How to distract a hungry cat?
October 22, 2016 11:51 AM Subscribe
After fostering cats for a couple of years I decided to adopt the lovely Adelaide, rescued as a stray late last winter. She's been with me since February and recently I've had to own up to how she's putting on too much weight. More details inside.
Adelaide is not greedy or fanatic about food. She eats moderately, goes outside and mooches around the back yard, indoors she snoozes and plays with her toys and in general seems a well adjusted happy cat, but there's no denying she's thickening up around the middle. She was getting Acana kibble – a Canadian version of Orijen – which I think is pretty good quality, and she liked it fine. Once or twice a week she may get a nubbin of fish or chicken from me, but not often. She eats happily but doesn't bolt her food.
Adelaide is estimated to be around 1.5 to 2 years old, spayed, and with no health problems. She's the only cat in the household.
This week I had to stock up and the pet store guy suggested Science Diet "Perfect Weight" so I bought a bag, and she likes it, but I'm aware the trick here is not just the food but controlling the quantity. This is where the problem begins, because when she empties her dish she comes and pesters me. I work at home on the computer and it's quite difficult with a tabby cat standing between me and the screen.
So: is there any trick to distracting a cat who's getting hunger pangs but really shouldn't eat for a couple of hours? Humans are told to do things like nibble on carrot or celery sticks, but there's no equivalent for cats.
Have you managed to slim down your kitty, and if so, how?
Adelaide is not greedy or fanatic about food. She eats moderately, goes outside and mooches around the back yard, indoors she snoozes and plays with her toys and in general seems a well adjusted happy cat, but there's no denying she's thickening up around the middle. She was getting Acana kibble – a Canadian version of Orijen – which I think is pretty good quality, and she liked it fine. Once or twice a week she may get a nubbin of fish or chicken from me, but not often. She eats happily but doesn't bolt her food.
Adelaide is estimated to be around 1.5 to 2 years old, spayed, and with no health problems. She's the only cat in the household.
This week I had to stock up and the pet store guy suggested Science Diet "Perfect Weight" so I bought a bag, and she likes it, but I'm aware the trick here is not just the food but controlling the quantity. This is where the problem begins, because when she empties her dish she comes and pesters me. I work at home on the computer and it's quite difficult with a tabby cat standing between me and the screen.
So: is there any trick to distracting a cat who's getting hunger pangs but really shouldn't eat for a couple of hours? Humans are told to do things like nibble on carrot or celery sticks, but there's no equivalent for cats.
Have you managed to slim down your kitty, and if so, how?
Adelaide is beautiful! We have two cats, and one is very prone to weight gain. She loooves food, and when we free fed dry food, she just kept gaining and gaining. We tried restricting the amount but like your girl, she constantly asked for more food.
We ended up switching to an 100% wet food diet for reasons unrelated to her weight (basically just because I read that it's better for cats), and even though she now gets as much food as she wants, she's slimmed back down and is maintaining a more appropriate weight. She gets food more or less whenever she meows for it, and she's a touch chubby - which I think is pretty normal for spayed females - but the vet says her weight is fine and she's been more or less the same size for a couple years now.
(Our other cat, a boy, is much less interested in food overall, eats twice as fast as his sister, and has always been very slim no matter what type of food he gets.)
So, if going to wet food only is an option, I'd try that - it was an effortless way for her to lose weight while eating to satisfaction, and it's generally better for the cat's long term health too.
posted by insectosaurus at 12:02 PM on October 22, 2016 [5 favorites]
We ended up switching to an 100% wet food diet for reasons unrelated to her weight (basically just because I read that it's better for cats), and even though she now gets as much food as she wants, she's slimmed back down and is maintaining a more appropriate weight. She gets food more or less whenever she meows for it, and she's a touch chubby - which I think is pretty normal for spayed females - but the vet says her weight is fine and she's been more or less the same size for a couple years now.
(Our other cat, a boy, is much less interested in food overall, eats twice as fast as his sister, and has always been very slim no matter what type of food he gets.)
So, if going to wet food only is an option, I'd try that - it was an effortless way for her to lose weight while eating to satisfaction, and it's generally better for the cat's long term health too.
posted by insectosaurus at 12:02 PM on October 22, 2016 [5 favorites]
Ah yes, just wanted to echo insectosaurus: cat wet food is around 80% water while dry food is around 10% water. Because of this, wet food helps promote satiety in ways that dry food doesn't. Also, I have read that pet cats don't tend to drink enough water naturally (because in the wild, their food contains a lot of water), so including at least some wet food is generally better than all dry for non-weight-related health reasons.
posted by ClaireBear at 12:08 PM on October 22, 2016 [2 favorites]
posted by ClaireBear at 12:08 PM on October 22, 2016 [2 favorites]
Wet food and an automatic feeder (the kind that comes with a cold-pack to keep it fresh) were the tricks to keeping my ravenous howler from driving us all mad. She still comes and nudges around when she knows the feeder will pop, but it's much briefer and less insistent, because I have nothing to do with it any more.
posted by restless_nomad at 12:13 PM on October 22, 2016
posted by restless_nomad at 12:13 PM on October 22, 2016
You can also feed her with toys (tho these only work with dry food). Stuff like this or this to keep her occupied with her main meal for longer, and treat balls with half a dozen kibbles for in between (hide them around the house so she finds them by chance).
posted by ClarissaWAM at 12:31 PM on October 22, 2016 [2 favorites]
posted by ClarissaWAM at 12:31 PM on October 22, 2016 [2 favorites]
For our cat, routine was key. Bridget gets a certain amount of food once a day, and she eats it. If her weight starts to increase we drop it and vice versa. She starts meowing a few minutes ahead of time and we either take it, or she gets a quick shot from the squirt bottle. We taper for time changes. YMMV.
posted by ftm at 1:05 PM on October 22, 2016
posted by ftm at 1:05 PM on October 22, 2016
Skip the Science Diet, it's generally crap compared to the Acana. She's eating more of the SD because it's generally much higher in carby-fillers than the Acana (source: I own CatFoodDB.com), and she's not full.
Nthing everyone else that says wet food will probably be the answer here. More moisture, more protein, fewer carbs is what you want. Cats are carnivores; that's what works best for them.
posted by cgg at 2:32 PM on October 22, 2016 [7 favorites]
Nthing everyone else that says wet food will probably be the answer here. More moisture, more protein, fewer carbs is what you want. Cats are carnivores; that's what works best for them.
posted by cgg at 2:32 PM on October 22, 2016 [7 favorites]
We have trained some to associate a sound cue (in our case, the harp alarm sound on an iPhone) with being fed. Harp sound, then dish of food presented. No sound, no food.
Eventually she ended up sleeping until she heard the sound, but for a while she would also anticipate it and go stare at the iPhone docking station when it was almost time. Pretty cute, and also effective.
Also, it may take a little while, but she should get accustomed to the new feeding quantity and schedule (like humans do too).
Finally, I've also resorted to playing with the cat until she's just too exhausted to do anything else. Bonus: good for overall health and stress.
posted by amtho at 2:35 PM on October 22, 2016 [1 favorite]
Eventually she ended up sleeping until she heard the sound, but for a while she would also anticipate it and go stare at the iPhone docking station when it was almost time. Pretty cute, and also effective.
Also, it may take a little while, but she should get accustomed to the new feeding quantity and schedule (like humans do too).
Finally, I've also resorted to playing with the cat until she's just too exhausted to do anything else. Bonus: good for overall health and stress.
posted by amtho at 2:35 PM on October 22, 2016 [1 favorite]
Response by poster: Good advice here. My old cat got wet food and lived a long time. When I fostered, I usually got some kibble along with the cat, and under the assumption the cats would be happier with their usual food, and wouldn't be with me a long time anyway, I went on feeding them kibble. And to be honest, kibble is a lot easier to manage. I don't drive. One bag of kibble per month is a hell of a lot less trouble than hauling cans of food every week.
However, legit points are in favour of wet food, so once this bag of Hills is used up, wet food it will have to be. Thanks all.
posted by zadcat at 2:54 PM on October 22, 2016
However, legit points are in favour of wet food, so once this bag of Hills is used up, wet food it will have to be. Thanks all.
posted by zadcat at 2:54 PM on October 22, 2016
If you want to keep with a kibble and supplement with wet to help with hauling cans of food every week I have had very good results with the Natural Balance low cal kibble. Still good protein and not a bag of filler like Hills. Sorry no link, on cell and juggling a sleepy toddler.
posted by MandaSayGrr at 3:22 PM on October 22, 2016 [1 favorite]
posted by MandaSayGrr at 3:22 PM on October 22, 2016 [1 favorite]
We get our canned food delivered via chewy.com - it's economical, automatic, and much easier than having to haul lots of cans back from the store.
posted by restless_nomad at 3:29 PM on October 22, 2016 [3 favorites]
posted by restless_nomad at 3:29 PM on October 22, 2016 [3 favorites]
Response by poster: Dang, I feel like I was had now, having been talked into buying a month's supply of Hills. I guess I could throw it away, but that's CAN$30 down the drain.
restless_nomad, thanks for the rec, but I'm in Canada. We're (not surprisingly) not so into big central delivery services here. I might be able to make an arrangement with a local store to deliver, especially since schlepping stuff gets old very fast in our winters.
posted by zadcat at 4:26 PM on October 22, 2016
restless_nomad, thanks for the rec, but I'm in Canada. We're (not surprisingly) not so into big central delivery services here. I might be able to make an arrangement with a local store to deliver, especially since schlepping stuff gets old very fast in our winters.
posted by zadcat at 4:26 PM on October 22, 2016
Best answer: I searched for [montreal canada pet food delivery] and found montrealpetfood.com, which looks promising (free delivery over $50). This is a type of business that seems to be manifesting in lots of different places.
We donated a lot of rejected food, over the years, to our local fostering organization; just a thought.
posted by amtho at 6:14 PM on October 22, 2016
We donated a lot of rejected food, over the years, to our local fostering organization; just a thought.
posted by amtho at 6:14 PM on October 22, 2016
Donate the food to a shelter, if they don't accept it look around for someone who is feeding ferals in a trap and neuter program - they are a little less picky in my experience.
Came in to suggest the aforementioned treat balls. I used to have a giant lazy calico who was 16 pounds and needed to lose a quarter of that to be healthy, and she was not tricked by laser pointers and refused an all-wet diet. She actually lost 3 pounds once we put her kibble (Royal Canin for indoor oldsters, iirc) into one of those treat balls inside a big box lid so she could bat it around without knocking it under the couch. There are also things you can buy to make a cat eat a lot slower, like funky plates made with lots of places to hide food between silicone "grass" and under "rocks" that they have to navigate. Those are evidently functional with wet food sometimes, and depending on how fast your cat figures out puzzles it might be worth it to switch them up.
For her bothering you while you work, you might have to lean into it to fix it. Can you provide a spot for her where she can face you while you work that isn't in front of your monitor? Like, a shelf above your computer with a few steps to get to it, or a bed on a window just to the side. Or if she is more of a ground-cat, a cozy cave by your feet. She wants to be with you but in my work from home experience, cats are pretty great about peripheral attention. Even if she isn't hungry she is pretty young and will be settling into her personality for a couple more years. Give her spots to be with you that don't disrupt you.
posted by Mizu at 6:50 PM on October 22, 2016 [2 favorites]
Came in to suggest the aforementioned treat balls. I used to have a giant lazy calico who was 16 pounds and needed to lose a quarter of that to be healthy, and she was not tricked by laser pointers and refused an all-wet diet. She actually lost 3 pounds once we put her kibble (Royal Canin for indoor oldsters, iirc) into one of those treat balls inside a big box lid so she could bat it around without knocking it under the couch. There are also things you can buy to make a cat eat a lot slower, like funky plates made with lots of places to hide food between silicone "grass" and under "rocks" that they have to navigate. Those are evidently functional with wet food sometimes, and depending on how fast your cat figures out puzzles it might be worth it to switch them up.
For her bothering you while you work, you might have to lean into it to fix it. Can you provide a spot for her where she can face you while you work that isn't in front of your monitor? Like, a shelf above your computer with a few steps to get to it, or a bed on a window just to the side. Or if she is more of a ground-cat, a cozy cave by your feet. She wants to be with you but in my work from home experience, cats are pretty great about peripheral attention. Even if she isn't hungry she is pretty young and will be settling into her personality for a couple more years. Give her spots to be with you that don't disrupt you.
posted by Mizu at 6:50 PM on October 22, 2016 [2 favorites]
I'm going to second the recommendation for this feeder. I recently transitioned three of my four* over to eating from it. All three have lost weight (a little, at least) and don't beg me for food.
*The fourth is underweight, at sixteen pounds, so I've continued to feed him in a bowl. He also has access to the purple feeder, so he's pretty content and hasn't lost weight.
posted by LOLAttorney2009 at 6:51 PM on October 22, 2016 [1 favorite]
*The fourth is underweight, at sixteen pounds, so I've continued to feed him in a bowl. He also has access to the purple feeder, so he's pretty content and hasn't lost weight.
posted by LOLAttorney2009 at 6:51 PM on October 22, 2016 [1 favorite]
Cute cat!!!!
Agree with all regarding wet food. You can also get some add-ons that you can sprinkle on top if it takes her a while to get into a certain kind of food (like bonito flakes for instance). Also nthing the treat balls and such. We have this thing, in addition to regular treat balls and feeders, though it's kind of up in the air which cats learn to work it and which don't (our previous cat never got the hang of it. Current little bastard mastered it within a day). Good luck!
posted by microcarpetus at 7:27 PM on October 22, 2016 [1 favorite]
Agree with all regarding wet food. You can also get some add-ons that you can sprinkle on top if it takes her a while to get into a certain kind of food (like bonito flakes for instance). Also nthing the treat balls and such. We have this thing, in addition to regular treat balls and feeders, though it's kind of up in the air which cats learn to work it and which don't (our previous cat never got the hang of it. Current little bastard mastered it within a day). Good luck!
posted by microcarpetus at 7:27 PM on October 22, 2016 [1 favorite]
Don't just immediately toss out or donate all the dry food: Adelaide might need a little time to get used to the switch from dry food to wet. Start her out with something like half dry/half wet and go from there.
posted by easily confused at 4:33 AM on October 23, 2016
posted by easily confused at 4:33 AM on October 23, 2016
Please don't feel bad about buying the Hills SD - that company has one hell of a racket going on, getting vets and other supposedly knowledgeable people peddling their products like they're the best thing since sliced bread, when in reality they're average at best. If you don't donate it but want to switch earlier, keep it and give it to kitty as "treats" if she likes them. You'll get thru the bag eventually...
posted by cgg at 9:32 AM on October 23, 2016
posted by cgg at 9:32 AM on October 23, 2016
Response by poster: Once again, thanks all.
I feel I was a bit harsh in describing Adelaide as pestering me. It's nice to have a cat who likes me, it's just occasionally inconvenient to be reading or working when suddenly, "Prrt!" and a tabby cat materializes between my eyes and the screen.
I've been feeding her the Hills food, faute de mieux for the moment, and it's amazing how it doesn't stay with her. A half cup of the Acana and she was content all day, but she keeps asking for more of the Hills, which tells me not so much that she loves it, as that it doesn't leave her sated. I like the ingredient list on the Acana a lot better – no grains – and she didn't eat too much of it either, but she was gaining too much weight. So I'll have to try canned food next.
posted by zadcat at 9:36 AM on October 23, 2016
I feel I was a bit harsh in describing Adelaide as pestering me. It's nice to have a cat who likes me, it's just occasionally inconvenient to be reading or working when suddenly, "Prrt!" and a tabby cat materializes between my eyes and the screen.
I've been feeding her the Hills food, faute de mieux for the moment, and it's amazing how it doesn't stay with her. A half cup of the Acana and she was content all day, but she keeps asking for more of the Hills, which tells me not so much that she loves it, as that it doesn't leave her sated. I like the ingredient list on the Acana a lot better – no grains – and she didn't eat too much of it either, but she was gaining too much weight. So I'll have to try canned food next.
posted by zadcat at 9:36 AM on October 23, 2016
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posted by ClaireBear at 12:00 PM on October 22, 2016 [8 favorites]