Cat question. I have two cats one of them is a hog?

Question

he eats all the time and i think because he overeats he is gassy.....i could feed him at certain times but what about the other cat? i would like to see the other one gain a little....if i were to put them on a feeding schedual-as ive heard your not suppose to do with cats---how often should i feed them?

Answer 1

Cats should be on a twice a day schedule. It is not good to have food down all the time. That way since you will be there in the AM and PM you can monitor what the cats are eating.

Dry food just doesn't have the moisture required for adequate digestion - if you feed meals you might get lucky and have the cats drink more water instead of eating between their meals.

When cats eat constantly throughout the day the digestive juices are always flowing in their system and blood is going to the stomach for digestion rather than getting to other organs, heart, kidneys, liver etc. that need fresh blood to keep them healthy.
Cats are not naturally grazers - that's what deer, cattle, etc do. Cats kill a prey and consume it. Then it may be a long time before they acquire another meal.

Answer 2

Hogging Food

Answer 3

I have two cats and I experience the same thing. The "hog" - she's a sweetie pie by the way - stops eating her food, runs to eat the other cat's food, then after she finishes that, she goes back leisurely to her food and finishes that, too. Then the skinny cat meows and stalks me asking for food all day. What I do is I have two kinds of crunchy food: one regular and one weight loss - same brand. I put food for both at the same time but from different bags, and I watch them like a policeman so there's no cheating. The skinny one likes to interrupt eating and go for a walk and come back to her food 15 minutes later and continue eating - of course by that time the plate is polished by the "hog". So when she leaves I pick up her food dish and put it on top of the fridge. Then when she comes back, I give it to her to finish, and I also give the "hog" one or two pebbles otherwise she complains. They are very sensitive if they sense you are being unfair, even the perception of favoritism can hurt their feelings regardless if it's true or not.

Answer 4

I had this problem with two small tiger stripped females.

You are Sooo not gonna like this answer! Here's what I had to do. And it worked.

I gave them both the medium sized amount suggested on the bag, times two, because I had to cats to feed.

Put it in their bowl in the morning, provided fresh water, everything they needed. And left for my day.

All the rest of the day they knew, they soon learned, they would have to figure it out.

I didn't try to intervene in there peer pressure relationship. Now I am making this sound easier than it is, I think. Sounds like sit back and relax!

But see, my Scootie was the proverbial "Fat Cat", even though her and Pie are sister's, I got her first. She also has the brains of the pair, I believe. She actually sends Pie to do all her work.

That was the previously relationship! Now, the Pie has been overturned, proverbially speaking.

And Scootie is Scootin' along on the other foot!
There whole relationship improved like I never thought possible, now that food is no longer the main issue. Happy End of True Story.

Oh! And those farts will disappear from the larger one after she or he is not heavy anymore. Less spaces for gas to be.

Answer 5

You can absolutely put them on a feeding schedule. I also have two cats, one is a total pig and will eat both bowls before the other can even take 3 bites. I feed the fat one in the laundry room on the washing machine and the other in the kitchen. It's a battle to keep Toby (the fatty) at a decent weight, but feeding wet food helps (higher in protein and lower in carbs, makes him feel fuller and doesn't add fat stores as much) and limiting his food intake.

Remember this, you are the keeper of the calories, you are the human and they are the cats. It's up to you to control their diet and weight. If your cat is fat, it's not his fault, it's yours so do something about it! :)

I recommend feeding twice a day so they don't have to go 24 hours without food. Plus, you can still give them treats throughout the day if you want to. I use kibbles of their regular food and they act like it's something totally new and wonderful. Make sure you are measuring his food, too. Look on the bag and determine how much he should be eating for his IDEAL weight, not his current weight, and feed him for that. If it's still too much and he's not losing, cut down a little.

Also keep in mind that high fiber foods can often cause gas, so you might try switching to one that is higher in protein.

Answer 6

These two can live happily together with a schedule. You must put them on a schedule. It's best for them and for you. For one thing its a good way to regular their bathroom habits. Feeding them the same amount of food won't hurt the skinnier one and if you are giving your cats food from the table, that's not a good idea. I feed my cats a little canned food in the morning and again at night. During the day there is always dry food and fresh water left out for them. They are healthy and active and one of them is over 15 years of age.

It could be that when you start this out the one may gobble up everything so you have to keep an eye on him but it will level out very quickly when he realizes that he is going to be fed at scheduled times.

Some people only feed their cats once a day. So you might want to think about one meal morning or night but always leave a bowl of dry food and water out for them. If you check the labels on the cans of cat food they usually have guidelines for the amount you need to feed your cats. In my opinion they over do it a little because they want to sell more food but it is a good reference point.

Answer 7

Firstly, stop free feeding! Take all the bowls up. You only need to have the bowls down for 15 minutes twice a day. Put her into the bathroom with her food if you need to make sure she's not eating theirs. Take all the bowls up after 15 minutes and put them away. Her calorie intake is way too high if she's bloated up this quick--she needs to not be constantly eating. If the younger cats need an extra feeding, put her (or them) behind a closed door while the food bowl is down for a few minutes. Only by regulating what she's taking in can you get her back on track. The bigger cats get, the harder it is to take the weight back off.

Answer 8

I had to deal with that.

What you'll want to do is put down food for the 'hog' twice a day. But if the other cat gets hungry, get food for him and guard him so the 'hog' won't interfere. You might even try closing one kitty or the other away while the little one is eating.

Good luck!

Answer 9

You first need to think about feeding them in seperate locations, so your 'chubby' guy doesn't hog the food bowl. And try a food for weight loss with him. My vet said to look at the weight chart on the bag. Feed the cat the amount for the weight you are trying to ACHIEVE, not the weight he is at now. And I feed my cats only twice a day, morning and night. Just divide the amount between the two servings.

Now, did it work for my chubby hugs? Well, not really since he loves to eat my DOG'S food. And since my dog is a picky eater and will let her kibble sit in the bowl ALL DAY, then the cat gets too much extra food to eat.

Good luck!

Answer 10

I have encountered the same exact problem and the way that worked for me was to feed the hog first on the floor and put the thinner ones food up high because chances are the bigger one will be too lazy to climb right after eating and this will allow the smaller one some time to eat in peace.