My cat eats too fast. Should I free-feed dry food or portion it?

I have a couple of suggestions for you. First, one of my friends used a latch to create an opening in their laundry room door that only the skinny cat could fit through. They left food in there for the skinnier cat to free feed throughout the day and meal fed the heavier cat. Second, if your skinnier cat will eat from food balls or no-bowl feeders, I would feed all meals in that way. Third, I would only feed twice the amount of food that the heavier cats needs twice daily. That way the skinnier cat has enough to eat, but there isn't enough extra for Luna to eat. The skinnier cats tend to get this concept after a couple of days and eat more at a meal instead of grazing as much. Finally, you could consider changing to or adding a canned food meal. That may help the skinnier cat eat a "meal" instead of grazing. Canned food is less "addicting" and less fattening than dry food, so it might be beneficial for both cats. I use a timed feeder (CatMate C20) with canned food to keep my cats from waking me up too early in the morning. Good luck! I hope that was helpful. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

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

Most cats are able to self regulate their food intake but you should monitor for excessive weight gain and measure the amount he gets per day. Be sure he has access to fresh water at all times and be aware that easily accessible food may draw stray cats also

Hi, thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! I recommend meal feeding as this prevents obesity which is a huge health problem in cats. I would feed him twice daily. If he finds this terrible then split his total volume in to 3 meals. Good luck!

A lot of cat owners free fed their cat, meaning they leave food out for the cat all day. You can take the daily allotted amount on the bag, and leave it all in a bowl for Jarvis to eat throughout the day. Otherwise, you can divide it into two equal portions, and feed him twice a day :-)

Cookie is so handsome! You are doing everything right. Offer food twice a day. I would only not leave the food out if Cookie is overweight or is gaining weight from it. Your veterinarian would be able to tell you if they feel he is overweight. At your next visit with your vet you can talk to them about it! Thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

Hi, thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! At 10 months of age, Toby can be fed twice daily. If he isn't finishing the food then I recommend offering less. Obesity in cats is a huge problem. If he is self regulating that is a good thing. I would decrease the amount from the pouches or cut out the dry, whatever you prefer. I hope this helps!