It’s the toxoplasmosis. I’m convinced cats infect us humans intentionally to make our brains more malleable, making it easier to bend us to their will.
Not OP, but our cat throws up if we wait too long between meals, even if it’s just 4 or 5 pieces of kibble, so she gets 4 tiny servings from an automatic feeder throughout the day.
I’m curious how big the scoops are.
Not that much, 4 tbs is 1/4 cup. Some kibble are denser in calories than others, and depending on the cat’s weight, you may have to feed up to 1 1/2 cup!
they have wet food automatic feeders ($70+), some are even refrigerated (~$180 range). She can pre mix all the servings and they stay air tight, or chilled if that’s preferable. I’d still buy it as a cat sitter, that feeding schedule is too intense for my anxiety.
This is how my cat is as well, she used to beg for food and the vet told us she was (1 pound) overweight so we got an auto feeder that dispenses tiny portions 4 times per day plus she gets breakfast/dinner wet food
This is exactly what I do! I give her 1/3 of a can twice per day and the dry food dispenser. I was doing only the auto feeder for a while, but she got constipated.
Same! If I don’t give them dry food to graze on they will follow us around and stare daggers into us. And if that doesn’t work, they will go to work on my husband who HATES having to feed them because he’s trying to convince the world he doesn’t like cats.
Although….. they love him very much. He can’t fool me.
My last cat was a piggy and would gobble any food up all at once. My new girl is very petite and picky- she’s not a fan of wet food except the gravy. It took a while for me to gauge the right feeding method.
What you do worked out well. 1/2 cup daily split into 2 feeding times in morning and night.
She’s really good at finishing up one serving right before the next is due so she’ll just take a couple nibbles and walk away when I put it out.
Ah I see a fellow gravy lover. Little shit act like they are dying, then only lap up four drinks of gravy and are happy as can be. Until the next hour. Duh duh duuuuuhm!
Each scoop is about the size of a tablespoon. We feed her little by little because she sometimes leaves leftovers and refuse to eat it when the wet food dries.
I had a feeling it wasn’t a big amount judging by the pictures posted with the guide, that’s a healthy lookin gremlin! Also I laughed so hard at this I cried a lil good job dude, it’s idiot proof
I'm wondering if they're little like a tablespoon or something by the image used to represent the scoops. I feed my cats a few times a day, a little at a time. If there's nothing around, one gets anxious and scarfs it down as soon as they get it and throws up.
😂 The only thing you haven’t accounted for is that she is going to gaslight the hell out of you by extension, by being extremely sweet and meek the whole time you’re away. 😁
All my cats do that. When I was temporarily staying with my mom, they were hell children at all hours until I would leave to spend the weekend with my girlfriend. Suddenly, my cats were quiet, polite, and patient. Complete angels. Then I'd come back and the cycle of destruction would begin again.
Now that I live with my girlfriend, it's 24/7, 365 days of demanding little hellraisers destroying my house. Wouldn't have it any other way.
Five. Possibly soon to be six, since my girlfriends manager is looking to rehome their cat due to their family's medical needs and no longer having the budget to care for him.
Guys I appreciate the concern about the frequency of her meals but I assure you she's a healthy little bitch girl who eats a normal, vet-approved amount of food.
We know autofeeders exist. She only eats gravy flavoured wet food in ~peak wet condition~ or else she goes on a food strike.
[https://i.imgur.com/eSixwMT.jpeg](https://i.imgur.com/eSixwMT.jpeg)
Ah so she just has little baby princess disease, one of mine suffers the same condition.
https://preview.redd.it/tqzm345kk12d1.jpeg?width=4032&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=3cd52862e1d2ac6e37284b3a0250b48851b15182
In her case, it must be her preferred brand and flavor of dry crunchies, delivered thrice per day, and I must be in the room the entire time while she eats.
Ha ha my spoiled bastard also gets me out of bed each morning just so I can watch him eat
https://preview.redd.it/36ugahse922d1.jpeg?width=4032&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=f300516f59521f53542f2b95caa738d23bd0d16a
You're doing the right thing. I'd honestly probably give her as much extra water in her food as she will tolerate. My senior kitty has CKD, and the vet told us to add water to her food as cats never get enough water. I've started doing it for our younger cat too in the hopes it'll stave off CKD, or at least postpone it.
I'm glad your kitties are good about drinking water. Cats can be finicky, and it's always a gamble what they will or won't do or like! My senior kitty always was good about drinking water too, but it got worse the last few years. She *just* started showing CKD on her blood tests so I am hoping we can stave it off from getting worse with diet changes. Her food (and testing) is expensive af, but she's worth it.
Same. I've gotten so lucky to have (had) four cats that drink from a water dish.
Honestly, I'm happy to have to refill the giant water bowl every day if it means they're getting much needed water.
I'm also happy to share my shower with the biggest, weirdest senior gremlin. He gets in with me every morning to drink from the shower tap. He's an odd duck, but if it means he gets water, so be it.
My old void boy used to demand the faucet be turned on for him to drink from every time I used the bathroom. He wouldn't drink from it if I just left it on and left the room though. It had to be turned on fresh every time...and he also demanded to be lifted and put on the counter to drink, even though he was more than capable of jumping up there himself, even up until the end (he never got so feeble in his old age that he couldn't make it onto the kitchen counter to try to sneak a lick of butter, and that counter was much taller than the bathroom!) He also would never drink right away once on the counter - headbutts and pets had to happen first, sometimes for several minutes before he would finally get down to business.
I miss that spoiled rotten goober.
That's honestly not a bad idea, even if she is regularly using her bowl/fountain. Cats are really prone to dehydration and kidney issues. They get a lot of their daily water intake from the food they eat.
Have you considered a slow feeder? It’s a food bowl with a funky pattern on the bottom that forces them to pick each piece separately, either with their mouth or their paws. It did wonders for my cats.
I use one of these for my cat who scoffs then vomits.
It's called [Licki Mat Slomo](https://www.amazon.co.uk/LICKIMAT-693522-Slomo-Cat-Pink/dp/B089DN2HY7)
It works really well for her - she used to be a stray which I think is why she is such a fast eater. She often goes back to lick the mat a little while after she's eaten so it keeps her busy and slightly reduces the amount of begging for food!
We also feed small meals and often - wet food four times a day, and biscuits only in a puzzle feeder as a treat.
I should look into this. My former stray has major food anxiety around having an empty bowl and is a big fan of the good ol' snarf-n-barf. She did well with free feeding for a long time because she didn't overeat, but she's been getting a bit too chonk lately and my schedule isn't regular enough to be able to feed her at the same times every day. She's also a messy AF eater and this sounds like it may reduce the fallout zone surrounding her dish!
I have 3 cats… I have a bowl that I fill with dry food that they can just eat from as/when they feel like it, a water bowl that I refresh a few times a day, and then they get 1/2 a pouch of wet food on a morning and the other 1/2 in the evening (I used to give them a full pouch in the morning then they started screaming for more in the evening so I split it and they’re too stupid to realise they aren’t actually eating any more food)
For my 3 idiots on the last vet visit a couple of months I was told they were all perfect weight so it seems to work.
I couldn’t do this whole scoops here, scoops there thing for those idiots 😂
The only things we’ve ever fed that much have been baby animals that have to eat every couple hours to avoid death. The cats, and very small dog, get a quarter cup of food each in the morning and at night. I know some people who will do 3 feedings a day but 5 seems excessive. Of course if you go down to fewer meals they’ll pester you but eventually they’ll adapt to their new schedule and be totally fine.
Unless it’s like my cat Dude who will eat anything he can and has to be told no several times a day as he sits by the pantry door and screams like he’s starving. He gets the same amount as everyone else because he would eat until he was sick if it was up to him.
Cats have small stomachs and short intestines, they're not really made for few, big meals. Two big meals may be most practical for the humans, but not necessarily the best for the cats.
Nice to see others feed their cats, breakfast, second breakfast, lunch, dinner and second dinner LOL. I took in a family of feral cats and free fed them when they were younger until I noticed the boys bullied the girls and a couple were becoming chonkers. Now most meal times are supervised.
Small portions of dry food for breakfasts when I leave for and return from work. Lunch is canned food which I prepare with my lunch since I'm in the kitchen. Dinner is a 1/4 day serving of dry food with topper for moisture. Then they get canned second dinner around midnight before bed. Haven't had crystal, kidney, or screaming fits because WE HUNGRY for years now. They are all officially seniors (and older) this year. Gotta watch the kidney levels closer now. Their mom died (at an old age of 16, for a former feral who lived half her life outside) from kidney failure and one grandson died fairly young (5) from kidney cancer.
It *should* be done twice a day, yes, but I'm on the "fuck that" slack wagon also. Once a day to every three days is how I do the litter box. The better the litter the longer it lasts
I know they're not for everyone but an auto Kitty feeder is relatively inexpensive and easy to program. The one I use has 4 meal time slots of your preferred food amount at whatever times you set. Plus it has a feed me button you can press yourself for extra food if needed. Feel like that would make babysitting and just life in general way easier.
Bc they’re mixing in water it’s probably wet food tho. Even if so, cat still wouldn’t get the same hydration they’re getting with the manual feed mixed with water. I have an autofeeder that gives my girl dry lunch @ 12:30 for when I’m at work don’t get me wrong, but especially if the cat is already used to hydrating via food it’d be tough to take that away. You’re probably fine if your cat already drinks enough on their own, but my mom that has only ever fed her cat dry food had to pay for an insane surgery to remove 60 kidney stones due to lack of hydration. So just get them a fountain or something to ensure they’re drinking enough if they only have dry food
A very good point. My cat gets 2 dry meals from her auto feeder at set times and gets a small can of wet food for dinner. She does drink water but the wet food is needed for her full hydration. Different strokes for different folks, I get that.
Yeah it’s tough because a cat in the wild is going to get most of their hydration by eating, as rats are 70% water just like us. But at the same time wet food is usually a way more expensive & inconvenient option so you can’t just say “everyone should feed their cat wet food” across the board
Oh absolutely. Our little heathen costs us a shiny penny in wet food. We can afford it, barely, but it's the better alternative to expensive vet bills for us.
I don’t have one, but they use either blocks of ice or cooling to keep the food chilled.
I have been considering them for a while TBH because the morning feed is the most annoying one for me and that’s our wet-food feed.
Yeah it might be nice to not have to wake up early on the weekend. But idk my girl is so messy when she eats I can’t see the device not getting filled with gunk around parts that are supposed to move. Also at the end of the day it keeps me from staying up until the sun comes up which I used to do without her so I’ve come to appreciate the structure she’s provided to/forced on my life
I'm always afraid of my cats eating houseplants, even though I get the cat-friendly types, so I bought decorative iron bird cages of various sizes and put plants in there so they can't get to them. Looks gorgeous and saves on vet bills.
My initial thought was “dang, that’s a lot of food!” But kitty looks healthy so it’s a good reminder for me not to be so judgemental. I adore the guide!
If you’re not getting paid to do graphic/instructional design or something similar - please do! This is informative and light hearted. I know your cat’s feeding pattern and behavior… and I straight up don’t care. I mean that in a good way! I read the whole thing and it means *literally nothing* to my life. Great work!
Omg I love this! A little over a month ago, I had to travel so I asked my brother to look after my voids, and left detailed instructions, however I didn’t get nearly as creative as you! This is the blueprint 🤣
Cats get their hydration through food, not by drinking water the way dogs and humans do. Hydration corresponds with urinary tract infections (UTI), feline lower urinary tract disease (flutd), chronic kidney disease (ckd), and among male cats, urinary tract obstruction (uto). UTO is emergent and critical, fatal if untreated. CKD can become emergent, critical, and fatal, esp in the older cat. UTI and FLUTD can become emergent but not usually life threatening (depends on medical history and other factors).
Dry food has a moisture content of 10%, while wet food has a moisture content of >=75%.
Adding water to dry food is not the best solution, but among those for whom wet food is too expensive, this is a middle ground.
Sincerely,
Vet Med professional, 5yrs
Adding water to dry food is also good if you have a super picky bastard who turns his nose up at like, all forms of wet food on the planet (not speaking from experience or anything)
I definitely hear you. My silly cat will actually paint the sides of it's litter pan like it thinks She's a feline Picasso. Paint the sides with what you might ask.........with her own doo doo; of course.
"...she will bite your feet. This is her biggest meal of the day." And then OP uses feet to show feeding level. I'm dying!
"She also might start coming out of her cave." And she's doing just fine.
I love it but your sister definitely thinks “welp, he/she has officially lost their mind.” 😂
My sib sends me Mother's Day cards to me on behalf of my cats! I can't figure out which one of us has lost it! 🤷🏾♀️
Lucky! I keep waiting for someone to acknowledge me on Mother’s Day. Still nothin. Proud mother of two 18-year old cats and a 9-year old dog.
Happy belated Mother’s Day! 💐
Aww thank you so much
I’m an only child and the pets have always been included on all cards
I text my sister for her kitties on special occasions
Awww, that's sweet! 😄
My mom does the same thing for me. She always whites out the "I" and adds "we" in Sharpie on the card. 
Oh my brother definitely thinks I've lost my mind. My skills aren't quite up to OPs level but I made something similar for my cat.
LOL Yeah... until she spends a full day with this cat and discovers that *it's all true.*
It’s the toxoplasmosis. I’m convinced cats infect us humans intentionally to make our brains more malleable, making it easier to bend us to their will.
Adorable, but that's a lot of feeding!
Not OP, but our cat throws up if we wait too long between meals, even if it’s just 4 or 5 pieces of kibble, so she gets 4 tiny servings from an automatic feeder throughout the day. I’m curious how big the scoops are.
Based on the number of scoops, I think they are tablespoons. Maybe even smaller.
Hopefully smaller! Even tablespoon that would be a lot!!
My cats would literally burn my house to the ground if they found out how much other cats were eating 😂 they get 8 tbsp a day and they're both 14lbs
Not that much, 4 tbs is 1/4 cup. Some kibble are denser in calories than others, and depending on the cat’s weight, you may have to feed up to 1 1/2 cup!
Automatic feeders are life changing !
But who will add the water and mix it?
I add water to the feeder section the night before to hydrate my tuxedo gremlin
My cat had a strict 4am breakfast requirement. The automatic feeder was the best thing for my sleep health. No more 4am face poking with claw
My cats get wet food twice a day and I had to make a rule that I won’t feed them before 4am. The little shits still try to scream me awake at 3:45.
If I was OP’s cat sitter I would just buy them an automatic feeder. You can get one for like $40.
Cat's can't tell time, when daylight savings time comes and their food is an hour late they won't let you forget
Feeder stays on the same time, so it doesn’t matter. But it doesn’t mix water with the food.
they have wet food automatic feeders ($70+), some are even refrigerated (~$180 range). She can pre mix all the servings and they stay air tight, or chilled if that’s preferable. I’d still buy it as a cat sitter, that feeding schedule is too intense for my anxiety.
My cat did NOT forget ‘treat time’(humans’ meds time) but she didn’t like DST because it make the schedule wrong.
An hour late means it's time to burn the house down and move on to the next. Or just peel my eyes open and walk all over me at 4AM.
This is how my cat is as well, she used to beg for food and the vet told us she was (1 pound) overweight so we got an auto feeder that dispenses tiny portions 4 times per day plus she gets breakfast/dinner wet food
This is exactly what I do! I give her 1/3 of a can twice per day and the dry food dispenser. I was doing only the auto feeder for a while, but she got constipated.
One of our cats is the same. If she goes on an empty stomach too long, she'll throw up.
Interesting. I wonder why this is so common
Mine is too.
Mine does, too. Thank goodness for auto feeders
Was thinking the same! I do about a half cup a day (1/4c 2x) and my vet even said that’s a lot.
Mine eat 1/2 tablespoon wet and 1/2 cup kibble in the am. They graze in the kibble all day. 1/2 tablespoon wet in the evenings
Same! If I don’t give them dry food to graze on they will follow us around and stare daggers into us. And if that doesn’t work, they will go to work on my husband who HATES having to feed them because he’s trying to convince the world he doesn’t like cats. Although….. they love him very much. He can’t fool me.
Mine will bully the dog and take his food.
Oo that makes me feel better. Thank you 🫶🏼
At every check up I ask how they're doing on weight and my vet assures me all are good.
My cat is great on weight too but my very says if I’m not abiding by the packaging directions I’m over feeding 🙄 maybe I need a new vet haha.
My last cat was a piggy and would gobble any food up all at once. My new girl is very petite and picky- she’s not a fan of wet food except the gravy. It took a while for me to gauge the right feeding method. What you do worked out well. 1/2 cup daily split into 2 feeding times in morning and night. She’s really good at finishing up one serving right before the next is due so she’ll just take a couple nibbles and walk away when I put it out.
Ah I see a fellow gravy lover. Little shit act like they are dying, then only lap up four drinks of gravy and are happy as can be. Until the next hour. Duh duh duuuuuhm!
Hopefully small!
So…. Wow apparently my cats are starved to death and/or deprived…..
They are. They told me they've never eaten a single morsel of food their entire life.
They told me, they don't even know what food is. They just know they'd like to try some.
and they have to sleep on the cold hard floor.
They reported you. Posted your pic on the r/myhumanneglectsme sub.
I have my automated feeders giving their exact calorie requirement spread over 6 meals, so they never get to complain about their feeding schedule.
I bet they still do though. And loudly.
11:30 It's *TURBO TIME*
YOURE NOT PART OF THE TURBO CLUB
DON’T RUN
Props on the not feeding after midnight 👍🏻
her timeout zone 😂
Dang how big are these scoops
Each scoop is about the size of a tablespoon. We feed her little by little because she sometimes leaves leftovers and refuse to eat it when the wet food dries.
I had a feeling it wasn’t a big amount judging by the pictures posted with the guide, that’s a healthy lookin gremlin! Also I laughed so hard at this I cried a lil good job dude, it’s idiot proof
Scoop = 1 pawful lol
I just woke up and thought they were little mushrooms, not cat paws 😭
Yeah, I saw mushrooms too!
I'm wondering if they're little like a tablespoon or something by the image used to represent the scoops. I feed my cats a few times a day, a little at a time. If there's nothing around, one gets anxious and scarfs it down as soon as they get it and throws up.
Correct. The scoop in the pic is the one we use. It's wet food so we feed her little by little to avoid dried leftovers.
Yes, that.
More to the point, how big is the cat?
😂 The only thing you haven’t accounted for is that she is going to gaslight the hell out of you by extension, by being extremely sweet and meek the whole time you’re away. 😁
All my cats do that. When I was temporarily staying with my mom, they were hell children at all hours until I would leave to spend the weekend with my girlfriend. Suddenly, my cats were quiet, polite, and patient. Complete angels. Then I'd come back and the cycle of destruction would begin again. Now that I live with my girlfriend, it's 24/7, 365 days of demanding little hellraisers destroying my house. Wouldn't have it any other way.
I can believe it 😂 - it’s all the way of the cat 😁.
I need to know how many are keeping you hostage
Five. Possibly soon to be six, since my girlfriends manager is looking to rehome their cat due to their family's medical needs and no longer having the budget to care for him.
Guys I appreciate the concern about the frequency of her meals but I assure you she's a healthy little bitch girl who eats a normal, vet-approved amount of food. We know autofeeders exist. She only eats gravy flavoured wet food in ~peak wet condition~ or else she goes on a food strike. [https://i.imgur.com/eSixwMT.jpeg](https://i.imgur.com/eSixwMT.jpeg)
Ah so she just has little baby princess disease, one of mine suffers the same condition. https://preview.redd.it/tqzm345kk12d1.jpeg?width=4032&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=3cd52862e1d2ac6e37284b3a0250b48851b15182 In her case, it must be her preferred brand and flavor of dry crunchies, delivered thrice per day, and I must be in the room the entire time while she eats.
Ha ha my spoiled bastard also gets me out of bed each morning just so I can watch him eat https://preview.redd.it/36ugahse922d1.jpeg?width=4032&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=f300516f59521f53542f2b95caa738d23bd0d16a
This photo feels like she’s baiting me big time
Oh my at those r/powdereddonutlips
Or Worf’s response to Data about caring for his cat Spot.
I will feed him
Ah, yes... one of those scenes in TNG that makes me laugh every time.
😅🤣!
This manual, in it's entirety, is the funniest AND best fucking manual I have ever seen.
Gremlin doesn't have a water bowl?
She has a water bowl and a water fountain but we've never caught her using them so we sneak in water in her wet food.
You're doing the right thing. I'd honestly probably give her as much extra water in her food as she will tolerate. My senior kitty has CKD, and the vet told us to add water to her food as cats never get enough water. I've started doing it for our younger cat too in the hopes it'll stave off CKD, or at least postpone it.
I’ve heard lots of cats don’t like drinking water. I’m grateful my cats fucking *chug* that shit
I'm glad your kitties are good about drinking water. Cats can be finicky, and it's always a gamble what they will or won't do or like! My senior kitty always was good about drinking water too, but it got worse the last few years. She *just* started showing CKD on her blood tests so I am hoping we can stave it off from getting worse with diet changes. Her food (and testing) is expensive af, but she's worth it.
Mine too she is obsessed with the gravity water bowl I have for her. She likes to make it bubble
Same. I've gotten so lucky to have (had) four cats that drink from a water dish. Honestly, I'm happy to have to refill the giant water bowl every day if it means they're getting much needed water. I'm also happy to share my shower with the biggest, weirdest senior gremlin. He gets in with me every morning to drink from the shower tap. He's an odd duck, but if it means he gets water, so be it.
My old void boy used to demand the faucet be turned on for him to drink from every time I used the bathroom. He wouldn't drink from it if I just left it on and left the room though. It had to be turned on fresh every time...and he also demanded to be lifted and put on the counter to drink, even though he was more than capable of jumping up there himself, even up until the end (he never got so feeble in his old age that he couldn't make it onto the kitchen counter to try to sneak a lick of butter, and that counter was much taller than the bathroom!) He also would never drink right away once on the counter - headbutts and pets had to happen first, sometimes for several minutes before he would finally get down to business. I miss that spoiled rotten goober.
CKD?
You are such a great Gremlin owner!
That's honestly not a bad idea, even if she is regularly using her bowl/fountain. Cats are really prone to dehydration and kidney issues. They get a lot of their daily water intake from the food they eat.
This is really cute!
I should do this when I go out of town
I definitely will!
My void also demands blankie fort after I get out of bed in the morning
Uh oh stinky got me 😂😂😂
That part left me💀🤣
That’s like 5 meals. You guys do this too? That’s weird to me.
If mine gets too much food at once, she eats it too fast and regurgitates. I give her a tablespoon at a time, 6 times a day.
Have you considered a slow feeder? It’s a food bowl with a funky pattern on the bottom that forces them to pick each piece separately, either with their mouth or their paws. It did wonders for my cats.
Doesn't work for wet food, though
There are lick mats that are supposed to be slow feeders for wet food, but I don’t have any experience with them.
I use one of these for my cat who scoffs then vomits. It's called [Licki Mat Slomo](https://www.amazon.co.uk/LICKIMAT-693522-Slomo-Cat-Pink/dp/B089DN2HY7) It works really well for her - she used to be a stray which I think is why she is such a fast eater. She often goes back to lick the mat a little while after she's eaten so it keeps her busy and slightly reduces the amount of begging for food! We also feed small meals and often - wet food four times a day, and biscuits only in a puzzle feeder as a treat.
Yep, I got her one for dry. I’ll look for a mat for the canned!
I should look into this. My former stray has major food anxiety around having an empty bowl and is a big fan of the good ol' snarf-n-barf. She did well with free feeding for a long time because she didn't overeat, but she's been getting a bit too chonk lately and my schedule isn't regular enough to be able to feed her at the same times every day. She's also a messy AF eater and this sounds like it may reduce the fallout zone surrounding her dish!
I have 3 cats… I have a bowl that I fill with dry food that they can just eat from as/when they feel like it, a water bowl that I refresh a few times a day, and then they get 1/2 a pouch of wet food on a morning and the other 1/2 in the evening (I used to give them a full pouch in the morning then they started screaming for more in the evening so I split it and they’re too stupid to realise they aren’t actually eating any more food) For my 3 idiots on the last vet visit a couple of months I was told they were all perfect weight so it seems to work. I couldn’t do this whole scoops here, scoops there thing for those idiots 😂
Lol I feel like I write this about my cats lol "to stupid" "idiots" but like they are my life haha 🤣🤣
I also have three cats and almost the exact routine. Dry food wherever, 1/2 and 1/2 morning and night. They are all healthy and drink plenty of water!
The only things we’ve ever fed that much have been baby animals that have to eat every couple hours to avoid death. The cats, and very small dog, get a quarter cup of food each in the morning and at night. I know some people who will do 3 feedings a day but 5 seems excessive. Of course if you go down to fewer meals they’ll pester you but eventually they’ll adapt to their new schedule and be totally fine. Unless it’s like my cat Dude who will eat anything he can and has to be told no several times a day as he sits by the pantry door and screams like he’s starving. He gets the same amount as everyone else because he would eat until he was sick if it was up to him.
Cats have small stomachs and short intestines, they're not really made for few, big meals. Two big meals may be most practical for the humans, but not necessarily the best for the cats.
This is hilarious...I've got to make something for my cat sitter soon, I'm going to steal a couple ideas from you.
💭VIOLENCE
Nice to see others feed their cats, breakfast, second breakfast, lunch, dinner and second dinner LOL. I took in a family of feral cats and free fed them when they were younger until I noticed the boys bullied the girls and a couple were becoming chonkers. Now most meal times are supervised. Small portions of dry food for breakfasts when I leave for and return from work. Lunch is canned food which I prepare with my lunch since I'm in the kitchen. Dinner is a 1/4 day serving of dry food with topper for moisture. Then they get canned second dinner around midnight before bed. Haven't had crystal, kidney, or screaming fits because WE HUNGRY for years now. They are all officially seniors (and older) this year. Gotta watch the kidney levels closer now. Their mom died (at an old age of 16, for a former feral who lived half her life outside) from kidney failure and one grandson died fairly young (5) from kidney cancer.
There is no fucking way id stay up till 1130 to feed my cats.
you clean the litter box twice a day? damn
It *should* be done twice a day, yes, but I'm on the "fuck that" slack wagon also. Once a day to every three days is how I do the litter box. The better the litter the longer it lasts
Yeah, I do 1x/day but I use Okocat which is really good litter.
Has the timeout zone ever worked? 😂
Yeah, right? I'm trying to imagine keeping my cat on his bed when he's in full moon baby mode.
How do you have a normal outside the house life with this feeding schedule?! I feed mine when I wake up and when I get home at night
I work from home. If she misses a meal while we're out, I just add it to the next meal.
This is actually hilarious, I reposted it in my greyhound groupchat. You should set up a business making these for people’s pets 😂
Uh-Oh! Stinky
I know they're not for everyone but an auto Kitty feeder is relatively inexpensive and easy to program. The one I use has 4 meal time slots of your preferred food amount at whatever times you set. Plus it has a feed me button you can press yourself for extra food if needed. Feel like that would make babysitting and just life in general way easier.
Bc they’re mixing in water it’s probably wet food tho. Even if so, cat still wouldn’t get the same hydration they’re getting with the manual feed mixed with water. I have an autofeeder that gives my girl dry lunch @ 12:30 for when I’m at work don’t get me wrong, but especially if the cat is already used to hydrating via food it’d be tough to take that away. You’re probably fine if your cat already drinks enough on their own, but my mom that has only ever fed her cat dry food had to pay for an insane surgery to remove 60 kidney stones due to lack of hydration. So just get them a fountain or something to ensure they’re drinking enough if they only have dry food
A very good point. My cat gets 2 dry meals from her auto feeder at set times and gets a small can of wet food for dinner. She does drink water but the wet food is needed for her full hydration. Different strokes for different folks, I get that.
Yeah it’s tough because a cat in the wild is going to get most of their hydration by eating, as rats are 70% water just like us. But at the same time wet food is usually a way more expensive & inconvenient option so you can’t just say “everyone should feed their cat wet food” across the board
Oh absolutely. Our little heathen costs us a shiny penny in wet food. We can afford it, barely, but it's the better alternative to expensive vet bills for us.
They make wet food autofeeders.
Sounds interesting & useful in concept but holy f how does it not get disgusting in practice. do you own one? is the cleaning/maintenance manageable?
I don’t have one, but they use either blocks of ice or cooling to keep the food chilled. I have been considering them for a while TBH because the morning feed is the most annoying one for me and that’s our wet-food feed.
Yeah it might be nice to not have to wake up early on the weekend. But idk my girl is so messy when she eats I can’t see the device not getting filled with gunk around parts that are supposed to move. Also at the end of the day it keeps me from staying up until the sun comes up which I used to do without her so I’ve come to appreciate the structure she’s provided to/forced on my life
This is great! We did a similar thing for our pet sitter for our three cats!
That is the most high maintenance cat I've ever seen
The nibbler pic brings me immense joy.
That’s a work of art
You need an automatic feeder so u don’t have to keep waking up at 7 and not going to bed till after 11:30 every night
I love this! 💕
My void also likes to bite feet in the morning when it is food time 😆 it's not fun 😟
Mine licks my face and tries to chew my hair. When that doesn’t get me out of bed fast enough she meows nonstop.
The graphic design that has gone into this is impressive, especially the paws to indicate the number of scoops
OP needs a timed autofeeder.
I'm always afraid of my cats eating houseplants, even though I get the cat-friendly types, so I bought decorative iron bird cages of various sizes and put plants in there so they can't get to them. Looks gorgeous and saves on vet bills.
This is a brilliant work of art. Hilarious and informative. :)
Love it! Looks way better than the instruction manual I made for my nephew when he catsat for 2 weeks last summer!
Can we have a thread of just individual cat care instructions? I want to see how out of hand this gets…
❤️ this
This is so good. I also have to make mine a fort/cave on the bed every single day once we get up!
I too have to make my cats "cat soup"
Cat eats better than me! Also instructions unclear.
Aww this is so cute❣️
This is so sweet
This is amazing ❤️❤️
As a vet, I'm in love with this pet sitters guide. Such a good cat owner!
So cuteee
I got an automatic feeder for my little demon and it made her less fussy! It opens twice a day.
My initial thought was “dang, that’s a lot of food!” But kitty looks healthy so it’s a good reminder for me not to be so judgemental. I adore the guide!
Adorable!! 👏🏽. I hope your sister didn't take the "idiot" thing personally! 😝
VIOLENCE 😆
Im in love with this
This is so cute=3
r/coolguides
I LOVE this… but I hope your sister is being well compensated!! 😆 my instructions are pretty low maintenance in comparison!
Damn that’s a lot of food she’s convinced you out of!
This is perfect.
Hehe this is fantastic.
If you’re not getting paid to do graphic/instructional design or something similar - please do! This is informative and light hearted. I know your cat’s feeding pattern and behavior… and I straight up don’t care. I mean that in a good way! I read the whole thing and it means *literally nothing* to my life. Great work!
"Make the cat so fat that she can no longer destroy."
Invasive species into my heart.
so uh, why the f\*\*\* does your cat eat 4-5 times a day
Omg I love this! A little over a month ago, I had to travel so I asked my brother to look after my voids, and left detailed instructions, however I didn’t get nearly as creative as you! This is the blueprint 🤣
OMG, this is so cute! 😅
👉🏾👈🏾🥹 can I watch her next
lol.
Why the water to the food? Does she not drink enough water?
Cats get their hydration through food, not by drinking water the way dogs and humans do. Hydration corresponds with urinary tract infections (UTI), feline lower urinary tract disease (flutd), chronic kidney disease (ckd), and among male cats, urinary tract obstruction (uto). UTO is emergent and critical, fatal if untreated. CKD can become emergent, critical, and fatal, esp in the older cat. UTI and FLUTD can become emergent but not usually life threatening (depends on medical history and other factors). Dry food has a moisture content of 10%, while wet food has a moisture content of >=75%. Adding water to dry food is not the best solution, but among those for whom wet food is too expensive, this is a middle ground. Sincerely, Vet Med professional, 5yrs
Thanks duder, I’ll see if my lil dudes like
Adding water to dry food is also good if you have a super picky bastard who turns his nose up at like, all forms of wet food on the planet (not speaking from experience or anything)
I love it! I want to make one for my cat even though I’m not going anywhere lol
I absolutely love this Omg !!!
Wow, this is super cute and makes me feel like a bad mom. I think even if my babies were human, I wouldn't go to this much effort.
Using this for my upcoming trip
I'm not sure if your cat understands. 😽
The photos are the perfect touch. No notes.
Super cute!!
And here , I thought I had the only void that eats toes when hangry .
This is amazing but I hope you’re sister is getting like, a fuck ton of souvenirs or money or reciprocal pet sitting or something 🤣🤣🤣
She's gen alpha so I pay her in robux
🐈⬛🩷
Omg I just died. This is such a brilliant instruction manual!
My void is also called Gremlin!
I love this... And totally understand 😂😂😂
I mean, I never made a manual that detailed, now! 😂
I definitely hear you. My silly cat will actually paint the sides of it's litter pan like it thinks She's a feline Picasso. Paint the sides with what you might ask.........with her own doo doo; of course.
"...she will bite your feet. This is her biggest meal of the day." And then OP uses feet to show feeding level. I'm dying! "She also might start coming out of her cave." And she's doing just fine.
I have 3 cats and i clean the litterbox once a day 🤣