Should You Feed Your Cats in The Bedroom?
Most cats are fed in the kitchen but things are different at my house. Should you feed your cats in the bedroom?
It’s Merlin here and it’s Monday so you know what that means. Another morsel of feline of wisdom.You know how things go day by day and nothing seems to change until something big happens? It occurred to Layla that’s why we get fed in the bedroom.
You know how things go day by day and nothing seems to change until something big happens? It occurred to Layla that’s why we get fed in the bedroom. Five years ago when my sister Coco got ill and I had a bout of something, my dad thought it was too far for us to travel down to the kitchen. We’d be coddled and spoonfed and who doesn’t like breakfast in bed? I recovered but Coco did not. We mourned deeply and we thought it best to have more coddling.
Then Odin and Gris Gris arrived as fosters and they had a nice room next to the master bedroom and that become a secondary feeding station until they got used to the whole house. Then Domino arrived and he stayed downstairs for a while and prefered eating in the large entrance hall where water fountain is set up. When Domino, a feral finally figured out how stairs worked, he decided a double upstairs dining area suited him fine. We kept the water fountain and before you know we had three feeding stations.
This was the scene the other day.
I gradually got blind and less mobile. The stairs more arduous and the idea of ever eating in the kitchen evaporated like a salmon mousse in my belly.
Having multiple feeding/water stations NOT in a kitchen in a multiple cat household requires organization. Kitchens have easy to wipe surfaces, running water, a heat source, microwave, and refrigeration. Add various bottles, jars and tubes of supplements, treats, some food and meds requiring refrigeration, a freezer for frozen raw food, cleaning and odor removal supplies and it got complicated. When I needed sub-cutaneous fluids, puppy pads (oh the indignity of being incontinent and using ones for dogs!) the supplies were added to the bedroom cum kitchen pantry. Layla finally put her foot down and said, carrying trays of 6 bowls up and down twice a day to three rooms was too much. She wanted the younger cats to be fed in the kitchen like a normal household. Normal? Maybe in our next life.
Dad said he didn’t mind and Layla stopped feeding us except when necessary. So, 90% of our meals are in the bedroom. I get mine in bed and the ensuite bathroom. The others have trays of food on the floor and Nou Nou likes eating on the shelf.
To prevent WW3 or a divorce, dad carries endless trays up and down because we all have different dietary plans and schedules. I need to be fed every couple hours 24/7. Yup, you guessed it. Dear old dad does it. Layla is convinced he overfeeds and has spoiled us horribly but has surrendered the need to control.
You can’t teach old dogs or husbands a darn thing.
The moral of the story is: habits get learned quickly and unlearned slowly.
If you are feeding in the bedroom, keep a cat-proof cabinet for food and treats, a tray, spoons, dust pan and broom, cleaning supplies handy. If there is carpet, make sure the tray is large enough to cover an area big enough for the bowls and the cats. Vacuum and sweep weekly or more often for messy eaters. You don’t want to attract little critters. Odin would differ and you’ll find him mousing in the wee hours of the night in the kitchen!
Life keeps moving forward with or without us and at the rate my muscles are atrophying, I’m not moving much at all. I am still eating like a lumberjack which is the main
signpost for my voracious will to live. I’m sleeping more, enjoying cuddle time and the heater.
46 Comments
Pamela Wyss
I’m getting ready to. My Tux is all over me at 6:45am, having refused to eat for the last 6-7 hours because I was not been physically there while she ate. (I know, it’s crazy. She’s just started this behavior in the last month and two vets haven’t known what to advise me. She’s barely drinking without me there, either.)
I’m retired and I don’t want to get up that early anymore so I’m going to try opening my drawer and giving her a bowl of kibble in the morning and see if she’ll leave me alone. Since when is dealing with a cat conventional?
Nada
Disgusting!!! Ew
Layla Morgan Wilde
It’s not for everyone but if you ever have a cat in palliative care you might change your mind.
Clare
There’s no way I could feed my little dude in the bedroom, or anywhere carpeted for that matter… After he eats, the eating area looks like a total war zone! I swear that combined with so many other things he does makes me convinced he was a dog in a past life…
Nadbugs
Love this whole post, every bit!
Sweet Purrfections
We get treats in the bedroom, but not food.
The Swiss Cats
We’re fed in the kitchen, but we have a water bowl upstairs and another one downstairs. We couldn’t be fed in the bedroom : as the humans want to sleep, they close the door at night. Purrs
Ellen Pilch
I will feed in the bedroom if one of the cats decides that is where they want to eat, but luckily they usually all come out into the living room. Kitties should be spoiled.
Layla Morgan Wilde
Agreed, so no kitchen for them either.
Sometimes Cats Herd You
We all eat in different rooms of the house, and Newton eats in the spare room. He has the whole time he has lived with us.
Merlin, tell Layla that she can use human incontinence pads instead of puppy pads if she wants. They’re slightly more dignified for you, since they’re not for dogs, they’re larger than a lot of puppy pads, and they are less expensive than puppy pads, too! When we had a house full of senior cats, the head peep bought them a case at a time.
Layla Morgan Wilde
Thanks that’s a great idea!
The Island Cats
We don’t get fed in the bedroom, but we do have a water bowl there. You never know when you’ll wake from a nap and need a drink.
Layla Morgan Wilde
Agreed 100% 🙂
Flynn
When Eric got ill he had his food on the bed. When I got ill my mum brought mine to the bed for me but I refused to eat it there. It doesn’t matter how bad I am feeling, I won’t eat anywhere but my usual place in the kitchen.
Layla Morgan Wilde
Flynn, you sweet boy, let’s hope you stay well.
Ellen
Keesta eats in the bedroom and always has. She had a deformed jaw and was very hard to keep weight on once she did start eating. She is now 10, but for her first 7 years the ONLY food she would eat was a particular band of treats or would starve herself. With not much weight on her, it scared me to pieces when she would stop eating.. I have since weaned her off of those… and she eats a very small size Kibble and will ONLY eat one flavor .
Wouldn’t ya know it, she is a siamese ….. and you can never say no to those baby blues
She has dry FIP (her brother passed of wet FIP) and every day with her is a joy. If I had to feed her off the bridge of my nose I would 🙂
The other cats I think at times of her special treatment, but, like most animals do know she is different, and leave her alone.
Layla Morgan Wilde
Thanks for my favorite line of the day. “If I had to feed her off the bridge of my nose I would”.
Mary Elizabeth
I am the proud mother of five handsome boys! A fireman once said to me that animals have a significantly higher suvival rate when confined to one room; therefore, we all sleep together in the master at night. I chose to feed Joel and Jewely in the big bathtub b/c Bishop (Shelie) was an opportunistic eater. My older boys dine on the nightstand and our two newest rescues have joined ‘bath breakfast and supper’ service. Whatever works for you and yours!
Layla Morgan Wilde
I love that bath idea. Easy to keep clean.
Summer
We don’t get fed in the bedroom here, but when my human and I are in a hotel room, it’s basically like getting fed in the bedroom, because it’s the only room! She just takes the tray from the coffee service and puts my food and water on it, then cleans it before we check out. No big deal.
Layla Morgan Wilde
Summer is a lucky kitty.
Tamago
Our boys’ main dining area is kitchen, but they also have other dining spots. I like having a snack at dining table while Goro eats his snack on dining table 🙂
Layla Morgan Wilde
What about the catio?
Andrea
My cats are spread out from the kitchen to the living room so each one has his/her own bowl. However, when the late Gabrielle first fell ill I had to feed her baby food every hour so I set her up on the floor right next to my bed ( I didn’t want her to try jumping out of bed) with water, and all the various things I needed to accommodate her. That was some time ago now but I’m willing to do that again if the need should arise.
Layla Morgan Wilde
It’s no different than taking care of a sick child. Some like you are more willing to accommodate than others.
da tabbies o trout towne
when brother///cuzin sauce waz still heer….de food servizz gurl had feedin stayshunz all over de houz…..in attemptz two get him two eat……any thing…..sum thin ~~~~ ♥♥♥
merlin….at 21….ewe dee serve brekfast in bed dood ♥♥♥
Layla Morgan Wilde
Agreed 110% 🙂
Kathryn
Well, our boyz still get fed in the kitchen. Our place is small, so I think that will continue, even if Mao becomes worse. He’s doing fine so far. Prescription vet food Hills K/D chicken wet food and an herbal supplement John bought. The ingredients are the same my son’s Chinese girlfriend’s mother puts in Chinese soup, so they’re natural and life affirming. If Mao stops losing weight, we’ll be happy.
Layla Morgan Wilde
Stairs are the major factor as cats get older or less mobile. Glad to hear Mao is liking his new regimen!
Melissa & Mudpie
When I’ve had sick kitties they’ve been allowed to eat anywhere they’d like. Of course I also have a one story house LOL
Layla Morgan Wilde
Good to know 🙂
Sammy
Sammy has feeding stations in the kitchen and in the basement…….only things in the basement though are water and kibble for when he visits his litter box which is in the basement. In the kitchen he gets his wet food, fresh water, and an “auxillary” kibble bowl. Haven’t ever fed him in the bedroom but when the day comes that he’s not mobile as much or at all, I’ll feed him anywhere he wants to be fed – no matter what/when/where. Hugs to your Cat Daddy and Mom Merlin – – – they are taking care of all of you with so much love!
Hugs, Pam
Layla Morgan Wilde
Good to hear and that means moving the litter box from the basement. That’s a biggie for many but with arthritic cats, it gets harder getting up and down stairs.
Sue Brandes
Sounds like your very organized and know what your kitties need. Have a great week.
easy rider
I agree breakfast at tiffany’s was yesterday… today we have breakfast in bed… nothing wrong with that :o) we only avoid kibble with small crumbs… that’s uncomfy lol
Layla Morgan Wilde
Sadly we are familiar with crumbs in the bed 🙂
Jean Taylor
I started feeding my three cats in my bedroom when my house flooded and workers were in and out of the house replacing the flooring, walls, etc. The water fountain is in my bedroom, as well. The wet food is still in the kitchen, though.
Layla Morgan Wilde
How awful and stressful to go through flooding for everyone. If you are open to feng shui, they do not recommend fountains in bedrooms (especially since your home already had a flood) and careful placement in any location this year. I moved our big one from center area to the SE corner.
Skeeter and Izzy
My Izzy eats in the bathroom on the sink. My Twig & Peanut eat in their bedroom, aka the cat room. Skeeter used to eat in the kitchen. The dry food stays in the kitchen, small portions in three seperate bowls.
We understand the “Dads” need to cater to the kids. That may be the only thing that he can do that makes him feel better about the situation at hand.
Merlin you enjoy every momemt of coddling that you get. We send you purrs of love and peace and comfort.
Leslie we are sorry to hear about the loss of your furbaby Max. Purrs to you.
Luvs to all,
Skeeter and Izzy and the Feral Gang + Twig & Peanut & Romeo & the Angels
>^..^^..^<~
Layla Morgan Wilde
You’re absolutely correct about dad doing and overdoing to compensate. Men like to feel useful and denial is a coping mechanism. Purrs to you and your gang xo
Hannah and Lucy
Food only gets eaten in the kitchen here mainly because Mum hates seeing cat food on the carpets especially if it’s been a meal with gravy on it.
Luv Hannah and Lucy xx xx
Layla Morgan Wilde
Oh yes, cat food, gravy and carpet is not a good combo!
leslie
When Max got sick, i started feeding him breakfast on my bed. He only left my bed when he needed water or the kitty litter box.
He died just over 2 weeks ago, and i continue to feed cats on my bed. After Max ate, Dora Huh? would eat his leftovers. And now Elsie has taken Max’s place on the bed.
it’s easier for me too, with a bad back. less bending over.
Layla Morgan Wilde
I knew that about Max but didn’t know you continued with the others. Thanks for making the point about bending over. Lots of people have back issues and an elevated feeding station whether a bed, table or counter makes it easier.
Fur Everywhere
I used to feed Jewel in the bedroom so that Carmine and Lita wouldn’t bug her at mealtime.
Layla Morgan Wilde
That’s a good point of feeding in another location to avoid other cats or dogs.