Do you have a particularly greedy cat that eats very quickly leaving their bowl always empty? All healthy, you would think, but it is not quite so. If a cat feeds without giving themselves a rest, they could face various problems and dysfunctions. We suggest to you some tricks to encourage your feline to eat more slowly!
Not all cats have a tendency to devour food, but when dealing with a cat who gets excited in front of food it is important to intervene immediately and correct this attitude. Sometimes this can cause the animal to have flatulence, vomiting and digestive problems. What can you do?
1. OFFER MICRO PORTIONS MULTIPLE PER DAY
The most immediate solution to slow down the voracious cat is to offer them more micro portions of food by distributing them at various times throughout the day. A small amount of food made available several times a day helps the digestive system (the cat manages to better dispose of the biscuits) and at the same time does not spoil their appetite for the next meal. If you are away from home during the day, you can use timed bowls, such as Ferplast’s Cometa. Just set the desired time interval on the supplied timer and the bowl will magically open allowing your cat the right amount of food for the meal.
2. DISTRIBUTE THE BISCUITS ON A FLAT TRAY
An effective method to encourage the cat to eat slowly is to place the biscuits on a flat tray or on a large and shallow surface. By placing the kibble scattered on the tray we will force our four-legged not to binge, since, not having the entire pile of biscuits available in one place, it will take time to search for the individual kibble.
3. SPREAD THE WET FOOD ON THE BOTTOM OF THE BOWL
Cats are fond of wet food and if they are not used to eating it daily, a little hint of the scent will be enough to make them lose control, causing them to rush without restrain and swallow everything inside the bowl. Nothing could be more wrong for your cat’s health! For this reason, it is necessary to spread by crushing on the bottom of the bowl the soft cubes or the mousse of meat and fish, so the furry friend has to recover the food from the bottom and will be forced to lick going slowly, swallowing a bite at a time.
4. USE DIFFERENT BOWLS IN THE PRESENCE OF MULTIPLE CATS
When several cats live together in the house it often happens that they have the habit of devouring their portion of crunchy food, this is because mealtimes are accompanied with anxiety and fear that, at any moment, another cat may arrive and steal their food. To prevent this from happening, it is good to place several bowls on the ground – one per animal – well spaced from each other.
5. USE GAMES TO HIDE THE BISCUITS
There are particular games designed to slow down a greedy cat. These are mental activation toys with hiding places for kibble, like Discover by Ferplast. In addition to entertaining your kitty, promoting physical and mental exercise, this toy is equipped with holes covered by sliding disks inside which the biscuits are hidden. The cat, having to move the cover disk with their paw to find the right hiding place and get to the kibble, will inevitably eat more slowly.
Our four-legged friend should be educated on the right nutrition from an early age, if the problem persists always contact a veterinarian.