[kristi]

How can you be sure they're each eating the appropriate amount? How long is too long for wet food to sit out? I switched to wet food a while ago, and was feeding Nutro. One can per day per cat, roughly. So I put 2 cans out in the morning; 2 at night....but it would sit for up to 10 hours! I was worried about bacteria growth, and worried that Frodo or Xander (the fatty boys) were eating the lion's share and leaving little for the girls to eat. Plus, it was a P.I.T.A. to fool with.

So, I've switched back to dry for now, free feed. But I'm concerned it's not the best for them...Does anyone have any advice? Should I just go back to my old method and hope for the best?

 

[Aonir]

When I fed wet food to 6 cats, I got the pair dishes(with 2 combined) and put wet food in each side. Gave them to four cats at once. They each got their own dish. Then the other 2 learned to wait for theirs I only gots 2 hands! I never let it sit out.

 

[KerriKitty]

My kitties get wet food for dinner every night and what I do is give it to them in 3 separate dishes, one for each of them. It doesn't sit out for more than a few minutes because they eat it all right away. They are free-fed dry food throughout the day/night as well, but I've managed to work it out so that by dinner time, the dry food is gone from their dishes and they're hungry for the wet.

 

[Maleke]

KerriKitty,
My kitties are on the exact same schedule. 8) :lol: 8)

 

[Tigeress_R2]

With 5 cats all I say is thank God for paper plates for feeding time. LOL

 

[Kelly_ann]

I understand it is pretty hard to feed wet food when you have four cats. I have three cats and what I do is the two of my cats are free fed the wet food and the other has the food down and he knows when to go and eat his food on his own. You can feed the wet food but make sure put a little on the dishes so they will eat all the food. And make sure you have kibbles down all the time so they can eat when ever they feel like. By the way, you should never leave wet food too long in the dish because it pobably can cause problems for your cats. And I always recommending feeding both wet and dry, The wet is good for all the vitimens your cats need and it makes cat put more weight on, that is if your cats are skinny. The dry food is good for the teeth, bones, eyes and heart.

 

[opokki]

When I give my six canned food I put out six dishes....they each have their own spot to eat at and most of them finish within 5 minutes. Whats left over I put in the fridge. I leave dry food out for them also.

 

[Sol]

I have three cats and it's no problem to feed them homemade food. They have one plate each with food and when one is finished I put the plate away so the other cats won't eat it. It's easy to weigh the food and if you weigh the food and make sure that the cats doesn't steel food from one another it's no problem to make sure they eat enough.

How do one know that a free fed cat eats enough dry food if it is a multiple cat household?

 

[opokki]

How do one know that a free fed cat eats enough dry food if it is a multiple cat household?

4 out of 6 of mine are overweight and the other 2 are perfect so I assume everyone gets plenty to eat :wink: . Because 2 of them have gained more weight I'm going to put them on a feeding schedule so I can keep tract of how much each cat is eating.

 

[aaron]

Is it best to use a bowl for canned food, or is a plate good? Do you chop it up, or leave in chuncks? I've just got my male to eat canned after urinary problems, but it seems he has trouble eating it. Iv'e been chopping up the Wellness canned on a saucer, and he licks the heck out of it, but doesn't scarf it down like I would like to see him do. Any suggestions to a canned food newb daddy?

Thanks
Aaron

 

[Sol]

Is it best to use a bowl for canned food, or is a plate good? Do you chop it up, or leave in chuncks? I've just got my male to eat canned after urinary problems, but it seems he has trouble eating it. Iv'e been chopping up the Wellness canned on a saucer, and he licks the heck out of it, but doesn't scarf it down like I would like to see him do. Any suggestions to a canned food newb daddy?

Thanks
Aaron

I use plates for wet food. It seems like the cats easier can "attack" the wet food when placed on a plate. And when it comes to chopping or nor, see what your cat likes. I have one cat that want's tiny bits and another that want's big chunks (she likes the whole tearing the food to pieces part) and one that doesn't really care.

 

[aaron]

Thanks Sol

Aaron

 

[TAsunder]

Don't leave your wet food for more than an hour, probably less. I only skimmed so someone else may already have written that. The food gets pretty nasty after that.

I have only two cats and sometimes it seems like quite an ordeal to feed them. One will not eat his full portion sometimes and the other likes to gobble it up. I have to pay close attention.

 

[nautile]

Is it best to use a bowl for canned food, or is a plate good? Do you chop it up, or leave in chuncks?

I learned real quick to mush up Renton's wet food. Once I left it as two big chunks and he was in such a hurry to eat he tried to swallow one of the chunks whole! He never was one for chewing his food, and now he just licks and licks and licks . . . until it's all gone.

I also use a low, wide bowl since Renton is extremely messy. My other cat, Hermione, is much neater when it comes to food, but she's got a wide bowl as well.

 

[Lilly]

I free feed dry food all the time, so they can eat when ever they are hungry. I also give them each a half can of wet each night for dinner. They all eat off their own plate.

It is quite expensive however to keep them on wet food, I am going to check into makeing them home made wet food and continue to free feed dry kibble.

 

[queen of the nile]

I feed them in meals, from their own seperate dishes. This used to be rather simple because all three would scarf down the food within minutes. Now Cleo, who has lost 5 lbs, has decided to only eat half her food and then leave. So now I feed her in the bathroom with the door closed, so that she doesn't get distracted :lol: . Now that she is skinny, the whole world is her oyster!