As the number of cats in a home increases, it isn’t long before meeting everyone’s dietary needs becomes challenging, and sometimes downright frustrating. It would be wonderful to have one bag of food to divide up amongst the gang, everyone taking only what they require and then departing the mess-hall. In reality, some cats are gobblers, after which they set to forcing other cats off of their allotted grub. Some will not eat together without hissing and fighting. Many have their own taste preferences and refuse to eat the “regular food”, and still others eat only in the middle of the night, making it impossible for their owners to prove they have ever taken a meal.
I wish I could say I have the magic formula for making a group of cats eat in harmony, and maintain ideal body weight for everybody, and pay attention to specific medical dietary needs…but I can’t. Here is what I can say: A reduction in food to help remedy obesity in the heavy guys is not at all likely to lead to an under-weight situation for the leaner cats. If there are medical dietary needs, focus on those as a priority, adjusting the rest of the cats’ diets to make sure that sick kitties don’t have access to the “wrong” food. Cats don’t naturally enjoy company when eating, so finding the preferred location and time for each individual to eat can be time consuming, but very rewarding in the end.
