Licking mat / frozen food for delayed meal?

[Juniper_Junebug]

Has anyone tried freezing wet food in a thin layer over a licking mat, and using that as as a way to serve a midday meal that can be put out in the morning before work?

I got an automatic feeder now that I'm going back to the office but I find it to be a hassle. So right now, I just put out wet food before I leave for work and hope my kitty will learn to pace herself. But it got me wondering: if I served her something frozen that would take a few hours to thaw (but not too long, since it would be a thin layer), would that help her pace herself and make sure she had something to eat in the middle of the day? She's not a scarfer, I just worry it might not be ideal if she eats her midday meal in the morning when I leave for work and then not again until her evening meal at 7pm. (First meal of the day is at 7am and I leave for work around 9am).

 

[Maurey]

It could definitely work, but I’d be concerned about her licking at it while it’s frozen and getting an upset tum. Some cats do perfectly well with really cold food, while others don’t.

 

[Juniper_Junebug]

It could definitely work, but I’d be concerned about her licking at it while it’s frozen and getting an upset tum. Some cats do perfectly well with really cold food, while others don’t.

Thanks, I didn't realize that could happen. I just assumed my kitty wouldn't start eating it while cold, because she generally doesn't like cold food, but if i give this a try, I'll do a test run on the weekend first to see what she does.

 

[StanAndAlf]

Would love to hear how it goes!

 

[Juniper_Junebug]

Would love to hear how it goes!

I just ordered two different kinds of mats so hopefully I can report back soon.

 

[Kflowers]

It's unlikely, but, of course, possible that kit will pull off frozen chunks to eat. When we were growing up, Mom would put various pieces of meat in front of the heat vents to thaw for dinner. She stopped doing that after she found the cat had ripped through the plastic wrap and was licking the meat as though it were a large lollypop.

My sister did find one of her cats sitting on top of the thawing turkey licking away at it. Other cat was not interested. As usual with cats, you just never know.