Feeding your cat(s) is a daily task that seems easy enough, but it is important to take a step back and make sure you are doing it in the best way possible. Whether you have been a cat parent for a while or are new to Felines, consider looking into your cats' routines and nutrition. Below we will describe the top three methods of Feeding Cats... Meal Feeding, Free Feeding, and Combination Feeding.
Meal feeding is the method in which you provide food to your cat at specific times of the day. This is typically scheduled as breakfast and dinner. The advantages of Meal Feeding include easily monitored food intake & timing similar to your own eating habits. Disadvantages can include begging in between meals. Cats rarely have control over how much food they eat at a specific time, therefore they might ask for more food before their next meal. Always consult your veterinarian when deciding meal size, frequency & feeding method. Canned or dry food can be used with this method. In a multiple cat household, cats can be fed in separate rooms if on different diets or to keep a greedy cat from stealing the food off a slower eating or timid cat. Don’t forget to provide water with each meal.
Free feeding is a method where your cats' food is always available. Keep in mind that this works for dry food only, as you are not to leave wet food out throughout the day. As a whole, it is a very convenient method and works well for people who travel or have variable schedules. Advantages to this method include allowing your cat(s) to eat multiple small meals per day on their own schedule. It allows the owner to have flexibility towards mealtimes, as the food is readily available. When using this method, make sure you are consulting the nutritional facts of the cat food you choose & read the bag for the daily recommended feeding amount. This method can have disadvantages as it is less monitored. It can be difficult to tell if your cat's appetite has changed, for the better or worse, and if you have multiple cats, how much each one is eating. Free feeding can also lead to overeating and obesity. If you notice your cat putting on extra weight, or starting to act lethargic & lazy, this method might not be working.
Combination feeding can be defined as serving canned food as a twice-daily meal and dry food is freely available. This works very well for cats with special dietary needs, or cats that tend to avoid drinking water. More advantages include letting your cat create its own schedule throughout the day and easily monitoring nutrition and eating habits. This method can also contribute to overfeeding if not careful about measuring food intake. This also might not be the best option for owners with multiple cats. If you have a multi-cat home, keep in mind that the volume of food offered should not exceed the total calorie requirements for all the cats each day. Otherwise, your cat or cats could become overweight, leading to a higher risk of developing other health problems.
In general, cats raised as domestic pets do very well on meal feeding, free choice or combination feeding, if they have a chance to get used to their set schedule. Outdoor cats do best with free feeding as they are more active and hunt for part of their meals. This makes it difficult to have a set mealtime for them as they may be gone hunting or exploring & miss their dinner time. Outdoor cats or formal ferals that are brought into the house to become indoor pets often have problems switching to set mealtimes, so a combination or free feeding diet seems to work the best.
No matter what method you choose, measure food out each day to best track how much your cat is eating. You can find guidelines for how much your cat should be eating each day on the backs of most cat food bags. These are only guidelines and each cat's needs will vary depending on their size, activity level, and underlying health issues or things to consider. Always consult your veterinarian about the number of calories your cat should be consuming each day, and what feeding method you are using.
