Is it okay to feed a cat only once every 48 hours?

Question

Ok before I get called a horrible pet owner - let me explain. I bought a house and the old owners left their cats, 2 of them. One is a stray that they themselves inherited but I feed it cause I feel bad. However, I really am never home and I work 24 hour shifts as a firefighter here. I usually feed them once every 24 hours but sometimes once every 48 hours. Is this ok? Will they die? I feed them LOTS of food but they always eat it up really quick.

Answer 1

they won't die, but i can't say it's "good" to do this. Petsmart (and I"m sure other pet stores) have a feeding bowl with a recepticle on top that you fill up with food and it comes out as the the food in the eating area lessens. This would be something prime for you to invest in, that way, they will always have access to food. you should probably also get one of these for water as well. the ones for food have a larger opening so food can come out. it's probably not the healthiest for them to gobble up food because they've been starving. I mean, it's not healthy for humans to do that either, you know.

These food and water bowls are only a few dollars, so please invest in them to help your inherited kitties.

Answer 2

You are definitely a more conscientious dog owner. The people who leave their dogs out however, may not know they bark constantly. Also, they don't jump the fence even though they may be capable of doing it. The owners probably know they don't jump out so they feel they are safe. If the owners work 8 hour days and have a commute and they left their dogs inside, they might feel that is cruel since the dogs would not be able to enjoy the sunshine or go to the bathroom anytime during that LONG day. They might also destroy something in the house the owners care about or chew something that could injure the dogs. They may want the dogs outside to deter burglars. Most police departments report fewer robberies in homes with dogs or next to dogs who bark. Of course if dogs bark all the time, this won't really alert anyone to trouble. If they could not leave the dogs outside, they might be faced with taking the dogs to a shelter and that would mean they don't care about their dogs at all so obviously they do try to provide the best they can. One of my dogs prefers to be in the yard all day whether I am out or not. I am home so I often leave the door open so the other dogs can come in and out. They prefer to be where I am. It's possible these owners know that their dogs would rather be out than in. They do take the chance that someone will tease or steal the dogs but it's not common. They may even have a security camera to protect the dogs. But if they do they should know the dogs are constantly barking and offer some toys or hire a dog walker to keep the dogs from being a nuisance or becoming anxious all the time.

Answer 3

This same thing happened to my family once. My parents just left a couple days worth of food out everyday and the cats ate it in about 2 days. Feeding a cat only once every 48 hrs is really not good, so I suggest you leave some food out or try to get a neighbor to feed them. Good Luck

Answer 4

i would just leave out a big bowl of dry food and a bing bowl of water and that should last them if you can't feed them but only once every 48 hours. And I don't think ur a bad pet owner cause u have done more then what most people would.

Answer 5

How about purchasing one of those automatic pet feeders. You can set it on a timer and it will dispense food while you are away. Check it out at PetSmart. Animals need to eat at least twice daily. Best wishes on being a firefighter. I worked as a cop and accidentally beat the firefighters to a house fire once and then to a barn fire. I ended up going in the house after some kids and the barn for the horses. I have never been so scared in my life. Just thinking about it now makes my knees weak. I have a lot of respect for you guys. Be careful!!

Answer 6

No way ! Feed them some canned food once a day (1 can each) and leave down a huge bowl of dry food for them to munch on, if its all gone then you didn't leave out enough. Or, are you feeding them outside? In that case every cat on the block is probably chowing down.

Answer 7

NO!! I am a vet and you should really leave out a BIG bowl of dry crunchy food out filled to the top and that way they will always have food and if another animal takes it they will still have some. Better yet I think that you should go to an animal shelter and take them there if you want to ensure safety and everything else. Or you could call them to see if they can take them in. That is what you should probably do.

Answer 8

think of it like this there are many pet owners that cant even feed them selves and yet there animals survive just the same.keep up the fight for our saftey and try an auto feader it may be the answer you are looking for.unless you have ant problems or somthing .allso a neighbors child would gladly feed the cats for a small fee while your at work or at play.good luck and good day.

Answer 9

Yeah, just leave them plenty of food for a day and they'll be fine. 48 hours is pushing it a little though. And, I don't know how breaks work with firefighters, see if you can drop by your house if it's not too far to check up on them every now and again.

Answer 10

If you fill the bowl twice as much as you normally would then yes. But I think a cat should just be fed once a day and just have a good amount of water in their bowl, from my cat's experience, but then again, i have a cat who's diabetic and needs liquid around him at all times.