feeding on opposite sides of the door

I have been trying to get Ziggy to stop chewing the door frame when I leave for work. He is a 6-year-old orange tabby and very food-motivated, but this habit is driving me crazy. I read somewhere that you can use food to create positive associations with your absence.

I tried putting his bowl on the other side of the door so he has to wait for me to come back to get it. But he just sits there looking sad. I have a 2-year-old mixed named Biscuit who is not interested in this at all. What am I doing wrong?

Oh no! I am so sorry to hear that! My Peanut is a 5-year-old Maine Coon and he used to hide under the bed when I left, which is so similar! I have seen this before with Coco, my 14-year-old Persian, who has hip issues and gets anxious when things change.

Did you try the method where you feed them on opposite sides of the door? I think I read about that in chewing the door frame? It seems like it might help them associate the door opening with good things instead of bad things. But I am anxious that if you do it wrong, it will make the separation anxiety worse! Does anyone else have experience with this?

The concept is sound, but the execution is tricky. Skye, my 10-year-old Maine Coon, is deaf in one ear, so I have to rely heavily on visual cues and routine. For food-motivated cats, the timing is everything.

If you put the food on the other side, you are essentially teaching the cat that the door is a barrier to food. That is not what you want. You want the door to be neutral. I would look at separation anxiety tips for more on this. Also, make sure the food is high-value enough to motivate him. Ziggy is food-motivated, so he should be interested in something better than dry kibble.

Thanks Mark. I was thinking maybe I should use a puzzle feeder so he has to work for it while I am gone. I saw a thread on food puzzle recommendations that had some good ideas. But I am worried if I leave the puzzle feeder on my side, he will just ignore it and keep chewing the door.

Biscuit is not food-motivated, so this might not work for her. I might have to just accept that she is going to be a couch potato while I am at work.

Welcome to the forum, ziggysdad. It is great that you are looking for non-punitive ways to help Ziggy.

Please remember that if the chewing becomes destructive or if he stops eating, it is best to consult a vet. For the specific technique of feeding on opposite sides of the door, I recommend you check out training a cat door which has a detailed breakdown of how to introduce the concept gradually.

Also, keep in mind that Biscuit is only 2 years old, so her needs are different. kitten feeding schedule might be more relevant for her, though she is technically a young adult now. Good luck!