Hi there

We have two ten month old sisters - they are a joy but very different - one is a food addict and one grazes - problem is Asha ( the foodie) polishes off her sisters food after her own - she is heavier but her sister is very slim but very active - worried she's not eating enough - any tips - both on raw diet

Hi

You could get sure feeders. Then they can only access their own food. I had to get them because Hendrix has a sensitive tummy, but one of the best things I've bought them to be honest. The food stays fresh and if they want to graze, flies can't get to it etc. If they are microchipped, you can set them via those, but they also come with tags for their collars that will operate the feeders.

Mine learnt how to use them pretty quickly. They're quite expensive but a good investment.

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Clare
Hendrix and Jagger, Brown Marble Boys (born 18 August 2013)
Hampshire, UK

The easiest thing to do is to first put down a plate for the "greedy eater" (so that she is happy and occupied), then put down a plate for the more timid one, some feet away, around a corner and out of eyesight if possible. You can even feed in different rooms if necessary.

Another option, there was an episode of "My Cat From Hell" where Jackson Galaxy tackled a case like this, and his solution was to have the "greedy" one eat from a special bowl, kind of in the shape of a doughnut, so that the cat would need to eat around in a circle to get at all their food. The idea being that it slowed down their eating. When I saw that episode, I thought it was odd and wondered where in the world one would get such a bowl... until I actually saw a bowl like that in a pet food store. So you might be able to find one if you look.

One other thing to consider is whether the slim one is satisfied with what she is eating. It may be that simply the greedy one is eating food that she loves, and the other is not.

If I put down two helpings of Rad Cat (raw), my Gaga will gulp hers down and then go after the other two cats' food. If however I serve some Earthborn Hollistic canned fish flavors, Serafina will wolf hers down and then see if the other cats have any left in theirs. In some ways it's helpful if two cats have different likes and get different foods. Then there is no contention for each others food :)

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The little monsters 3

Yep, same problem here. Grace is the greedy eater and loves everything she can put in her mouth (food or not). Little Blondie is picky and not so adventurous. She gets turned off to iffy food and Grace happily gobbles both portions. If it's something Blondie loves, she is a frantic speed eater. I would love to get a couple of those microchip feeders but they are pretty expensive to just test out.

We used to have a similar problem with our two Burmese cats when we had them. One was very large and greedy and used to polish off all the food.

I used to be worried too but when I took them to the vet I was told that the slimmer one was a perfect weight but my larger cat was overweight and that I had to cut back on his food as he was heading for diabetes if we didn't.

Maybe something to consider as like you as was just concentrating on the slimmer cat.

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Oscar and Jasper (or one ear and two ears as dh calls them) black rescue mogges

RIP my sweet baby Dexter, Snow Bengal 19/5/14 to 5/3/15 and my lovely dear old friend Muskey, Brown Burmese put to rest aged 15 on 14/11/15.

Debbie

Same problem with my 2 boys! Tonic always finishes first because Gin eats slower. Tonic is more dominant and when he goes to Gin his plate, Gin will just walk away and let his brother eat the rest...

What I do now:
I always place 2 plates (or bowls), with a bit of distance in between, on the ground. On one plate I spread the wet food all over the plate so it's more hard work to eat Then I sit next to them and wait till Tonic is finished. When he tries to go to the other plate, I gently push him away or block his sight with my hand. I kept on doing this the last couple of weeks and he 'sort of learned' that he should wait for his brother to finish too. Right now he only tries to steal food ones at every meal!

I know it's not always possible to sit next to your cats while they eat... I really want to make sure Gin eats enough. I just started feeding raw and they are only 3 months old, so I just sit there till they are both done and feeling ok. I'm overprotective

You are so wonderful to sit while the kitties are eating. Sometimes that can take a while! I think it is quite common in multi-cat households to have different eating patterns. My Raiden is a grazer. He will continuously eat during the day, taking several sessions to finish what is in his bowl. Thankfully, he is the only cat inside. However, you cannot spend your life sitting in between the cats while they are eating. Separating their feeding areas is a much better solution -- even if you have to feed the smaller one in another room and close the door, giving her time to finish the food. Bengals are supposed to be slim kitties, so you may end up feeding the heavier one a lower-calorie food, which is less tasty and will present even more problems in the food department.