About a year after we adopted my now 10 year old cat Biggie, he topped the scales at a whopping 17.5 pounds. He's a big boy by nature (how do you think he got his name?) but this was pushing it. After a chat with our vet we had a lightbulb moment - Biggie was playing us! He had figured out how to work the system and was being fed more often than he should have.
This was before we had kids and my husband and I were both working crazy schedules. Sometimes one of us would feed Biggie and forget to tell the other one... then Biggie would meow like he was starving as soon as we were alone. So he would be fed again! It didn't take us long to figure out that this was happening enough for Biggie to pack on the extra pounds - so we came up with a solution with this DIY Chalkboard Frame. Biggie is now a healthy 13.5 pounds and we have a fun way to keep track of his meals.
Want to make your own DIY Chalkboard Frame to keep track of when your cat is ready to eat? It's easy! You can also use it to track your cat's medication if needed or even just for decoration. Here's the how to:
Supplies:
- Plain acrylic 4x6 picture frame with an attached magnet. (I used a frame with a magnet so that I could put ours on the refrigerator. If you want to put yours on the counter or a tabletop, a stand frame will also work).
- 4 fan handle sticks (these can be found in the craft store with the craft sticks)
- Chalkboard paint
- White paint
- Paintbrush
- Cotton Swab
- Tacky Glue
- Scissors
- Chalk Markers and Chalk
Directions:
- Paint your fan handle sticks with the chalkboard paint then allow to dry. Once they are completely dry, cut the ends off of two of the sticks so that you have two 4 inch long pieces.
- Glue the 4 inch long sticks on to the front, short side of your picture frame. Allow to dry.
- Glue the longer pieces on top of the front of the frame along the top and bottom. Allow to dry.
- Dip a cotton swab in white paint and press onto each corner to paint a paw print.
- Allow the paint to dry. All done!
Slide your cat's photo inside the frame, and use your chalk markers and/or chalk to personalize. Ours says "The cat was fed at" in chalk marker, and then we use regular chalk to record each meal time (I find the regular chalk is easier to erase). My kids love helping with this and feeding Biggie is now one of their daily jobs!
Now that Biggie's meal times are back on track, I like to make sure that I'm feeding him food that he loves and that I feel good about too. When I found this new reformulation of IAMS™dry food I knew it would be perfect to help customize Biggie's nutrition by focusing on his specific dietary needs. IAMS™Proactive Health Indoor Weight & Hairball Care Dry Cat Food is perfect for him! He's an indoor only kitty with a tendency to put on the pounds if we're not careful. And since he has longer hair, having help with hairballs is awesome!
We pick up IAMS™ cat food and treats on our regular errands at Walmart - you can find everything you need in the pet care aisle!
A happy cat makes a happy home. Want to see even more awesome DIY ideas for your cat? Check them out here and let me know which is your favorite in the comments below!
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