Timed feeder - transition

[Marcy & Klinger (GA)]

Hello,
I just picked up a PetSafe 5 timed feeder for Klinger. He's always been a free feeder and I'm a little worried about his transition to a timed feeder. Anyone have any tips?
I'm hoping this will make a difference in his AMPS and PMPS. Because we're at work up until his PMPS - I think he continues to eat in the late afternoon, which will give him a food spike/higher PMPS. At night, he eats early on in the evening and has nothing left towards the early morning when I do the AMPS - which I think is why we're getting a lower AMPS compared to his PMPS. Anyway, I'm rambling. We'll see if this helps level him out.

Should I wait until this coming weekend to transition him to the timed feeding? Should I leave a "safety" bowl of food out just in case he doesn't take to the feeder?

Thanks,
Marcy & Klinger

 

[Vicky & Gandalf (GA) & Murrlin]

Hello,
I just picked up a PetSafe 5 timed feeder for Klinger. He's always been a free feeder and I'm a little worried about his transition to a timed feeder. Anyone have any tips?
I'm hoping this will make a difference in his AMPS and PMPS. Because we're at work up until his PMPS - I think he continues to eat in the late afternoon, which will give him a food spike/higher PMPS. At night, he eats early on in the evening and has nothing left towards the early morning when I do the AMPS - which I think is why we're getting a lower AMPS compared to his PMPS. Anyway, I'm rambling. We'll see if this helps level him out.

Should I wait until this coming weekend to transition him to the timed feeding? Should I leave a "safety" bowl of food out just in case he doesn't take to the feeder?

Thanks,
Marcy & Klinger

I think feeders are wonderful, especially if you have a free feeder as you can then limit how much food they get and when.

I put Gandalf on one years ago. How close together can you schedule it to open? Mine is not digital, so I can only do as close together as 4 hours. I set it to open at 5 hours after the first meal. So Gandalf gets 2 meals every 12 hours, that way he eats after his shot and then eats before peak time. He usually has it all gone by +10.

Do you have other cats? That could be a problem. In the beginning I put it in the bedroom and separated him from them. He is a very fast learner - he soon learned he could influence it to open by pushing on the lid. He even goes to it just before it opens. Yes, like every parent, my cat is a genius....
So he will get to the food before they do, but sometimes now if I don't leave enough food for them, they will eat out of it. I don't worry as Gandalf knows it's his feeder, it's what he expects to be fed in and he goes to it as soon as it opens, before if he's really hungry.

There is a learning curve for them. He probably will paw at it if the open slot is empty and he's hungry. When Gandalf was uncontrolled and starving, he would push it around the floor, even got it upside down once! But he never broke it.

I would wait till the weekend so you can be home and show him his marvelous new bowl! I would not leave other food out as long as you are home. Continually show him where his food is now, if he keeps looking for bowls. Put the feeder in his usual bowl spot, would be another tip. Leaving out other bowls of food would be confusing. He will be able to smell the food in the feeder, even if it looks tightly sealed.

You could be right about his food consistency affecting his BG. Good for you being proactive!

Good luck!

 

[pamela and tigger]

Hello,
I just picked up a PetSafe 5 timed feeder for Klinger. He's always been a free feeder and I'm a little worried about his transition to a timed feeder. Anyone have any tips?
I'm hoping this will make a difference in his AMPS and PMPS. Because we're at work up until his PMPS - I think he continues to eat in the late afternoon, which will give him a food spike/higher PMPS. At night, he eats early on in the evening and has nothing left towards the early morning when I do the AMPS - which I think is why we're getting a lower AMPS compared to his PMPS. Anyway, I'm rambling. We'll see if this helps level him out.

Should I wait until this coming weekend to transition him to the timed feeding? Should I leave a "safety" bowl of food out just in case he doesn't take to the feeder?

Thanks,
Marcy & Klinger

Hi Marcy, good idea on the feeder and trying for earlier feed times.

I am usually home to feed Tigger at his +5 or +6 snack time (small amont of cooked chicken breast) but I had to buy one of these when we were gone for a weekend for my son's wedding in October. My pet sitter couldn't come for that +5 feeding after the shot.

So I did have to 'train' Tigger that when it makes that whirring noise and moves, it means food. It didn't take him long to get used to the idea, although at his age he is pretty much used to his routine and couldn't understand why in the world we were doing it this way. cat(2)_steam

Be sure you have the food tray thingy on correctly so that it doesn't just move part way where then he wouldn't be able to get at the food. angry(2)_cat

So yes, you will probably have to wait until the weekend to get him used to it and to make sure you have the thing working properly.

If you haven't already, I would also post this question on Health to get the experience of others who actually use one of these all the time.

ETA - looks like Vicky and I were posting at the same time. She has some excellent tips there. I don't think with the newer feeder that they can open it though(?) I am not sure how they could.