HELP Needed

[moonstone]

My CRF cat Bobby has been doing really well since she has been medicated and i have managed to get her onto the prescription diet food but i have had two cats dumped on me (the owner has emigrated and was going to take the cats too but on finding out how much it would cost dumped them on me promising to send for them when settled some hope) both these cats have problems one is hyperthyroid and the other is CRF they are both 13 yrs.old.
They have had an upheaveal coming to me and having to get used to living with my six cats but seemed to settle well
Now the female Ellie (CRF) has started to bully Bobby she sits by the food bowls and chases Bobby away
Bobby is now losing weight again (after gaining some and looking much better)she won,t stand up for herself and just walks away from the food
I have tried putting the dishes in different places but Ellie still stands over them to stop Bobby getting food not sure what to do now as Bobby looks really ill again
Has anyone any idea how i can stop Ellie doing this

[Mags]

Can you feed Bobby in a separate room, away from Ellie?

[moonstone]

NO my house is open plan so wherever i put the food dishes Ellie has access too she doesn't go out either so i can,t put her outside while i feed Bobby
Bobby is very highly strung and if you upset her she will just walk away no matter how hungry she is
I have to admit that i really didn't want these other cats as i felt that i had enough with my six but they are here now so i will have to try to cope somehow but it seems that it is at the expense of my girly

[calismum]

Could you put Ellie in a crate at feed time?

or

Feed Bobby in the loo?

[moonstone]

Hmm now thats a thought I could try shutting Ellie in the downstairs loo while i feed Bobby she won,t like it but neither does Bobby like being chased away from her dinner
Thanks for that idea i will try that tommorrow and see if it works as Bobby looks so thin i am thinking that she won,t last much longer

[Leesy]

Oh dear, I do hope that CM `s idea works and that poor little Bobby starts to eat her food again and puts back on that much needed weight. Do let us know how you get on.

[calismum]

Good luck.

[dandysmom]

Fingers crossed that either the loo or the crate idea will work! Please do let us know.

[moonstone]

well i tried putting Ellie in the loo she was not amused but i was able to get Bobby to eat only not her prescription diet food (it,s taken me ages to get her onto the diet too )still she has eaten today so i think she is feeling better she is a cat that will just walk away from food if it is something that she doesn't like before the CRF she used to only eat felix pouches she is so very thin now really could have done without the stress (for her) of getting used to having strange cats in her house and these poor new cats are finding it hard to adjust to being in a multi cat household
Curses to thier former owner for not wanting them anymore
Thanks for your help too

[pcspik]

My male who has CRF likes to bully the female out of the way when it's food time. I have found the only way is to feed her right in front of me on top of the coffee table, so that way if he does try he gets a quick telling off.

If she does not eat all of it, then I put the remainder on top of the fireplace which he cant reach. When she is hungry she will tell me.

If I am out and she has not ate, then I will make sure that the renal biscuits are the only ones down, and if she is hungry she will eat those. (Due to his missing teeth, he drops a few all over the place which she finishes off anyway.)

Also the food may be making a difference. There are about 6 different brands. My previous cat, who also had CRF, used to eat Royal Canin biscuits, but would eat Hills k/d meat (he would not touch the Royal Canin meat). My male is on Royal Canin biscuits and meat.

At our Cats Protection a couple of months ago we had donated Purina NF food (which is another food for CRF). Apparently according to the woman who gave it, her cat would not eat that (and worryingly was giving him boiled chicken every single day).