Overcoming the Stress of Feeding Pets in a Multiple Pet Household

Multiple pet households can feel like a zoo at times when you have many different animals vying for your attention all at once. Feeding times can become particularly stressful, as the pets get used to a set routine and become impatient the moment they see their food bowls taken away to be refilled.

Feed Smaller Pets First

Start off by feeding smaller pets first, such as fish, guinea pigs, hamsters, lizards, gerbils, rats and rabbits, before moving on to cats and dogs. Smaller animals that are contained in cages or fish tanks will not aggressively demand their food the way larger animals can when they try to jump up on counters, bark or meow for their food, which is why it is a good idea to start with the smaller pets and then build up to the larger ones.

Prepare Food Out of Sight of Your Pets

What makes feeding times stressful is when you have to separate Rover the dog from Fluffy the cat when they are jumping all over each other to be the first to be fed while also trying to keep the food out of reach until it is ready to be served. Say goodbye to stressful pet feeding times once and for all by preparing the food out of sight of your pets. If the pets cannot see you measuring and pouring out their food, they are less likely to cause problems.

Feed the Larger Animals at the Same Time

Once the food has been measured out and poured into each pet's individual food bowl, aim to feed the larger animals all at the same time. If you have many different pets, you will need to enlist the help of other family members to make sure the bowls of food are served up at about the same time. Doing so can also help eliminate the problem of pets stealing food from others' food bowls while they are waiting for theirs to arrive.

Feeding multiple pets can be stressful and problematic, but it is possible to get through feeding times successfully if you are well organised and work fast to get food out in an orderly, fast way. Start off by feeding smaller pets first and then when it is time to feed the larger pets, prepare their food out of sight. Then aim to feed larger pets at the same time.

More from this contributor:

Are You Cut Out for Multiple Cat Ownership?

Dealing with Jealousy in a Multiple Cat Household.

Ways to Overcome Jealousy in a Multiple Cat Household.