My Boyfriend's Glutton Cats!

[lVleow]

Hello Everyone! I have recently became a new member of this site. I have a bit of a problem and need some advice and insight on the situation! I apologize in advance if I made any mistakes, errors or broke any rules.

My Boyfriend and I live together with 2 Cats (6 years, 1 month, 16 days) and 1 Kitten (5 months, 24 days) in an high rise apartment complex.

Here is a little bit about our cats:
Cat #1: Buster
Gender: Male
Neutered/Spayed: Yes
Age: 6 years, 1 month, 16 days
Breed: Short Haired Domestic Cat
Weight: Healthy

Cat #2: Hazel
Gender: Female
Neutered/Spayed: Yes
Age: 6 years, 1 month, 16 days
Breed: Short Haired Domestic Cat
Weight: Overweight

Cat #3: Peaches
Gender: Female
Neutered/Spayed: Yes
Age: 5 months, 24 days
Breed: Ragdoll
Weight: Healthy

The problem is, Buster and Hazel are sneaking Peaches food on a regular basis and they won't stop. If you get a chance to stop them, they will come back again when the coast is clear and try to eat the kittens food. The breeder recommended me to free-feed my kitten 24/7 and I like to follow that advice to ensure the kittens needs are met for her development and growth but that is starting to become very difficult. We aren't here all the time, supervising them whenever they eat or try to or give the kitten several meals a day. Using a automatic feeder will make them fight each other for food. I can't give "all life stage" food and let them eat freely like the kitten does because Hazel is overweight. I have tried feeding them in different rooms, levels. I have even cut out hole small enough for the kitten in a cardboard box to keep the bigger cats outside but they will chew the cardboard and try to make room so they can steal the kittens food inside the cardboard box! Is there a way to get them to stop? I recently found a product called "Meowspace": https://meowspace.biz/ There aren't many reviews on it and it's really expensive. I've been wondering if anyone on here has used this product or similar products. I searched up TheCatSite but didn't find a thread involving the key words for the product.

 

[susanm9006]

So, could you build one of these feeding stations? I would buy a plastic storage tub with a latched lid. Cut a hole in it small enough for just the kitten, put the food inside and there you go for about $8.

 

[vyger]

Hello Everyone! I have recently became a new member of this site. I have a bit of a problem and need some advice and insight on the situation! I apologize in advance if I made any mistakes, errors or broke any rules.

My Boyfriend and I live together with 2 Cats (6 years, 1 month, 16 days) and 1 Kitten (5 months, 24 days) in an high rise apartment complex.

Here is a little bit about our cats:
Cat #1: Buster
Gender: Male
Neutered/Spayed: Yes
Age: 6 years, 1 month, 16 days
Breed: Short Haired Domestic Cat
Weight: Healthy

Cat #2: Hazel
Gender: Female
Neutered/Spayed: Yes
Age: 6 years, 1 month, 16 days
Breed: Short Haired Domestic Cat
Weight: Overweight

Cat #3: Peaches
Gender: Female
Neutered/Spayed: Yes
Age: 5 months, 24 days
Breed: Ragdoll
Weight: Healthy

The problem is, Buster and Hazel are sneaking Peaches food on a regular basis and they won't stop. If you get a chance to stop them, they will come back again when the coast is clear and try to eat the kittens food. The breeder recommended me to free-feed my kitten 24/7 and I like to follow that advice to ensure the kittens needs are met for her development and growth but that is starting to become very difficult. We aren't here all the time, supervising them whenever they eat or try to or give the kitten several meals a day. Using a automatic feeder will make them fight each other for food. I can't give "all life stage" food and let them eat freely like the kitten does because Hazel is overweight. I have tried feeding them in different rooms, levels. I have even cut out hole small enough for the kitten in a cardboard box to keep the bigger cats outside but they will chew the cardboard and try to make room so they can steal the kittens food inside the cardboard box! Is there a way to get them to stop? I recently found a product called "Meowspace": https://meowspace.biz/ There aren't many reviews on it and it's really expensive. I've been wondering if anyone on here has used this product or similar products. I searched up TheCatSite but didn't find a thread involving the key words for the product.

They make cat doors that are locked except for the cat wearing the RFID key tag. You could get one of those doors and build a box and put the door in it. Keep the kitten food in the box and make the door work only for the kitten.
Cats often seem to think that everybody else's food is better than what they have. After all that is why the other guy is eating it instead of yours.

 

[5starcathotel]

I don't actually understand your breeder's advice. Free-feeding seems like a terrible idea to me..at almost every stage.

What I would actually do is lure Peaches into a room twice a day, at set times, with some play and then some extra food (wet food preferred), isolated from the other cats. Give her 15-30 minutes to eat her extra portion, then discard or put the leftovers away. As long as you stick to a consistent routine, Peaches will get the idea quick enough that it's time to eat her fill.

 

[danteshuman]

I like the idea of luring her into another room and feeding her. That or just grin and bear it for 6 months as your kitten grows and your cats chub out. Then everyone can go on healthy diet together. I would suggest that while you feed your kitten her healthy kitten wet food in a room, you feed your cats some healthy wet food. (Reducing their dry food to keep them at a healthy weight.) That way your other cats won't feel jealous/left out. If needed put a very small amount of kitten food on their plates and vice versa.

 

[Caspers Human]

They make cat doors that are locked except for the cat wearing the RFID key tag.

Some brands of these pet doors also work with your cat's microchip.
They can also be programmed to let the cat in but not out (or vice versa) at certain times of the day.

If you are of the mind and willing to tinker it would be possible to set up a system whereby a given cat will be allowed to go into the "food box" at certain times of the day but not at other times. Each cat would have its own preset feeding time where all the other cats are excluded.

 

[lVleow]

Hi Everyone! I am back to update you on the current situation! Thank you everyone for leaving great ideas and for understanding my situation!

So, could you build one of these feeding stations? I would buy a plastic storage tub with a latched lid. Cut a hole in it small enough for just the kitten, put the food inside and there you go for about $8.

After a month of testing this baby out, I am happy to report that I tried this method and this has worked very well! The bigger cats can't get in anymore! They would occasionally come around to peek into the hole but that's as far as they can get. Their arms can't reach the food bowl in the tub so they can't drag it closer to themselves either.

 

[lVleow]

They make cat doors that are locked except for the cat wearing the RFID key tag. You could get one of those doors and build a box and put the door in it. Keep the kitten food in the box and make the door work only for the kitten.
Cats often seem to think that everybody else's food is better than what they have. After all that is why the other guy is eating it instead of yours.

I am aware of the doors with the RFID key tags/Microchip activated entry doors. I was thinking of trying this but since the tub method worked so well, I didn't bother (yet). As soon as Peaches starts to get bigger, I will add the door onto the tub because by that time, Peaches will become just as large as Buster and Hazel.

 

[lVleow]

I don't actually understand your breeder's advice. Free-feeding seems like a terrible idea to me..at almost every stage.

What I would actually do is lure Peaches into a room twice a day, at set times, with some play and then some extra food (wet food preferred), isolated from the other cats. Give her 15-30 minutes to eat her extra portion, then discard or put the leftovers away. As long as you stick to a consistent routine, Peaches will get the idea quick enough that it's time to eat her fill.

This advice was given when I first got Peaches. She was pretty young at the time so this advice made more sense at the time. I personally don't like free-feeding either but the previous owner of Buster and Hazel did hence why Hazel is overweight. She probably had some sort of anxiety with food since she used to gobble up Busters food as well. I feel It's okay to free feed your kitten for the first 6 months or so since kittens stomachs are tiny, they only eat a little in one sitting, eating frequently would help aid their growth. Peaches turned 6 months a couple of weeks ago and has more of a routine. She's currently on a special diet due to some health complications but things are definitely getting better. I guess it's also given the fact that she is a Ragdoll breed. Ragdolls are a large breed and slow maturing so they may take a couple of years to each full size and weight, they might require frequent feedings and high quality food to help them aid towards their development. She is naturally a very hyper and playful kitten from her litter so she might require a little extra for her system. She doesn't eat as much as she used to when she was a kitten though.

 

[lVleow]

I like the idea of luring her into another room and feeding her. That or just grin and bear it for 6 months as your kitten grows and your cats chub out. Then everyone can go on healthy diet together. I would suggest that while you feed your kitten her healthy kitten wet food in a room, you feed your cats some healthy wet food. (Reducing their dry food to keep them at a healthy weight.) That way your other cats won't feel jealous/left out. If needed put a very small amount of kitten food on their plates and vice versa.

Definitely! I already do this and they like to eat together. Peaches is adapting to the routine like Buster and Hazel. I'm trying really hard to get them to eat wet and hopefully one day, raw but I'm just a student who also needs to feed herself as well so hopefully in the future!

 

[lVleow]

Some brands of these pet doors also work with your cat's microchip.
They can also be programmed to let the cat in but not out (or vice versa) at certain times of the day.

If you are of the mind and willing to tinker it would be possible to set up a system whereby a given cat will be allowed to go into the "food box" at certain times of the day but not at other times. Each cat would have its own preset feeding time where all the other cats are excluded.

That sounds like a good idea. I will try that when I get the door and attach it to the tub box.