Pet people, I need some brainstorming ideas!

[zakatak]

Ok, here is my pet family... 5 yo GSD Luger (95 pounds at least vet check and has to go on a "diet"). 15 yo Balinese cat Nicholas (cranky butt king of the house) and 5 month old Balinese Kadek (instigator of the cranky butt).

Here is my dilema... Luger has gained 10 pounds since we got Kadek because he is eating the kitten food that we forget to put out of reach (Kadek can't jump counters yet). Nicholas also loves the kitten food but it is bad for him (too much protien, calories, etc...) at his age. Nicholas eats Iams Mature (i.e. old fat cat food) on the counter. Right now we are feeding Kadek in the bathroom whenever he yowls (a lot) and about 75% of the time remember to put up the food so Luger and Nicholas don't eat it. Ok, confused? One more thing... Nicholas is having trouble jumping onto the counter now, I think his age is getting to him (oh, and he is 15 pounds , that might be the culprit too). So...

Somehow, can anyone figure out for me... how to:

1) Feed the kitten without having the kitten food eaten by Fatty and Fatty Jr. (Nicholas and Luger).
2) Feed Nicholas on the floor without the kitten eating his food (I don't know if Iams Maturity is bad for a kitten) or Luger eating it.
3) Nicholas is used to having access to food all the time (hence the 15 pound cat), but only one small bowl a day. I don't think he would appreciate switching to timed feedings .

Sorry, popdaddy, if you are reading this... it is going to get longer.

I thought about the basement for Nicholas's food, but I can't moniter how much HE eats vs. how much Kadek eats. See my problem? Man, how I wish there was just CAT FOOD, I could put in a large tub and let them at it! lol...

Any ideas? Comments? Oh, and for anyone familiar with Kadek, he has some brothers/sisters coming in March if you are interested! (Not from me, from his breeder in Nashua, NH).

I thank you in advance for all your help! Really

Karen

 

[stamper]

Karen,

There is "just cat food"....it's called Felidae. I use their dog food (Canidae) for my crew....I have 3 age groups and didn't want 3 foods! Their foods are for all "life stages". Check their site Felidae/Canidae Scroll down the left menu for "Felidae Ingredients".....it tells about the food and also feeding amounts...."free feeding" is fine for both adult and kitten. There is also a link for where to find their foods. It is more pricey than some...but they should end up eating less.

As for Luger not getting it.....If you switch to this food, both kitties could eat the same thing, which would solve one issue! How about putting the kitty food into some type of "kitty condo" thing.....you know, something with a door they can fit thru, but Luger the big guy wouldn't? Pet Edge has a few different ones to give you the idea...not sure if any of them are big enough for a food dish. Might want to check Drs. Foster and Smith too.

Good luck!!

 

[chager]

I can relate to your issues. We have a dog and 3 cats. The dog needs to lose about 5-8 lbs, but does have a thing for kitty food I feed Sasha in the foyer. The cats are not so easy. Trixie,12, has Thyroid issues requiring her to NEED more food becuase she can't afford to lose anymore. (She's goes between 3.5- 4 lbs depending on how things are going. She is also allergic to the medication is has to take. ) Lucy ,9, really doesn't need to eat as much, but gets highly ticked if Trixie gets wet food and she doesn't. Sadie,1, is a porker! She eats any food left. (She also has a thing for any type of plastic bag. She licks them!) Sasha is getting better about not eating the cat food since we started feeding them in seperate rooms. I also make sure the cat food is situated so she can't laydown to eat it. (My dog refuses to eat standing up!) The cats I end up having to "watch" eat until Trixie is done. All eat Purina Cat Chow Indoor Formula. I split approx. 1 cup between all 3 bowls 2x a day. (Trixie also gets more then the other 2) Trixie also gets wet food. Since the others get really upset about it they get about 1/2 tsp each of the wet stuff while Trixie gets about 1/2 can. It can be a feeding nightmare!! I just make sure Trixie gets to eat and then I leave the rest down for the day. I tried the mature formula and Trixie litterally stuck her nose in the air and walked away

I'll be watching this thread to see what creative ideas others have

 

[DemonLlama]

OK, here's a shot:

The kitten is more adaptable, so Kadek is going to have to get used to timed feedings on the counter. You can fill the bowl and lift him up to set him in front of his food. Once he jumps down, he's done. Depending on how much he eats at one time, you might want to do this twice a day. This will at least keep fatty and fatty jr. from pigging out on the food.

Nicholas (my son's name!) aka cranky butt might be able to get on the counter more easily if you could set up a system of smaller jumps, say from stool to chair to counter. That, at least, keeps Luger out of the cat food. Balek will probably get smart and use the same ladder, but if you can feed them at the same time, and remove the kitten food when Balek jumps down, this would help. It doesn't solve all the problems, but it will cut down on the weight gain for the fatties.

Hmm, as a fellow fatty, perhaps I should try something similar. . .