# Resource guarding from cats?



## patk (Jun 13, 2013)

do the cats actually eat her food?


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## Chells_Aura (Dec 7, 2012)

Her dry kibble, no they don't like it 

Her treats yes
Her chew 'bones' no
Canned food - maybe but that's when Chell goes the most nuts and they've never been given half a chance to pass it up or try and eat it.


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## patk (Jun 13, 2013)

in that case, i have to say that it seems the ones that need training are the cats! sounds like chell has reason for her concerns. she has my sympathies!:aetsch:


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## BorderKelpie (Dec 3, 2011)

Honestly, that's why most of my dogs get fed in crates. Those pesky cats are no match for my big dogs and they just don't get the (less than subtle) hint. 

Now, treat handouts when the pig is around - watch out! LOL


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## fjm (Jun 4, 2010)

I feed the cats at the same time as the dogs, up on a bench in a separate room. If you put the cats' food out first, would they leave Chell undisturbed? Or simply shut them out of the room when she is eating? I do the turn taking, too - two cats and two dogs sitting in a polite row - but a bowl full of food is still a resource worth protecting.


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## GeriDe (Mar 2, 2014)

*Cats first*

I agree, I feed my cats just before I feed my dog. While they are busy with their food, I put down the dog's. The cat's and dog's food are no where near each other. Granted - the cats will stalk the dog's if they finish first but I believe the natural pecking order takes care of that. Granted, right now I only have my older Shih Tzu but the pup will be joining us soon and I'm already working on puppy proofing and finding special places for each when it comes to feedings. Still, I have no doubt the cats will push but - again, the natural pecking order will prevail (unless someone gets hurt)


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## Chells_Aura (Dec 7, 2012)

Hmmm feeding the cats at the same time would be a good idea if they actually had meal times. One of my cats is a lil piggy so he gets special mealtimes but ironically it's not usually him that is getting chased away from the food bowl. The other cat is a siamese with stomach issues and tends to eat until he throws up everywhere! (Chell tries to 'help' him when he does that and will politely escort him around the house cleaning up after him if I don't hear it in time >.< )
So the cats have 2 automatic feeder with a shot-glass worth of food in each compartment. The feeders go off every 3-4 hours... we'll sometimes give Tiko more if he's asking for food, but generally it is this way so that Loki can't stuff his face more than his tummy can manage.

Loki mostly goes by Chell's food dish for her water bowl so maybe if I put the water bowl in a more communal place that might help things...

Thankyou everyone... I'll see what I can do about finding a better spot for food/water and keeping the cats away! But good to know I shouldn't worry about it... my mom was saying I have to make it so she can share a bowl of foods with the cats cuz otherwise she'll start resource guarding from the baby when he starts crawling... to nip it in the bud. But like I said... no problem with people around her food.

Edited to add: sorry if that wasn't very cohesive... tired today!


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## fjm (Jun 4, 2010)

I suspect the baby will be easier to train than the cats - and much easier to keep on the right side of a baby gate!


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## Chells_Aura (Dec 7, 2012)

fjm said:


> I suspect the baby will be easier to train than the cats - and much easier to keep on the right side of a baby gate!


and will probably be in a high chair eating his own food when Chell has hers!


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## fjm (Jun 4, 2010)

Ah - baby in high chair = manna from heaven for poodles! Most babiesI I've known drop as much as they eat, and enjoy watching the dog vacuum it up.


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## BorderKelpie (Dec 3, 2011)

Yup. My svelte 19 pound Sheltie went up to 32 pounds thanks to my kids and her retirement. I had to pull her from retirement to get the weight off. Poor ol' gal.


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## Chells_Aura (Dec 7, 2012)

Yeah I've been warning my husband she's gonna live under his highchair when he transitions to one... My husband hates her vacuuming stuff off the floor. Me I know it's inevitable


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## BorderKelpie (Dec 3, 2011)

lol, My dogs come running when they here 'Clean up, Asle 4!' Means I've dropped something yummy and am too lazy to bend over to clean it up.


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## Chells_Aura (Dec 7, 2012)

LOL!
That's pretty funny. I don't have to say anything... Chell is my shadow, if I drop something I have to race her to get it if it's something she shouldn't have like chocolate.


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## fjm (Jun 4, 2010)

Here it's "Oh dear, I think I've dropped something!", but I rarely need to say it these days as Poppy waits at my feet just in case!


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## Rhett'smom (Sep 23, 2012)

Puppy lux !! 


Sent from Petguide.com Free App


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## FireStorm (Nov 9, 2013)

I don't think it is really fair to expect your dog to happily share with the cats...I know Hans wouldn't share with another dog, and I don't expect him to. I doubt cats would be any different. But, he has no issue with humans (kids or adults). We practice the trading game with him just to reinforce that sharing with us is pleasant. On the other hand, cats or another dog would only be taking food, not giving anything nice back. 

Could you close the cats (or Chell) in another room while Chell is eating the wet food?


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## Chells_Aura (Dec 7, 2012)

FireStorm said:


> I don't think it is really fair to expect your dog to happily share with the cats...I know Hans wouldn't share with another dog, and I don't expect him to. I doubt cats would be any different. But, he has no issue with humans (kids or adults). We practice the trading game with him just to reinforce that sharing with us is pleasant. On the other hand, cats or another dog would only be taking food, not giving anything nice back.
> 
> Could you close the cats (or Chell) in another room while Chell is eating the wet food?



Sorry for the delayed reply  Time change has surprisingly thrown off baby who did not really have a time schedule lol so we've been dealing with that!

We've moved Chell's mat with food bowl and water around the corner, from the living room to the kitchen. It's seemed to help a little bit because now hanging out in the living room she can't see when the cats are drinking and when she's eating, since it's not in a major pathway anymore, she can't see the cats moving around behind her whereas before they were in her peripheral vision.

We don't really have anywhere downstairs to lock the cats up in, it's all kind of open... 

Been lucking out this week tho... so far the cats have been off asleep somewhere during her mealtimes!


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## fjm (Jun 4, 2010)

One trick that I have used is to abstract a portion of the daily food allowance and scatter it in the cats' feeding area, so that it takes them a while to find and eat and keeps them safely out of the way. It only takes a few pieces of kibble, when they have to hunt for each one!


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