Cat People

Rosie is adjusting to life indoors. She came to our door boney and covered in fleas. The thyroid medication is helping get some weight on her. She's getting her levels checked tomorrow and she has a dental appointment in two weeks.
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Oh Smokey. I have tried to find the right ratio of number of meals to volume of food for him. He used to eat mostly dry food, because it is cheaper, but he got fat, even up to 24 pounds. Not good. So I starved the little bugger (not literally!) and cut his food way back. I also switched to wet food. Quickly learned his favorite one, which I keep a few months supply under the kitchen table/knife etching station.

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And after a while of trying to feed him two or three meals a day, I learned that he would never eat the whole meal all at once, but just like he started to do with his dry food, he would ration it. So of course an hour later when he is hungry again, his wet food id all dried up in the bowl, and he's meowing at me for more food. So for a while I was in the habit of just tossing whatever was left. But this is not sustainable. So I tried putting a spoonful of water from the cooler in it, and mixing it up, which did actually get him to eat it with no fuss.

But I stopped that and tried feeding him more often throughout the day, and gave him a schedule of noon, three, six, nine, and midnight, all wet food, but closer to a can and a half a day. His weight is pretty consistent at around 17-20 pounds, which is not fat for him (he's a big kitty, maybe part Maine Coone?). He seems in every way quite healthy, and I can count on one hand the number of times he has barfed in the three plus years he's been here with me.

But the thing is, even after getting used to this schedule, he still meows at me for more food, even under an hour since his last meal. Like, he wants to be fat. I know he's bored, and I have tried to find games to play with him, with some success, but I have such a small apartment, and I don't let him out in to the neighbourhood (he's allowed in the shop if I have cleaned up the dust though - he likes to sit on my workbench in the dark haha). So he eventually gets bored with everything I try. I really need to move to a more suitable location, preferably with a fenced in yard that he can safely explore.

Just getting this off my chest. I feel a little sad for my kitty buddy, since for three years, this has been his life, in a tiny apartment, with a guy who can barely keep up with his fickle whims. But he's so cute, and such a nice little guy. Pretty sure it's too late for me to ever get married (I am pretty old for a young guy, or is it the other way around), so other than for my own independence, this little guy is now my principal motivation to work my way into a nicer home.


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Klesk said:
A little while back, a teacher at my wife's school found a kitten in the street. My wife texted me a picture and asked if we could have a cat. I said "no", so now we have a cat.

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We have the 2 in the post above yours, and my wife always talks about getting another one (especially during a period a few years ago when we trapped a bunch of feral barn cats and kittens and found them new homes). I always respond that 2 is the limit, otherwise we become crazy cat people. Has worked so far.🤞

 
Bastler said:
Rosie is adjusting to life indoors. She came to our door boney and covered in fleas. The thyroid medication is helping get some weight on her. She's getting her levels checked tomorrow and she has a dental appointment in two weeks.
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Good on ya. Have 2 who came like that. One is 13 now, the other is 10.
 
I explained to Smokey why I wanted to weigh him, and brought the bathroom scale out into the living room explained zero, explained 191, and then explained why I need to pick him up. 210. Okay so a 19 pound cat. I remember looking at a few sites, and finding the suggested portions for a 17 pound cat because that is how much he weighted when I got him. I am starting to question how high I can push his food.

He goes up and down those stairs a lot, and if he gets to be a heavy beast, like 22 pounds or more while still being fast and strong, I might try letting him go. I mean go outside, but who am I to know if he'll ever come back? I know it shortens their life spans, but he'd get everything his nature is inclined to out there. He's not quite five years old, so maybe this is the best time if I try to raise him as a streetwise indoor/outdoor cat? I could rig some kind of door for him up in the basement window. I already heard him testing the screen.

Tonight I tried to explain Smokey's choice of food was wet food, which I would give him all of a can so he'd eat the whole thing and go without for a while, or a tiny little bit of dry food only, but he could have some again much sooner. In the period where I began to question my sanity for pondering if Smokey understood the logic of the logistics I had explained to him, he mercifully made a distinct gesture towards the can of Salmon dinner, the latter being his favorite word in the English language.

Anyway by now his choice was wet food, and he ate about two thirds of it and I could tell he was feeling pressured to eat it all. Poor guy. So I let him know it was okay, and we'd try putting the rest in the fridge. I used to give it to him after sitting in a sealed container on the counter for a few hours. But lately I get the feeling he finds it distasteful. I vaguely recall trying to give him refrigerated wet food, but he let it sit and get dry and stale. He has been willing to eat it I put a spoon of water in and mix it up, but this kind of an extreme measure. Maybe refrigerated food with a spoon of water. That's what I'll find out in the morning anyway.

I still have to ask around my new neighbourhood about outdoor cats and how they fare around here.
 
David Mary said:
I explained to Smokey why I wanted to weigh him, and brought the bathroom scale out into the living room explained zero, explained 191, and then explained why I need to pick him up. 210. Okay so a 19 pound cat. I remember looking at a few sites, and finding the suggested portions for a 17 pound cat because that is how much he weighted when I got him. I am starting to question how high I can push his food.

He goes up and down those stairs a lot, and if he gets to be a heavy beast, like 22 pounds or more while still being fast and strong, I might try letting him go. I mean go outside, but who am I to know if he'll ever come back? I know it shortens their life spans, but he'd get everything his nature is inclined to out there. He's not quite five years old, so maybe this is the best time if I try to raise him as a streetwise indoor/outdoor cat? I could rig some kind of door for him up in the basement window. I already heard him testing the screen.

Tonight I tried to explain Smokey's choice of food was wet food, which I would give him all of a can so he'd eat the whole thing and go without for a while, or a tiny little bit of dry food only, but he could have some again much sooner. In the period where I began to question my sanity for pondering if Smokey understood the logic of the logistics I had explained to him, he mercifully made a distinct gesture towards the can of Salmon dinner, the latter being his favorite word in the English language.

Anyway by now his choice was wet food, and he ate about two thirds of it and I could tell he was feeling pressured to eat it all. Poor guy. So I let him know it was okay, and we'd try putting the rest in the fridge. I used to give it to him after sitting in a sealed container on the counter for a few hours. But lately I get the feeling he finds it distasteful. I vaguely recall trying to give him refrigerated wet food, but he let it sit and get dry and stale. He has been willing to eat it I put a spoon of water in and mix it up, but this kind of an extreme measure. Maybe refrigerated food with a spoon of water. That's what I'll find out in the morning anyway.

I still have to ask around my new neighbourhood about outdoor cats and how they fare around here.
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Does he have set feeding times? A cat in the wild will typically have 27 meals a day on average...that's a bug here a mouse there etc. If you have an auto feeder for him he'll be able to eat whenever he feels like it and I have no idea what your budget is for cat food but the cheap crap doesn't do them any good, you can get decent food at a not so horrible price if you can find it. Some cats gorge themselves but that doesn't sound like a behavior your cat would act on, he might do well with a auto feeder so he can pick at it throughout the day. Unusual that dry food would pack pounds on him, usually wet food will do that. Food with fillers, additives, soy, grains just don't do any good for a cat. A cat is an obligate carnivore so they're not going to eat corn meal and other b.s. that's in certain foods. Your fur ball doesn't look overweight though, as long as he's active you're all good imo
 
That’s my “Beecy.” She’s 9, and almost 15 lb, which is around 3-4 lb overweight for her breed. But, she is totally healthy and energetic. The vet says that we should not worry about her weight. She has one of those automatic feeders and she nibbles all day long. We tried to measure her food in order to loose weight for a while, but she literally got depressed.

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Dimashkieh said:
That’s my “Beecy.” She’s 9, and almost 15 lb, which is around 3-4 lb overweight for her breed. But, she is totally healthy and energetic. The vet says that we should not worry about her weight. She has one of those automatic feeders and she nibbles all day long. We tried to measure her food in order to loose weight for a while, but she literally got depressed.

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birman? ragdoll? beautiful cat
 
Thanks S SteelPanther , I'll look into an auto feeder. I don't have much of a budget for anything yet, but Smokey's health and happiness is a priority.
 
David Mary said:
I explained to Smokey why I wanted to weigh him, and brought the bathroom scale out into the living room explained zero, explained 191, and then explained why I need to pick him up. 210. Okay so a 19 pound cat. I remember looking at a few sites, and finding the suggested portions for a 17 pound cat because that is how much he weighted when I got him. I am starting to question how high I can push his food.

He goes up and down those stairs a lot, and if he gets to be a heavy beast, like 22 pounds or more while still being fast and strong, I might try letting him go. I mean go outside, but who am I to know if he'll ever come back? I know it shortens their life spans, but he'd get everything his nature is inclined to out there. He's not quite five years old, so maybe this is the best time if I try to raise him as a streetwise indoor/outdoor cat? I could rig some kind of door for him up in the basement window. I already heard him testing the screen.

Tonight I tried to explain Smokey's choice of food was wet food, which I would give him all of a can so he'd eat the whole thing and go without for a while, or a tiny little bit of dry food only, but he could have some again much sooner. In the period where I began to question my sanity for pondering if Smokey understood the logic of the logistics I had explained to him, he mercifully made a distinct gesture towards the can of Salmon dinner, the latter being his favorite word in the English language.

Anyway by now his choice was wet food, and he ate about two thirds of it and I could tell he was feeling pressured to eat it all. Poor guy. So I let him know it was okay, and we'd try putting the rest in the fridge. I used to give it to him after sitting in a sealed container on the counter for a few hours. But lately I get the feeling he finds it distasteful. I vaguely recall trying to give him refrigerated wet food, but he let it sit and get dry and stale. He has been willing to eat it I put a spoon of water in and mix it up, but this kind of an extreme measure. Maybe refrigerated food with a spoon of water. That's what I'll find out in the morning anyway.

I still have to ask around my new neighbourhood about outdoor cats and how they fare around here.
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If your cat has not been an outside cat before, they risk the chance of getting beaten up by other cats who have already established their territories. You may want to reach out to the local cat rescue, or the veterinarian, for advice if you are concerned about their weight, eating habits, and exposure to the outdoors. I have seen pictures of cat sized exercise wheels.

A friend of mine had a cat who was a bit over weight, but he could leave out dry food all day for the cat to free feed. When my friend got married, the wife was giving the cat more food and he got heavier. I was house sitting for them and was putting in a fixed amount of food in the bowl (1 measured cup I think). The cat would leave a tiny bit, so he did not seem to be starving. When the family returned after a week, I let them know how much I was feeding the cat. My friend (the cat's owner) said "hey, he looks a little thinner". The wife said "Did you put him on prison rations!" :confused: I said to her "you are killing him with kindness with the amount of food you are giving (a completely full bowl), and his stomach is no bigger than your fist. My friend was not annoyed that the cat lost a little weight, but they went back to the "normal" feeding amounts when I left. Oh well.
 
Hey S Sharp Steel just today I spoke with a friend in town here. She advised me that it was not a good idea to try and let Smokey be an outdoor cat in this area, especially given the road I live on. She said it would be too dangerous, and also she said he's so beautiful that someone would probably try and take him home. She said she would if he would fit in her pocket 🤣
 
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