h a l f b a k e r yGo ahead. Stick a fork in it.
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My cats are permanently wanting feeding, yet won't eat food
that's been out for more than 5 mins. They eat - then want
more - but then don't eat it.
I was thinking of a feeding system similar to the way cows and
pigs are fed, with tags in their collars which activate a limited
amount of food,
which is stored in a mini hopper, realeased
into a feeding trough. Maybe someone in the livestock feeding
industry could come up with some ideas???
(But then again cats would probably work out how it works
and take over the business)
It would also be useful when going away for a few days, if you
have a cat flap.
Something like this?
http://shop.petmarket.com/autpetfeed.html
Although it works on a timer instead of a tag [mwburden, Nov 09 2001, last modified Oct 05 2004]
The Public 8 Ball
http://8ball.federated.com/
Lego Mindstorms and a webcam combine forces not to feed your cat, but to predict the future! [mighty_cheese, Nov 09 2001, last modified Oct 05 2004]
[link]
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My Feline food-o-matic would be ideal if it dished-up fresh
cat food in one feed proportions - not dried food - as my
cats only eat that as a last resort. It would have to be
sealed within the hopper and only opened or squeezed
into the trough as required. |
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"opened or squeezed into the trough as required"
So, why not package "canned" cat food in tubes, like tooth paste or the larger, economy-sized caulk tube? The caulk gun type of thing would be really, really easy to automate. You could even train the cats to touch a button or something to dispense a small amount (though, being cats, they would end up emptying the tube just to watch the stuff squirting out). |
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Don't worry, when a cat gets hungry enough, it will lose its picky eating habits. Don't coddle them. |
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I like the idea of a large tube - toothpaste like, or
"chemic gun", I'm sure the cats would get the hang of it.
It could maybe squeeze out a fresh cat bowl at the same
time to do away with the trough idea - saving on washing
up. It could be a lovely "Wedgewood" design. |
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Perhaps you should think about feeding them intravenously... |
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Peter: There are cat feeders that include refrigeration for wet food, as well. |
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Suspended animation. Haven't scientists managed to freeze and thaw frogs? Cats are just frogs with fur. Stick fluffy in the freezer next time you're on holiday. |
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Disclaimer: placing domestic pets in a refrigerating device is frowned upon by many pet care experts and veterinarians. It may also be in contravention of national, state or local laws in your area. Defrosting is not an exact science, and should under no circumstances be undertaken in a microwave or conventional oven. |
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My cats have been chewing it over - given the choice of
freezing or eating, they have decided on the latter. On
the condition they can have a few friends over to finish
off the left-overs. PeterSealy's cat top of the guest list. |
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A Lego Mindstorms kit would make it easy to squeeze cat food from a caulking tube into a dish at a specific time every day while you're away on vacation. You could even set up a webcam, watch your cats from a laptop, and feed them remotely using this system. Hell, if you got a self-cleaning litter tray, you mightn't ever have to go near your pets again. |
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I favour the fresh food method : a machine similar to a
lottery ball dispenser filled with mice, 1 for each day of
your holiday. It would be timed to release one mouse at
the usual feeding time along with a bell to alert the cat of
chase/play/food time. Blind fold the mice if your cat is
elderly and infirm to even up the stakes. |
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Welcome to the eternal mystery which is cat.
' Don't worry, when a cat gets hungry enough, it will lose its picky eating habits' ([seal10]). Albert Reynolds, one-time Prime Minister of Eire was previously the principal of a pet-food company. He said in an interview that if a cat dislikes the food it is given, it will literally (yes, [Rods], literally!) starve itself to death rather than eat it. |
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meow meow meow meow...I want meow mix! |
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