What's the best food and feeding schedule for my indoor cat's health?

if your cat is of normal weight and gets enough exercise, you can leave it at that. If you prefer to feed individual meals (2-3 times a day) you should slowly transition to wet/canned food and slowly reduce the dry food. Wet food overall is better for your cat, especially when a cat gets older. It contains less carbohydrates (cats are obligatory carnivores, so mainly need protein, not carbs), lessens the chance of your cat becoming a diabetic, and ensures that your cat gets more moisture with its food rather than having to drink more. If you feed canned food, stick with pate-type food, as cats tend to only lick off the gravy in chunky type foods. They prefer the ground mouse approach :D

Hi Ali! Thanks for using Pet Coach! I suggest you take her off the kitten food. Kitten food is very high in calories. I know that bag is labeled for up to one year but I usually recommend that kittens switch to adult food at 7-8 months of age. So, yes, adult indoor food would be indicated here. Also, do not just keep the bowl full - measure out the daily amount she needs based on the recommendations on the bag of food you are feeding; split into multiple small meals. Feed her to her ideal weight and not her current weight. Example: if she is 12 pounds and should be 9 pounds then use the feeding recommendation for a 9 pound cat. Always feed to the low end of the range the bag gives you especially since you are giving hearts and kidneys as well. You can also refer to this article for more tips: ( https://www.petcoach.co/article/are-you-feeding-your-cat-wrong/ ) Hope this helps. Best wishes.

Do not combine foods, this causes GI upset. Brands of food I recommend include Royal Canin, Hill's Science Diet, Purina Pro Plan, and Iams. I recommend these foods because they run their own feeding trials, meet AAFCO standards, and have veterinary nutritionists on staff. They are the only four brands to do this. I think an indoor cat formula would be best for Storm. As for water, get a pet water fountain. It provides a constant source of fresh water, and encourages cats to drink. I have one for my cats, and they love it. Don't change litter if he has one he likes. Cats are very picky about litter, and a change in litter can lead to them not using their box.

Great question! I actually recommend a food with grains in it. Grains are good for cats, and they provide a lasting source of energy and fuel. Grain free is a marketing ploy and fad, and there is no proof at all that grains are bad for cats. Having a diet with grains in it will provide Kitty with more fuel for his high energy life. Brands I recommend including Royal Canin, Hill's Science Diet, Purina ProPlan, or Iams. Best of luck, I hope this helps!

Science diet and Purina have very good cat formulas for cats. I would find one that is appropriate for your cats age and health status. For example, they make a hairball formula if that is problem or an over weight formula if weight loss is needed there is no benefit of feeding dry over canned, so it is personal preference for that.

Thanks for more information! Wet food has fewer calories that dry food due to the higher moisture content, so I'd recommend wet food for Snowball. Do not free feed, give him food twice a day at set times, and feed him according to the instructions on the can of food. No treats at all and no human food. I see he's an older boy, so he may not be into playing, but you can look at trying to get him more active with some toys. I hope this helps!

Kit is very handsome! Thanks for posting a picture. Since cats are obligate carnivores, we think the most biologically appropriate food for a domesticated cat is a mouse which is a high protein diet. The closest we can get to that ideal diet with commercial food is a canned food diet. Canned food diets are lower in carbohydrates and higher in protein than dry foods. Since cats are obligate carnivores, they are not able to utilize carbohydrates effectively and will often just gain weight on foods that are higher in carbohydrates. The best website I have found to describe this well is listed below. http://catinfo.org/ The above website also discusses changing cats from dry food to canned food. I most commonly recommend Wellness canned food for cats. It is a very food company with a good history and cats tend to do well on it. The general rule for cats is that they should eat about 5.5 ounces of canned food each day for each 10 pounds of ideal body weight. But be sure to go slowly with any diet changes to prevent GI upset. As far as getting Kit to be more active, I would recommend looking at the website below for ideas to get an indoor cat more active. https://indoorpet.osu.edu/cats Good luck! I hope that was helpful and answered your questions. Thanks for using PetCoach.