Pet(s): Photos & Discussion

[Jaded]

I couldn't get my cat to actually do more then nibble at that Hills c/d Urinary food when he got home the first time no matter what I tried. He's been eating Purina Focus Urinary but still had a blockage issue that he had to go to the vet for last week and come back home until this past Tuesday. The vet just recommended the Hill's food again. It's too expensive to waste multiple cans on to just try to get Captain to eat it. I'm going to try one of those Feliway diffusers in the room he spends the most time in too. I hate how one is $20 though.

I wish these prescription food companies would provide samples so pet owners could see if their animals would eat the food before buying it. I want to try some other kind of food besides the ones for specific issues I'm kinda scared to though. There are so many foods and etc. out there that I read too much to the point of getting overwhelmed and kinda confused which makes me feel stupid which in reality I know I'm not.

[Mindthinkr]

@Bastet

Thank you very much for the quick reply. I went on the clickable link (again thanks) and my jaw just hit the floor. Wow. I had no clue that there were so many differences in the quality and calorie content of many foods that I had been feeding my big boy. I will also admit that I've been a little too generous with the amount as well. (Big sad face and guilt). You have given me quite an eye opener (as well as the person who led me to you) and upon hearing the horrors of cat diabetes and other problems associated with being overweight, that my poor boy is about to embark on a diet as suggested by your insight, his circumstances and the link. I'll begin slowly..very slowly because the next 10 days is going to be full of many changes for him and I don't want his metabolism to be completely thrown off. I'll reduce some while he's waiting for the move and then gradually increase his activity as he can go out and about in his new home. Then I'll begin rationing according to calorie content (and compared to what he's used to). I have been trying to play more with him (laser light chasing and the fishing pole dangly toy) to keep him distracted enough not to ruin my hosts furniture with clawing and to keep him from being bored to tears. They actually have been rather good sports. I'll also have to police meal time more. If I turn my back he will gobble his down at the speed of light and then nose his sister out of her bowl and eat hers too (well what's left and she's a slow delicate eater). I don't want to spring too much change on him all at once. 

 Again for the helpful information. I know what he likes and see that some choices are HALF the calories than others (that he likes) and will begin buying accordingly. I'm grateful to the person who gave me the wake up call and to you for telling me how to handle it for optimum results but less physical or emotional damage. Y'all might have just saved a kitties life!  Guess I'll have to donate that packet of treats I bought them today lol! 

All the Best to You and your furry friends.   Mindthinkr 

[Bastet]

@Jaded, I'm sorry to hear Captain is still having troubles.  You have really been through the wringer with him.

My friend's cat eats the Royal Canin urinary formula.  My friend hates to give it to him, because of the crappy ingredients, but he's afraid to switch and have him block again.  It has been so long, I can't remember if that was the first one he tried or if he had to go through a few before finding one the cat would eat.  I've heard (via a pet forum) of a couple people having success with a urinary formula by Wysong.

@Mindthinkr, I'm happy to help.  (I know a lot about feline diabetes, too, but hope to never need to share that info with you.)  Good luck!  Slow and steady wins the race, so just find something healthy he'll eat, follow the gradual approach, make exercise part of the daily routine, and you'll get there.

And a lot of people find themselves shocked at how many calories they'd been feeding; as you said, it's all over the map as far as to how many a can (or cup of dry food) contains.  And often feeding advice is just "a can a day" or "half a cup per day," so you can easily be feeding what looks like a typical amount of food per day without knowing your cat is actually taking in a huge number of calories.  Don't beat yourself up over it or anything; you didn't know, now you do, and you're on top of it.  He's in good hands.

Edited May 26, 2017 by Bastet

[Mindthinkr]

This is our before picture. We are beginning a gradual diet. He actually weighs a quarter of my weight if not more!! 

                                                                  He's a fatty but he's my fatty! 

Edited May 26, 2017 by Mindthinkr

[Bastet]

Aw, your fatty is a cutie.  (And I love calling it his Before photo.)

My friend adopted a 22-pound cat several years ago; he's 12 pounds now.  I can't remember how long it took to get the weight off him, but it happened pretty steadily. 

Something I forgot to mention in my post answering your diet questions: The "right" weight varies greatly from cat to cat.  When you get him closer to where he needs to be, don't get too hung up on hitting a target number -- more telling than the weight is the overall shape of his body.  You want the ribs to be easily felt, but not visible.  There should be a defined waist when viewed from above, and maybe a little abdominal tuck when viewed from the side.  There shouldn't be a whole lot of belly to rub.  Things like that.  Here is a typical representation of the body condition score used by many vets, if yours didn't already show you something like this.  (Although, honestly, a lot of cats are technically overweight - a six on the linked scorecard - but healthy.  Just getting them down below fat reduces a lot of risks, and anything else is a bonus.)

Edited May 26, 2017 by Bastet

[Mindthinkr]

Thanks for the ideal look clickable link. As you can tell we have a journey ahead of us. The first thing I'm going to focus on (as we have the big move coming up) is to give he the wet food that he likes that I saw with the lower calorie content. Funny thing tho. I got a new kibble today. (They usually get the Science Diet) but I saw this Beyond that is grain free. Fed them some (this was before our conversation) and they haven't wanted any other food since!! It actually must have given them some satisfaction as by now we would usually be 1-2 (for both) cans down the gullet. I'll try to research it tomorrow to see if it's a viable alternative or addition to their diet. Will also make a trip to the vet after the move to get him checked again. This stay has weighed on him (pun intended). So glad to have support while doing this as if they start whining I don't want to cave but he's next to me purring. I'll take what I can. Off to a good start  

Be well all  

[crazycatlady58]

I would  like some ideas  about  my overweight   cat if y'all  could help me out. The problem  actually  is I have 2 cats, one about 7 pounds, the other about 22  pounds. I adopted  the thin one off the street  and just kept her bowl  full. The other I found as a tiny kitten on the side of the road .  I do not know how to restrict  the calories of the overweight  cat and still let the thinner  one eat  when she needs to. I cannot get the larger cat to play, I bought one of the laser pointers, turned off the lights and moved it around , she was sitting beside me, watched  the little red dot jump around ,  then put her paw on my hand that held the pointer and pressed down to stop it from moving. So any ideas about how I can free feed one  and restrict the other cats esting?

[Bastet]

3 hours ago, crazycatlady58 said:

I would  like some ideas  about  my overweight   cat if y'all  could help me out. The problem  actually  is I have 2 cats, one about 7 pounds, the other about 22  pounds. I adopted  the thin one off the street  and just kept her bowl  full. The other I found as a tiny kitten on the side of the road .  I do not know how to restrict  the calories of the overweight  cat and still let the thinner  one eat  when she needs to. I cannot get the larger cat to play, I bought one of the laser pointers, turned off the lights and moved it around , she was sitting beside me, watched  the little red dot jump around ,  then put her paw on my hand that held the pointer and pressed down to stop it from moving. So any ideas about how I can free feed one  and restrict the other cats esting?

That can be a tough one.  The "easiest" thing to do (meaning it makes separate feedings easy if it works) is train them to eat their meals in relatively short order, rather than grazing all day and all night, so that you can just separate them at meal time and there's no need to leave food out.  But that's not always possible.  I don't know that I could have ever got Maddie to eat a full meal in one or two servings; she took all day to eat her breakfast, and all night to eat her dinner.  She wasn't food motivated, so I don't know that I could have trained her out of that.

Where you have one who won't eat enough at a designated meal time and thus has to have food left out, and can put that one's food where s/he can access it but the other cat(s) can't, that works, too.  Thankfully, I was able to keep Baxter from getting into Maddie's food by putting her food on top of the dryer -- he couldn't jump that high, while she loved to be up off the ground, so it worked perfectly.  A friend put her thin (grazing) cat's food in the shower/tub with the door closed to a width that he could squeeze through but her other, wider (food-stealing) cat couldn't. 

While they aren't cheap, and are certainly more cumbersome than a little bowl or plate, there does exist at least one feeder that can be programmed to only be accessible by a specific cat (it's tied to either their microchip if they have one, or a chip on a tag you attach to their collar if they don't) -- the food is covered, and the lid will only open for the designated cat -- so that's the only thing I can think of if neither of the above scenarios will work; perhaps others will have additional ideas that don't require fancy equipment.  A friend used the individualized feeders for her two cats, because one was a food hog, and it worked great -- when the food hog shoved his head in to the other cat's feeder, the other cat moved away, and the lid closed.  So the food hog learned to give up.  Now, if the cat who's supposed to be eating doesn't move away, keeping the lid open while both cats eat, that would defeat the purpose.  But it may be something to try.

(When my friend was trying to figure out how to keep one out of the other's food, I said, "They should make a feeder that only a specified cat can access, like doggy doors that only open upon sensing the little thingie on a dog's collar."  I went Googling, and it turned out my idea already existed.)

Edited May 27, 2017 by Bastet

[crazycatlady58]

Bastet, thank you for your ideas. I am going to be off of work  2 days in a row and will try putting the thinner  ones food uo high. I knew  to do this but I am gone all  day and did not want  to let my skinny  mini not ear. Thanks  for the remainder  to try this. I will also  check out the feeders.

[Mindthinkr]

@crazycatlady58 

I understand how hard this might be for you as I'm pretty much going through the same thing. I'm policing mealtimes. Sometimes I put his (wet food) on a dinner plate spaced out so that it takes him longer to eat it and makes him have to maneuver to get at it. That won't help much while you're at work but I wish you good luck with this. 

[bilgistic]

Bilgisticat is getting his third acupuncture treatment today. He's being still so far (*crossing fingers*).

[bosawks]

Happy Memorial Day weekend and the unofficial start of summer!

[DeLurker]

On 5/26/2017 at 3:07 PM, Mindthinkr said:

I have a grossly overweight kitty who is going to have big problems if I don't get it under control. He's under duress as we are in the middle of a move and he has had to spend the last 6 weeks confined to a room with his sister. She has no weight issues.

&

On 5/26/2017 at 9:49 PM, crazycatlady58 said:

So any ideas about how I can free feed one  and restrict the other cats esting?

Other than moving the eating spot of the slimmer cat and the other suggestions made by @Bastet, you might find treat dispensing toys a good way to get the more Rubinesque kitties moving (although the treat intake should be factored into the daily calorie count).  They'll probably be food motivated once the meals are more measured so accessing more food may be the primary motivation at first but as the prey instinct kicks in and they lose a bit of weight, they'll be more nimble. 

It can be hit or miss with a toy and the cat.  Mine is pretty indifferent to the laser cat toy, but if I put hold it under the sheet and he sees the light from the top, he'll go bonkers trying to chase it ( I assume the light diffused through the sheet would be safe, but I still make sure to hold it at an angle so he's never looking at the light source directly).  He has an interest in a new cat wand for about two seconds unless it is one that has a natural feather (the original one I purchased was about $9, but they sell replacement feather attachments so when he has tattered his I get a new one).  Those he is nutsy over.

My cat is very set on a routine - so he starts to get excited in anticipation of the scheduled highlights.  I normally have a robust play session with him around 7:45 PM each night and prior to that he gets a bit amped up.  Tuna time (his daily spoonful) is at 8:30 PM and he lets me know if I am late.  He also gets a spoonful of tuna after he goes on a bike ride with me and the dog.  His other daily exercise is from the dog who decides to chase him every so often.  Of course, every couple of days, he's chasing the dog and they never hurt each other, so I figure all is good.

[bilgistic]

Rubinesque kitties!

[bosawks]

No Allis were hurt during the creation of this post.....

[raven]

@bosawks, Alli has the most expressive face and eyes!

[bosawks]

12 hours ago, raven said:

@bosawks, Alli has the most expressive face and eyes!

Good lord does she!

And she can wield those suckers like an actress from the 30's.....

[NutMeg]

Quote

the more Rubinesque kitties

Bilgistic beat me to it, but @DELURKER let me add my admiration for this magnificent expression, I love it!

[DeLurker]

On 5/24/2017 at 1:55 PM, Petunia13 said:

Any small dog parents here? I'm looking to get a travel soft carrier for my George. Normally we and my mom and his sitter have car seats for him. But he needs something for transport on train. One I looked at has mesh windows and a zippy side piece that folds out into a mesh expansion so he even walk inside. He's the size of a young kitten. But not like scarily Lilliputian. He's a Yorkie terrier male ...and ultra close with me... so I'm not sure he's gonna be gaga about being in a carrier and confined though. 

I've been looking for an image that matches the one I have for my cat - this is the closest I have found.  I got it at Tuesday Morning a year ago and it really was not that expensive - maybe $15ish?  My cat is 9.5 lbs and if he were a bit bigger, it would be a snug fit for him, but I only put him in it when we are traveling (by car) and I have to take him inside someplace with me (he's free range in the car).

One side opens all the way as seen in the images, but the other side only opens about a 1/3 of the way from the top so your guy can pop his head out.  The one I have feels well made and the shoulder strap is nice and sturdy.

[theredhead77]

In addition to the kitten-cat and the cat-cat I have another cat that lives with my parents (he's really their cat but I call him mine). With the amount he sheds we're surprised he has any fur left. After I was done brushing him my mom used a hand-held vacuum to vacuum the couch. Turns out the cat also likes to be vacuumed.

[walnutqueen]

8 hours ago, DeLurker said:

I've been looking for an image that matches the one I have for my cat - this is the closest I have found.  I got it at Tuesday Morning a year ago and it really was not that expensive - maybe $15ish?  My cat is 9.5 lbs and if he were a bit bigger, it would be a snug fit for him, but I only put him in it when we are traveling (by car) and I have to take him inside someplace with me (he's free range in the car).

One side opens all the way as seen in the images, but the other side only opens about a 1/3 of the way from the top so your guy can pop his head out.  The one I have feels well made and the shoulder strap is nice and sturdy.

I bought a similar type of soft carrier at Tuesday Morning over 20 years ago.  It is a leather Samsonite, and has carried cats up to 17 lbs.  It takes a real beating these days from my Babalu, who tries to thrash, claw, and bite his way out of it, putting that gorilla stomping a suitcase ad to shame.  It has lots of handy side pockets, a "roll up" side panel, padded shoulder strap, and even the mesh panels have all held up extremely well, so I'm happy to endorse it.  :-)

Edited May 30, 2017 by walnutqueen

[bilgistic]

I have one I bought at PetSmart probably 15 years ago. It's cylindrical so I can drop Bilgisticat's booty in it and zip the top. He WOULD NOT do the hard plastic carrier. With the soft-sided carrier at first, he fought me so much, I had to practically lay on him and the carrier and pull up the sizes once I had him in the bottom. He's more resigned to his fate of vet visits now.

The carrier is very cool--it has padded sides and a little zipped "door". Not too much visibility for the scary vet waiting room, but enough to see me. He has to curl up in the bottom. I can't get it out of the closet to see the brand because he'd be scared we're going back to the vet, but I think it's this one: SturdiTote https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0027P0Q82/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_CpglzbY6CZQ3K

My late kitty girl was pretty good about hard carriers. I would prop up the carrier on its end and gently drop her in. Of course, she would hang on to me like "Oh shit, oh shit, oh shit...well, damn it" as I pulled each claw from my shirt and into the carrier she went.

Edited May 29, 2017 by bilgistic

[Mindthinkr]

1 hour ago, theredhead77 said:

In addition to the kitten-cat and the cat-cat I have another cat that lives with my parents (he's really their cat but I call him mine). With the amount he sheds we're surprised he has any fur left. After I was done brushing him my mom used a hand-held vacuum to vacuum the couch. Turns out the cat also likes to be vacuumed.

Have you tried a Furminator? It's a grooming tool that gently pulls out the dead hairs. My kitties love it! (Well, anywhere except their bellies for obvious reasons). They trot after me when it comes out. (I should probably use this as motivation to move more lol) Then after I use it I use a brush (a horses face brush-small size) to get all the dander off and give their coats a shine. They are a bit pricey (@42) but it is well worth it as they aren't shedding on my furniture and rugs. They make 3 sizes (I got a medium) and are made for dogs as well as cats. 

4 minutes ago, bilgistic said:

My late kitty girl was pretty good about hard carriers. I would prop up the carrier on its end and gently drop her in. Of course, she would hang on to me like "Oh shit, oh shit, oh shit...well, damn it" as I pulled each claw from my shirt and into the carrier she went.

This sounds exactly what happens at my house lol!! 

[theredhead77]

55 minutes ago, Mindthinkr said:

Have you tried a Furminator? It's a grooming tool that gently pulls out the dead hairs.

I have one and it works really well on the kitten-cat but he hates it. It doesn't work so well on the cat-cat but he loves that ASOTV glove and a brush. I don't think the Furminator would work on my parents cat due to hair type. I did show my mom the vacuum attachment and she's intrigued but I think she's going to vacuum the cat going forward.

[Jaded]

I only have one of those stick vacs that the long handle that can be removed from to turn it into a handheld since there's no carpet in my house. Captain is so scared of it that he runs out of the room whenever it starts up. I'd vacuum him if I could though.

The vet says Captain is a short hair I beg to differ though.  He's not a long hair and after googling I found out cats coats are called medium hair too.  I had never realized medium hair was recognized since long/short is what's usually mentioned. Anyway there's a lot more shedding going on with him then there was last year so today I ordered a KONG Cat Zoom Groom Brush, Fish Shaped Scratcher that comes with a bag of nip and a different kind of Da Bird Wand Toy then what I use with him currently.

The Da Bird I have now turned out to be pretty crappy quality wise. It has a long super thin black wand and the string on it started bunching up not long after I got it. It's to the point now where the string bunches up around the top of the attachment and the top of the wand it's connected to after waving it back and forth three times. Doctors Foster & Smith has a 25% off regular prices coupon going and free shipping for orders over $19. I was looking at Furminators on Amazon but don't want to invest in one yet until I see how he reacts to the Kong brush. 

It's hard to get a good pic of Captain showing how long his fur is since he's black. This is a funny one from last year that you can kinda see it. I wish his eye hadn't showed up as reflective for all the shots I got of him with his tongue out. He doesn't do it very often. The flash made his fur look like he's multi-colored. 

Edited May 29, 2017 by Jaded

[DeLurker]

Captain's very handsome!  I think the picture does a good job at showing his not-short fur.

I was going to ask about vacuum attachments for dogs since we'll be spending some time at Mom's and she has a central vacuum.  Kook is still pretty nervous around my Vacuum - an upright, but with a quieter setup I am hoping for the best.

He's probably got a coat closer to a golden retriever even though he's a Great Pyrenees/German Shepherd mix.  Any suggestions of brands or features I should look for would be appreciated.

[bilgistic]

Today is Bilgisticat's 16th purrthday! (Sorry.)

His birthday portrait:

[Mindthinkr]

Happy Purrday Bilgistic!! 

Your cat has beautiful eyes. 

[theredhead77]

2 hours ago, bilgistic said:

Today is Bilgisticat's 16th purrthday! (Sorry.)

His birthday portrait:

Happy birthday kittykitty! I love you!

[DeLurker]

Happy Birthday Bilgisticat!

[walnutqueen]

9 hours ago, DeLurker said:

Happy Birthday Bilgisticat!

^^^ Ditto.  What a sweet face you have, Bilgisticat!

[DeLurker]

15 hours ago, stewedsquash said:

Hank (English bulldog) barks at it. He also barks at the turkey decoys the boys set up in the yard so there's that. He also barks at a bed pillow.

I used to have a dog that would bark at anything new in the house or yard.  If it appeared without her seeing you bringing it in (meaning it was ok for it to be there), she went ballistic about it until you introduced her to it (serious on this) so she knew it was a sanctioned item.

The only thing she never got over was her fear of ironing boards.  Get one out and she was petrified by it.  She was a shelter dog, but I got her when she was still a very young puppy so I can only guess that something traumatic in her pre-adoption life happened involving an ironing board.

[isalicat]

Happy Birthday Bilgisticat! You are looking really great for 16 years old! My Louis could be your long lost brother (amazingly similar face - just a little more white going down the neck and chest). Have a wonder-filled day and hope you get some excellent treats from your human.

[DeLurker]

I just heard an interview on NPR with a woman opening a cat cafe in Houston.  The woman sounded so happy and enthusiastic about the project, listening just made me smile and want to go show support.

[bilgistic]

There's one coming to my city, too. I'm beside myself with excitement. I wanted to be the person to open the first one, but alas, my ship lost the directions to my port, and never shall it come in.

I "follow" Crumbs & Whiskers on Instagram. It's a cat cafe in Los Angeles and Washington, D.C. All their resident kitties are adopted out.

Bilgisticat got some stinky fishy food for his birthday. It's bad for him, but he loves it. A little treat here and there is OK.

Edited May 31, 2017 by bilgistic

[Mindthinkr]

It's been a good few days for fowl around here. I saw a few quails in the cornfield, a wild turkey and today when I went out to feed the chickens some veggie scraps (ah..let's not lie here. I purposely minced up some carrots for them as well as the scraps...shhh...don't tell my daughter) and the hens eggs have begun to hatch and we have adorable chicks!! I'm moving tomorrow and will miss this time with my family. My kitties are so ready to be top dogs (so to speak) in the animal hierarchy again lol. 

[bosawks]

Can anyone spot who's the deer and who's the Alli?

[ABay]

Why, it's like they're twins separated at birth!

[DeLurker]

I barely made it home today from a round of errands without new kittens.  On the weekends, a pet rescue sets up in front of the Petco that is right next to the Ace Hardware and Trader Joe's.  I always go by to drop off a small donation and look at the cuties but am usually fine.  Today there were a trio of sibling kittens that were entirely adorable and then a slightly older kitten that was all black.

Has anyone used food grade diatomaceous earth in their pet's diet or on their coat for flea & tick prevention?  I have some around the house for some insect control and like it because it was pet safe.  But in a pet store yesterday they had some for feeding to or using on your dog's coat.  Here's the basic on it: The Benefits Of Diatomaceous Earth For Dogs

I'm pretty happy with what I use for the Kook already, but liked the appeal of using a natural product so just looking for anyone who has given this a try.

[riley702]

Went down to Mom's Friday with Paula, my SIL, to dig up a bunch of ferns that were crowding out her flowers. Ended up doing a feral kitten rescue that ended up being a bit of a goat rodeo. LOL. We thought there were 2 under her porch and there ended up being 4. There was a dead bird and a half rotten rabbit carcass by the porch (ick!), so momma cat was in the process of weaning them. #1 was easy; just reached down and picked him up, but the others were a whole 'nother story. I lost #2 while putting #3 in the carrier, because she was hiding under the cushion and bolted the second she saw an opportunity. We eventually got #4 after chasing it around and around the foundation of the house, but will go back down this week to look for #2 again. They are about 4 wks old, all of them white and orange. Two are a paler buff and two are the darker reddish orange. We have 3 girls and 1 boy. My 9 yo nephew named them Boomer, Nina, Allie and Abbie. Nina is the escapee. They clawed us pretty good and Allie bit Paula's thumb HARD twice. Thank goodness she's already on antibiotics for something else, but we'll watch our bites and scratches closely. They're chilling out in a dog crate doubling as a kitten nursery for now. And I found every claw mark on my hands today thanks to the alcohol foam sanitizer at work, but they are definitely disinfected now.

The kittens are a little scrawny and had crusty eyes and noses, but once that was cleaned off, they haven't had any further drainage. They have been wildly enthusiastic about kitten milk formula in a little bowl and got their first taste of canned kitten food, which they got all over themselves in their rush to snarf it down. They also figured out the litter box immediately. Such smart babies! Wiping them down with warm, wet washcloths seems to hypnotize them and they're all sacked out in a little cushy pet bed. The difference in 24 hours is just amazing! We will foster them if need be, but we're pretty crowded on the animal front already, so Paula will go thru her foster contacts to see if anyone else can take them.

[MrSmith]

On 5/26/2017 at 4:06 PM, Mindthinkr said:

I will also admit that I've been a little too generous with the amount as well. (Big sad face and guilt).

I have a serious question and I'm asking because I've never been in a position where I felt comfortable asking someone this question before now. That said, why did you choose not to free feed your cat when you first got it? It's not like animals decide to eat because they're sad or their friends won't play with them; they eat when they're hungry. We've always free fed our cats and our dogs (and I've been with my wife for 21 years, living together for 20) and we have never had a weight problem with any of our animals, even when they got old and could hardly move (her yellow lab/shepherd mix was 18 when she passed away). Even growing up, our dogs were all free fed.

[bilgistic]

@riley702, I'm going to need to see some photographic identification of those kitlings.

[Maharincess]

4 hours ago, MrSmith said:

I have a serious question and I'm asking because I've never been in a position where I felt comfortable asking someone this question before now. That said, why did you choose not to free feed your cat when you first got it? It's not like animals decide to eat because they're sad or their friends won't play with them; they eat when they're hungry. We've always free fed our cats and our dogs (and I've been with my wife for 21 years, living together for 20) and we have never had a weight problem with any of our animals, even when they got old and could hardly move (her yellow lab/shepherd mix was 18 when she passed away). Even growing up, our dogs were all free fed.

I've always fed my pets the same way but we call it cafeteria style. I just keep their bowls full of their dry food and they eat when they're hungry.  I also give them canned food.  I've always had healthy animals with long life spans and never a weight problem with any of them. 

[AgentRXS]

I think it just depends on each individual animals appetite. Most will eat only when they are hungry, but I know that it was impossible to free feed one of my cats because he would just wolf everything down in one sitting. If I continuously re-filled the bowl every time it was empty, he would have easily munched through an entire small bag of cat food in one day.  And it was struggle to ensure that my other 2 cats also had enough food because they liked to take their time and eat throughout the day. I eventually had to start feeding them once in the morning and once in the evening and monitor whether everybody ate or not. I have since re-homed him and my cats now are free feeders. So it just depends on everyone's individual situation I guess, although my veterinarian is very anti-free feeding.

Edited June 4, 2017 by AgentRXS

[Bastet]

15 hours ago, MrSmith said:

I have a serious question and I'm asking because I've never been in a position where I felt comfortable asking someone this question before now. That said, why did you choose not to free feed your cat when you first got it?

I guess just habit for me - open up a can and put down breakfast, then that evening open up a can and put down dinner was how we did it growing up, so that's how I did things.  Then Maddie came along, and took all day to eat breakfast and all night to eat dinner (she really tested how long canned food could sit out without issue), so her food was left sitting out for her to graze on when she desired.  (But I had to put it up where Baxter couldn't get to it, or he'd eat it; he was like AgentRXS' cat -- if I'd put out extra food, he'd have happily eaten it all.)

A friend used to do the breakfast and dinner routine, but also leave a big bowl of dry food out all the time, so her three cats could snack between meals if they got hungry.  As everyone got a bit older, it turned out one of the three was a complete pig, and would go eat some of that dry food pretty much every single time he woke up from a nap.  He got quite overweight (and developed diabetes), so that was the end of the dry food (and, thankfully, he went into remission - no more insulin injections!). 

So, it just depends on the cat.

[isalicat]

It certainly does depend on the cat! I have had many cats over the last 40+ years and never had a problem just leaving dry food out and supplementing with canned - all my cats stayed slim and active throughout their many long lives - until now! My Louis (10 years old or so - just adopted us in January) will eat, and eat, and eat (and if its dry food, throw it back up but then eat more) - not sure if it is boredom or what but it became obvious we had to start rationing him (and the vet told us to eliminate the dry food entirely given his age and apparently digestive propensities). So for the first time I'm on a feeding schedule, closely monitored for correctness by Monsieur le Cat - a half tiny can as soon as we get up for the day, a half can while the humans are having breakfast and then another tiny can split later in the day plus a little for-the-humans meat/chicken/fish without spices depending on what we are having. He is staying slim but asking for food constantly whenever we go near the kitchen!

[DeLurker]

Since Louis has seen some hard times in the past, he may be conditioned to feast when available because of the famine periods might follow. 

Only my lab & lab mixes were convinced they were always hungry so free feeding would have resulted in some seriously overweight dogs, even with their energy/activity levels.

Kook doesn't seem overly invested in food, but I am keeping his diet pretty strict.  The vets I use like his weight and the hotter weather in the summer can really curtail how much outdoor time he gets.  He really needs a good walk or run (a couple of miles) at least once a day but now those come fairly early in the day or well into the evening.

I miss So Cal during the summer.  Might get toasty during the day, but temps dropped pretty quickly after sundown.  It can easily be high 80s / low 90s at 9 pm here with humidity. Kook is young & healthy so probably can handle it, but I probably couldn't take it for too long.

[bosawks]

Alli would eat every last morsel of food in my house if I let her.

Edited June 4, 2017 by bosawks

[harrie]

5 minutes ago, DeLurker said:

Since Louis has seen some hard times in the past, he may be conditioned to feast when available because of the famine periods might follow. 

 

That happened with a cat we took in who had been living in the woods for a few months; she wasn't feral, but we think she might have fled from a neighborhood house fire.  We free fed her, and she blew up to the point where we wondered if she was going to have kittens.  She didn't have kittens because she was already spayed; and after a year or two of regular meals, she naturally and gradually resumed a normal weight.

[bilgistic]

A former coworker messaged me yesterday out of the blue on Instagram, saying she needed to find a new home for her cat, and could I take her or did I know someone.

Me: I would take her if I could (she's so beautiful!), but Bilgisticat's major medical issues (irritable bowel disease, pancreatitis and possible kidney disease) prevent me from getting another kitty. I'm sorry you are having to re-home her.

Her: I completely understand. What if I was willing to continue to pay for her care. Vet bills food litter treats medicine etc??? I just really want her to go to a momma that will love her as much I have.

Me: It's not that at all. I'd have a kitty buddy for Bilgisticat if there was any way I could. He needs a lot of care and very little disruption to his routine. He's on several meds and supplements, etc. He doesn't eat well and it's hard to maintain his weight. It's overwhelming.

Her: *crickets*

The hell? Granted, I would live in my car with my cat before I'd give him up, but what's with the "I understand" then "but I'll pay for her"?

I didn't ask her why she was having to give up her cat, but I'm guessing it's for either a new home where she can't have cats (but she has dogs) or a new man who's allergic (but she has dogs). But she'll continue to pay for the cat...?

There's another thing in her history when she rescued a puppy (some full-breed dog from a breeder) and it had horrible health issues and she spent hundreds if not thousands to try to get it better. The dog ultimately went to her cousin (supposedly that was the plan all along), who let it die, supposedly.

I LOVE cats. She knows this, hence her asking me. I would absolutely take this cat if I could, especially considering her...instability...? Was my first answer not enough? I don't know, y'all; it just really chapped my ass.