# Need some kitty advice



## HerdingStdPoodle (Oct 17, 2012)

*Kitty Ideas*

Just a few ideas....Is it possible to have someone sit with the cats, twice a day, during feeding time for a week? Ten minutes usually is enough and then pick up the food dishes. The same place each feeding time works well. That way, you will know if they are eating their kitty food or if another cat or animal is stealing it. Our rescued barn cat was extremely agitated around food because other cats and birds kept taking it! 
Also, we started worming our barn cat every 3-4 months, and that seemed to help regulate her appetite. 
Perhaps the best idea is to call around and find an expert cat person. That is what helped me the most! HerdingStdPoodle


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## fjm (Jun 4, 2010)

My instinct would be meat. Raw chicken wings, chicken necks, livers, chunks of stewing beef or lamb - anything which is fresh, and raw, and takes a bit of chewing. Serve in mouse sized portions (about 1.5-2 oz each per meal) and serve twice a day. Meanwhile, give them one small portion of kibble in a treat ball so they need to work for it. If you move to entirely raw or home cooked, you will probably need to add a little taurine powder, which is widely available on the internet - much cheaper from body builder sites than those dedicated to pets!

Cats usually self regulate their food intake much more succesfully than dogs do, so really voracious appetite argue either a deficiency, or boredom. As they are outside cats, they are less likely to be bored, but it is still a possibility. Giving them food that is a bit more interesting to chase and chew might help, and fresh raw meat should address any deficiencies. And, in the UK at least, chicken wings are as cheap as any decent kibble...


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## Indiana (Sep 11, 2011)

Not sure if Pogo was a stray too? My personal experience with stray cats is (we've had quite a few, counting all the ones my parents took in while I was growing up), they have a really strong food drive; I have always thought it might be because of being really hungry at some point in their life. My dad found a little orange tabby kitten under a building in the winter a while ago, so close to death the poor little guy couldn't even move. We mashed a little liver and put it in his mouth, and he managed to eat that. Anyway he turned out to be obsessed about food, even weird things like mashed potatoes and green beans!


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## mom24doggies (Mar 28, 2011)

Thanks for the advice! They eat either inside their kitty kennel or in the house...no one else gets to their food. They have both been wormed recently. 

I've thought about raw feeding them....the only problem is, they aren't actually "my" cats. Yes I pay for them for the most part but they are my sibling's cats, and they are too young to handle raw meat. I suppose I could dole everything out into baggies and then the kids could just dump it in their bowls. Do you think some raw bones/ meat a few times a week would help? 

Pogo is not a stray really. A coworker of my brother's found him and his siblings when they were just a few days old and bottle fed them. We've had him since he was 8 wks old. I expect Jazzy to be a bit food obsessive but not him, and he is almost worse than her. I'll try fjm's suggestion as well as feed them some grain free canned food along with their kibble and see if it helps at all.


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## tokipoke (Sep 3, 2011)

Any reason they aren't free fed? I'm not sure if this will help or not. But like mentioned before, cats are better at regulating their appetite when they are free fed. A co-worker complained that her cat would cry and pester her all of the time. She fed him twice a day. I suggestd free feeding and it seemed to calm him down, he didn't cry anymore. Even if cats are free fed, if they love food, they will still be curious about it. My cats are free fed but they love people food and will even eat things out of the sink or counters. I have to rinse plates and pots really well and hide things in the microwave or oven. My persian loves to hide, and we always lure him out by rumpling any type of plastic. He RUNS out to see what we have cause he thinks it's treats!

I've tried feeding mine raw but they aren't interested, good luck with it! Maybe you can try pre-made raw?


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## mom24doggies (Mar 28, 2011)

tokipoke said:


> Any reason they aren't free fed? I'm not sure if this will help or not. But like mentioned before, cats are better at regulating their appetite when they are free fed. A co-worker complained that her cat would cry and pester her all of the time. She fed him twice a day. I suggestd free feeding and it seemed to calm him down, he didn't cry anymore. Even if cats are free fed, if they love food, they will still be curious about it. My cats are free fed but they love people food and will even eat things out of the sink or counters. I have to rinse plates and pots really well and hide things in the microwave or oven. My persian loves to hide, and we always lure him out by rumpling any type of plastic. He RUNS out to see what we have cause he thinks it's treats!
> 
> I've tried feeding mine raw but they aren't interested, good luck with it! Maybe you can try pre-made raw?


 The other animals will eat it...although I suppose they could have it outside in their kitty kennel. Hmmm....I may have to try that too. These cats are pigs, I doubt they would turn down anything!


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## mom24doggies (Mar 28, 2011)

Well the addition of canned food has helped immensely...they can now be in the house without driving me crazy! I'm going to still add some raw meat/bones in as well. Certainly won't hurt anything.


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