Hungry kitty! - scheduled vs. free feeding?

[UnoMama]

So I've a 6-7 week old adopted stray kitty, Uno, who's in surprisingly ok shape healthwise (some minor mite and fungal infections apart). He's a sweet child (mostly!) and very active and playful. He's gained a pound (or almost .5 Kg) in the week he's been with me - the vet suspected he was underweight when he was found.

I'm currently feeding him soaked dry food... tried wet food the first two days he was here but he wouldn't be able to eat most of it and it would sit out in his bowl for far too long. I plan to mix in wet food into his diet eventually as frequently as is possible for both him and me (I've a small apartment, and I legit gag at the smell)

Big questions:
1. Is it ok to let him graze at his food and leave some for him at all times? - I've been leaving some at night of course, but I tried giving really small portions through the day today so that we might shift to a more scheduled feeding pattern soon .... but it seems to leave him hungry? Am I accidentally starving my kitty?
2. I definitely want a scheduled feeding timetable eventually ... it seems ....healthier? at least he won't be overweight? but at what what point do I transition to this?


Would love any advice. And for some reason I'm seriously scared of him being overweight and ending up with health issues because of that.

 

[zoes]

At that age, I would free food. He's a growing boy and needs access to enough calories. Or feed him multiple meals per day if you prefer the idea of a schedule - but it should be MANY times a day and anytime he wants more, I'd give him more.

During this time, I would feed him at least one meal a day of wet food (more, if you can - get one of those silicone can lids and scoop some out multiple times a day, and mush with warm water.) I'm comfortable leaving wet food out for 8 hours.

Once he's grown up and filled out and you don't want him gaining any more weight, you can switch to scheduled meals. It will be easy to do by just doing it - he'll eat when the food is there and if he doesn't finish it, he'll be hungry enough by his next meal that he will finish that. You can also encourage his appetite by doing a play session, then feeding him the meal.

 

[LTS3]

Big questions:
1. Is it ok to let him graze at his food and leave some for him at all times? - I've been leaving some at night of course, but I tried giving really small portions through the day today so that we might shift to a more scheduled feeding pattern soon .... but it seems to leave him hungry? Am I accidentally starving my kitty?

2. I definitely want a scheduled feeding timetable eventually ... it seems ....healthier? at least he won't be overweight? but at what what point do I transition to this?

Leaving a bowl of food out for eating is fine but NOT soaked dry food. Bacteria will quickly grow in wet dry food. Kittens eat a ton of food and need to be allowed to eat as much food as they want. They can't get fat. Free feed for now and work on scheduled feedings when the kitten is more like a year old.

Canned food is fine if left out all day It's a cooked product. It does get dry but most cats are ok with it. Mash the food up with a spoon and some water so it's easier for the kitten to lap up. Canned food does smell stinky so unfortunately you just have to deal with it. Cold canned food has less smell but some cats won't eat cold food so you'd have to warm it up first. Cats like stinky food.

 

[zoes]

Just had another idea: as an alternative to wet dry food, you could dry dehydrated food that you mix with water. Either those freeze-dried nuggets, or the powdered stuff like Honest Kitchen. You can portion control very easily and prepare fresh stuff several times a day so he always supply a fresh food without wasting too much. And I find they smell like pungent that regular canned wet food or even kibble, which smells the worst to me.

 

[Mr. Meow]

As far as a scheduled vs. free feeding when he's older, it depends on the cat. Some cats are great at regulating their food intake, while others will chow down as much and as often as they can. To avoid finding out you've got a chonker, scheduled feeding is fine as long as you're feeding the appropriate amount and you don't fall for those big, sad "please I'm starving" eyes.
Most people will look at exactly how much you're supposed to feed a cat and think "that's waaaay too little" while not knowing that cat foods are made for whatever their lifestyle is (indoor only, indoor/outdoor, senior, etc). If you choose to schedule feed, stick to a strict schedule (cats love routines) and stick to the recommended amount.