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Cat conducting psychological warfare [Update]

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Posts

  • RyeRye Registered User regular
    Oh dear! I had the same problem a while back

    The result was that I started to feed them when I get HOME from work and right before going to bed. Yes, this means I feed them twice within 2-4 hours. The only reason I feed them twice is because they scarf it down so quick.

    Now I get greeted by my cats when I get home, and they know the sound of me getting up to go to bed - that's a HELLUVA a lot less annoying than being woken up.

  • Aoi TsukiAoi Tsuki Registered User regular
    Rye wrote: »
    Yes, this means I feed them twice within 2-4 hours. The only reason I feed them twice is because they scarf it down so quick.

    Now I get greeted by my cats when I get home, and they know the sound of me getting up to go to bed - that's a HELLUVA a lot less annoying than being woken up.

    Tonight, Maka started begging for food at 7 p.m., though we've been feeding them the same amount at 10 every day/night for many moons--she has a habit of adjusting to whatever time they get fed, including when we tried feeding them right before my husband went to bed, about 2 a.m. That worked for a few weeks, till she started waking us at 9 a.m., then around 8-ish, then even earlier.

    I'll update when we have the feeder. (How big/loud is it? The best spot we could figure out for it is in our bedroom. I could get used to the sound if it was a unobtrusive, regular thing.)

  • EshEsh Tending bar. FFXIV. Motorcycles. Portland, ORRegistered User regular
    Aoi Tsuki wrote: »
    Rye wrote: »
    Yes, this means I feed them twice within 2-4 hours. The only reason I feed them twice is because they scarf it down so quick.

    Now I get greeted by my cats when I get home, and they know the sound of me getting up to go to bed - that's a HELLUVA a lot less annoying than being woken up.

    Tonight, Maka started begging for food at 7 p.m., though we've been feeding them the same amount at 10 every day/night for many moons--she has a habit of adjusting to whatever time they get fed, including when we tried feeding them right before my husband went to bed, about 2 a.m. That worked for a few weeks, till she started waking us at 9 a.m., then around 8-ish, then even earlier.

    I'll update when we have the feeder. (How big/loud is it? The best spot we could figure out for it is in our bedroom. I could get used to the sound if it was a unobtrusive, regular thing.)

    Why are you putting it in your bedroom? Where do they normally eat? Put it there.

  • KiashienKiashien Medford, MARegistered User regular
    Okay.. I'm going to be as helpful as I can.

    I had to deal with a SEVERE food shift due to teh old kitteh being diagnosed with Diabetes.

    We went from a once-a-day feeding of all-day graze food to half a can of wet every 12 hours, absolutely strict no stop.

    Since the cat was legitimately not getting enough food, that got doubled. But, the transition:

    #1 I am ACE at ignoring. Many, many people have noted this. Seriously... ignore the shit out of her. And when she gives up and and is quiet long enough, immediately, that day, on that second, reward her with an awesome treat. In the absence of a medical condition, ignore her literally until she stops being a dirty little punk. (Not an option on my case, but Dark is mostly chill)

    #2... Auto feeders aren't automagically bad, they're just a pain to research. You can find one, it just might cost a hell of a lot more than you want to pay.

    #3, what I have to do every day (Similar situation time wise)... I stumble out of bed at 8 am (8 pm is the diabetic cat's other feeding time), feed the cat, give him his shot, and collapse back into bed. I then sleep until 9:30, and then get up and go to work. It's very close to the schedule you're talking about, it's just the nap time is longer and therefore more viable than mine.

    #4 It's legitimately possible that she needs more food. Ask your vet about her weight, and if feeding her more is sane. It might be "Yes, actually, you should feed her more and then she will be a needy whiner a lot less."

    Given your multiple cat, this might consist of locking her in the bathroom in a deathmatch with her food from 8-9 each morning and night.

    But at least it isn't all day.

    Anyway, I'm not a vet, and ask yours before doing anything I suggest at all. Unless you're risky or something. Or you're secretly underdog.

    ...And I need sleep before I make even LESS sense.

    Good luck underdogcat! I'm rooting for you!

    The pirate hat riding bobcat compels you...

    Relevant info: #PAX East: 3 Coin Lunch organizer. 2012 Trading card available. Pokecrawl Assistant 2012. Pokecrawl attendee 2011. Cult of the Leaf attendee 2012.
  • LadyMLadyM Registered User regular
    I think your problem is partly one of consistency. You have a whole list of things you have tried with this cat, which is only 1.5 years old. Stop. Breathe. Pick one method and stick with it.

    I, too, recommend ignoring. Even negative attention is a form of attention and that is more or less what the cat wants. If this involves putting the cat in the bathroom every night and not letting her out until you're good and ready, that's fine. Put in earplugs if you have to.

  • ceresceres When the last moon is cast over the last star of morning And the future has past without even a last desperate warningRegistered User, Moderator Mod Emeritus
    It's like you're all reading the posts, but comprehending none of them.

    And it seems like all is dying, and would leave the world to mourn
  • Aoi TsukiAoi Tsuki Registered User regular
    Well, the feeder arrived--right after this was locked, actually. Took less than 48 hours to get here, though I didn't pay for express shipping. :o Anyway, the thing works just about as expected: we unpacked and assembled it, and put it in a corner of the dining room (there's absolutely no room where they usually got fed, which was too close to the litter box anyway, I always thought), and Maka thought it was kind of cool, while Mayu kept her distance. Then we ran the thing, and it took Maka approximately twelve seconds to figure out that 1. she was not going to get eaten by the scary noise, and 2. holy shit food.

    Mayu is taking longer to come around, but she happens to be a normal cat, so we've been able to work on her. Meanwhile, Maka has woken us a few times this week out of habit, but we've stopped hand-feeding entirely, and they both learn so fast that it the behavior's just about gone already. This morning, we didn't hear a peep out of her. *happy dance*

    So, thanks for suggesting the $$$ feeder. It works. Barring the Apocalypse, this thread can be locked up for good.

  • EshEsh Tending bar. FFXIV. Motorcycles. Portland, ORRegistered User regular
    Out of curiosity, which one did you end up buying?

  • Aoi TsukiAoi Tsuki Registered User regular
    Esh wrote: »
    Out of curiosity, which one did you end up buying?

    Delzhand's suggestion. I called and asked a friend whom my husband remembered as having one of the round turny ones you linked to, and she said that her cat doesn't fuck with it, but she knows both Mayu and Maka, and in her opinion, the lid is flimsy enough that they could probably not be trusted with it. I also wanted the option to feed them four or six times a day without having to refill it constantly and maintain the human-food relationship.

  • EshEsh Tending bar. FFXIV. Motorcycles. Portland, ORRegistered User regular
    Aoi Tsuki wrote: »
    Esh wrote: »
    Out of curiosity, which one did you end up buying?

    Delzhand's suggestion. I called and asked a friend whom my husband remembered as having one of the round turny ones you linked to, and she said that her cat doesn't fuck with it, but she knows both Mayu and Maka, and in her opinion, the lid is flimsy enough that they could probably not be trusted with it. I also wanted the option to feed them four or six times a day without having to refill it constantly and maintain the human-food relationship.

    I've never had one. I was just linking to a random feeder. Good to see that things worked out.

This discussion has been closed.