We all love to see our favorite furry companions well-fed and flourishing, but sometimes feeding them can come with its own challenges. Over the years, countless feed formulations have been developed to encourage proper nourishment of the cats we call pets, and recently, feeding “aids” such as the cat slow feeder has been developed to help our pets overcome their feeding challenges.
We will share telling details about the cat slow feeder in this piece, including the perks that come with using it for your pet.
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What Exactly Is A Cat Slow Feeder?
A cat slow feeder is a carefully thought out contraption meant primarily for feeding your cat, but not in the usual manner of just putting out their meal and letting them gorge it down as fast as they can. Over time, pet owners have come to realize that letting your furbaby eat too fast might come back to haunt you and you don’t want a sick pet in your hands.
The cat slow feeder was designed to make mealtime fun and adventurous for your cat, and to rejuvenate the joy and natural instincts of hunting for its food, before eating. These feeders come in all shapes and sizes, designs and colors and some even have built-in brain tasking activities that your cat has “to play” in order to get to its food in some circumstances. Many cats readily adapt to using the cat slow feeder immediately after you introduce them to it, while for some others, it takes time before they become less suspicious of “this strange contraption” and warm up to its use.
Why Your Cat Needs A Slow Feeder
There are quite a few reasons your cat may need to use a slow feeder, it varies from cat to cat, and all of them are important if you want a healthy pet.
- The cat eats too fast
If your cat downs its food too fast, especially when it is given very heavy portions, then it may be high time to slow things down by using a slow feeder. This is necessary to avoid the consequences that may follow when food is eaten too fast.
- Overweight issues
Since most pet cats are fed their prepared meals in the house, rather than hunting for them in the wild, they tend to overindulge. Coupled with the lack of adequate exercise, these pet cats tend to become overweight, lazy, and less mobile over time. Needless to say, there are several health conditions that can come up as a result of being overweight. A cat slow feeder will help to mitigate this situation by attempting to mimic the innate design of your cat hunting for its food before eating.
- Bloating and other health issues
Your cat takes in either small or large amounts of air while it is feeding and over time, this will lead to bloating and possibly other health issues. Meanwhile, a cat slow feeder will help to mitigate this situation by allowing your furry companion to eat at a much more controlled rate, as well as take in the right amount of air when the need arises.
- Mealtime battles with others
If you have more than one cat at home and feed them in the same area at the same time, then there is a tendency for the more dominant cat to feed on the food of the less dominant ones and/or slow eaters, after finishing its own meal. Feeding the dominant cat from the slow feeder will help rectify this issue. This way, they will be too occupied to care about other cats’ food.
- Overall fun
Sometimes eating can be boring but not with a cat slow feeder that brings fun into the daily routine.
Does The Cat Slow Feeder Bowl Actually Help Your Cat Eat Slower?
The simple and straightforward answer to this question is… Yes, it does.
It achieves this desired effect by either controlling the time intervals between when food is delivered to your cat or by introducing “certain obstacles” or barriers that prevent your pet from rushing its food.
Some slow feeders also require that your cat figures out a puzzle before food is dispensed to it – stimulating its brain before nourishing its body. This literally makes feeding much more fun than the traditional bowls.
What Kind Of Food Goes In The Slow Feeder?
We all know that cat food can be wet, dry, or in any other form, so, the question is – how does the slow feeder work with these varieties? There are different types of slow feeders designed for different types of food. There are those designed for dry pellet-type foods, as well as wet and pate-styled foods. The choice of which one to use is entirely up to you or your cat(s).
Read Also:Â 10 Human Foods Cats Shouldn’t Eat
Factors That Could Affect A Cat’s Eating Habits?
These are some of the factors that can make the eating pattern and habits of your cat take a drastic turn:
- Irregular feeding schedule
Naturally, cats in their wild state and nature, actively hunt for prey and food between dawn and dusk each day, but as domesticated pets, they rely on their owners for food. Thus, as their owners get busier with their everyday lives, their feeding schedules become more irregular. As this schedule varies from day to day, it will definitely have an impact on your cat’s feeding and other habits.
- Feeding environment
Many owners place their cat’s feeding bowls in high-traffic areas of the home that will not guarantee the privacy/peace of mind the cat needs to consume its meal undisturbed.
Some put their feeding bowls near the lavatory or noisy electrical appliances that can distract the cat.
- Changing food types drastically
Your cat may refuse to eat its food if you just drastically replace its regular food with another. The proper way to change your cat’s food to another one is to gradually mix the new food in specified portions with the old one, over the course of time the furball will adjust.
- Food size, taste, odor, or texture
Cats are very sensitive to their food taste, smell, and even size. They dislike the smell of certain foods while they readily welcome others. As such, it is the owner’s responsibility to be sympathetic to their cat’s sensitivities.