My cat won't eat from her slow feeder. How can I get her to use it?

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! There are a few things that you can consider including splitting her feedings into a few a day using the slow feeder. You can look into getting a different slow feeder. Also, you can consider basically throwing her food (kibble) in a room which is going to spread it out and Jackie will have to eat it more slowly. This usually works really well. Good luck and have a great day!

If the slow feeder hasn't helped, I recommend to have Simone examined by the veterinarian. It's possible she has a parasite, a food allergy, IBD...etc When pets don't respond to home care, it's time to visit the veterinarian. I hope this helps.

It may be impossible to train her to eat from the bowl. It’s not uncommon that pets will remove food from the bowl to eat on the ground or only eat if the food is placed on the ground. Unfortunately we don’t know why they exhibit these behaviors. I recommend to experiment with feeding her on a plate or a very wide bowl that does not come in contact with the whiskers on her muzzle or the top of her head. It could be a tactile sensation she does not like. Also observe her closely to make sure she’s not showing evidence of illness or not wanting to eat due to a medical condition. There are many reasons a cat will stop eating including sickness or dental problems. If you are not sure if Luna is healthy, have her examined by the veterinarian. Best of luck.

Do you have time to run out to a pet store and get a timed feeding bowl? This will release a specific amount of food at set times, and will keep Nala from overeating. You can also put her food into a muffin tin, dividing it equally among the 12 tins. This will also force her to slow down eating and may allow her to get full quicker. Check to see if you can get the timed feeding bowl first. Good luck, I hope this helps!

Some pets get in the habit of eating a certain way. They become conditioned in a sense to doing things a certain way and feel safer with their owners there for them. Cats in particular like to have flat dinner trays to avoid any rubbing of their whiskers when they eat. They are still very much un-domesticated in a lot of ways and so they want to make sure they can see around them while eating as a defense mechanism. This may be why your kitty likes to eat from your flat hand that is raised off the floor, because he/she feels safer in that position. You can try a flat dinner tray that is slightly raised off the floor and see if this encourages your kitty to eat on his/her own.

I recommend feeding an all meat canned or wet diet with added canned plain pumpkin. Cats do not do well with carbohydrates so feeding only meat will help Pumpkin lose weight. The canned pumpkin will help fill her up and add fiber and bulk up the stool to prevent constipation. Increasing her exercise also will help. You can feed her up on the dryer or a table so she has to jump up, and having her increase her activity chasing toys or a laser pointer will help also. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach to help you care for Pumpkin.

Many dogs gulp or bolt their food. It’s a common issue. Continue to use the special feeder. You could also look for kibble that is disc shaped or has a hole in the center as this will slow Zeke down as well as force him to chew more. You could also switch from a bowl to a food ball dispenser. He will have to roll the ball around the get the kibble to come out and this will definitely slow things down. Canned food may help because he has to lick rather than grab. Every dog is different. Some dogs do great on canned food while others don’t. Just make sure to slowly switch the diet and to feed he proper amount. I hope this is helpful and please feel free to post any additional questions.