Do you free feed? Or Twice (or more) a day??

[NoahsMommy]

Well, Micah needs his special digestive food, Noah needs his sensitive tummy food and Olivia now needs D-I-E-T (shhhh, don't tell her) food. So, I've decided to feed them three times a day. Once when we get up, when I get home from work and right before bed. Micah can eat in the bedroom, Livvy in the bathroom and the rest can eat together.

Wish me luck...I'm worried they'll be hungry. Just to make sure they aren't starving all day, I'm going to feed them wet food in the morning for two days. Hopefully this will get their systems used to this.

Anyway, what does everyone do?

[Soledad]

I used to free feed Boo, but he started getting quite fat. So now Sam and I feed him diet food three times a day. Just little bits in the morning, afternoon and before bed.

[The Cat Factory]

I free feed my kitties Solid Gold

[Fuzzy317]

We free feed. It would be very hard to feed our 4 cats only at certain times. Its not easy to feed our 3 dogs on a schedule.

[jenluckenbach]

I think by now everyone knows that I feed twice a day. Each and every cat get his or her correct MEASURED amount and type of food and no one eats with a buddy . I know IMMEDIATELY if someone is off their feed and therefore possibly not feeling well. They neither gain nor lose weight because they are getting their correct amount (and yes it varies from cat to cat). At this point in their lives all 13 cats eat Hill's prescription c/d dry, (Willow and Fern get 1 spoonful of can mixed in) but if and when I need to feed any other type, the switch can be easily attained.

The first few meals will be the hardest because the cats are used to being able to go back any time they want for more. So do not worry when they do not finish their first meals. By the third day or so they WILL start to understand that it is "eat now or be hungry for the next 12 hours". Every cat who came here had to make the switch and they all managed.
Canned food would make a good first meal and then canned mixed with their dry until it is all dry (or whatever you normally feed). The 2 that have the can mix will not eat plain dry, so this is why I mix it.

I think your decision is a wise one (IMO).

[Felicia's Mom]

Mine get fed twice a day.

[Tina]

Mine are free fed.

[Cataholic]

I free feed all six. Tex eats special food, and his is on the counter top I also give Tex wet food twice a day, to help wash down his medicene.

Everyone else eats under the table, and Minnie eats in her room. BUT, for some reason, the others like to eat from her bowl. So, normally, Tex's bowl is filled regularly, the four bowls under the table are filled once a day, and the ONE bowl furthest away gets filled four times a day!!!

Apparently, name tags are in order.

[krazyaboutkatz]

I free feed my three Nutro Complete Care Weight Management Formula with a little bit of Felidae mixed in. They usually don't even finish all of their food. Since Cirrus is only 9 months old I know he needs to eat more often than Sunny and Storm do. I'll change in the future if I run into a problem but for now everything is fine. My RB Pepper had a problem with overeating but none of my current cats seem to do this.

[neko1]

They get fed once a day at 7 pm. Neko has his special food and he eats in the cat room. The other 3 eat in the kitchen and have their own dishes that they run to. (It's so funny to see) Everyone gets a measured amount. All my kitties are perfect weights.

[HayleyRosie]

My cats are free fed. They eat Techni-Cal dry for kittens.

[Vio&Juni]

I can say I free feed Juni (and my cats before), but I never give them too much. If she still has something, I wait until she finishes everything, then I give her more. I am not worried she will starve, she always ask if she wants more. When I used to feed her with dry food (I think you all know, I switched to natural food - for me and her), she never ate the amount that was written on the package, I never worried. As I said, if she's hungry, she KNOWS how to ask, yes she does!

[Former User]

3 times a day, in the morning, in the afternoon and in the evening. And Hill's food here.

[trinity]

When we first bought our house we had two cats, Morgan and Catastrophie who had been free fed their whole lives. When we started being adopted by other cats it just kind of happened that they were then free fed, as we couldn't change habits the original two had for over 10 years. Our four get....oh my, I must need more coffee as I can't remember the name of the cat food!!!! Once I remember I'll post it...OH YEAH! Royal Canin.....thats it. Whew! I was starting to worry.....none of them seem inclined to over eat though...

[Lerah021399]

Ali gets fed twice a day as she has diabetis (spelling?) and has to be on a special diet (Purina Diabetis Management-Canned). Jack is free fed Iams original formula.