Feeding schedule - Cats - Question

My cats have dry food in their bowls at all times. In the evening, when I get home from work, they get their canned food. I usually get home about the same time every day after work, give or take 15 minutes or so if I have an errand or two. Occasionally, I will plan dinner with a friend right after work, or have a longer appointment, but this usually happens maybe once a month.

Buddy is my "greeter" cat. He is always at the window watching for me to come down the driveway and then zooms to the door to greet me. He seems to thrive on his scheduled dinner time. I have noticed that when I do not come home at the regular time he tends to throw up his canned food. I am not sure if he is eating it too fast or if he is or was tense about the fact that I did not get home at the "scheduled" time.

This is a concern to me and so I am trying to figure out what to do, especially since I am having dinner with a friend tonight after work and will most likely get home about an hour later. I live a good 20+ minutes away from work, so coming home to feed him first is not convenient.

Any thoughts on whether this is an emotional thing or whether he is just eating too fast? I guess what I will do tonight when I do get home is try to feed him a smaller amount and then maybe more a little later so he doesn't gulp it down too fast.

Helen, I think he is eating it too fast and that's why he pukes. Fister does it too when I give him something really yummy. Your plan of giving him less at a time will probably work. :)

Do you know the Whiskas pouches, the ones with gele? Fister loves those, but I give him a third of one at a time and pour a bit of boiled water in. He licks that and the gele off and leaves the rest.

Have a good time with your friend! :)

1) eating too fast
2) stressed

Both. Cats do not like changes to routine, and believe me, they know exactly when food is due! Pinot throws up when we have a pet sitter for both reasons (not all the time), and sometimes does it even when we feed her, but that's usually when a furball is involved. Pinot also eats EXTREMELY fast-she is set on inhale.

It's going to happen sometimes and can't be helped. I hate to sound blase about it, but it's the truth. Smaller bits at a time may help. Your kitties will be OK, honest! :)

You can always try putting obstructions in his bowl, so he cannot eat too fast - a hard plastic ball or two, so he has to eat around it may slow him down enough to prevent the urking!

Mac used to throw up all the time until I changed the brand of food I was feeding him. He has not thrown up once since the change, even though he still gobbles his food. Try finding food that he will not vomit up.

I agree with Pinot's Mom. I don't free feed my cats any more so I try to stick to the same feeding schedule each day. When I'm working though, I never get home at the same time every day so sometimes they will eat too fast and throw up. I try not to feed them large meals. I feed them 2 small meals in the morning and 2 small meals in the evening and this seems to help a lot. Some cats also have more sensitive stomaches than others. My Sky is the main cat that will sometimes barf even when I do feed him on schedule. Another thing you could do is to mix some dry food with canned food. This will make Buddy eat slower too. Good luck.:)

Thanks everyone. When I got home last night I picked him up and tried to calm him but he just wanted to eat. I gave him just about a tablespoon and the other two cats their regular amount. Tink and Mama almost never throw up. Of course after Buddy ate his one tablespoon he came to Tink's bowl. I called him back to the kitchen and gave him another small amount. He did not throw up. Mission accomplished!

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Originally Posted by happylabs

Thanks everyone. When I got home last night I picked him up and tried to calm him but he just wanted to eat. I gave him just about a tablespoon and the other two cats their regular amount. Tink and Mama almost never throw up. Of course after Buddy ate his one tablespoon he came to Tink's bowl. I called him back to the kitchen and gave him another small amount. He did not throw up. Mission accomplished!

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Excellent.:D I was going to suggest the "calming first, then feed"
approach, but you seem to have solved the problem.:)