how many times a day do you feed two cats?

Question

I was wondering if anyone knew how many times a day is good to feed 2 young adult male cats.
I feed them maybe twice a day and they still seem to be hungry.
I do not feed them table food at all though, just cat food.

Answer 1

Cats very rarely overeat on their own ( not like dogs) and are usually most conviently fed by leaving food and fresh water out at all times. They can take as much as they need without having to rely on you to give it to them. If free fed there is little chance of one getting more than it's shmare and letting the other be more hungry. Twice a day is the most common after free feeding. Depending on the breed and size of your cats, and the fact that they are male might mean they need a little more at each meal than what they are getting. With cats I always have felt that unless you have the rare cat that over indulges ..free feeding is best they get what they need that way and it doesn't cause them to eat too fast or eat food away from the others.

Answer 2

Just get a high quality brand of dry food and leave it out for them all day. If they are young and playing quite a bit, they may need more than what they are getting. A cat technically needs kitten food until it is a year old. Even after that it's caloric needs may be more than a 3 or 4 year old cat. Some cats are not considered "mature" until 3 or 4 years - depending on their breed. So, with the food - dry is always easiest. Then you can supplement with moist a couple of times a day. We add water to our moist food to make sure the male cats especially get enough water intake. If they start getting fat, then you can cut back. Until then, I find that many cats are able to figure out for themselves what they need... although there are exceptions.

Answer 3

It can depend on the age of the cats. If yours are under a year they are still doing a lot of growing.

My cats are older and they eat only canned food and a raw meat diet I make for them. I have a new cat who was underweight when I got him so I have been feeding more than the two times a day I normally do. He had also had a poor diet (he's 17) so I think he was making up for some lost nutrition on a better quality food.
Another cat (age 15) is slightly hyperthyroid now and he is hungrier than usual.

Answer 4

Its not how many times but how much. My two adult males consume 1 x 5.5 oz canned cat food each a day and a handful of dry kibble each. The canned food is divided into 4 servings: 2 in during the day and 2 at night. Fresh water available all day.

Answer 5

If they are younger than 1 1/2 years old then they may be always hungry. I have a male cat 10 months old and he is always hungry. I have a female cat who is 12 months old and she is just the opposite. Depends on the cat. I feed them only twice a day.

Rule of thumb: Free feed dry food, wet food AM and PM, but nothing in between.

Maybe you should change the food and see if another brand of healthy food may satisfy them better.

Answer 6

I have 2 kittys right now. I have dry food out at all times. That way when they get hungry they just walk over to the food and eat. I also give each one of them a half of can of wet food once a day. My vet said that they both are at a healthy weight.

Answer 7

I think you should still do the 2 meals a day so she won't get fat and just give her one snack. She will get used to it it's only because you were free feeding her befor. It's better for the 2 meals. I had to put my cat on a diet because of free feeding she got fat so I started 2 meals and a snack and she was doing the samething she will get used to it sooner or later. Hope I helped good luck :)

Answer 8

They may seem hungry, but if you kept feeding them, they'd just keeping eating. This would be very unhealthy for them, and they would become overweight. We have an adult female and a male young adult /kitten which get fed 2 times a day, and they don't seem malnourished at all.

Answer 9

I leave dry food out all the time and give them wet food once in a while. They eat when they are hungry and they don't over eat. I think your cats will do the same, so try putting out the food all the time and see if they just self-regulate.

Answer 10

I know a lot of people who think feeding once a day is the best. I personally feed mine twice a day: once in the morning and once in the evening. They'll always want more.

But if they truly seem like they are not getting enough food, you might want to have them tested for worms. Whatever you do, don't put down one of those automatic feeders. I did that years ago and I still can't get my one kitty to shed her extra weight.