How to move cat from 3 to 2 meals

[Dairymilk]

Hi everyone

I've had my cat since he was about 8 months, and he's about 13 months now.

ever since I've had him I've fed him 3 times a day. I would like to move it to 2 times a day for my own convenience and because I think he would enjoy having bigger meals. I can't allow him to free feed because he would eat everything he can see IMMEDIATELY

theoretically I know how to move him to twice a day feeding. But the problem is that he is INCREDIBLY vocal already and meows for an hour non-stop before his set meal time, and I genuinely think my neighbours would start complaining if he did that all the time until he got used to the twice a day feeding. And I wonder if he might be upset. But maybe he'd be less hungry that way?

he's going to a cattery soon as we are going on holiday, which I know for a fact only will feed him twice a day.

What times would you choose? at the moment he gets fed when he is let out of his room in the morning (we close him up at night because he's a rascal), so about 8am, then 3-4pm and 8-9pm and he gets closed up whenever we go to bed so maybe 10-11pm

Does anyone have any insight??

 

[arr]

Do you feed wet food? That would be my main recommendation. The moisture and protein of an all wet food diet will keep him full for longer. I would try to feed 12 hours apart, so for example 8 and 8? I would let him eat as much wet food as he wants for each feeding, until he walks away from the bowl. This is exactly how my cats eat when we go on vacation, because I can only have someone come in twice a day. Normally, though, we do three times a day.

 

[Dairymilk]

Do you feed wet food? That would be my main recommendation. The moisture and protein of an all wet food diet will keep him full for longer. I would try to feed 12 hours apart, so for example 8 and 8? I would let him eat as much wet food as he wants for each feeding, until he walks away from the bowl. This is exactly how my cats eat when we go on vacation, because I can only have someone come in twice a day. Normally, though, we do three times a day.

Yes we always give wet food! He lost some weight (still normal weight) recently because I think his recommended calories are actually too few for him and we were sticking to them quite rigidly cos we didn't want him to become fat after neutering. That's partly why I'd like to do it twice a day because then I could give him a big load of wet food twice rather than having to correctly divide his calories up over 3 meals.

I guess I might try to give him more food whilst moving him onto the 2 a day feeding, seeing as if he gains a bit of weight it won't be a problem right now

 

[arr]

I think it would be almost impossible for him to gain a concerning amount of weight when only eating wet food twice a day. Most cat weight problems come from free feeding dry food. Also, as far as him adapting to this new schedule, that remains to be seen. He could be one of those cats who can’t go for long stretches without food or the stomach acids build up, or he can’t hold a large amount at once without regurgitating. One of my cats leans this direction, so that’s why I do 3 times a day except for vacation, when I don’t have a choice. I will say, when we go on our 10 day camping trip and our cats have been eating this way, it seems like they do adapt. They don’t gather in the kitchen for their afternoon meal, it’s like they forgot about it and it takes a few days for them to adapt to 3 smaller meals again.

 

[Furballsmom]

But the problem is that he is INCREDIBLY vocal already and meows for an hour non-stop before his set meal time, and I genuinely think my neighbours would start complaining if he did that all the time until he got used to the twice a day feeding. And I wonder if he might be upset. But maybe he'd be less hungry that way?

I am strongly recommending continuing with the three times a day feedings. You can obtain a timed feeder to accommodate this. Since he's already yelling, shifting him to only two feedings won't improve that.

As mentioned, you're running the risk of stomach upset by trying to feed large meals only twice a day, partly because of the overload of food all at once since you're already seeing that he's eating too fast, and additionally because his stomach may create too much acid from too much time inbetween meals.

Large breed cats and some others don't mature until later than a year-old. Rather than trying to count calories which you saw is a hassle and caused problems for him, start weighing him every couple weeks and keep a log. If he's an active cat, it's unlikely that he'll get fat until years down the road when he begins to slow down.

You need to be focused on helping fuel his energy and growth levels now.

Use the timed feeder to take care of the third feeding so you're freed up, and use slow-feeders for the other two feedings and as mentioned, provide him with more food spread out over more time throughout the day. The slow-feeder suggestion is so that he has the chance to learn how to eat at a more normal rate, and then when his caloric requirements have been better met over a period of time you may be able to have all his meals in the timed feeder.

7 Innovative Cat Food Dishes That Will Blow Your Mind [2023 Edition] - TheCatSite this provides one example but there are many more slow feed dishes available.

 

[maggie101]

furabout staying with 3x a day. There are timers for wet. Can you have someone come to your house instead?

 

[lisahe]

A lot of cats simply can't handle being fed only twice a day. We have one of them! She generates lots of stomach acid. If she's not fed enough or goes too long between meals, she's prone to barfing up the acid and/or regurgitating her meals. Edwina's a rescue cat and this seems to be a fairly common problem among rescues and strays because they feel insecure about their food. Edwina, by the way, has been with us for more than nine years and she still hasn't figured out that we're happy to feed her. Five or six times a day. An autofeeder with a timer is a fantastic invention. I just want to mention this because these issues are fairly common.

Anyway! No matter what, though, like Furballsmom and maggie101 , I'd highly recommend not messing with your cat's meal plan until you get back from holiday. It's stressful enough for cats to have a meal taken away from them but adding that to a trip to a cattery could make for a very difficult situation.

All that said, the method that arr mentions -- feeding a cat as much wet food as it will eat, twice a day -- is something our vet often recommends for overweight cats. It apparently works beautifully for many. Since you mentioned, Dairymilk , that you think your cat would appreciate larger meals, maybe you could try that method and see if it works. But just be aware that some cats really don't take well to having a meal taken away!

Good luck!