to feed on demand or not?

I'm in a connundrum about Sophie's eating habits. I'm not sure if I should measure her food out all carefully like the bag says (which I don't really have time for) or feed her when she asks to be fed? She's almost full grown and soon will be moving off kitten food onto a the adult variety. Advice?

This is just how I do it. There are several ways. I free feed which means I keep a supply of dry food available at all times. Yes, in some cats they can get a little overweight, but for the most part they only eat what they need. Out of 12 cats I only have one who is on the chubby side. This way I also don't have to worry about them waking me up first thing in the morning on the weekends. I usually fill the bowls about 5 at night and it lasts them until about the same time the next night.

I do the same thing. There is always food down, and I refill also about once a day. The only thing I do more often is refill their water.

I wouldn't worry too much about the measuring, I don't think its necessary.

Thanks Sandie!!:flash: she gets awfully cranky if I don't cater to her every need like yesterday :LOL: I couldn't imagine the measured and scheduled feeding going down around here very well.

yeah she spoiled but such a sweetie

Twelve little munchkins must be soooo adorable! Is that the most you've had on hand or are they permanent residents?

Thanks too Daniela! :-) Yes the water issue is a big deal around here; for the time-being she's stopped upending her bowls but I'm still thinking of investing in one of those free-flowing water fountain things someday.

LOL, no I think the most I have had in the house at one time is 16 but I have 6 Munchkins and 6 Domestic cats. They are all on my web page if ya want to take a peek. These guys are all mine for the rest of thier lives At the end of May I will be getting my Maine Coon cat and I will also have 3 females having kittens around the end of April. I will have a FULL house

Sandie I found your page, thanks! What adorable babies they all are! Bridgette and Sebastian look so regal and Tinkerbell is such a doll! All of them. You must be one busy mom handing out hugs and kisses to that crew!

You will post pics of your Maine Coon and the new babies won't you?

Oh of course I will be posting pics I usually post pics of my litters in the breeders forum. Then of course I won't be able to resist posting my new baby when he comes home for proper introduction.
It's funny you said that about being busy People think I am crazy for having so many, but if it's something you really love, then you make time for it. I get up 2 hours early every day to get them set for the day and I always make time for cuddles when they want it.

Shawna, I hate to tell you this, but if you don't feed Miss Kitty on demand, she will report you to other family members as abusive. The shameful truth is--you'd better sit down before reading this--Cats lie! Oh yes, I was once gullible and innocent. I believed every meow Kitty uttered. I was usually out of bed after my husband, but when I went into the kitchen, there was Kitty, standing by her dish, looking sad and uttering pitiful sounds. Then it would start, the leg winding that said,"Thank goodness you're here; he wouldn't feed me." He would insist that he had, of course, but I wouldn't believe him. Finally Kitty turned on me, and told other household members that I hadn't fed her. That's when I accepted the truth. That's when I stopped being a co-dependent. What is the solution? How do we help reform this poor creature? Give in. Get her an automatic feeder and put a couple of pounds of dry food inside. (Then she'll just tell everyone that you feed her stale food!)

My kitties each get 1/3 cup dry food at 5 am, and another 1/3 cup at 5 pm. They know when their food is coming (so no begging), and I know how much they are eating (unlike with free feeding). To save time, I keep the 1/3 cup measure in the food bag, and use it to scoop.
Give in to a begging kitty once, and they never forget it!!!

i was, and still am, an always-feeder...the problem was that my cats gained a lot of weight on regular food, and then didn't lose any on the iams weight control/hairball formula. my vet said it's because the iams is much higher in calories than the other weight control formulas, so we switched to science diet. my two LOVE it...i'm happy to say that they have both lost quite a nice amount of weight and are stabile now on the science diet!

and i have one of the water dispensers...not the free-flowing one, but just the one that looks like the high-tower food dispenser. i just clean it out every couple of days so it doesn't get stale/old. they actually adore it when the water level in the bowl gets to low and the high-tower lets some out. they look at it like it's alive and then it's game time!

steph, delph and josie