I'm going crazy here!
I have a 10 month old dog on dog food, a 15 year old cat on a low-protein feline diet due to kidney failure, and a 4 month old cat on kitten food. None of them want to eat their own food and they all want to eat each other's food. I even stand there and supervise all 3 of them eating just to keep them at their own bowls.
Up until now I've put Sophie (the dog) attached to a leash which is attached to the table, so she can't get to the kitten's food, which I have him eating on the floor on the other side of the kitchen. That, however, doesn't stop him (the kitten) from walking over and eating the puppy's food. That's tastier apparently. And then I have Tabatha's bowl (the 15 year old kitty) up on the counter because up until yesterday, the kitten couldn't jump up on the counter. Well, he figured it out yesterday and we are now in total chaos. And Tabatha would much rather eat the dog food or the kitten food, both of which will eventually be fatal to her if I don't stop her in time. And if I have the dog off the leash, forget it. The kitten's food is much tastier.
I guess my major question is how harmful is it for a dog to eat a few bites of kitten food a day (meaning, the amount of bites she can get in before I bolt across the room to stop her) and how harmful is it for a kitten to eat a few bites of dog food a day (meaning, the amount of bites he can get in before I can get to him and NO he does not respond to commands...are you kidding?!). I already know the harms for the older cat, but she moves fast too.
Apparently, the grass is always greener on the other side. I don't have the time or space to feed them in separate rooms or at separate times. Any ideas? And yes, the dog is totally scared of the 4 month old kitten, so if he walks up, the dog backs off. Kitten wins.
How do other multiple pet owners who are all on different diets handle this?
I have a 10 month old dog on dog food, a 15 year old cat on a low-protein feline diet due to kidney failure, and a 4 month old cat on kitten food. None of them want to eat their own food and they all want to eat each other's food. I even stand there and supervise all 3 of them eating just to keep them at their own bowls.
Up until now I've put Sophie (the dog) attached to a leash which is attached to the table, so she can't get to the kitten's food, which I have him eating on the floor on the other side of the kitchen. That, however, doesn't stop him (the kitten) from walking over and eating the puppy's food. That's tastier apparently. And then I have Tabatha's bowl (the 15 year old kitty) up on the counter because up until yesterday, the kitten couldn't jump up on the counter. Well, he figured it out yesterday and we are now in total chaos. And Tabatha would much rather eat the dog food or the kitten food, both of which will eventually be fatal to her if I don't stop her in time. And if I have the dog off the leash, forget it. The kitten's food is much tastier.
I guess my major question is how harmful is it for a dog to eat a few bites of kitten food a day (meaning, the amount of bites she can get in before I bolt across the room to stop her) and how harmful is it for a kitten to eat a few bites of dog food a day (meaning, the amount of bites he can get in before I can get to him and NO he does not respond to commands...are you kidding?!). I already know the harms for the older cat, but she moves fast too.
Apparently, the grass is always greener on the other side. I don't have the time or space to feed them in separate rooms or at separate times. Any ideas? And yes, the dog is totally scared of the 4 month old kitten, so if he walks up, the dog backs off. Kitten wins.
How do other multiple pet owners who are all on different diets handle this?