Feeding Your Cat

[Kalei]

So I always wondered if it is healthy or not to basically ration your food your cats eat. Like some dog owners feed their dogs a certain amount at certain times a day, and other than that, no food is down for them to eat. Does anyone here do that with their cats? And is it healthy for them?

All my life, we always had food down for the cats 24/7. The cats always ate as much as they wanted when they wanted. That's the way it is with my cats still.

Because of Kalypso's stomach problem and now that we are buying expensive Science Diet food, I was thinking of giving them their food at certain times of day. Kalypso gets bored and she eats alot, so I don't want her to eat all this expensive food just in one week cause she is bored. Any suggestions?

Do any of the cat lovers here feed their cats differently?

[krazyaboutkatz]

Yes, it is healthy for them not to be free fed. I've been doing this for several years. I was forced to because some of my cats are pigs and they'll eat all of the food. I now have 6 cats again so I have to make sure that everyone gets their fair share of food. They get fed 2 small meals in the morning and 2 in the evening. I wish I could just feed them 2 times a day but it just doesn't work. They're also on a grain free diet which is good for them too and it helps to control their weight. You'll find that your cats will be more active if they don't over eat. Good luck.:)

[columbine]

Smudge is overweight, and the vet suggested that I give him only a specific amount of food a day. He gets two 1/8 cup servings of kibble and two 1/4 can servings of wet (with his medicines mixed in) a day. He's lost a little, if not much, weight, and this way I can make sure he actually eats the canned stuff and gets his vitamins & meds (and the extra water I mix in), because otherwise he'd just gobble kibble all day long.

Love, Columbine

[Freedom]

Got a few pudgy wudgies here as well.

In the wild, cats eat twice a day, dawn and dusk. My cats never read the books which explain this.

So I put food down 3 times a day. Food is all gone in about 1/2 an hour. With 10, I have no way to know who eats how much. But they all gather round at mealtimes, come out of hiding, napping etc. and wait at the closet for me to get some out and fill the dishes.

[Pinot's Mom]

Pinot is the first kitty (of only three we've owned) who is on a strict diet. She could never be "free poured" as our RB kitty Jamara was for 18 years. We realized this early on.

Pinot has 1/4 cup dry Science Diet with a spoonful of canned S/D with water at essentially dawn and dusk. This is not HER preferred diet, but she would eat everything in sight given the chance. ;)

[cassiesmom]

My fur-nephew Milo is not free-fed because he's a bit of a pudge. He eats Science Diet, 1/4 cup in the morning and 1/4 cup at suppertime. In the summer and during school breaks, that half cup gets divided into 3 portions and he gets one at lunch time in addition to morning and suppertime.

[kaycountrygal]

1.3.10 Last month due to constipation problems I switched Luke from dry food to canned Wellness & canned w/d. I have never just left food out for him because my little dog would eat it (she loves cat food). I tried feeding him twice a day but he meowed, begged, followed me, & acted like he was really hungry so we're at 3x a day. Also I mix Laxatone in it. Because the canned food is so expensive, I might try gradually adding dry food... we'll see. Kay in NC

[katladyd]

I have one kitty that is a bit on the pudgy side (ok, he's kinda fat) and the vet said not to free feed him. I have another cat who is sooo hard to keep weight on and the same vet said to free feed him. I live in an apartment and there is no way to restrict one and free feed the other. So, I free feed a grain free dry and limig their wet to morning and night. My skinny cat is putting on weight and my plumper may have lost a little bit of weight on this diet. What I have noticed is that they are both way more active than they used to be and that is good.

[Taz_Zoee]

When I had Taz and he was at his "healthiest" I had to feed him only twice a day, not free feed. But as the end came near and he was losing so much weight I left food out for him and began feeding him wet food (I HATED wet food, it made me gag to serve it). I did anything to get him to gain weight, quite the opposite of his early years.

With Paizly I can free feed her and she doesn't over eat. Now, little Jaxter is a PIG! He has his kitten food in his room but he will eat all of Paizly's adult food. However, he has stopped doing this as much lately (thank goodness). Oh, and since I began Taz on the wet food, I still give Paizly and Jax 1/8 of a can of wet each morning (only on work days though).

When I had to feed Taz only twice a day I'd give him only the "allowed" amount in the morning and then again at night. Eventually he would still have some left in the bowl at the night feeding. On weekends he'd meow his head off like I was starving him to death, but I wouldn't give in. Ok, I did sometimes with a treat. :o But not a lot!!

[Kalei]

I have started them today for the first day on their Science Diet. This morning I gave them 1/2 cup each...which once I put it in the bowl and Kalypso didn't eat it all...I realized this was still probably too much food. I might try putting down a 1/3 cup..only because Kalypso eats and walks away, but Ninja is a growing kitty and he eats alot and gets hungry because he is so active.

I hope to see an improvement in Kalypso's bm's so I don't have to take her to the vet..we will see if Science Diet lives up to it's expectations and cost lol.

Thanks very much for all your replies. This has been so helpful. I questioned putting this thread up, but I am glad I did because you all have helped me out alot. I can't believe I have been free feeding all my life and now see how many of you do not free feed. And when it all comes down to it..it seems whatever you do depends on your cat :D:P

[Freedom]

Is this a Science Diet prescription food?

Or just the one we buy at PetCo, PetsMart, and so forth? Because this version is not a healthy food for cats.

Here is a cat food rating link, which you may find of interest:
http://www.petfoodratings.net/cattable.html

[catmandu]

I have always left the dry food out all day , free feeding style and then the canned food is fed on demand.
:rolleyes::rolleyes::rolleyes:
Actually things are much quieter with only Four Found Cats:(:( I remember the heyday of the Found Cat Hotel, when the sound of a click of a Fancy Feast Can would bring the Clowder of 11 Hungrees!!:love::love::love:
For the Good Old Days.:cool::cool:

[dehlers43]

I hope to see an improvement in Kalypso's bm's so I don't have to take her to the vet..we will see if Science Diet lives up to it's expectations and cost lol.:D:P
BM issues often go away if you add canned pumpkin to kitty's food....the plain stuff, not the pumpkin pie stuff....:D
The funny thing is, it works for constipation and diarrhea both. A teaspoon or so mixed with wet food or even with lactose-free milk can work wonders and it's cheap!

[happylabs]

Not sure, but I keep food out for my 3 all of the time. None of them are piggies (yet).

[NicoleLJ]

Zen gets fed 3/4 of a cup of his Blue food in the morning. It usually lasts till late afternoon. Then in the evening he also gets a 1/2 can of wet cat food. He is a growing kitten still so we free feed. Once he is neutered next month and a few months older we will switch him to two small feedings. One in the morning and one in the evening and then the canned food in the afternoon. I always found my cats did best on this schedule.

[Kalei]

Thanks for everyone's answers! It has given me lots of knowledge as to what sizes of cups and whatnot I should feed.

Starting yesterday morning, I have got them eating 1/3 cup of Science Diet in the morning. And half a can of Fancy Feast in the afternoon, and 1/4 cup of science diet again at supper/nighttime.

Hopefully this will work out and I will see an improvement in Kalypso's bm's. I will give it a few days and see if it changes from diarrhea to normal or not and of course if the blood goes away...and if it keeps happening I will need to take a sample into the vet cause it could be a parasite.

It seem so far that with the feeding and how much, it really probably is difference depending on your cat! :) Makes ya get to know em more :)

[Kalei]

Is this a Science Diet prescription food?

Or just the one we buy at PetCo, PetsMart, and so forth? Because this version is not a healthy food for cats.

Here is a cat food rating link, which you may find of interest:
http://www.petfoodratings.net/cattable.html

Thanks for the information Freedom. I went and looked at the ingredients in my Science Diet food, and it is still better than alot of Wal-mart brands, but you are right in the face that it's still not the best...and one of the main parts is Corn Meal. I would think since so many people use it, vets say good things about it, people tell me their cat's fur has gotten nicer once on Science Diet, that they wouldn't be able to sell it for 19.00 a small bag if it wasn't good.

It's weird...but I still think it's better than the Special Kitty I was buying them, and it's for Sensitive Stomachs, I guess I will just see how Kalypso reacts to it..so far they really like the food.