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#1
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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 |
#2
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Cat-Sitting for Mother's Day
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 |
#3
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Cat-Sitting for Mother's Day
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 |
#4
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Cat-Sitting for Mother's Day
"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 |
#5
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Cat-Sitting for Mother's Day
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? |
#6
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Cat-Sitting for Mother's Day
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 |
#7
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Cat-Sitting for Mother's Day
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 |
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