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Teaching Cats to Graze — Brooklynian

Teaching Cats to Graze

pammys
pammys
edited November -1 in Brooklyn Pets
Currently my two cats have to be fed twice a day because they do not know how to graze. We have tried giving them their entire day's worth of food, and instead of getting "full" they just sit there and gnaw at it. Litterally, pieces are just wet because they spit out some of the food-- they are so full. Has anyone tried to make the switch from inhalers of food to grazers of food? Any suggestions?

Thanks.

Comments

  • modsquad
    modsquad
    Sounds like my wife and kids! No, really! :pukel:
  • shabmerch
    shabmerch
    My cats do ok grazing. How about one of those battery-operated food dishes which only distribute a little food at a time?
  • pammys
    pammys
    I tried that once upon a time. They broke it (they flipped up the top). And there were fights over who got to eat first. They are former street cats (though they have not been on the street in years), but they are sure every meal might be their last :)
  • arock75
    arock75
    In my experience grazing is not good for cats as they tend to eat more than they should. I think cats should be put on a regular eating schedule with 2-3 meal times per day. If this is not feasible for you maybe you should look into acquiring a feeder that dispenses food at regular intervals.
  • arieshine
    arieshine
    Agreed. I have two cats who compete for food as well, and when they had access to unlimited quantities, they grazed too much and were overweight. Now they're fed twice a day in separate dishes using a measuring cup to ensure they get the same, and correct, amount of food each day.
  • konakazi
    konakazi
    Yeah just feed them twice a day, otherwise you'll get big fat kitties. One of mine is a little more runty, but I've noticed recently that my female has gotten a little on the chunky side. I've started using a measuring cup and giving them food once in the morning and once at night.

    They whine a little but it's better for them.
  • poppy13
    poppy13
    Honestly former street cats (I have two) and even general house cats will never graze. It's not their nature.
  • laura b
    laura b
    poppy13 wrote: Honestly former street cats (I have two) and even general house cats will never graze.
    you have two now? mazel tov!
  • pammys
    pammys
    Oh, I thought grazing was better for them. We are on a twice a day schedule which works fine, I just thought they were supposed to graze. My third kitty recently passed away and he was a grazer. But we did a twice a day feeding because the others would eat his food. But since we are sadly now just two, I thought I would teach them to graze. I will go back to twice a day, and than I won't be bitten multiple times a day. Thank you!!
  • arock75
    arock75
    Cool good luck sorry to hear about the third kitty. If my cat had the opportunity he would eat all day until he burst.
  • peanuts
    peanuts
    My cats are grazers, but when I went to Whiskers Holistic pet food store, they strongly advise against it...they said they are not grazers in the wild, we made them that way. Their advice was: give them food in the am...leave it there for 30-60 minutes. Whatever they don't eat, put in a sealed glass bottle (don't refrigerate...it will be OK for about 14 hours). Take away the food dishes completely and only leave water. Do the same in the evening - and then give them a little bit more about 30 minutes before you go to bed so they don't wake you up meowing because they're hungry. I tried it with my cats, but they're just too old at this point and kept looking at me looking for food.
    And I'm so sorry about your kitty.
  • pammys
    pammys
    Thank you everyone. Yes, I miss Moo (that is him in the picture). I feel badly for my boy cat, because they were the best of buddies. My girl does not like to hang out with him :(. All he does is try and sit near her, but it does not work. But I do not think we are ready for a new kitty.
    On a happier note, we we will stick with the meals twice a day. They eat the whole portion in under 5 minutes. Trying the grazing thing was dangerous for my tush, which is meaty, but does not like to be bitten by cats. (Neat trick that my boy does--stands on hind legs and bites).

    Since we are the subject of Moo, or I am, we have a paw print of his that we want to put into a shadow box with a picture. Has anyone made one of these--can you suggest a store that does good work. I only have one paw print of Moo, and do not want to risk it.

    Thanks everyone.
  • stacey
    stacey
    pammy - about shadowboxes - try Memories out of the Box. I heard they do wonderful work. They used to have a store front but I think the owner still does this maybe out of his/her home now. If you search you will find some posts by them.

    If you want to do it yourself you can find shadowboxes almost anywhere. I found some really nice ones at the container store. Some have a cloth backing which would be fine for the photos or papers (which you can affix with straight or push pins) but if the paw print is a heavy cement-type get the kind with cork backing and glue it on. They come in a variety of sizes so you might even be able to fit in a favorite toy or a collar he wore.

    I remember all you went through with Moo and you two were lucky to have each other.
  • poppy13
    poppy13
    This morning...now this only happens once in awhile, the older boy (Marley) actually got up on the bed and bit my arm. I made the mistake of letting it be exposed from under the sheet. The younger boy (Ziggy) would rather lick me till I feed him. I was so not awake yet that I didn't even get the chance to bite Marley back. I just rolled over and attempted to go back to sleep. haha
  • leozoeypiper
    leozoeypiper
    arock75 wrote: In my experience grazing is not good for cats as they tend to eat more than they should. I think cats should be put on a regular eating schedule with 2-3 meal times per day. If this is not feasible for you maybe you should look into acquiring a feeder that dispenses food at regular intervals.
    I also agree with this. Cats needs "fasting" periods between meals. Two to three meals per day are recommended (one in the morning, one after work, and one before you go to bed).
  • brooklynleather
    brooklynleather
    If I leave a big bowl of food down, Delilah acts like she hasn't been fed in a month and finished it (or tries to) and then throws up. :(
  • leozoeypiper
    leozoeypiper
    brooklynleather wrote: If I leave a big bowl of food down, Delilah acts like she hasn't been fed in a month and finished it (or tries to) and then throws up. :(
    She is a gorger. It's often a behavior that they picked up on the street when their food supply was unpredictable. It's hard to break a bad habit!
  • leozoeypiper
    leozoeypiper
    brooklynleather wrote: If I leave a big bowl of food down, Delilah acts like she hasn't been fed in a month and finished it (or tries to) and then throws up. :(
    She is a gorger. It's often a behavior that they picked up on the street when their food supply was unpredictable. It's hard to break a bad habit!
  • arock75
    arock75
    In addition to the possibility mentioned above I think most cats are like people in that they will eat to deal with emotional issues (for cats that is likely boredom)
  • arock75
    arock75
    In addition to the possibility mentioned above I think most cats are like people in that they will eat to deal with emotional issues (for cats that is likely boredom)
  • poochandkitty
    poochandkitty

    Subject: Re: Grazing

    Cats are natural grazers. Some domestic cats stuff their faces all at once, but felines, both wild and domestic, are generally grazers. The cat's digestive system never shuts down; it is always wanting for food. Whether its healthy for them or not depends on what they are eating. If they are eating low-carbohydrate (or no-carbohydrate) food with NO GRAINS, they will not usually get fat.

    Grazing constantly on dry kibble is NOT healthy for cats (nor is a steady diet of kibble for that matter). However, if they are grazing on wet food (canned or fresh food), that is perfectly natural and species appropriate.

    Phyllis
    http://www.poochandkitty.net
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