Cat's who gobble their food!

Tarnbop

I went to the vets yesterday as I was worried about how quickly my cat (well, kitten/monster!) eats! He was neutured about 3 months ago and literally as soon as he was home, his appetite was insatiable! The vet yesterday suggested, to help him eat slower, to get a coke bottle and cut holes just bigger than the food in the sides and so he has to move it around to get the food out, slowing him down.
Thought I'd share this DIY tip for anyone else who has a cat who guzzles!!
Once I make one, I shall post a picture

lisajane8482

I've seen bowls for dry food that look a little like a maze (I think they were free with large bags of royal canin dry food) that is supposed to slow down eating too.

Was a little like this:
http://www.zooplus.co.uk/shop/cats/cat_bowls_feeders/plastic/slow_feed_cat_bowls/195568

I think the coke bottle idea is a lot better and cheaper. Luckily for us our cat likes to take his time over his food unlike the kitten who still occasionally guzzles down wet meat like it's going out of fashion.

paddypaws101

If he is eating dry food then this is probably part of the problem as the high carb content leaves them permanently hungry and leads to weight gain. It is also highly addictive so they do tend to gulp it down a you describe.
I would suggest moving him onto a good quality wet food such as Bozita tins, or even Raw food such as Natural Instinct.

Tarnbop

Our Dexter used to take his time (before his op!), but now there's no chance he'll leave a morsel in the bowl! If the bottle idea doesn't work (I have taken his favourite toy when he broke it and filled it with treats, he was interested for about 5 minutes and now couldn't care less as apparently I stitched it up too well!), then I may try the bowl- thanks! I'm sure there's a way of modifying his current one like that too....!
Tb

antw23uk

One of ours is the same although he is on a RAW/BARF diet which is weighed out for him. He has 45g twice a day and about half a dozen cat biscuits (dont count these but literally only half a dozen) per day as well. This is reduced from 50g twice a day as he was just getting too heavy (he is just under 5kg now and a healthy weight)

Its literally gone within a second or two :eek: The eldest cat takes about 2 minutes to eat which seems a life time for the other monster who sits watching him

Obviously it takes them longer to crunch on raw chicken wings or rabbits but they are mainly for the nicer weather when they can eat outside :T

Feel sorry for any cat thats fed a dry food only diet! Commercial cat food is bad enough already without forcing him to eat it all dry

lisajane8482

Our cat Salem will only eat a small amount of wet food (Purina one indoor or James Wellbeloved Lamb) and has no interest in raw or cooked meat/fish. He never has for some reason. He will literally eat less than 1/4 of a pouch of food for breakfast and 1/4 of a pouch for tea sometimes only licking the jelly off. When he was a kitten he ate pouches but then stopped eating them at around 4 months old since then he's been fed Royal Canin, he eats the amount he's supposed to and is healthy and not over weight. Salem doesn't gobble his food down, he's a grazer.

Gizmo however is the opposite, he prefers wet food or cooked chicken breast, he's not interested in raw though. Tried both of them on Bozita and Salem likes only the jelly and Gizmo won't touch it, tried them on Butchers Classic and they won't touch that either.

madget_2

One of our cats has a very delicate stomach and also allergies so the type of food she can eat is very limited indeed, plus no dry food. We have an awful problem with her gulping down her food so quickly that she sometimes vomits it straight up again afterwards.

I wish I could do the Coke bottle trick with wet food! As it is, I try to distract her whilst she's eating so she pauses every now and then.

dawnie1972

I moved house recently and my cat has no way of getting in and out of the house when I am at work so she is either in or out. If she's been out all day she comes in when I get home from work, gulps her food down (dry food Purina One) and is then sicking it back up again. I might have to try the bowl with the nobbles in it as well.

antw23uk

dawnie1972 wrote: »

I moved house recently and my cat has no way of getting in and out of the house when I am at work so she is either in or out. If she's been out all day she comes in when I get home from work, gulps her food down (dry food Purina One) and is then sicking it back up again. I might have to try the bowl with the nobbles in it as well.

Or scatter them on the floor?

Tarnbop

Well we tried the bottle trick tonight and it worked really well! He got every little bit out and it took him at least 3 times the normal time!! Very proud of him for working it all out so easily!!