free feeding
vacuumfreak
17 years ago
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JerriEllijay
17 years agoonyxdaily
17 years agoRelated Discussions
alfalfa pellet question
Comments (4)That's fine. There's only enough salt to attract rabbits to eat it. Alfalfa is a durable plant that produces easy protein without much processing. That's why it is used as a feed. It is not like wild animals would mow it down because it is so tasty. That is why they add salt and/or molasses to make it "palatable". Horses love molasses soaked feed so the larger pellets are almost dripping with molasses. If this is a feed store you're buying from, ask if they have plain alfalfa pellets the same size for a cheaper price. My feed store has a difference of $3 per bag between regular alfalfa and rabbit chow. I always talk about rabbit feed because more people know what that looks like than alfalfa pellets. Alfalfa pellets for horses are the size of your thumb and not great for home gardening....See MoreUMass Extension Landscape Message June 27, 2014
Comments (1)The July 11 Landscape Message is posted. Claire...See More4th of July pet training
Comments (10)Oceanna - that is good advice. Unfortunately, some dogs, and cats too (I have one) that are just frightened by thunder, fireworks or any other loud noises that do not regularly occur in their world. While we've tried to do the treats when the storms or fireworks are happening, it doesn't help with the cat or the pup who just become unhinged by these noises. The thing I find strange is that both of my dogs have the same mother in common. That said, their personalities couldn't be different. My younger boy (the one with the noise issues) is already on a prescription medication for anxiety reaction issues, yet when there are storms, he gets freaked out. I can tell when we are going to have the storms long before the sky even darkens. My younger lab starts early in the afternoon with the anxious behavior. I guess he can sense these storms, when even the meteorologists aren't predicting bad weather for our area, lol. My older guy doesn't react at all to any noise and never has. I hope the treat motivation is helpful to more people. We also use the tv or radio (a bit louder than usual) during storms as well. Also, downplaying and/or ignoring the reaction can be helpful too. Our vet definitely suggests that we not get pulled into the anxiety reaction. Thanks for posting this very helpful info....See MoreHow to NOT free feed cats
Comments (4)Hah! I feel your pain. I free fed all of my cats all of my life until last year. This current pride of cats (15 at the moment) includes a number of too-hearty eaters, many of whom became overweight (from slightly overweight to morbidly obese). So last year I finally decided this could not continue when one of my boys had a diabetes scare. NO MORE ALL DAY BUFFET FOR MY KITTY KIDS! I switched them to portioned meals, first three times a day, then reduced it to twice a day. They now get fed Innova Evo dry a.m. and Wysong au Jus canned p.m. Each cat is put in a separate room at breakfast so that there is no sharing of food. The evening canned food meal is fed communally, however. This schedule works for most of the cats, and all of the portly felines have taken off weight. Some have even reached target weight. There are exceptions, though. One of the boys has a very fast metabolism and is extremely active, so I feed him whenever he requests it during his more active summer months. I just stick him in a bathroom with his food whenever he wants to eat. The newest cat showed up underweight, so he is currently getting fed three times a day. That'll reduce to twice a day soon, though. And then there's Billy, my CRF and hyperT old man. Since I am home all day, I just feed Billy whenever it looks like I might be able to convince him to eat - at least 6 times a day, usually closer to 10. Since Billy won't eat if I take him to a separate room, I just feed him wherever he is and stand guard to keep the other cats at bay while he eats (unless I get lucky and he's already in a room by himself where I can just shut the door). The other cats all know I won't let them steal Billy's food, but they'll still try unless I'm nearby guarding. There really is no easy way to handle separate feeding when you're nursing a CRF cat who needs to eat frequently, but it's not impossible, either. If you're at home during the day, it's certainly doable. It just takes a commitment of time. Laurie...See Moregroomingal
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