| Paw Colors | Points |
|---|---|
| Grey | 0-49 |
| Red | 50-149 |
| Orange | 150-299 |
| Green | 300-599 |
| Magenta | 600-1499 |
| Purple | 1500-4999 |
| Blue | 5000-9999 |
| Brown | 10000-24999 |
| Black | 25000+ |
I know it’s bad to underfeed a pet, but recently, I realized that I may have been overfeeding my cat. I wanted to make it so my cat would never have to come to me when she was hungry. I always kept her food and water full because I don’t know when I’m going to be home or when she’s going to be hungry. So I just gave her food and water whenever her food and water dishes were empty. Unfortunately, I may have just found out another reason for her vomitting: overfeeding is as bad an underfeeding. The other night I noticed that her food and water were empty after she had finished eating, so I gave her some more. Now, despite the fact that she had just ate and drank and seemed full, she walked back over there and ate again! Apparently, Squeaky tends to eat whenever there is food in front of her. She doesn’t have enough common sense to stop eating. So I might start feeding her at the beginning of the day and at the end of the day. Is this enough or too much?
Keywords: cat feeding schedule squeaky
Answers to this question
4 Answers
0
Some cats just DON’T know when to stop (kind of like certain toddlers I’ve seen that are so greedy with food that they’ll shovel it til they puke unless their mother stops them)
Twice a day is perfectly fine. Some people split it up in to 3 or 4 meals even. Whatever you need to do to keep your cat from eating too much at once is what you should do.
Figure out how much food your cat is supposed to be eating. Most cat foods have feeding directions on the package, though I will tell you they all tend to err on overfeeding, so start at the LOWEST recommended amount for your cat’s weight-range and age and start with that. If your cat starts losing too much weight, add a little more at a time until she stabilizes at a healthy weight (if she’s too fat this is a good chance to take control of your cat’s weight though your cat should loose weight SLOWLY so as not to risk hepatic lipidosis, a dangerous liver condition). The same thing goes for if she starts gaining weight - just subtract a little until she stops putting on weight.
If your cat is used to the 24/7 kitty buffet she may put up a fight when you start giving her dedicated meals but you NEED to be firm with it. Free-feeding dry food is one of the main causes of feline obesity (which can cause diabetes, joint problems and even just make it difficult or impossible for your cat to groom herself), especially if your cat is not good at self-regulating her intake (which she clearly isn’t if she’s eating until she gets sick) so switching to mealtimes will help her very much and I applaud you for taking this step. It’s a little more work than just putting more food in the bowl every time it is empty but your cat will be healthier for it.
As for not knowing when you’re going to be home, that isn’t really a huge problem. Cats may fuss about it, but getting dinner a couple hours late now and then isn’t going to kill them. If you KNOW you’re going to be gone a few days,they make timed feeders you can get that will release a specific amount of food at specific times or you can have someone else feed your cat, just make sure they know the right amount to feed and when.
Comments to Answer
0
I agree. When I adopted a cat, he was on Friskies. The feeding said that he could have up to three cups a day! He was a grown adult cat, he doesn't need 2 1/2 - 3 cups a day.
1
The only problem with dedicated meals is the cat may gorge on the food at feeding time. Some will then vomit it right back up because they ate so fast. If this happens then you need to split it up to 4 meals a day.
0
Hence me saying "Some people split it up in to 3 or 4 meals even. Whatever you need to do to keep your cat from eating too much at once is what you should do." I didn't say they HAD to do EXACTLY two meals.
0
Also, water is a different issue than food altogether. Your cat’s water dish should ALWAYS have fresh water in it, do not allow that one to get empty.
Comments to Answer
0
Right. And you should change it all the time. My cats are picky--they won't drink old water.
0
Thanks! You always seem to know the right thing to say. I always try to keep the water fresh and I even put ice cubes in there. But I've noticed my cat is so picky that when she actually is hungry she'll complain if there's only a little bit of food shev won't even eat that! She'll squeak until there's a full bowl of food. But I'll just do the twice a day thing from now on!
0
0
I give my cat 3 layers of food every day…i start out with 3/8 lbs of tuna on the bottom, then i add 5/16 cups of dried food (use the food of your cat’s choice) , lastly I add a rough scoop of fancy feast out of the can and she enjoys that
Comments to Answer
-1
Ok, tuna everyday? NOT a healthy diet! And Fancy feast is not good, either. What dry food are you giving the cat? It may be the only healthy part of that meal.
0
0
my cat is a white, gray, and brown version of a garfield. . . . but i only feed him three times a day [unless my little brothers feed him unnecessarily] haha. but really what it goes down to is how much you give him/her at a mealtime. measured portions usually work the best. just watch at how much your cat consumes and balance their diet with different foods that are acceptable to their health. exercise and relaxation time need to be balanced also. just a good balance in general will provide the necessary nutrients and food power your cat needs and desires.
Add Your Answer
You must be logged in to post an answer.
