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Cat conducting psychological warfare [Update]
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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.
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.
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!
Relevant info: #PAX East: 3 Coin Lunch organizer. 2012 Trading card available. Pokecrawl Assistant 2012. Pokecrawl attendee 2011. Cult of the Leaf attendee 2012.
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.
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.
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.