Multi-cat households...question

[moosmom]

Feeding time in my house is crazy. 5 a.m. this morning my little Meezer mix alarm clock, Maya Linn, started in on me wanting to be fed. Barty, my 15 year old little man waits patiently near his scratcher for his food. As I start putting dishes down, Maya Linn is like a freaking vacuum!!! She wolfs down her own dish, then proceeds to play musical dishes shoving everyone else outta the way of their own food. It's very frustrating. Maya is at a good weight, but I don't understand why she needs to pig out. She does have respect for Bart and leaves him alone when he's eating. That's a good thing because Bart's food contains an appetite stimulant and that's one thing she does NOT need. When it doesn't have the medicine in it, I put what he doesn't eat out, and it's a free-for-all. My furbabies are all healthy and well cared for. If it weren't for them, I wouldn't be here.

This morning I snapped at her. I blame the stress of my daughter's wedding (which is less than 2 weeks away) and lack of sleep. I'm feeling such guilt :(:(this morning over that. Her "Gotcha Day" is Monday, the 30th. She'll be about 12 years old. She, her brother and mama were found in a dumpster at the San Juan Airport in Puerto Rico. That might have something to do with it.

[Freedom]

Pat, Phesina, had a similar thread, recently.

I feed them in rooms, behind closed doors. This keep the vacuums ;) away from the pokeys, and the special foods go to the right kitties.

Been doing this a while, so they all know their feeding stations, now. Initially, I'd put them in their rooms before I filled the dishes!

Hope this helps.

[BitsyNaceyDog]

I also feed in different rooms, behind closed doors. We have our main "cat room" where most eat together in harmony. We've always had at least 1 cat that needs to be separated though. My Oliver is the only one in the house who eats separated right now. He eats in the bathroom. Oliver very much knows his routine. He runs and waits in the bathroom for his meals.

[Taz_Zoee]

I have two areas for food for the cats, one in Jax's room and the other in the dining room. In the morning (on work days) the cats get a small bit of wet food as well as 4 greenies for a treat. While Jax does respect Paizly when she is eating, I still put him in his room during this morning routine.
Throughout the day Jax eats from Paizly's bowl and she can eat from his. They eat the same food and there is always food out for them. They are both at good weights so I don't have to worry about that.........for now. I might have an issue with Jax eventually. Which would be very difficult since Paizly is fine to be free fed.

Is it possible for you to seclude Maya Linn during meal times? Or even let her eat with the rest and then put her in a separate room while the rest finish their food.

[phesina]

I have discovered that Sydney is the primary culprit here. I shut him in the bathroom with his meal, and then I distribute the other dishes to the other cats.

Usually that works. Sometimes Bob and/or Poppy will go after someone else's but not right away like Sydney does if he has the chance.

[moosmom]

I might start doing that because she is incorrigable!!!! Of course, 5 a.m. is no picnic either, as I'm not a morning person.

You guys are SO lucky to have so much space. I live in a 2 room studio so to say it's cramped is an understatement!!!

[GILL]

Hi Donna
Welcome to my world. Morning feeding is between 5-5:30. There are a few tiffs. But for the most part as long as I stay out of the way they sort things out them selves. Any one that on a special diet eats I the bath room.

[phesina]

Donna, Sydney starts working on me around 4:15-4:30 am, sometimes sooner. I REFUSE to start feeding them before 5:00am, but 5:00am is official feeding time at the zoo.

In the afternoon, Sydney starts agitating around 3pm, 3:30.. 4:00 is official p.m. feeding time.

The seven cats and I live in a two-room apartment too! (3 counting the bathroom)

[krazyaboutkatz]

Alani and Blaze would eat everyone's food if I let them. They are fed in the hall bathroom. My other four are fed in the kitchen and dining room area. I watch them eat and I put any left over dry food back in the bag. Ziggy will still sometimes try to steal Storm's, Sky's, or Pearl's dry food so I have to watch her. She's a lot better now than she used to be though. I feed them at around 8am and then again around 9:50am during the week before I go to work. On weekends I feed them at 8am and then between 11-12pm. In the evenings I feed them around 8pm or later whenever I get home and then again around 11-11:30pm. The older four get canned and dry at each meal and Alani and Blaze get dry and one meal with dry and canned mixed because they have very sensitive tummies with canned food.

[aTailOf2Kitties]

Toby is the "Mr Piggy" of my household. He is obsessed with all things edible. He wolfs down his own food and then stalks Havoc's bowl. He won't push Havoc out of the way, but he doesn't really have to. Havoc is easily distracted and will wander away from the food bowl if I go in another room. Toby is usually laying on the floor nearby, ready to strike. Luckily I only have the 2 of them so I can just sit in the kitchen with them until Havoc has finished all of his food or abandoned it. Toby still insists on making a beeline for the bowl as soon as Havoc leaves. I scold him every day for this, but he just doesn't care.:rolleyes:

Toby routinely pesters me in the middle of the night for a snack. Might me midnight, might be 3:30, but he will become more and more annoying (meowing in my ear and scratching at my shoulder) until I get up and feed him. This has been going on for quite some time so I can now stumble into the kitchen give both cats a few kibbles each and trod back to bed in less than 5 minutes. :D

[Cataholic]

I have nine cats. Each morning, they all receive wet food. I feed Minnie under my bed, with my door closed. The remaining eight eat, for the most part, in my smallish kitchen, at their stations. Two eat on one part of the counter, three on another part, and three on the floor. The only one that still attempts to eat everyone else's food is Sonic. I have had him and Anni-pants since November. Anni-pants is 99.95% trained. Sonic requires a steady eye, and a socked foot at all times. Sonic knows he isn't supposed to eat from other's dishes unless they leave, but he will try. If I am in the room, he is tolerable, and a firm voice is enough. If I leave the room, he tries. He claws at me while waiting for food, he is frantic and frenzied over food.

Moosmom, it takes time but I believe you can train them to eat only their own food. I simply don't have enough room to.separate nine cats. As it is, I feed Jasper the dog in J's room because of Sonic.

On some occasions, two of my guys prefers to eat elsewhere and I accommodate when possible. Sometimes, one me and ten pets makes mornings hectic. :0