Feeding Suggestions Please...

[soubida]

Background info: I got my cat about 2 months ago from the SPCA, and she's about 7 years old

From the beginning she never really finishes her food? The people at the SPCA told me to feed her 2x a day, but she gets really upset when she doesn't have food available and would gobble up her food way too fast when she finally gets it.. leading her to throw up.

I asked the vet, and the vet told me that I should just free feed her, and that it's fine. But all the articles I read online told me that free feeding is bad, and that she should be put on a feeding schedule?

I also am intending on trying to switch her from dry food to wet food, which seems not quite possible to do if she is free feeding (i.e. not able to leave wet food out all day)

So I have a couple questions, wondering if anyone could help me...
1) How do I get her on a fixed meal schedule? Or is it possible to free feed her wet food?
2) How do I get her to finish her food? No matter how much food I leave out, she only ever eats half the amount left out for her lol
3) Advice on switching from dry to wet? She refuses wet food.. except for human food lol

Additional info: I'm trying to switch her to the primal freeze dried.. currently crumbling a bit into her kibble to get her used to the scent/taste..

Thank you for reading my long post. Here's a picture of my cat LOL

 

[duckpond]

She is a pretty girl i have a male tuxedo cat

There are as many way to feed as there are cats and we all like our method best...lol

I free feed dry, and feed two wet meals per day. I have a cat that if he does not eat fairly often he throws up. My Tuxedo boy, and my two girls will never eat enough at meal times, they like to nibble little bits throughout the day, and night.

I have used freeze dried raw, several different brands, personally my cats were not fans. so i gave up on it.

I now free feed dry. Dr. Elseys, chicken only, as it is very high protein and very low carb, and i dont have a problem with my cats getting over weight with free feeding the Dr. Elseys. And they all like it, so Win! I did feed orijen previously, and they gained a little weight. So, Dr. Elseys only for free feeding at my house.

I feed a range of wet foods, 3 of my 4 like different wet, i suggest trying different brands, different proteins, and different textures. some of mine like minced, or shreds, and occasionally some pate. It may take trying several different wet foods until you find one she likes. Then go from there.

However you decide to feed, and what ever food you feed, its important to find some they like, and that they can eat enough to be happy with, but not get fat. One thing i don't feed much is human food, or treats. They do get a treat at night, when we are getting ready for bed, normally a few pure bites.

 

[soubida]

She is a pretty girl i have a male tuxedo cat

There are as many way to feed as there are cats and we all like our method best...lol

I free feed dry, and feed two wet meals per day. I have a cat that if he does not eat fairly often he throws up. My Tuxedo boy, and my two girls will never eat enough at meal times, they like to nibble little bits throughout the day, and night.

I have used freeze dried raw, several different brands, personally my cats were not fans. so i gave up on it.

I now free feed dry. Dr. Elseys, chicken only, as it is very high protein and very low carb, and i dont have a problem with my cats getting over weight with free feeding the Dr. Elseys. And they all like it, so Win! I did feed orijen previously, and they gained a little weight. So, Dr. Elseys only for free feeding at my house.

I feed a range of wet foods, 3 of my 4 like different wet, i suggest trying different brands, different proteins, and different textures. some of mine like minced, or shreds, and occasionally some pate. It may take trying several different wet foods until you find one she likes. Then go from there.

However you decide to feed, and what ever food you feed, its important to find some they like, and that they can eat enough to be happy with, but not get fat. One thing i don't feed much is human food, or treats. They do get a treat at night, when we are getting ready for bed, normally a few pure bites.

thanks for your reply! how did you get your cats to eat the wet food? i find that my cat is usually not hungry enough to even care about the wet food cuz she gets dry food all day anyway... i also give her some treats throughout the day cuz i'm scared that she's eating too little lol

i'll follow your advice to see if she would like other textures though!

 

[maggie101]

My cats are on a schedule of only wet 3x a day. One of my cats will throw up her food in the morning. Eats too fast from not eating 9 hrs. She also has a very sensitive stomach. Slowly mix canned with dry and she will eventually like it. Especially shredded chicken! My cats know when its time to eat. They get up from their nap and head to the kitchen

 

[maggie101]

Instead of treats freeze dried chicken

 

[KarenKat]

I’ve just recently been trying to switch to wet food too from free-fed kibble. As far as them being not hungry, I only put a little kibble in the bowl before leaving for work so it’s mostly gone when I come home. Then I feed wet food with something they like on top (baked chicken) and they seemed to try different flavors. So rationing out the kibble and letting them get a little hungry helps. They all love Life’s Abundance, but it did upset Trin’s stomach (it contains shrimp. Possible allergen?)

 

[soubida]

My cats are on a schedule of only wet 3x a day. One of my cats will throw up her food in the morning. Eats too fast from not eating 9 hrs. She also has a very sensitive stomach. Slowly mix canned with dry and she will eventually like it. Especially shredded chicken! My cats know when its time to eat. They get up from their nap and head to the kitchen

i left a bit of kibble overnight too.. but i guess it just wasn't enough for her... i'll try mixing in some wet with the dry to get her more used to it! thanks for the advice!

Instead of treats freeze dried chicken

the "treats" i give her are actually either freeze dried chicken breast or chicken hearts.. she seems to really like it hahaha

 

[soubida]

I’ve just recently been trying to switch to wet food too from free-fed kibble. As far as them being not hungry, I only put a little kibble in the bowl before leaving for work so it’s mostly gone when I come home. Then I feed wet food with something they like on top (baked chicken) and they seemed to try different flavors. So rationing out the kibble and letting them get a little hungry helps. They all love Life’s Abundance, but it did upset Trin’s stomach (it contains shrimp. Possible allergen?)

i left a bit of kibble overnight for her to nibble on.. but i guess it wasn't enough? because she still went crazy asking everyone in the house for food when she saw them in the morning (im the one in charge of feeding her, but happened to wake up later that day lol)

i'll be sure to take your advice to try putting something she likes into the wet food to encourage her (maybe some freeze dried chicken..)! thanks for the help!

 

[duckpond]

thanks for your reply! how did you get your cats to eat the wet food? i find that my cat is usually not hungry enough to even care about the wet food cuz she gets dry food all day anyway... i also give her some treats throughout the day cuz i'm scared that she's eating too little lol

i'll follow your advice to see if she would like other textures though!

my cats have had free access to Dr. Elseys dry for a long time now. They like it, but they are use to it. no one over eats with it now, they did the first few weeks when it was new My suggestion with this is pick one dry that is high protein and low carb, the best i have found is Dr. Elseys, Young again, Farmina and some of the Instinct dry. Just feed that one dry. Any new dry food they will eat to much for a while, but after they get use to it they seem to moderate their intake, at least in my experience. I also never let the plate go empty, that seems to drive cats nuts, and they think they are starving...lol

I do have a scheduled time for wet food, after my first cup of coffee in the morning, and right after i get home in the evening. Cats can tell time quite well, they know when its time for wet, and the WANT it

Not to say they dont get picky and not like some foods, they do. I have been feeding them several years now, so i know who likes what brand and flavor, shreds or minced, that makes it easier. But i still throw food out to the outside animals, and donate the occasional case of food to the shelters, because cats get fussy and wont eat some things. I do sometimes need to use toppers, usually freeze dried chicken treats crumbled up on top to get them started.

leave out dry, if thats what you decide to do, feed wet a few times a day, on a schedule. and i dont recomend treats that often, we all love treats and if we get all the treats we want we wont eat our food..lol. My husband gives mine a few treats at night right before bed, its a thing Otherwise no treats, unless something is going on, such as meds, visitors, something out of the ordinary that i want them to feel good about, and this is not often at all.

Keep offering the wet, and trying different ones. most likely you will find one she likes.

 

[zoocat]

I now free feed dry. Dr. Elseys, chicken only, as it is very high protein and very low carb, and i dont have a problem with my cats getting over weight with free feeding the Dr. Elseys.

When you free feed the dry do you put out a measured amount per day—like 1/4 or 1/2 cup? I have one cat that this would work great for because he’s a grazer. But the other is a Hoover vacuum clean with dry. He eats it till it’s gone. I do have 2 automatic feeders to use when out of town but I could never just free feed.

 

[duckpond]

When you free feed the dry do you put out a measured amount per day—like 1/4 or 1/2 cup? I have one cat that this would work great for because he’s a grazer. But the other is a Hoover vacuum clean with dry. He eats it till it’s gone. I do have 2 automatic feeders to use when out of town but I could never just free feed.

I have found with Dr. Elseys, i think because it is so high protein, and so low carb that they do not over eat. My hoover did the first week or so, then he just started nibbling on it, like the others do. I have one cat that will only eat the dry, the others all eat varying amounts of wet. I put two, or three plates around the house, with about 1/2 cup of dry in each. I leave them until they are almost empty, about a day and a half. then i throw any left overs to the outside critters, and replace with clean food in the house.

It may not work to free feed like this for all cats, it does for mine. This is the first time i have every had indoor only cats. Our indoor outdoor cats on the farm were always free fed dry.

I have read several things that talk about how cats need a specific amount of protein per day. They will eat until they get as close to that requirement as they can. And it needs to be animal protein, not vegetable. I think that is one reason so many cats over eat with many dry foods, so many are low in animal protein, contain a lot of vegetable proteins and carbs, or fat. So cats eat and eat, trying to get the real animal protein that they need. I have read this in a few different places, it makes sense to me. and with feeding high protein wet food, and high protein dry, i also try to keep to moderate fat content as well. and very low carbs. it seems to work for my guys.

Before i used dr. elseys i was using evo, it worked too, but i dont think as well. I also used Orijen, and Farmina, these are both good foods, but they are higher carb than Elseys, and 2 of my cats did eat a bit much and put on a little weight. That may have leveled out i dont know, i made the total switch to Elseys and have not looked back.

 

[Azazel]

Dr. L. Pierson has some great suggestions and information on her website about transitioning kibble-fed cats to wet diets.
https://catinfo.org/docs/TipsForTransitioning1-14-11.pdf

I don't think anyone answered your question about free-feeding wet food. I know some people (including Dr. Pierson) will leave wet food out for up to 8 hours. I personally have left it out for up to 3-4 hours with no issue. It all depends on your comfort level, what your cat will eat, and the temperature of your home. I think leaving canned food for a few hours is generally safe though.

 

[zoocat]

I have found with Dr. Elseys, i think because it is so high protein, and so low carb that they do not over eat.

That makes sense about getting the protein they need. I have noticed that they don’t always finish their wet food and I thought it was being picky but it may be being full enough instead.
I’m feeding my guys Dr Elseys and Farmina Boar And Apple. I’m trying to feed the “Hoover” primarily the Dr Elseys with a little Farmina since they both love that flavor so much. I only give them about 1/4 cup each per day. I’m also feeding high protein/low carb wet 3 times a day with each getting a total of about 4 ounces a day. With this high protein, low carb they both have lost some weight —Hoover down from 16 1/2 lbs 4 years ago to about 13 1/2 lbs now. The other down from 15 1/2 to about 13 1/2 now.

 

[BattleWaifu]

For the free fed dry you may wanna try some type of food puzzle to deter scarfing and barfing.