Pet World: Training your large breed dog to use a ramp
Dear Cathy,
Last summer, a mama cat and four babies took up residence in my backyard. They eventually came into my house and I still have them today. They are all fixed. The mama cat has become very obese and I am not sure how to deal with it because the other four, are normal weight. I know I should probably remove the dry food but the four babies nibble at it on a regular basis. Even the mama cat doesn't gorge on it. Any suggestions?
–Frank, Catasauqua, Pennsylvania
Dear Frank,
When there are multiple cats in the home, free feeding can often result in one cat getting more than the lion’s share of food. One solution is a microchip feeder bowl for each cat. The bowl is paired with your cat’s microchip (or a radio-frequency tag) and only opens when the cat assigned to that bowl is sitting in front of it. This can get a little pricey for five cats, but it does guarantee every cat gets their allocated food. It’s also great if you need to feed the momma cat a lower-calorie food. If that’s not affordable, then you will need to stop free-feeding and just feed them twice a day.
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(Cathy M. Rosenthal is a longtime animal advocate, author, columnist and pet expert who has more than 25 years in the animal welfare field. Send your pet questions, stories and tips to cathy@petpundit.com. Please include your name, city, and state. You can follow her @cathymrosenthal.)
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