Pan (left) and Dozo at dinnertime
A couple months ago, I blogged about our two cats and our new living situation. Now that we were settled into a new home, it was time for a new diet for the kitties! Pandemonium was too picky, and Dozo was too chunky.
My idea from that first blog post was to feed the cats separately. That would allow Pan the peace to nibble, and keep Dozo from wolfing down whatever Pan hadn’t. So for a few nights, Pan got shut in the downstairs bathroom with his bowl, while Dozo ate in the kitchen as usual.
Maybe that will work for other cats – it didn’t for us! Pan would only sit and howl in despair at the door, and Dozo was certain that Pan got locked up because Pan was the bad brother. I’m not kidding – Dozo would flaunt his “freedom” of the house, smug that he was now the favorite cat. It was cute, but it wasn’t helping.
So, for a few more nights, we swapped them: Dozo in the bathroom, Pan in the kitchen… and the results were the same, no good.
Instead of close to bedtime, I began feeding them at the same time we made human dinner. That way, I could keep an eye on them, and keep shooing Dozo away from Pan’s bowl. He’s known for a long time that he’s really not supposed to steal, but now I was enforcing the rule. Soon he would only sit and watch Pan eat but not interfere, and a stern word was enough to make him back off if he tried to nose in.
Then, as soon as Pan decided he was done, up came his bowl. If there were any leftovers, I put them in the fridge. That way nobody could come around later that night to polish them off. That also taught Pan that if he was going to be too fussy, he was going to be hungry by the time breakfast rolled around. It didn’t take long for him to realize that he wasn’t as picky as he thought he was, and he hasn’t turned up his nose at anything for weeks now. I no longer have to tempt him with Tuna Flakes or crumbled Liver just to get him to taste, or stir up just the exact ratio of canned/kibble/water.
Now that the cats are accustomed to this pattern, they’re a lot calmer at dinnertime. I also portion a little more carefully. It’s working, because sometimes Dozo will even walk away from the bowl with a tablespoon still in it! I believe he’s no longer compelled to finish everything he sees. And our last weigh-in put him at fourteen pounds, a loss of a pound and a half. You can see the difference in his shape – he actually has a waist again. And while he’ll never be the slim, 11-pound Olympic jumper that Pan is, he’s noticeably more spry.
It’s now up to me to make sure everybody stays on track. It’s only too easy to dump a bowl full of kibble in front of them as I rush out the door in the morning, but I know that risks falling back into their old habits. A fat cat is an unhealthy cat, and I want these two in our lives for a long, long time. Keeping them fit now will hopefully keep them out of the vet’s office down the road.
If you’re wondering about your cat’s weight, check this article: Cat Weight Control FAQs.
It includes this Body Score chart:
Pan and Dozo are about a 5 and a 6, respectively. How does your cat measure up?
For a chance to win a $25 gift certificate to Drs. Foster & Smith, leave a comment in this post sharing what you do to keep your pet(s) fit and healthy. To be eligible, post your comment by noon CST on 12/18/09. We will pick one lucky winner.*
* No purchase is necessary to participate in this giveaway. You should be a legal resident of the United States and 18 years or older. Void where prohibited. To see who won, go to http://www.dfs-pet-blog.com/2009/12/feeding-cats/. Sponsor: Foster & Smith, Inc., P.O. Box 100, Rhinelander, WI 54501-0100.
Other Posts You Might Enjoy:
- Two Cats, One Fat
- Is Cat Furniture Worth the Investment?
- Introducing Our New Kitten To the Household
{ 20 comments… read them below or add one }
Keeping my cats healthy is a real challenge. I have one underweight very elderly cat with arthritis, one very active yet tubby middle age cat who is a real glutton, and one average weight young cat who has feline PICA. When I feed them, I play referee. I do not leave until the old cat is done eating. He is always last to finish. I have got their food amounts down to where there is not much if anything left after a meal. They get three meals a day. I tailor their meals to each cats individual needs, but feed them all together at the same time. I also give meds right before feeding so that there is an incentive to be in the kitchen and not hiding! I think one of the best things to do to insure your cat’s health is to be sure to keep them active with regular play sessions and by rotating what toys are left out for them to play with.
We have a cockatiel and one of my main concerns is fatty liver disease. The bulk of my bird’s diet is Zupreem Natural. He also gets a teaspoon of seed minus the sunflower. A teaspoon of Zupreem fruit pellets and 5 cheerios in the morning.
At dinner time we feed a small bowl of peas or corn that we’ve heated and allowed to cool prior to serving. He even alerts me to when it’s 5 o’clock by going down to the bottom corner of his cage awaiting his freshly cooked meal.
Although we provide toys to our bird for amusement and exercise he is the type that likes interacting with us more so. I make sure to set time aside each day for us both.
I know that I would not like to be locked up in the basement bathroom at suppertime even if it was with my supper..
Neely sees her vet regularly, is fed a high quaity food (measured and fed twice a day), given her insulin for her diabetes, and is loved beyond measure. She also kept healthy by riding in her car seat instead of free in the car.
I have ferrets. And with them the trick is walking the fine line between ‘enough protien’ and ‘not too much fat’. Ferrets are, by necessity, free-feeders, so I make sure the vet gives me all the info I need from their annual blood-work to make sure that we’re doing the proper mix of foods to give them everything they do need without overtaxing the kidneys (from too much protein) or too many calories. As they age their needs change, so their foods have to change with them.
Our orange tabby was a whopping 19.5 lbs a couple of years ago. He was on a kibble diet and was being fed twice a day (I’m sure he was getting more than he should have been at each meal). We spoke to the vet about his diet. He recommended moving him to a canned food diet as it was less carbs than kibble and could be measured easier. He gets a 3oz can in the morning and another at dinner. We also got a puppy 1 1/2 years ago, and as the cat’s weight started to drop, he started to play more with the dog. It took a couple of years, but he is now down to 14 lbs!!
We have 4 cats in our home, Beaver, Wally, Tigger, and Princess. To keep them fit and in shape they have each other. They are always jumping, running, and chasing each other. I think it is important to have one than one as this keeps them active. They do have their crunchy kibble food that is put out each morning. We also have 2 cans we split up in morning and evening. Our cats have never been overweight and never underweight, the boy cats are more muscular. We feed them quality food never the cheapest, but what our budget can afford. I also play with the younger cats and give them a work out with the feather toys they love.
We keep our cat healthy by having set feeding times. This way our cat can not eat whatever and whenever she please, also our dogs can not get to her food this way.
To keep my older dog active we got him a younger pal. It worked so well that we did it again! Now that the older dog really can’t run and wrestle anymore because of health issues, the younger dog was lying around and getting chubby. Now we have two young boys who run each other ragged while the older guy can have some peace, although he still has good days when he jumps around them and wants to wrestle too.
I just make sure that my two dogs get at least an hour of walking time each day, plus time outdoors in the courtyard. They always get fed measured amounts of food, no more, no less, with fish oil capsules for shiny coats and healthy skin and joints. And not too many table scraps; when they do get “people treats,” I try to limit it to little tastes of lean protein, veggies (like carrots), and maybe a bit of apple with peanut butter, too. They also love tuna water drained from the can sprinkled over their dry food!
We take our dog sophie out for walks several times a day. Plus she chases the boys around the house constantly. We feed her as suggested on the bag of dog food and don’t give her table food.
Dave, I wish we had a basement! Our “downstairs bathroom” is actually a half bath/laundry room off the main room of the house. It’s where the cats’ litter box is, as well as their water fountain, at least one bed, and the ferret’s sleeping cage. Our cats just hate closed doors, no matter who or what is (or isn’t) on the other side!
Kymberlee — Having your ferret’s blood checked at least once a year is a great idea. It can really help you get a jump on any possible problems that they’ve been hiding, especially insulinoma.
Thanks for responding, everybody! Keep the comments coming.
I’ve learned over the years as a pet owner that it is so important to keep our pets at the proper weight. It’s much easier to do this right from the start rather than put them on a diet – they no more like diets than WE do! For my greyhounds, Clarence & Isis, one main ingredient is exercise. I had gotten into the habit of walking my first greyhound, Clarence, at least twice a day. When I adopted Isis at 9 years old, she wasn’t excited about these walks at first and always lagged behind. After some time, she started “getting into” her excersise – now she’s actually the one that looks forward to them the most! The result is not only a healthy weight for both dogs, but Isis has developed some muscle and I must say it makes her look great for a 10 year old!
Now when it comes to indoor cats, wow, it’s hard to keep them trim! My two “girls”, Angel and Autumn gained so much weight when my husband gave them the “never ending food bowl”. My solution was buying a measuring cup and giving them only their proper amount of food for the day. At first, they were prompting me in the evening that they were ready for “seconds”, even getting me up at night demanding their “refill”. Eventually, they were happy with their proper amount of food. I really feel this has really helped me with both the cats and the greyhounds to prevent overeatting. I don’t measure my parrots food though – they “eat like birds” (LOL)!
I ration my cat’s food. She gets 1/2 cup daily (it’s light food as well) and a few greenies. Since my dog died (he liked to chase her) I notice she’s been putting on a little weight. I sometimes chase her or play with her using a feather dancer. I also encourage her to play with her toy mouse.
To keep my dogs fit and active, I take Emma and Sora on my daily mile run with me down my road! They also enjoy the occasional car ride!
I feed Miss Kitty the Diabetes food (with vet approval), since both she likes it and it has a very high protein percentage. Plus I’ve gotten some great used pieces of near-ceiling height kitty furniture that she likes to race up and down.
WIth 7 pets (3 cats and 4 large dogs) it seems that at least one of them should be overweight, but none are. We actually attribute this less to ourselves, but more to them – they keep each other entertained! The dogs play tug, keep-away, and tag with each other, and the cats chase each other around the house and roll around (like in the cartoons!). Add daily exercise with high-quality food, and we have 7 happy, healthy pets!
To keep Yoshi, our shih-tzu, medically healthy, we do yearly check-ups with his vet, yearly shots, and teeth cleaning. He also takes/uses heartworm preventative and flea control monthly. To keep him physically and mentally fit, we do fairly long walks every day, feed him a high-quality dog food (and sometimes some good home-cooked meals), give treats that are healthy and also help his teeth, such as muscle chews and steer chews and probably his favorite all – playtime! He l-o-v-e-s to play with us and his toys. No matter how silly a game we make up…he’s in for it! I’ve found that when on our walks, or during his playtime he learns new things very easily. He’s very “word” oriented, rather than gesture-oriented and learns what new words “mean” very quickly, especially when he’s having fun. For example, one game we play is go find “name of toy”. He has a basket full of toys, each with a name and he can find whatever one you ask for, even if it’s in another room under a bed, LOL. Or, if we’re out on a walk, if I say “let’s go trashcan” whatever area of our apartment complex we happen to be in, he’ll head straight to the nearest trashcan. He also loves hide and seek indoors, and just good old fetch (he’s small enough not to cause too much damage careening around the apartment)!
Congratulations to our giveaway winner, Bonnie Ramba! Thanks to everyone who participated and shared with us. Bonnie, please email your shipping information to admin@dfs-pet-blog.com.
My wife, Renay, and I have 2 cats, one FAT, older Tabby named Buddy and one kitten Maine Coon named Freddi. We are having a hard time controlling how much they eat because Freddi likes to nibble a little and come back later, and Buddy will eat everything left in Freddi’s bowl after he leaves if we don’t watch them every minute. Buddy has grown half again as much as he was before Freddi arrived. We feed Freddi kitten food, which I believe is higher in calories, and we feed them a certain amount per day.
I wonder if anyone has seen a product that lets cats get to their food bowls by some kind of electronic ID on their collar. Seems like a good idea to me. Any other ideas would be welcome too.
BTW, Freddi is growing so fast that he will be longer than Buddy in a few months. But he finds no need to defend his food. But when he gets nibbly, he meows and rubs on me without ceasing until I feed him.