Some believe that free feeding of a cat will cause them to eat aimlessly and cause obesity.
Other believes that timed feeding will cause upset to the cat's stomach, and also cause them to over eat as they are left without food for long hours.
Seriously, which is better? Is scheduled feeding harmful?
2006-07-31 03:44:16 · 8 answers · asked by jan 2 in Pets ➔ Cats
Scheduled feeding is not harmful for cats. Although we tend to think of cats as snackers, cats are predators; predators are typically built to have large meals with fasts in between. I don't think it would be wise to fast your cats, but eating two to three times a day should certainly not hurt them.
I've done both free-feeding and scheduled feeding. I've found that some cats do better on each sort. One cat of mine did very poorly on free-feeding because he'd eat himself silly. Another of my cats does really well free-feeding because he just picks all day.
Scheduled feedings are good when you have several animals around and you can't leave food out (like if the dog will eat it, or if you have cats that need different types of food). Scheduled feeding also allows you to monitor what your cats are eating -- with free-feeding you might be less apt to notice if one cat stops eating.
Free-feeding is good if you have one cat or few cats on the same kind of food, and if none of the cats are overweight.
2006-07-31 04:17:18 · answer #1 · answered by FairlyErica 5 · 2⤊ 0⤋
For many cats scheduled feeding is better because they will eat too much if they have access to food all day long.
However, some cats just eat as much as they need and don't have a tendency to overeat. I give my cat canned food once or twice a day and she always has a bowl of dry cat food. She eats tiny amounts during the day.
I got my cat when she was already an adult and set in her ways. But I think with younger cats it's just a question of trying. When you find your cat does not eat too much, it is very convenient for both of you to keep her bowl filled. Make sure no other animals have access to your cat's food.
2006-07-31 04:11:05 · answer #2 · answered by Ca 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
We adopted 2 cats from our daughter's boyfriend's family. The male cat was really overweight because they had access to food all day long. We now only feed them once in the morning, but give them little "treats" during the day (cat treats, not human food). He sometimes eats too fast and vomits. I don't think scheduled feeding is harmful. Just make sure they get enough to eat overall.
2006-07-31 03:52:29 · answer #3 · answered by 60s Chick 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
My cat ended up very obese, over the course of several years, due to free feeding. The vet didn't see a problem with it until she ballooned up to 24 lbs. Then, we had to do a kitty diet for 3 years to lose the weight. Now, she has access to food 24/7 but it is only in a proscribed healthy amount for her age and body type. It is a form of free feeding but much healthier. She chooses to eat when she's hungry but she knows that's all she is getting.
2006-07-31 05:15:55 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
I just make sure there is always food for my cats so they can eat as they please. When I tried to time feed for awhile (one of my cats is a huge pig, I don't think he always was fed), my male cat would just chow down on all of the food at once, then he would try to eat his way through the food bag. This calmed down a bit after he realized food is always available. However, if there is ever a time I can't find him all I need to do is shake his food bowl and he will come running.
2006-07-31 03:52:55 · answer #5 · answered by Sherry 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Most cats are nibblers they like to have food down at all times. I think this is best. I Give canned food morning and night. But I leave dry food down at all times with fresh water.I have owned cats all my life . I have 5 Siamese now and I have never had a over weight cat yet.
2006-07-31 04:44:20 · answer #6 · answered by cin_ann_43 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
scheduled feeding is the best. I feed my cats 3 times a day 6am (when I wake up in the morning), 6pm (when I get home from work at night) and 10pm (or just before we go to bed).
2006-07-31 04:01:24 · answer #7 · answered by macleod709 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
cats are "snackers" they do better if free fed - however obesity does become a problem if the quality of the food is low... eg most grocery store and wal mart foods use ALOT of cheap filler like corn so the cats have to eat alot more of the food to get any meat protein nutrition - this is what causes them to become fat
2006-07-31 03:52:51 · answer #8 · answered by CF_ 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋