Getting Lucy to eat more, and Chunk to eat less

[Tina B and crew]

I had a similar problem with Willow and Chunk, but at least Willow would eat when I put food in her bowl. Lucy won't touch dry food so far, and if I leave it out for her to get accustomed to, Chunk eats it all. If you recall I said Chunk already weighed in at about 18lbs. If he gains much more he will be pushing it in the weight category. Having dealt with obesity in Gizmo before, I know what problems this can cause, so I want to avoid it if possible.

So, I'm feeding Lucy wet food, and have tried mixing dry food in with it. Friday she ate just wee bits at a time. Yesterday she would hardly touch her food at all. She finally ate overnight last night, probably the equivalent of just under 1/2 a can with a handful of dry mixed in. If she doesn't eat it when I put it down I will pick it up, cover it, and refrigerate it until she indicates she is hungry. I always warm it with a little hot water after it is refrigerated and never offer it to her after more than one refrigeration. This morning she was meowing and going round and round me looking up as if she was hungry, so I put some fresh wet food in bowl and set it down and she just walked away. Tim wonders if she is accustomed to eating with other cats and the concept of eating alone is foreign to her. She did eat with the other cats in the adoption center. So I put some wet food on a plate for Chunk and sure enough she started eating with him.

This presents a wee bit of a problem, as you can imagine. For one thing, if I'm not at home I can't monitor whether she is eating or whether Chunk is scarfing it down. Secondly, I really think she needs to gain some weight. She's not unhealthy by any stretch of the imagination, but she's thin. I have known cats who are just naturally lithe but perfectly healthy, and maybe she is one of those. I guess time will tell. Still, it would make me feel better if I knew she would eat regularly. I hate to have to continue to separate them when I leave, but it's the only way I can see if she is eating.

[Tina B and crew]

Ok...I had a moment as Lucy ran back to the bedroom with me acting as if she really wanted to be fed. So I got her bowl with food, and put it down on the floor. She doesn't touch it but keeps doing her little dance/meow that says "I'm hungry!" Then I remembered how I use to put Willow's bowl up in a high spot when we first got Chunk and he couldn't jump that high, so I put Lucy's bowl up high and showed her where it was. Sure enough she ate every bit of it Apparently she doesn't want to be fed on the floor unless she is sharing with the Chunkinator

This still doesn't solve the problem of keeping the food out of Chunk's belly

[momPaws]

When Honey was here and we had 2 cats the cats ate on top of the fridge...it worked ! lol

[Traci]

Do you normally schedule feed your cats? Do you leave a bit of dry food out all day?

Did the vet determine her age for you? My guess is she is not quite one year old yet, and even if she is at one year of age, to help her gain weight, you can feed kitten food. Be careful though, because feeding kitten food as the only staple to a grown or nearly adult cat can add pounds quickly that you don't necessarily want or need. (and will be harder to lose later). So, feed her a bit of kitten dry with adult canned. Or a bit of kitten canned with adult dry. A month from now, weigh her a few times in one week and see where she's at. If she's near or at optimal weight, then reduce the kitten food and feed only adult food.

If you free feed, put only enough in the dish to make up for the daily requirement. That is, in the morning, feed only as much as you think they will eat in one sitting, then leave only enough in the dish for nibbling throughout the day (something like half a cup or so, use your judgment), then do the same in the evening, making sure there is not too much left in the dish.

Otherwise, scheduled feeding isn't such a bad idea if Chunk is predisposed to weight issues. He is still fairly young and you don't want to rock the boat so early in his lifestage.

Feeding separately as you did today, also isn't a bad idea, at least in the interim until Lucy gets used to eating with Chunk. Remember it's only been a couple days she's been in her new environment so she could be nervous.

[Tina B and crew]

I don't mind schedule feeding, but it's kind of difficult with both mine and hubby's erratic schedules. With Willow and Chunk I put a measured amount in each bowl in the AM and again in the PM. The problem was Chunk would eat the majority of BOTH measured amounts. But Willow would eat when I put it in the bowl, just not as much as Chunk. I have continued the same routine with Chunk since Willow left. If his bowl is empty after he finishes his morning ration then he doesn't get any more until his evening ration. He and Willow both tended to leave little crumbs, so the bowl was never truly "empty"...LOL

If I feed Lucy kitten food I'd definitely have to feed her separate. We took Chunk off kitten food around 7-8 months because he was getting so big. Because of his eating habits with Willow he was getting borderline fat. In the last 3 weeks I think he has slimmed down some. He's still big, but not rounded out as he was before. I don't think he should gain anymore weight.

I did notice that Chunk, after having a small amount of wet food this morning has not touched his dry food. And he even left a little of the wet food on the plate that I gave him. I only gave him maybe 2 tbs of it. So maybe the ticket with him is to give him a combination of the foods and see if that slows his scarfing dry food down.

Lucy cleaned her bowl of food while I went to church...she was separated from Chunk then. I don't want to keep doing that though, but if I have to I guess I have to. I'm trying to think if there is anywhere I can feed her up high that Chunk can't get to, so it might resort to that. I have a feeling Lucy is going to be a naturally svelte cat, but I think judging by the size of her paws she should be at least close to Willow's size when she is fully grown.

As for her age, the vet estimated 1yr. It was likely that she was less than a year when she gave birth.

[Traci]

I don't think you should get into the habit of trying to find places where Chunk won't get to the food. Because he will.

Instead, get into the habit of teaching Lucy it's ok to eat her meals with or nearby Chunk. Again, give this a few days and allow her to settle in before making decsions that will affect both of them for the long term. If you must, separate them when feeding (in two different rooms), at least in the interim, and if Lucy doesn't finish hers, put it away. She'll learn fast that she is only going to get two meals a day and will probably start eating more at each meal.

Not that this means starving her or giving Chunk too much, you just have to take it slow and make approaches toward what you want the end result to be for the long term.

[Tina B and crew]

Well, it is clear that she likes to eat up high, so that's where I'm feeding her right now. Chunk can get there, but if I give him his own he usually doesn't bother her. He never really bothered Willow when she was eating, just would eat what was left and leave her without I noticed that he just went back to Lucy's bowl with dry food and scarfed it down, but it only had about 15 pieces in the bowl. She hadn't touched it. He hasn't touched the dry food I put in his own bowl this morning...silly boy.

It will all work out in the end I know.

[Tina B and crew]

My how things can change in a few days. Lucy decided on a whim that she no longer wanted to eat up high, but wanted to eat out of Chunk's bowl, when he was eating out of it. Since it's not really big enough I went ahead and put her bowl next to his and that is how they have been eating since. Lucy tends to eat more of the wet food than Chunk, so I am not too worried about him over eating that. Lucy has also decided that the dry food is not so bad, and has been eating it as well. Chunk doesn't seem to be eating as much dry food either, so maybe this will help with his potential weight issues.

Chunk has tried to assert some dominance, but Lucy pays him no mind and shows no reaction at all. She is not afraid to swat him if he gets out of line and knows how to get away from him if he's getting too over-zealous in his chases. She's establishing boundaries and it perplexes Chunk...LOL. She also gives him so many headbutts to the chin it is funny. Chunk use to do the same thing to Willow and it drove her nuts! We swear she is Willow come back to get him for all the torment he put her through

[momPaws]

That is so amazing that they are getting along so good so soon. I agree - must be a spiritual connection : )

[Traci]

What a wonderful turn of events! I knew it would work out, just takes alittle time!