by wet food that she will refuse to go in the room where we've put it out for her until we remove it. I gave up years ago. lol

 

[danteshuman]

What about raw food? Have you tried some rabbit canned food? I hate saying it but my boys love bunny. You can buy freeze dried rabbit to see if your cat likes it. Even though they were pure dry food junkies, I started feeding them a dinner of wet food. They nibble on some and gobble others up. You might try offering it to her daily at the same time next to her dry food, then later mixing one of her dry food meals in with the wet food once a day. Just leave it out next to her dry food portion for 2-4 hours & toss what she doesn't eat. She may eventually start nibbling.

 

[DeepSpaceCats]

What about raw food? Have you tried some rabbit canned food? I hate saying it but my boys love bunny. You can buy freeze dried rabbit to see if your cat likes it. Even though they were pure dry food junkies, I started feeding them a dinner of wet food. They nibble on some and gobble others up. You might try offering it to her daily at the same time next to her dry food, then later mixing one of her dry food meals in with the wet food once a day. Just leave it out next to her dry food portion for 2-4 hours & toss what she doesn't eat. She may eventually start nibbling.

My dog (and the new kitten, now) is on raw, so I only wish Gena would join in! Believe me, we've tried every thing you can imagine with Gena - freeze-dried, frozen raw, even prey model - and it almost seems like the healthier something is for her, the more she hates it. Even if I leave it down for a while, like I mentioned before, she'll actually avoid the room the food is in until we remove it. She's the weirdest cat I've ever had!

 

[sabian]

I replied to your other thread about introducing the kitten and the 10 yr old. I'm thinking now isn't the time to change Gena's eating behaviors while trying to integrate her and the kitten. It could exacerbate the situation. Just throwing that out there to think about.

 

[orange&white]

Thank you for the great tips!! However - and I'm not exaggerating here - she's such a massively picky cat, I don't doubt for a second that she'll just refuse to eat at the proper times. I know a healthy cat isn't likely to actually starve themselves, but I'm a little worried that she'll refuse to eat as long as she feasibly can!

I understand. Unless you try it though, you'll never get her transitioned to meals. Gotta' start somewhere. And no, you don't want her to go off her food and starve herself, so it is critical to count calories to make sure she's eating.

Maybe you can try a different approach. Start picking the food up for one hour in the evening, then add an hour where there isn't for an hour in the morning, then start expanding to 2 hours, then 3 hours, etc.

 

[DeepSpaceCats]

I replied to your other thread about introducing the kitten and the 10 yr old. I'm thinking now isn't the time to change Gena's eating behaviors while trying to integrate her and the kitten. It could exacerbate the situation. Just throwing that out there to think about.

This is definitely for future reference. I don't think I'll be attempting this until Gena is comfortable with the kitten around... Jadzia will be eating in her own room for quite a while to come

I understand. Unless you try it though, you'll never get her transitioned to meals. Gotta' start somewhere. And no, you don't want her to go off her food and starve herself, so it is critical to count calories to make sure she's eating.

Maybe you can try a different approach. Start picking the food up for one hour in the evening, then add an hour where there isn't for an hour in the morning, then start expanding to 2 hours, then 3 hours, etc.

That sounds more like her style honestly. I feel like I'm going to need to wean her as slowly as possible!