OK, so this may sound silly to you, but I have to ask anyhow! We have a kitten who lives outside, he was born from the neighborhood stray cat, we think he is about 4-5 months old ... he is fixed already - incase that means anything to you.
So here is my question, another cat keeps eating his food - is there any way I can stop this from happening?!? This HUGE cat comes right up and chows down - our little cat does nothing about it, and we go through food like it is water!
I do not know if this cat is a stray, or just likes our food better than whatever it gets at its own house - and I am not sure if there is more than one cat doing this. I have tried 'hiding' the food behind the bbq pit outside, but this has not worked.
So .... is there anything I can do? I am just tired of feeding this other horse of an eater. We seriously go through food SO fast, and I really do not want to be feeding every cat in the neighborhood.
Just fyi - feeding our cat inside the house is not an option. I am allergic and cannot have him indoors.
Thanks for the help - and if you think its a silly question, at least you got a laugh :)
Hi A.
Call Tammy at The Humane Society of North Texas 817-332-HSNT. She can find that sweet lil kitty a home.
Have a fabulous weekend.
T.
The only thing i can say is that you or hubby might have to stand there while he is eating to "guard" his food. The other cats do this dominate thing and will continue to do this until the little one "teaches him a lesson" if he ever gets the guts to do so. As far as the garage im not sure if its too good an idea because of your allergies, im not sure but my sons allergist told us if we have any dogs or cats (since he is allergic to both) to get rid of them and if not they need to be outside not near anything he plays with or anywhere he plays, im not sure if that would be your case or not since he may be in there for around only 30 mins a day.
Well we did the same thing as Rebecca but took it a bit further and made a cat house from wood. We put a small round opening just big enough for our cat and it worked. We did have to slowly make the hole bigger and bigger as he grew and by then the other cat(s) had given up. Other suggestions would be to get a small dog :) or get a cat trap from Local Animal Control but if your not sure about if the cat is a stray that may not be a good idea.
C.
A., I would love to be your solution! I have a huge barn that needs a cat in it to help ward off spring/summer rodents. My other cat has disappeared and I have no idea what or where she is at...... I already have the things to take care of the cat (it will be outside and I do not care if he/she stays in the barn and multiplies)
Let me know what you think!
Thanks!
C. P
We feed all of our pets on a schedule. We have two indoor dogs and an outside cat. So they all get fed at 8:30 am and 5:30 pm. The dogs eat until they finish the food in their dish the cat eats and once she walks away, I pick up the food. This normally only takes 10 minutes for all of them to eat.
GL!
Most cats are pigs and will eat anytime they can. Especially a stray that never knows when it's next meal may come. I have had outside cats, that I thought were mine, come to find out had several homes that thought they were their's. :)
I was going to suggest the garage too...maybe keep the kitty up at night in there with a box.
Unfortunately, bad things happen to outside kitties. I have heard some people with allergies have resorted to shaving their cats (a groomer actually told me this).
Good luck..
A.,
Would it be possible for you to feed the cat in the garage in the morning, or after work? Is he very sociable? Maybe you could play outside with the kids while he eats to guard the food. I would just pour enough for him to eat while you can watch him. He'll soon learn his meals are to be eaten in your presence.
The dominant cats will continue to eat his food as long as he lets them. He might gain some confidence after getting to eat while you are around.
Well, I'm not certain that this would work (because you may end up scaring your kitten in the process) but I would try watching for the big cat to come up and start eating and then squirt it with a water gun. He may try to come back again, but after a few times, I'm sure he'll get the idea that eating your food gets him sprayed and he'll stop coming around. Just be careful not to squirt your kitten (probably easier said than done).
Hi A.--I have the same problem with a stray cat, but it's with my pug who also stays outside most of the time. I will be interested to know how people respond to this. The dog doesn't seem to mind, however and the cat sleeps with the dog in the doghouse, so I haven't done anything about it yet, but just like you, It's alot more food than just feeding your own pet. Hope you find a good solution. Good Luck!
I used to have 2 cats inside with the same problem. Solution: put the food in a box with an opening too small for the big cat but just right for the small cat.We used a rubbermade box and cut out the hole with a utility knife.
