Feeding Time

Just how long should you leave food down for a cat?

Seven month old Lily (we've had her two weeks) eats everything I put in front of her, eventually. She cries out for her food then only eats about a quarter of it. Then goes back about and hour later and maybe had about half.

Its the same whether is is wet or dry food. She had wet morning and evening and midday and overnight dry.

Since she is still 'aclimatising' is that too much? I make sure she has two good play sessions a day.

Well, it's really hard to tell from your post whether or not she's eating enough or too much, because we don't know how much you put down. Feral cats have a tendency to overeat, though we've never had any problem with ours. Cats digestive systems are used to a system whereby they eat little bits of food frequently (think of catching mice...). The best feeding system is to put out dry food and leave it out. It's called free-feeding. What we do is free-feed the cats the dry food and give them a little bit of wet food at dinner - but that's more like a "treat." They get their main nutrition from the dry food. Just keep an eye on her weight. She'll likely figure out the right about to eat for her. But if she starts to get plump, then slowly switch her dry food to a weight-control formula. Cats' food should always be switched slowly, over a period of a few days or a week, slowly mixing in a little bit of the new food with the food you were feeding. Believe it or not, their stomachs are sensitive, and they frequently get diarrhea or something when switching foods unless it's done slowly.

But she should be on a kitten formula of both wet and dry until she's a year old.

BTW - once she knows her food is there to access any time she wants, she'll probably eat a few nibbles every once in a while.

Since dry food can get stale when exposed to air, perhaps a better option would be to get a automatic timed feeder that doles out a specific measure of food all day long for her. That way it stays fresh for the most part and little bits can be programmed to be released.

Another option is to get a small plastic bucket with tight fitting cover. Cut a hole in the side of the bucket near the bottom of the lip about the size of a golf ball. Make sure you have something to cover the hole, before you pour the food inside and seal the lid. Then set it down on a cookie sheet, take the plug out and a few of the kibble will fall out. When the cat is hungry, it swipes its paw at the hole and a few more pieces of kibble will fall out.