Advice on switching to a diet food, please?

**NoahsMommy** · 03-12-2003, 03:07 PM

After taking Oliver in, I came home and realized that Olivia is over wieght. I need to switch her to a diet food....but, we free feed. Currently, we feed Royal Canin Indoor.

Any advice? Another little set back is that we have to feed them Royal Canin Special for Noah's tummy. This adds wieght, how do I keep feeding them that, but integrate the diet food as well? Would I just have three types of food mixed together? You can mix Royal Canin, in fact, they tell you to if you have special needs.

**neko1** · 03-12-2003, 03:12 PM

I feed Cookie, Pumpkin, and Tama Science Diet light. Tama and Pumpkin have been able to maintain their weights on it, and Cookie went from 13 pounds to 8 pounds on it!
Neko has to have prescription food so we feed him in a different room.

**jenluckenbach** · 03-12-2003, 03:26 PM

well, I've mentioned before that all my guys each seperately. And if I can do it with 13 you can do it with 5. This is the only sure fire way to give 1) the proper food, 2) the proper amount of food and 3) to know who is eating, what they are eating and how much they are eating. They can be trained to eat morning and night in a carrier or behind closed dorors. I had to start somewhere and each one needed to learn the new routine when they came here. It is surprisingly easy.

**NoahsMommy** · 03-12-2003, 03:54 PM

I was under the impression that free feeding (as long as its the correct amount) is better. I don't know where I got that.

We feed them in the morning and at night, but they eat all during the day. Would it bother them to have their food taken away?

**jenluckenbach** · 03-12-2003, 03:59 PM

probably at first. they get used to it. I actually have heard the opposite, that free feeding is not good. But you can find all sorts of opinions. It is impossible to free feed the PROPER amount unless you have only one cat. You can never be totally sure who is getting how much.

**NoahsMommy** · 03-12-2003, 04:11 PM

Originally posted by jenluckenbach
It is impossible to free feed the PROPER amount unless you have only one cat. You can never be totally sure who is getting how much.

That's very true.

Now...how do you feed your 13 all separated???

**boscibo** · 03-12-2003, 04:13 PM

Jen , how do you keep them all separated? We feed our dogs separately, but the cats get so ...so...catty when there is no food down or the bowls are empty. I'm getting concerned about Hanna, she isn't even a year old yet and she's got a belly. Abby is fine (she's got a round shape but she's not fat) and Bo has always been plump.

**jenluckenbach** · 03-12-2003, 07:31 PM

here is a link to "feeding time at the zoo". My first psot shouold explain what I do. Any more questions, you know how to reach me. hee hee
http://petoftheday.com/talk/showthre...threadid=19130

**marysmerrycats** · 03-13-2003, 02:01 AM

I have always free fed my cats, and it worked fine til Patches got too fat,I think canned food was a big casue of that, he and Charlie would just gobble the food and I would have to keep giving them more til the others had finished or they would eat their food too! I don't know how Charlie didn't get fat, he still eats a ton. and now I don't keep the food out, it took a few days for them to get used to it but it was no problem really, they let you know when they are hungry, believe me! I am still having somewhat of a problem keeping them separate but I'm working on it, and I am really watching how much Patches has to eat.

Jen is this feeding them separately something you have always done?

my cats are so used to not being separate that they stop eating when I close the door, I come back and there they are, even Charlie, and the food is still in the dishes. every other day I have to give Emma a pill in with her food, so I have to watch that she is the one that finishes that dish, sometimes they have been known to switch.
still have "bugs" to work out but at least I am keeping Patches from the food. is not easy LOL

**marysmerrycats** · 03-13-2003, 02:10 AM

I am also wondering, how many people feed their cats purina cat chow? I fed them that til a few days ago, I got the science diet Light for Patches and Nutro natures choice for the others. does anyone know , is the nutro a good food? the girl at petsmart said purina is full of additives??

what would be a good food to put weight on a cat?(Louise and Muffin)

**jenluckenbach** · 03-13-2003, 05:51 AM

Originally posted by marysmerrycats

Jen is this feeding them separately something you have always done?

my cats are so used to not being separate that they stop eating when I close the door, I come back and there they are, even Charlie,

No, at first I free fed. Then I needed to feed a prescription diet to one, so I separated him (had 4 cats at the time). But I could not keep food down for the others or he would get to it. Then later I realized that a 2nd cat benefited quite nicely from the twice a day feeding schedule. I never went back to free feeding.

When ever I bring in a new cat, it is usually a strange type of feeding situation for them and this happens (they don't eat). All I do is give them a certain amount of time (1/2 to 1 hour) and then I pick up the food. When the next feeding time comes, I do the same. Soon they realize it is "eat now or wait 12 hours". They learn.

**L. Wayne** · 03-13-2003, 06:07 AM

Mary, You can purchase Hill's Science Diet, or Iam's cat food for adults for those who need to gain weight or any mass-commercialized (Frisky's or Purina) cat food will do, But for those who are already too fat, need a special low weight-gain diet. Now that the weather is beginning to warm up, they will probably not eat as much as when it is colder.

Personally I have to feed Tiger and Amy separately, because of Tiger's sensitive stomach and Amy will not eat enough if she has to eat with the others. In fact, I've seen her avoid eating altogether instead of eating with a bunch of furkids. Amy and Tiger will eat together however. Tiger will not argue with the others when eating, instead, she will let the other eat ahead of her. (I compare this behavior when she was a kitten, when I first brought her home).

All of the others free feed on Frisky's dry.

I am beginning to believe that Mopsy has a favorite food also, but I havn't figured it out what it is yet. The only time she eats with the others is when I mix a little canned food in with their free-feed Friskys.

As far as feeding them separately, it is only a matter of feeding the "special needs" furkids somewhere, so that the other's won't eat their meals. It can be inside of a pet carrier, or on top of something that is tall enough so that the others cannot gain access, or in a separate room with a door on it. If any of your furkids are underweight or overweight, then you will probably have to feed them separately. Since I have both kinds in my menagerie, I am still working on specific diets for them.

.......wayne

**jenluckenbach** · 03-13-2003, 06:19 AM

Originally posted by L. Wayne

As far as feeding them separately, it is only a matter of feeding the "special needs" furkids somewhere, so that the other's won't eat their meals. It can be inside of a pet carrier, or on top of something that is tall enough so that the others cannot gain access, or in a separate room with a door on it. If any of your furkids are underweight or overweight, then you will probably have to feed them separately. Since I have both kinds in my menagerie, I am still working on specific diets for them.

.......wayne

But the problem here is, if food is down for the others, then what is to stop the special needs cats from eating THAT food (as well as their special food)?

**L. Wayne** · 03-13-2003, 06:44 AM

Jen, feeding them separately at several intervals during the day. Yet, the fat ones cannot be allowed to free-feed, so you will have to curtail any free feeding. (Actually I hadn't though of this because those of mine who need special feeding do not normally eat their free-feed Frisky's).

**NoahsMommy** · 03-13-2003, 01:40 PM

Originally posted by marysmerrycats
I am also wondering, how many people feed their cats purina cat chow? I fed them that til a few days ago, I got the science diet Light for Patches and Nutro natures choice for the others. does anyone know , is the nutro a good food? the girl at petsmart said purina is full of additives??

what would be a good food to put weight on a cat?(Louise and Muffin)

Nutro is a really good food. The only reason we stopped feeding Nutro was because of Noah's tummy.

I feed Gracie (outdoor, work kitty) Purina on the weekends. She seems to like it better than her (weekday) Iams.