Too late to retrain? (frequent eaters)

[txcatlover94]

We have two, 2-year-old cats who have gotten very used to eating pretty much whenever they want. If they didn't finish a meal, I'd put their dishes back down or put more food in (their food is portioned in containers so I figured as long as they didn't go over this amount, frequent meals were fine). The reason for this is that when we adopted them we already had a senior cat who has eaten this way all his life (if I could go back and change it I would).

I realize this eating behavior isn't the best so I'm trying to retrain the younger two (and in a way, the senior since as well they share eating space) to eat a specific number of meals and no snacks in between, whether they finish their dish or not. Two things I'm wondering are: 1. is it too late to "retrain" them to adopt a new pattern? They're not happy about it, to say the least! 2. One of the cats, if he doesn't get fed on HIS schedule, will start to bully the other cat. I put him in another room when he does this or when I can tell he's on the brink - but sometimes this means he has to stay up for a while because he'll often start long before it's time for a meal!

Should I just keep going with the new schedule? Will they ever get the concept?

Any tips appreciated!

 

[FeebysOwner]

Hi. I know a lot of folks set meals out for their cats on a schedule, and that is fine. But, personally speaking my cats have never wanted to eat on someone else's schedule - they were grazers. My last cat, a senior-plus, just wouldn't eat what she needed to eat over the course of a day if she had to be on a schedule that didn't allow her to nibble food a bit at a time.

What makes you think that your current set up is 'not the best eating behavior'?

There are motion operated feeders that close and open when a cat wants to eat. They keep wet food moister and help to allow you to leave the food out longer. There are even some that have a storage area underneath the feeder where you can insert ice/cold water to help keep the food fresher.

I am sure you will hear plenty from others who have decided their cats will eat when they think they should eat on some kind of schedule.

 

[Kris107]

Just a thought - perhaps a timed/auto feeder? They have ones that drop into 2 bowls at once - same hopper. I use one and feed my cat 6 times per day. Some are wifi enabled so you could technically drop food on your "command". What I like is it makes the cat kind of disassociate you with feeding. Guess that only works with dry food, but FeebysOwner mentioned the option for wet!

 

[txcatlover94]

Hi. I know a lot of folks set meals out for their cats on a schedule, and that is fine. But, personally speaking my cats have never wanted to eat on someone else's schedule - they were grazers. My last cat, a senior-plus, just wouldn't eat what she needed to eat over the course of a day if she had to be on a schedule that didn't allow her to nibble food a bit at a time.

What makes you think that your current set up is 'not the best eating behavior'?

There are motion operated feeders that close and open when a cat wants to eat. They keep wet food moister and help to allow you to leave the food out longer. There are even some that have a storage area underneath the feeder where you can insert ice/cold water to help keep the food fresher.

I am sure you will hear plenty from others who have decided their cats will eat when they think they should eat on some kind of schedule.

I've read before that it's best to not let cats graze (I don't remember the reasons). But more than that, if I leave their dishes out and the three cats don't finish, one of the cats will go around and eventually eat what's in the other cats' dishes. I'm also wondering if the grazing behavior (or eating on demand, since I try not to leave the dishes down), isn't making the cat who tends to get a little crazy when he wants to eat (the bully) more obsessive about food?

I've considered timed feeders before but would need three and don't really want those in my bedroom, which is where they eat. But otoh it might be a good option, so maybe I'll look into it again.

 

[txcatlover94]

Just a thought - perhaps a timed/auto feeder? They have ones that drop into 2 bowls at once - same hopper. I use one and feed my cat 6 times per day. Some are wifi enabled so you could technically drop food on your "command". What I like is it makes the cat kind of disassociate you with feeding. Guess that only works with dry food, but FeebysOwner mentioned the option for wet!

Hmm, I hadn't wanted multiple timed/auto feeders in my bedroom (where they eat) but one that drops into 2 bowls might be helpful. I'll have to look into this option again.

 

[Mamanyt1953]

I have read so many articles about the "dangers" of free feeding, and while SOME of the reasons put forth have merit, others are just beyond me. I can assure you that feral cats do NOT have a feeding schedule. They hunt/graze most of their waking hours. The difference is, those cats are always on the move, burning off calories. House cats, generally, do not do that, and can become overweight. But, for the most part, a feeding schedule is for our benefit. If they are taking in an amount that maintains their weight, they're fine.

As for feeding schedules, humans evolved as hunter/gatherers, and the best "feeding schedule" for us is 5-6 SMALL meals a day. Our "3 meals a day" came about to allow us to work, once hunting and gathering was a thing of the past.

 

[maggie101]

My 3 cat are fed 3x a day. Maggie is the only one that goes back and forth 5x in the morning. For her free feeding would be ok because she stops when she's done. My other cats would eat too much and get sick so they cannot be free fed