Switching To Timed Meal...

[emilielavoie88]

Hi! I read a lot of articles on how to switch to timed meal. But has anyone tried with a cat who doesn't eat a lot at a time?

My cat eats dry food for now. I want to switch to timed meal to eventually be able to switch her to wet food. The thing is, I already give her the right amount of food for her weight. I give 1/4 cup in the morning, and 1/4 cup in the evening. But in the end, it's like free feeding because she only eats small a small amount at a time and she still has some food left when I give her the second portion at night. She eats like 10-12 times a day!

She doesn't have a huge appetite, she's almost never coming to me for food (her weight is just fine, she's healthy!). I would like to know if some of you have a cat that is like mine and did the transition, and how you did it! I'm working 8 hours shifts (but only 4 days a week), I can't start by giving her food 10 times a day...

 

[daftcat75]

Get a wand toy or a shoelace and play with her for five to fifteen minutes. At the end of the play session, put down a small wet meal. Cats like to hunt, eat, groom, sleep, and repeat. Play mimics the hunt. Try one play session and wet meal at first. Grow the portion over several days to several weeks. Then add another. Take away those wet calories from her dry portions.

 

[daftcat75]

Benefit of scheduled meals is scheduled elimination. You can keep her box cleaner because it becomes part of the feeding routine.


Drawback of scheduled meals is that she will remind you of the schedule regardless of weekday, weekends, sick days, hangovers, daylight savings time, etc...


I have not used an alarm clock since I have switched Krista to scheduled meals.

 

[LTS3]

Many cats like to snack on food throughout the day.

For canned food, you can use a programmable timed feeder so your cat can snack all day as she pleases. I like this one: 5-Meal Automatic Pet Feeder Fill each compartment with a serving of food. Adjust the amount if you find food leftover at the end of the day. Canned food is cooked so it's ok to leave out all day. This particular feeder doesn't have an ice pack feature but there is a small slot in the bottom of the feeder that can fit a mini lunch box ice pack, either the hard kind of the gel kind, that would keep food cool and fresh. You can even freeze canned food into portion sizes and put the frozen blocks into the feeder to slowly defrost.

 

[emilielavoie88]

Thank you for your answers! I tried today to play with her and then I gave her some wet food mixed with her dry food and she ate a little bit, that's a start! I will buy an automatic feeder for when I'm at work!