Should I be feeding on demand?

[wolf63]

My poor wee boy has been put on a diet by the vet, he is now 5.32kg which is almost half a kilo up from his last weigh-in. I have to admit that I felt a little guilty talking about Fat Frankie - I am no lightweight myself.

Anyway - Frankie and Princess Merlin are indoor kitties, 6.5years old and, apart from Frankie's asthma and Merlin's terminal stupidity, are health cats.

How much should I really be feeding them? Normally I just put a big bowl of Iams out (Frankie usually ignores it) and maybe three or four sachets between them a day - I think that Frankie eats most of that.

[Old_Geezer]

If one is wolfing down the food meant for two I can only suggest you feed them in separate rooms and remove the food when they stop eating. At least then the one on a diet is not going to have an easy time breaking their daily limit.

[rowanwitch]

You know it's got to be done .... sounds like you are feeding too much I'd just put the iams out if Frankie ignores it most of th time he may only eat when he is hungry

[wolf63]

OG - wolfing it down is exactly how he eats. I know that he is on steroids now but he has always been a bit of a Labrador with food - unless it is initially rejected as poisonous.

I will just have to be hardened to his pleas and his hourly wake-up calls during the night. If he phones the SSPCA feigning starvation I will just have to send him to stay with my brother. :-)

rowan - will you be able to get a kittie soon?

[rowanwitch]

no as the place I live has a strict no pets rule.... and I really really hate being cat free... we have support worker visits every three months so it would be difficult to hide one or two... It would probably be a couple of MCs or Norwiegian Forests as I love big fluffy jobs

[China Doll]

That sounds like quite a lot. Eric has a bowl of biscuits down all day (which he might nibble at if he's really hungry) and he goes through one tin of meat a day as well. He gets a little and often of his meat as he won't eat a big bowl in one sitting and then won't touch it if it's been left out too long. He gets a little bit of fish in the evenings as well. However he is also subjected to weekly weigh ins to make sure he's not turning in to a bloater! :c) (Eric's actually a bit of a runt so I worry more about him losing weight than I do about him putting it on)

[wolf63]

CD - From what I remember of Eric (from his photographs) is a much slimmer and athletic shape than Frankie.. My two are 7 this year so they are neither old cats nor kittens.

Being a parent is such a worry ;-)