Cat-Sitting for Mother's Day

My neighbor has gone out of town to visit with her daughter, SIL and
grandkids. She asked me to cat-sit again. No problem. Schwartzie &
Fedders are sweet cats. There's an added wrinkle this time: they each have
to eat different kinds of prescription food. Schwartzie gets Hill's k/d
while Fedders eats c/d.

As a one-cat slave, I've often marvelled at how people with multiple cats
handle a situation like this. What's to keep one cat from eating the other
cat's food? In this case, Schwartzie and Fedders led the way to the
solution themselves I went over yesterday and she explained it to me.
See, in the past I've always fed both of them on the counter next to the
refrigerator. (An aside, thankfully the counter is away from food prep
areas. Sorry folks, but as a cook, cats walking around on kitchen counters
just skeeves me). There's a tall stool next to the counter which they both
use to get to the counter.

BUT... Schwartzie, for whatever silly cat-reason, will NOT jump on her
kitchen table. Fedders feels no such compunction. So the solution is
simple. Fedders' bowl of kibble goes on the table, Schwartzie's goes on the
counter. (Maybe some of you folks wish it were that easy! For sure I'm
glad it is!)

She didn't leave until mid-afternoon so this evening I only have to go over
to refill kibble bowls and refresh their water. And scoop the box, of
course, since for some wacky cat reason they were inside when she left. The
weather here is glorious - sunny, with a light breeze and no humidity to
speak of. I've got the windows open. You'd think they'd want to be out
chasing voles or something. Cats... go figure

Jill

jmcquown wrote:

My neighbor has gone out of town to visit with her daughter, SIL and
grandkids. She asked me to cat-sit again. No problem. Schwartzie &
Fedders are sweet cats. There's an added wrinkle this time: they each have
to eat different kinds of prescription food. Schwartzie gets Hill's k/d
while Fedders eats c/d.

As a one-cat slave, I've often marvelled at how people with multiple cats
handle a situation like this. What's to keep one cat from eating the other
cat's food? In this case, Schwartzie and Fedders led the way to the
solution themselves I went over yesterday and she explained it to me.
See, in the past I've always fed both of them on the counter next to the
refrigerator. (An aside, thankfully the counter is away from food prep
areas. Sorry folks, but as a cook, cats walking around on kitchen counters
just skeeves me). There's a tall stool next to the counter which they both
use to get to the counter.

BUT... Schwartzie, for whatever silly cat-reason, will NOT jump on her
kitchen table. Fedders feels no such compunction. So the solution is
simple. Fedders' bowl of kibble goes on the table, Schwartzie's goes on the
counter. (Maybe some of you folks wish it were that easy! For sure I'm
glad it is!)

My two get different food - Roxy's has L-Lysine mixed in, and Licky's
doesn't. It wouldn't be bad for Licky if he got some of hers, but I want
Roxy to get all of it. So I take a small spoonful of wet food, mix in
the Lysine, and then mix some crunchy treats in with that (as a bribe).
She eats that in the kitchen. Licky gets his half-can in the bedroom,
with the door closed. I've been doing this a long time, so they both know
the drill. I put down mats under their food plates so they don't get it
on the rug (or floor, in Roxy's case).

Once Roxy has cleaned her plate, I dump the rest of the can on her plate
and open the bedroom door. Then they can go investigate each other's
food - which of course is so much better than their own, even though by
this time, their servings are identical.

--
Joyce

I will not sniff at my male human's feet after he takes his shoes off,
freeze my mouth open in disgust and then sniff my private parts to compare
odors. -- Cat Resolutions

jmcquown wrote:
As a one-cat slave, I've often marvelled at how people with multiple
cats handle a situation like this. What's to keep one cat from eating
the other cat's food?

In the case of Kotyo and Sweety, what keeps them from eating each
other's food is me :-) Kotyo has to eat Hill's k/d, Sweety can eat
regular cat food. They are both on a wet food only diet, so that helps.
I just sit there while they are eating and supervise to make sure no one
is trying to steal the other's food.

We have a whole feeding ritual worked out. Three times a day, I lead a
parade of hungry cats to the kitchen (can 2 cats be considered a
parade?). I take out their bowls and food, and start dishing out the
food to the accompaniment of Sweety's pitiful starving meows and Kotyo's
dignified silence. Then I put the bowls on the floor, about a meter
apart. First, I put down Sweety's bowl, because if not, she will try to
steal Kotyo's food. Kotyo, being a perfect gentleman, is willing to wait
to be served second. Once Sweety is occupied devouring her food, I put
down Kotyo's food. He usually finishes first, and then he sits down
patiently next to her and waits to see if she'll leave any crumbs
behind. If she does, he finishes them until both their bowls are nice
and clean.

A few years ago, while we were living in our previous apartment, Kotyo
got a very bad attack of cystitis and went off his food. He would eat
very very slowly, and Sweety would finish first and then try to push him
away from his bowl. She would just stick her head right under his chin
while he was leaning over his bowl, and start eating. To prevent this, I
had to separate them. I put her bowl of food in one room, and his bowl
in my bedroom, and I set up a kind of improvised baby gate in the
hallway separating the two rooms, so that Sweety could not get near
Kotyo and his food.

Last winter, we had the reverse situation. Sweety went off her food for
some reason. She would eat, but very very slowly. So when Kotyo finished
his bowl, he would go to hers, and when he did that she would just leave
and let him have her food. The only way to prevent this was for me to
sit on a little stool right next to her and encourage her to eat, and
when Kotyo tried to come too close, I would tell him "no, Kotyo, be a
good big brother and wait for her to finish". And it only took a week or
so for him to learn that he should sit beside her and wait instead of
pushing her aside. He is a very very good boy.

Nadia, Kotyo and Sweety
--
Little Monster pictures: http://picasaweb.google.com/nnakova/Kotyo
Sweety pictures: http://picasaweb.google.com/nnakova/Sweety
Kotyo and Sweety together:
http://picasaweb.google.com/nnakova/KotyoAndSweety

"Bastette" wrote in message
...
jmcquown wrote:

My neighbor has gone out of town to visit with her daughter, SIL and
grandkids. She asked me to cat-sit again. No problem. Schwartzie &
Fedders are sweet cats. There's an added wrinkle this time: they each
have
to eat different kinds of prescription food. Schwartzie gets Hill's k/d
while Fedders eats c/d.

As a one-cat slave, I've often marvelled at how people with multiple
cats
handle a situation like this. What's to keep one cat from eating the
other
cat's food?

(snipped self)

My two get different food - Roxy's has L-Lysine mixed in, and Licky's
doesn't. It wouldn't be bad for Licky if he got some of hers, but I want
Roxy to get all of it. So I take a small spoonful of wet food, mix in
the Lysine, and then mix some crunchy treats in with that (as a bribe).

Yes, cats will definitely accept treats as a bribe. When I had to pill
Persia I hid the pills in those Greenies pill pockets. She loved those
things. But it didn't take her long to figure out there was a pill in the
middle. LOL

She eats that in the kitchen. Licky gets his half-can in the bedroom,
with the door closed. I've been doing this a long time, so they both know
the drill. I put down mats under their food plates so they don't get it
on the rug (or floor, in Roxy's case).

--
Joyce

So it's an expected routine now! That's wonderful

It's nearly time for me to go over and check on the cats. I'm sure they're
fine and inside, unless she let them outside 5 minutes after I talked with
her on the driveway.

Jill

On Sat, 12 May 2012 17:59:55 -0400, "jmcquown"
wrote:
My neighbor has gone out of town to visit with her daughter, SIL and
grandkids. She asked me to cat-sit again. No problem. Schwartzie &
Fedders are sweet cats. There's an added wrinkle this time: they each have
to eat different kinds of prescription food. Schwartzie gets Hill's k/d
while Fedders eats c/d.

They sound so cute. Do either of them still come visit your yard?

On 5/12/2012 5:59 PM, jmcquown wrote:
My neighbor has gone out of town to visit with her daughter, SIL and
grandkids. She asked me to cat-sit again. No problem. Schwartzie &
Fedders are sweet cats. There's an added wrinkle this time: they each
have to eat different kinds of prescription food. Schwartzie gets Hill's
k/d while Fedders eats c/d.

As a one-cat slave, I've often marvelled at how people with multiple
cats handle a situation like this. What's to keep one cat from eating
the other cat's food? In this case, Schwartzie and Fedders led the way
to the solution themselves I went over yesterday and she explained it
to me. See, in the past I've always fed both of them on the counter next
to the refrigerator. (An aside, thankfully the counter is away from food
prep areas. Sorry folks, but as a cook, cats walking around on kitchen
counters just skeeves me). There's a tall stool next to the counter
which they both use to get to the counter.

BUT... Schwartzie, for whatever silly cat-reason, will NOT jump on her
kitchen table. Fedders feels no such compunction. So the solution is
simple. Fedders' bowl of kibble goes on the table, Schwartzie's goes on
the counter. (Maybe some of you folks wish it were that easy! For sure
I'm glad it is!)

She didn't leave until mid-afternoon so this evening I only have to go
over to refill kibble bowls and refresh their water. And scoop the box,
of course, since for some wacky cat reason they were inside when she
left. The weather here is glorious - sunny, with a light breeze and no
humidity to speak of. I've got the windows open. You'd think they'd want
to be out chasing voles or something. Cats... go figure

Jill


I have 3 cats and they each eat in a different room. It started years
age when we have 2 cats. One would eat faster that the other and then
would eat the others one food. Abby (RB) was fed in the kitchen and
Cinnamon in the dining room with doors closed. Now Lucy eats in the
kitchen, Cinnamon in the dining room and Samwise upstairs in the
computer room. The girls get one type of food and Sam gets another kind.

Ann

i free feed because of our work/travel schedule so they all eat the kd that
is scripted for chester. then i occasionally give the younger cats "treats"
to make sure they get enough protien, Trudi and OEJ are old enough the kd is
fine but storrmmee gets part of a can just before we go out, and i try and
tempt MH and Barbi with people food of higher protien content... but neither
of them are at all impressed with people food or canned for that matter, Lee
"ann791" wrote in message
...
On 5/12/2012 5:59 PM, jmcquown wrote:
My neighbor has gone out of town to visit with her daughter, SIL and
grandkids. She asked me to cat-sit again. No problem. Schwartzie &
Fedders are sweet cats. There's an added wrinkle this time: they each
have to eat different kinds of prescription food. Schwartzie gets Hill's
k/d while Fedders eats c/d.

As a one-cat slave, I've often marvelled at how people with multiple
cats handle a situation like this. What's to keep one cat from eating
the other cat's food? In this case, Schwartzie and Fedders led the way
to the solution themselves I went over yesterday and she explained it
to me. See, in the past I've always fed both of them on the counter next
to the refrigerator. (An aside, thankfully the counter is away from food
prep areas. Sorry folks, but as a cook, cats walking around on kitchen
counters just skeeves me). There's a tall stool next to the counter
which they both use to get to the counter.

BUT... Schwartzie, for whatever silly cat-reason, will NOT jump on her
kitchen table. Fedders feels no such compunction. So the solution is
simple. Fedders' bowl of kibble goes on the table, Schwartzie's goes on
the counter. (Maybe some of you folks wish it were that easy! For sure
I'm glad it is!)

She didn't leave until mid-afternoon so this evening I only have to go
over to refill kibble bowls and refresh their water. And scoop the box,
of course, since for some wacky cat reason they were inside when she
left. The weather here is glorious - sunny, with a light breeze and no
humidity to speak of. I've got the windows open. You'd think they'd want
to be out chasing voles or something. Cats... go figure

Jill


I have 3 cats and they each eat in a different room. It started years age
when we have 2 cats. One would eat faster that the other and then would
eat the others one food. Abby (RB) was fed in the kitchen and Cinnamon in
the dining room with doors closed. Now Lucy eats in the kitchen, Cinnamon
in the dining room and Samwise upstairs in the computer room. The girls
get one type of food and Sam gets another kind.

Ann