Obviously critical to a successful transition to timed meals is getting those nibblers to eat enough food AT meals as discussed above. The components of establishing “meal time” are:

The Time. Establish a routine for the TIMING of meals. Determine when and how often you can feed meals based on your schedule. Feed meals as close to the same time every day as possible (at least during the transition). If you are usually home during the day, and you can feed 8 or 10 small meals over the course of a day (at first), you’ll be able to pull that free-fed kibble sooner. If you work, you may need to leave the kibble out (or out part time) at first to ensure your cat is eating enough calories daily;
The Place. Designate a specific AREA where meals are fed. This is part of the routine: an established place for eating meals. This should be some-place that is as different as possible from where their free-fed kibble is or was – but a place where you want them eating: a different part of the kitchen (or whatever) is fine. Do not let your master intimidate you – and do not chase after him or her to get them to eat. Meal time is at THIS time, in THIS place;
A Signal. Designate a “call” that signals to your cat that it IS meal time. Pick a word, phrase or sound, and get your cats associating that word, phrase or sound with coming to eat.

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