Pet Feeding Schedule

[HurricaneHeather]

Tips? Suggestions?

We have been trying to get our cats used to eating twice a day instead of munching here and there all day long. We are planning on switching them to a raw diet soon, but we have to get them to eat twice a day on their kibble first before we can try and get them on raw.

It's been hard because they are so used to having the '24 hour kibble buffet' and so they don't eat but just a little bit when we put it out.

We have been only leaving it out for a short while in the morning and then in the evening. And the cats are miserable. I started feeling so guilty yesterday when I was cooking dinner because they both looked so pitiful standing over by where their food usually is.

Is this something that will just take time? I realize that they have been used to eating anytime they want their whole lives, so not only are they mentally not sure what to do, but I'm sure that their bodies are little confused too.

We are going to stick with this because we have to if we are switching to raw, but man they are breaking my heart right now

[Cutty72]

Figure out how much food they should get in a day, split that in half.

Give the first half in the AM, and second half in the PM.
Just leave it there till they finish it.
Would they eat that fast enough, or would there still be some "morning" food left by the night feeding?

Sorry I can't be more help, my dog has always been on a twice a day schedule, if you gave her the "buffet" style, she'd eat the 40lb bag of food in one sitting!!

[azoomm]

I vote to just go cold turkey... literally.

[Cutty72]

Or you could quit feeding them entirely. they can hunt for food.
They are only cats afterall.

[HurricaneHeather]

Originally Posted by Cutty72

Figure out how much food they should get in a day, split that in half.

Give the first half in the AM, and second half in the PM.
Just leave it there till they finish it.
Would they eat that fast enough, or would there still be some "morning" food left by the night feeding?

Sorry I can't be more help, my dog has always been on a twice a day schedule, if you gave her the "buffet" style, she'd eat the 40lb bag of food in one sitting!!

There would be some left in the evening if we just left it there all day. They just nibble here and there all day. We are trying to curb that and make them eat in a 30 minute window in the morning and then again in the evening.

[HurricaneHeather]

Originally Posted by Cutty72

Or you could quit feeding them entirely. they can hunt for food.
They are only cats afterall.

If they ever went outside we could make that work, but they are city, apartment, third floor cats. We thought about buying mice and letting them run around the apartment. One of the cats would go for it. The other would run and hide. Cats.

[Cutty72]

Originally Posted by HurricaneHeather

If they ever went outside we could make that work, but they are city, apartment, third floor cats. We thought about buying mice and letting them run around the apartment. One of the cats would go for it. The other would run and hide. Cats.

Open a window, let 'em catch birds. Just hope (provided you like said cats) that they don't go diving out the window to catch the birds.

[HurricaneHeather]

Originally Posted by azoomm

I vote to just go cold turkey... literally.

That just doesn't work for cats. Dogs will eat what you give them. The cats will look at it, look at you and say....uh that isn't what I ordered.

All the info I can find about a raw cat diet say that you have to ease them into it. They just won't eat raw food if they have been eating nothing but kibble their whole lives.

[HurricaneHeather]

Originally Posted by Cutty72

Open a window, let 'em catch birds. Just hope (provided you like said cats) that they don't go diving out the window to catch the birds.

Yeah, we have a tree right in front of our balcony. There have been a few times we thought the hunter cat might think he could make it to the closest branch if he jumped with all his might. Yikes.

[azoomm]

Originally Posted by HurricaneHeather

That just doesn't work for cats. Dogs will eat what you give them. The cats will look at it, look at you and say....uh that isn't what I ordered.

All the info I can find about a raw cat diet say that you have to ease them into it. They just won't eat raw food if they have been eating nothing but kibble their whole lives.

Hmmmmmppphhh. And, they call DOGS bitches