I've skimmed through a lot of these forums, here and other places to find help with feeding my two cats separately, but the answers haven't been tailored to my specific situation. I apologize for such a long post, I just really need some help easing this transition on my scaredy cat.
I have one cat that has IBD, the other in kidney failure so they each have their own diet. Up until this weekend it was pretty easy, Kidney cat (Kaluha) got fed in the bedroom with the door shut and IBD cat (Leko) got fed outside the door. I began feeding separately because Leko will eat all of Kaluha's food and he was starting to lose weight. Kaluha does better confined because of his anxiety, the quiet space keeps him from gettig distracted and he knows that he gets to come out once his bowl is empty, I had him down to finishing his meal in about 20 minutes.
I've moved this weekend, into a loft, so the only door in the apartment now is the bathroom. The bedroom is upstairs, but is open to the apartment/stairwell. I've kept up with the feeding times but finding a place for Kaluha to eat his meal comfortable has been a hassle. The first night I tried feeding him in the bathroom and he freaked out. Then I tried the kitchen and just blocked the entry way so Leko couldn't get in, but this isn't a feasible solution since I can't stand around for 20-30 minutes and watch them eat. This morning I tried feeding him upstairs in the bedroom and put Leko up in the bathroom, but he just nibbled a bit, then refused to eat and went under the bed.
I assuming some of the issue here is Kaluha still being stressed in the new place, even though he's seemed to relax a bit and is playing and drinking water fine. I'm not sure if I should just keep putting him in the bathroom with his food since there isn't anything in there to distract him and hope he eventually gets use to it and calms down, or If I should try a baby gate at the top of the stairwell?
The whole process of getting Kaluha on a feeding schedule, along with eating this kidney diet, has been a very long and drawn out process. Its been very frustrating with a lot of vet assistance. I had finally gotten him consistently eating and staying hydrated on his own a couple months ago and I would hate for this move to undo everything. It was just much easier when I had my small bedroom to shut him in. He doesn't do well in pet carriers/cages and that would be a battle, I've looked into the chip pet feeders but with how jumpy he is I'm not sure if he would take to it and since it's so expensive, i'm trying to put off going that route.
I have one cat that has IBD, the other in kidney failure so they each have their own diet. Up until this weekend it was pretty easy, Kidney cat (Kaluha) got fed in the bedroom with the door shut and IBD cat (Leko) got fed outside the door. I began feeding separately because Leko will eat all of Kaluha's food and he was starting to lose weight. Kaluha does better confined because of his anxiety, the quiet space keeps him from gettig distracted and he knows that he gets to come out once his bowl is empty, I had him down to finishing his meal in about 20 minutes.
I've moved this weekend, into a loft, so the only door in the apartment now is the bathroom. The bedroom is upstairs, but is open to the apartment/stairwell. I've kept up with the feeding times but finding a place for Kaluha to eat his meal comfortable has been a hassle. The first night I tried feeding him in the bathroom and he freaked out. Then I tried the kitchen and just blocked the entry way so Leko couldn't get in, but this isn't a feasible solution since I can't stand around for 20-30 minutes and watch them eat. This morning I tried feeding him upstairs in the bedroom and put Leko up in the bathroom, but he just nibbled a bit, then refused to eat and went under the bed.
I assuming some of the issue here is Kaluha still being stressed in the new place, even though he's seemed to relax a bit and is playing and drinking water fine. I'm not sure if I should just keep putting him in the bathroom with his food since there isn't anything in there to distract him and hope he eventually gets use to it and calms down, or If I should try a baby gate at the top of the stairwell?
The whole process of getting Kaluha on a feeding schedule, along with eating this kidney diet, has been a very long and drawn out process. Its been very frustrating with a lot of vet assistance. I had finally gotten him consistently eating and staying hydrated on his own a couple months ago and I would hate for this move to undo everything. It was just much easier when I had my small bedroom to shut him in. He doesn't do well in pet carriers/cages and that would be a battle, I've looked into the chip pet feeders but with how jumpy he is I'm not sure if he would take to it and since it's so expensive, i'm trying to put off going that route.
