Dog Community

Cat owners with Dogs

Posted : 6/3/2006 8:55:20 AM

I have two cats and a dog. We're moving into a new home next week and I would like ideas on where to feed my cats so that the dog can't steal their food or bother them. We feed them on the dryer right now, but that isn't going to work. Does anyone have anything cool set up?
Thanks,
Christi

forpaws

Posted : 6/3/2006 8:58:32 AM

Maybe you can feed them in the utility room with the door shut so the dogs cannot get in or the bathroom. At last resort, you could use a baby gate to help or just stand in between them and the dogs. Good luck

Xerxes

Posted : 6/3/2006 9:01:00 AM

At this point I feed the cat on a stool, but that's not working too well right now. I tried the window ledge and that too, isn't working because the dog is very very sneaky. I'm looking into one of those cat-tree things with a larger flat surface around my eye level.

I'll be watching this thread for ideas too.

lynn22erica

Posted : 6/3/2006 9:40:12 AM

I feed my cat in the garage, because he likes to sleep out there, and the garage is off limits to Maisy (the dog). Ive also seen people use a laundry room, or if that isn't an option, you could set up a baby gate to keep your dog out of whatever room...Good Luck![

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boneyjean

Posted : 6/3/2006 10:42:33 AM

I have an old coffee table that I put the cats food and water on. The dogs are able to get up there if they wanted to but know they are not allowed to and don't. My dogs aren't huge though so their heads aren't high enough to reach the food w/o actually getting on the table. Before that, I used to feed the cats on the counter in our guest bathroom. That way I could leave the food out for them to eat whenever they wanted it.

tiffy

Posted : 6/3/2006 12:34:47 PM

I feed on top of the dryer, so no help here.

cindy w.

Posted : 6/3/2006 12:39:09 PM

Mine are fed in the laundry room with a board up in front of the door, it's low enough for my aging cat to jump it, the dogs can jump if they wanted to bad enough but I have used a can with pennies in it and any time they went near the door I would shake the can and tell them no.
Thankfully this worked well for us.

faol

Posted : 6/3/2006 2:14:04 PM

Hehe, I just had my dad cut a hole in the laundry room, big enough for the cats to get through but not the dogs/

Mikaela Ritter

Posted : 6/3/2006 2:48:15 PM

We used to feed them on the bathroom counter, now it's downstairs on the counter next to our utility sink. It's keeping the dogs out of the litter box that's our problem right now [&:] Yuck!

pofi_pasquale

Posted : 6/3/2006 3:57:32 PM

Well, our home is an older one and in need of interior remodel, so I selected a small room I had not much else use for and we cut two cat holes into it at the bottom (two lanes of traffic!) and a big "window" in the upper half so we can see in there. I put an old microwave cart and table in there and we have 3 feeding stations and a self cleaning box in there. There food is all stored on the shelves of the cart and I can even throw catnip toys around in there that dogs won't get to destroy. My plan is to put trim around the openings, but I haven't done it yet.

You could possibly do this with a closet, too - and you want it to be with cheap doors like the ones I had - these were NOT pretty, architectural doors. Cheap hollow core doors. We also have a cat door installed in the door at the top of the basement stairs and in the basement DH built a shelf/platform about 2 and a half feet deep and 3 feet off the floor. It has little steps leading up to it and room for 3 large covered cat boxes, a litter locker, bags of clean litter, scoops, etc and I DON'T HAVE TO BEND OR SQUAT to clean them. He anchored the whole thing into the walls.

glenmar

Posted : 6/3/2006 4:47:44 PM

I installed a half door going into my family room but it's UP high enough for the cats, not the german shepherds to go UNDER it. The cats have free roam of the lower level and now and then come upstairs as well, while the dogs can have all of the lower level they want EXCEPT the family room...that room is by invitation only.

karin

Posted : 6/3/2006 9:37:02 PM

Our cats get the family room in the basement. (but this is only because the dogs won't go downstairs..... big babies) The first house we lived in was all one level. I used a baby gate for my office, and the cats had litter boxes and food in there. We had the gate off the ground so the cats could go under of over. It worked really well.

micksmom

Posted : 6/4/2006 8:12:46 AM

When Mick was a pup, I fed our cat in her crate (with the door open). I'm about to go back to doing that, since His Royal Highness has decided the cat food is fair game again. If you don't have a cat sized crate, a cardboard box turned upside down with a "cat door" cut in it will work nicely, too.

inne

Posted : 6/4/2006 9:46:06 AM

Robin is free-fed in the kitchen, which is cut off with a baby gate. She has lots of ways to get into the kitchen that Louise can't do and I take the gate down when Louise is in her crate or we go outside. Louise is fed in the 'dining room' right beside the kitchen.

Christi

Posted : 6/4/2006 10:32:42 AM

Nikki-our litter box problem is solved by putting the box in a guest room closet (our cats are soooo tolerant) and then using 2 door stops to keep the door open at a width so that only the kitties can fit through. This problem really stressed me out. I am less worried about the food...and I am enjoying reading solutions others have thought of!