While it’s easy to just leave food out for our cats all the time, this method makes it difficult to help a chubby kitty drop some weight if you have more than one cat. It’s important to determine the ideal portions for each of your cats with the help of your veterinarian, then offer measured food at scheduled mealtimes.
If possible, feed several small meals throughout the day. This mimics how cats naturally eat when they must hunt for each meal. A minimum of two meals a day is fine, though, if that is what you need to do.
Separate for Meals
If one cat gobbles her food immediately while another prefers to savor each bite, the gobbler may steal her housemate’s food when she is done with her own. Sitting with the cats while they eat to make sure everyone is sticking to their own bowl is one option, or you can separate them.
Separating at mealtimes is fairly easy and can be done with doors or gates to shut each cat in a separate room or section of the house. You can also put one or more cats in dog crates while they eat. Once the slowest eater is done, all the cats can mingle once more.
By separating the cats, you can feed the overweight cat a low-calorie food designed for weight loss and weight management. These foods are formulated to allow your cat to eat portions that feel filling but are still low in calories. They also often have higher fiber content, which helps your cat to feel full.
For the picky or skinny cat, choose a higher calorie food. This allows the cat to get the calories she needs in a smaller amount of food, so that she can finish her meals more quickly.
One word of caution: Transition your cat to a calorie-dense food slowly over several days to minimize the risk of diarrhea or other gastrointestinal issues and give her adequate time to adjust to the richer diet.
Microchip Feeders
These automated specialized feeders read a microchip either implanted under the cat’s skin or on a collar the cat wears to determine which cat is allowed to dine at any given time. This can be the perfect solution if one cat prefers to graze and eat small amounts of food frequently throughout the day. So, whenever she is hungry, she can go to her feeder and have a snack.
These robotic feeders run from $150 to $400 and can take some time for your cats to adjust. Plan to spend some time getting your cat used to using the feeder before using it unsupervised. Once your cat is comfortable using the feeder, you can rest assured that she can eat on her schedule without fear of other cats stealing her food.
Microchip feeders are also a nice option if a single cat in a multiple-cat household is on a prescription diet due to a health problem, but the other cats aren’t.
Depending upon how many cats you have and your specific needs, it might be ideal to have multiple microchip feeders to ensure that the special-needs cat(s) are only eating their prescription food and not snacking on regular cat food. Each cat has their own feeder.
While feeding free-choice is surely the simplest method of feeding cats, it usually isn’t the healthiest option.
