Feeding Routine

Primula

TCS Member
Thread starter
Top Cat
Joined
Sep 1, 2010
Messages
6,838
Purraise
533
Location
Connecticut, USA
I am curious as to whether your cats have set meal times or whether they graze? DH feeds our cats a mixture of wet and dry in the AM and they get dry in the evening. No food is left outside or inside when they are done with their meal. Zimmie is not into mealtimes, per se, and she is the only cat that has a little plate 24/7 where she can graze.
 

jenwales

TCS Member
Alpha Cat
Joined
Oct 25, 2007
Messages
357
Purraise
11
Location
Maryland
Mine are fed at 6:00 AM and 6:00 PM.

I have one who is canned only. He's my fat boy, so no grazing for him. My two girls are trim, and though I feed them a measured amount at 6A and 6P, it takes them the full 12 hours between feedings to finish their food (their bowls are up high where Jack can't get them). One of those two eats a little canned but the other is totally dry.
 

nutrolori

TCS Member
Alpha Cat
Joined
Mar 29, 2010
Messages
357
Purraise
1
Location
Midwest, USA
Chester gets fed in the morning and evening, typically the same times (8:00am & 5:00pm). He does graze every now and then or sometimes he will eat it as soon as I give it to him. It just depends on him really.
 

catsallaround

TCS Member
Top Cat
Joined
Mar 21, 2009
Messages
3,104
Purraise
66
I have 33. the kittens/moms(9kit 2 moms) are fed at night kitten food and left in our bedroom then in am let out to mingle with the rest. they will eat the adults food at will. There is dry down 24/7 with wet being a treat but not at any certain time in day.

Seems to limit any fights over food and with wet being not at set time I never worry about them missing a feed if something comes up.
 

stephanietx

TCS Member
Veteran
Joined
Dec 1, 2005
Messages
14,768
Purraise
3,489
Location
Texas
Our basic routine is:
Wet food 6:30am, 6:30pm
Dry food 12:30pm, 8:30pm, and a few crunchies at bedtime.

Dry food is measured, no free feeding.

My oldest (14yo) and the youngest (20wks) also get dry food a couple of other times throughout the day.

For my middle kitty and the youngest, they are mainly fed canned food.
 

kkh

TCS Member
Alpha Cat
Joined
Jun 5, 2008
Messages
383
Purraise
12
Location
Hawaii
Ku Ku is fed twice a day as follows:
Between 5:30am to 8am - dry food
5:30pm - wet food
Treat(Greenies, Kookamunga, or Goodlife Recipe) once in a while, usually after brushed her teeth and/or trimmed her claws.

While dry food is out all day, I usually discard wet food after 2 to 3 hours.
Serving size is approx 3/8 cup of dry and 1/8 of 5.5oz canned food per day.
I used to feed her more according to whatever the instructions on the package but she never ever finished all off. She doesn't eat much anyways.
I had to reduce the volume but she still leaves at least a mouth-full...
 

wishiwas

TCS Member
Alpha Cat
Joined
Apr 11, 2007
Messages
155
Purraise
1
Location
Clarksville, TN
I used to do measured free feeding with my old cat.. but with miss piggy Cici we had to switch to meals, since she will scarf whatever she is given in no time flat. She gets 1/8 cup kibble 3x's a day generally. Twice a week or so, she'll get 3 oz. wet 2x's that day instead.

No exact set times, as a habit from when I had dogs to feed. If they ate at exact times, they'd go nuts at that time if I couldn't feed them yet for some reason. If I varied it, they didn't stress over it. Cici begs anyway every time someone goes near the kitchen, so I guess it doesn't make much difference for her, haha.
 

white cat lover

TCS Member
Veteran
Joined
Nov 17, 2005
Messages
22,206
Purraise
35
Indoor Cats - Monitored amounts free fed dry food. Wet food 2x/day.

Outdoor Cats - Free fed as much dry food as they can eat. Wed food 1x/day.
 

bastetservant

TCS Member
Top Cat
Joined
Aug 18, 2010
Messages
1,499
Purraise
19
Location
near Chicago
5 cats

Their dry food is measured, 1/2 cup per day per cat - but they all eat out of all 5 bowls. This is given out in 2 meals (1/4 cup per meal per cat), 6 a.m., and 9-10 p.m. It takes them several hours to eat their dry kibbles up. Some days a few are left in the bowls by the next feeding time.

Canned food, 4 oz for all of them to share, in 5 bowls, 5-6 p.m. I leave this out for no more than an hour, but only crumbs are left, usually.I have a new cat (11days) who has rarely, if ever, had wet food until now. She seems to like it. One of my males only eats a couple mouthfuls of wet food. And one of my females, though she eats more wet food than him, prefers dry.

Big fat boy gets "light" food for his shares, both dry and wet, but he pilfers everyone's leavings. I actually have to separate "the little girls" from him in another room during the canned food meal because he will go for their share before they are really done. He does this even though he hasn't eaten all in his own bowl. But then, again, his is diet food. Poor guy!

Never any treats, or anything else.
 

missymotus

TCS Member
Top Cat
Joined
May 8, 2005
Messages
9,234
Purraise
254
We have set meal times, adults are fed 3 times a day, mums and kittens 5-6 times.
 

cat_crazy

TCS Member
Young Cat
Joined
Aug 22, 2010
Messages
59
Purraise
1
Location
North Carolina
Breakfast is around 6:30 AM (depends on when Rocky wakes me up). They each get a 3 ounce can of food in the morning and they are fed in seperate rooms (though they always take a bite out of each others food before going to their own).
Lunch is 12:00 or 12:30 PM. It depends on a few factors. They get dry food for lunch. They all get 1/4 cup.
Dinner is 6:00 or 6:30. Depends on a few factors. They get dry food for dinner too. Rocky gets a little bit more than a 1/4 cup, Princess gets a 1/4 cup and Penny gets 1/8 cup.
They get a treat before bed time as well. I'm working on getting them on all wet then transitioning over to raw.

I eyeball it. I've measure it for so long I don't have to anymore. I know what the amounts are by sight. No free feeding here. Rocky would be obese and Spike would get into it and he has bad food allergies.
 

silva_unt

TCS Member
Alpha Cat
Joined
Oct 22, 2009
Messages
624
Purraise
10
Location
Plano, TX
Neko eats 1/4c dry 3oz wet so:

She'll bite my shoulder around 4am which is when i roll out of bed and give her 1/8c of dry. Than again around 8am for the second 1/8c.

Then when i get home around 6pm she gets half a 3oz can and get the other half around 10pm (we're up late)
 

2coolcats

TCS Member
Young Cat
Joined
Sep 18, 2010
Messages
96
Purraise
1
Location
NC
my 2 cats usually have some variation of 1/4 cup dry and 3oz wet. Breakfast is around 8:30-9:30AM and dinner is around 6-7PM (same as us).

Sometimes they get all wet, some days all dry, sometimes wet in the AM and dry in the PM, sometimes dry in the Am and wet in the PM. I try to feed raw a few times a week so on those days their PM meal is adjusted.

I'm not certain but I think if i feed wet in the PM after a dry AM, they eat considerably less wet food. I've heard the dry takes longer for their bodies to digest so I'm guessing that's it.

They do not get anything left out during the day. They used to have dry available all day but now one is 16lbs so we are trying to get his weight down.
 

otto

TCS Member
Top Cat
Joined
Mar 7, 2008
Messages
9,837
Purraise
197
Schedule fed. Breakfast is served in three servings, as is supper, with a snack sometime mid-day (depending on my schedule) and a snack at bed time.

I have always schedule fed, You pretty much have to with canned food, which I've always fed, but it's not just that.

I LOVE their mealtimes. They each have their own individual rituals and "musts", it's such a delight to watch (and cater), and it's great bonding time.

.............................
....................
........................
 

kara_leigh

TCS Member
Top Cat
Joined
Nov 25, 2008
Messages
2,325
Purraise
4
Location
Bradleyville, MO
I think measured free feed?? She is fed 1/4c of food in the am, and again in the pm, but she usually doesn't eat all of her am feeding before we give her more in the pm. She tends to just nibble a bit here and there throughout the day. Occasionally she will eat all of it before the next feeding, though. Typically more so when it is time for her am feeding.
 

furryfriends50

TCS Member
Super Cat
Joined
Mar 7, 2009
Messages
717
Purraise
15
Location
USA
40 cats here, all have set meal times.

The kittens eat 3 large meals a day with 2 smaller meals inbetween. They eat mostly raw with a bit of canned.

My farm cats are fed one time a day. They are fed a raw diet. They've never known anything other than the 1 time a day feedings...and no, most of them don't catch their own food (the strawmow cats, for example, don't even know how to get down from the strawmow).

Mikey, our adult housecat, eats all raw. He gets fed four times a day...if he eats to much at a time his stomach can't handle it so he needs small meals.

Barn cats where I work (there are 9 cats altogether there)- they get 11 oz of wet food in the morning with tiny bit of dry (I don't feed them in the morning...if I did I'd ditch the dry all together!). At night when I feed them they get 44 oz of wet food and then once or twice a week I also feed them some raw chicken hearts.
 

catapault

TCS Member
Top Cat
Joined
Oct 5, 2010
Messages
3,595
Purraise
9,285
Fog and Mist are 15 years old. She is a diabetic that was first on glipizide oral and is now well enough to control with diet, what my vet calls "Catkins diet" - high protein, low carbs. Her periodic blood glucose levels are on the high side, but acceptable.

Mist gets two small cans of wet food in four portions 1/2 can for breakfast, lunch, dinner, bedtime. Purina Proplan Kitten Chicken and Liver, Fancy Feast Beef Classic (brown label), and Turkey & Giblets Classic (olive green label) in rotation. She's a greedy little cat who would scarf down as much food as was available. She has osteoarthritis, and I put her food bowl up on a small block - seems easier for her.

Fog gets one 5.5 ounce can of Friskies in four portions. The only flavors of Friskies that I feed are beef shreds and chicken shreds - and why do they have to print ingredients in such small type? If he finishes his wet food and looks like he wants more I give him a scant Tablespoon of Purina Naturals.

He'll sometimes walk away from his wet food after eating 2/3 to 3/4. I have to pick it up or little miss greedy cat will slink over to see what's available. A stern hiss from me and she reverses course and scuttles away with an air of "Me? I didn't do anything naughty . . ."

Right now with his hind leg issues the vet said anything he wants to eat is excellent. Kitty crack, aka tuna juice, does it for him every time. Mix a teaspoon of it with his wet food, maybe a few shreds of tunafish also, and he eats it up. I think he'd rather graze than have set meal times but because Mist must not eat his food I cannot leave anything out all day. Since he's isolated right now he's having a very good time with dry food, canned food, shreds of tuna available night and day.

He's eating well but for future reference - does anyone have suggestions for tempting the appetite of a cat feeling poorly? Fog won't eat human food - tried breast of chicken poached in homemade stock. He ignored it. Tried Gerber stage 2 chicken - he's uninterested. TIA for any suggestions.
 

adriana

TCS Member
Adult Cat
Joined
Mar 30, 2010
Messages
130
Purraise
1
Location
Canada
Blossom is a rather finicky eater, so I fed raw, canned and dry.
She's not really into eating raw all that much. I can get her to eat half a chicken wing here and there. Mostly she'll eat a ground mixture of chicken bones, meat and organs. It's reallyyy expensive, compared to meat "parts", though. Generally, Blossom gets fed a mixture of dry and canned in the morning. Evening is raw. If I left out kibble for her all day, I know that she'd just pig out on it and refuse canned or raw, either that or the dogs would gobble it up.
 
Top