how much do I feed cat and when?

Question

I'm getting a 1 year old cat on Tuesday. Can anyone tell me how often I should feed her and how much? I work shifts so does it matter if I feed her at different times?

Answer 1

Cats are very resourceful. I have 2 and have often not been able to feed them either by my absence or theirs. They will feed themselves with birds or mice if they can't get the easy meal from you so don't worry about her too much

Dry food can be left out as a filler, some cats actually prefer it, but not too much or the cat will keep eating. Mine tend to eat twice a day if they are around but don't seem to eat much more than a tin between them in the day. The Tom is actually sitting here looking at me right now with feathers stuch to his whiskers so no need to feed him this morning LOL.

If you leave the wet food out they will turn their nose up at is once it isn't fresh. Try not to give them too many tit-bits because they will take them if you offer and they can easily get fat and lazy. Milk is a no-no for that. Water is all they need and funny enough they can turn up their nose at tap water, and prefer to drink from puddles. I think they can sense the chemicals we add to it to clean it

Your biggest problem is that you cant let her out yet. You need to keep her in the house for about 4 weeks so she establishes the house as hers. You will have to get a litter tray but she will still poo on your carpet. You will have to show her the garden evey day but keep her on a rope for the first few weeks and gradually give her longer and longer. Eventually you can let her off the rope and she will wander but not far enough to get lost.

I hope I haven't put you off the idea Gillybean cos they can be great company. You are signing up to about 10 years of "childcare" though ha ha

Answer 2

Cats are like people - so there's no hard and fast rule as to if they're going to be big eaters or not. Give it a little food (fairly often) and you'll see if there's a patern developing, ie; eats everything all at once or likes to have a bit and come back later etc, - you can then plan food times accordingly.

Cats are less fussy than dogs about sticking to feeding routine but, if you're going to be away for extended periods, the best thing is to try the cat on dry food first, as if you are having to leave food, then dry food will keep better and not attract so many flies or bluebottles.

Cats like their food bowl to be cleaned regularly and you should either have fresh water available or leave the kitchen tap slightly dripping (as some cats will only drink running water).

Answer 3

Feeding a cat a healthy diet is of the utmost importance for the good health of every cat.
Many people feel that dry is the best way to go. Vets feel it is the way to go. Why? Vets are taught very little about nutrition and they are taught what they know by the Pet Food Companies. The companies push dry as it is the very cheapest food in the world to make as they use fillers, vegetable protein and things that cats do not eat in normal life like veggies and fruits. Of course the veggies and fruits are NOT good for human consumption and thus they get it free or for pennies so the big suppliers can get rid of it.
Dry does not keep teeth clean. A cats jaw is made to grab, tear and shred. They have no chewing action. When a cat barfs he throws up the chunks of food. Sometimes the dry shatters but that doesn't rub on the teeth either. A vet told me that she had an elderly cat around 20 who had had wet food her whole life and never had a problem with her teeth, but she had a 7 month old kitten who had to have every tooth pulled since they were so bad he was sick.
Dry food causes diabetes, UTI's, Kidney problems and the list is to long to continue.
The proper food is a diet for an obligate carnivore. Remember you have never seen a lion chasing a biscuit. Your cat needs wet food of good quality. It should be high in protein and under 10% carb. You should not feed your cat fish or seafood more than 1 or 2 meals a week if that much as they become addicted to it and it is high in phosphorous and low in nutritional value.
http://www.geocities.com/jmpeerson/canfo...
Here is a chart of most wet foods. The good and the bad. Look for one that is high in protein and low in carbs. Fancy feast is a good middle of the road one, and the cheaper brands but still following the rule are much better than any dry ever could be. Wellness and Merrick are on the higher end with higher cost. But you have good food.
It is cheaper to feed a cat the wet as they are filled up faster. Think if you are hungry and eat a bag of potato chips you are soon hungry but if you have a nice piece of chicken you are filled up longer. The same for a cat. I began adding small amount of water and mixing it in good for the meals and now add 1/4 cup water to 1/3 cup wet food. It is now like soup. It keeps the food from drying out and Cessan eats when she wants. She is a grazer and I let her be happy. She gained the weight she needed and then the weight gain stopped. If your cat is over weight he will lose weight on a wet diet.
Here is a link explaining very clearly cat nutrition and care. It is excellent and I think every new cat owner should have to read it first.
good Luck!!

Answer 4

Twice a day, how much will depend on whether you give her dry food or wet food, I would go for dry, its healthier and cleaner. A premium brand such as Hills Science Diet would be a good bet, it is the best you can give them, a £12bag lasts over three months. You can get it from most vets and good pet stores. You can give her about a tablespoon per feeding of this, if she looks too skinny after a while, you can increase it, if she looks fine then stick with it, if she looks podgy you can decrease it.

Cats prefer to be fed at the same time each day, this is best for them, I feed mine at 8am and 6pm. If you are not going to be around at those or similar times, you can get an automatice timed pet feeder from a good pet shop or somewhere like Argos. You can load the food in (another good reason to serve dry food) in advance, set the timer and it will open at the correct time for puss to come and eat. Always make sure you have a large enough bowl of fresh drinking water available at all times.

Answer 5

umm, i think i might overdo it then according to first answer. I feed my cats half a pouch each first thing, then another half each before i leave for work. Than i feed them a half a pouch each at lunch, then again at about 4 then again at about 8 (these aren't exact times, they sometimes just ask for food when they are hungry). They always have dry food down and fresh water. Neither of my cats are over weight, but sometimes i give the one that goes outdoors more because he seems to be alot hungrier. I also give them treats and some meat occasionally (not every day).
Remember that 2 years is a fully grown cat, and your cat will still be growing.

Answer 6

You can give her a spoonful of canned food in the morning or whenever you start your day, or when you come home from work. Then leave dry food available at all times. There are even food dispensers you can purchase if you will be away for a long period of time. Cats are nibblers, they like to nibble a bit here and there throughout the day. They don't chomp down a bowl of food in one gulp like a dog. Unless your cat begins to get too fat you can leave the dry food (and plenty of fresh water, dispensers also available for that) out for free-range feeding.

Answer 7

Hi!

It will usually say on the back of the food packet how much you should feed your cat. Most cat foods give guidelines relating to the weight in KGs of your cat. If you need to weigh her, there is an easier way than trying to get her to stand on the scales (impossible!). Hold her in your arms and stand on the scales, then let her go and weigh yourself. The difference is how much she weighs!

From memory, it is usually about 80-100g per day depending on the brand and size of your cat.

It would be nice if you could try to feed her as routinely as you can; but as long as she is getting fed enough, you shouldn't have a problem. An adult cat only needs to be fed 2 times a day - although I feed my adult cat 3 small meals a day instead as this just works better.

If you plan on feeding wet food, this needs to be thrown away if not eaten within 20 minutes. Therefore, it's probably best to only feed wet food when you know you are going to be around, rather than feeding it just before you go off to work.

If this helps, I feed my cat and kitten a mixture of wet and dry food, as this seems to be best for them. I feed them their biggest meal of dry food in the morning before work, again when I get home and a wet pouch before bed.

As long as your cat has plenty of dry food left out when you are at work and then you feed her when you get home, she will be fine :-)

Just as a side note, people always claim that cats know how to regulate their food intake. I personally believe that there are some very greedy cats out there and that they can be greedy for a variety of reasons! My adult male is very greedy; especially since we got a new kitten - he eats everything in sight just so that she doesn't get at it! I wouldn't worry about weighing the food for now, but if she does start to put on weight, you will need to start weighing the food out every day to ensure she isn't overeating.

Also remember not to give her cow's milk because of the high lactose content, which upsets cats' tummies!

Have fun with your new kitty!

xx Emmie

Answer 8

Well ...we have had " Buffy " a beautiful Tabby for six years now and she is healthy and spoiled.
Here is what we feed her:

Purina Cat ( Dry Food ) Chow: with hairball control and urinary acid control. We leave this out all the time.

Fancy Feast Seafood: Mixed Variety
Small cans. 1/2 can morning 1/2 can evening

However Check Purina cat foods for the age of your cat.
also get her some " Treats " for tartar control.

You cat will love ya for ever !

Answer 9

I leave food and water out all the time. I feed them in the evening and there's usually enough food left to last them throughout the next day.

They eat Iams dried food, but I also give them tuna and tinned a couple of times a week as well.

You could try giving the cat dried as a main food then tinned and tuna or sardines as a treat a few times a week.

Always remember to leave water out at all times as well.

Answer 10

Most cats will only eat what they need, so there is no schedule. Just leave a bowl of kitty food where you intend to train the kitty to eat along with a bowl of clean water (changed daily). If your new kitty was in a competitive situation at her prior residence where she had to gobble up her food before the other kitty/dog ate it all, you will become aware of it pretty quickly because she will not leave the bowl until ever speck of food is gone. In that situation you will have to feed her on a schedule.