Is free feeding dry cat food okay? Why does my cat scoop food?

Hello. Just for convenience, most folks just leave a bowl of food out for cats to graze on throughout the day. But if Maximus is overweight, or trending toward being overweight, you will need to control the amount of food he consumes in a day or place him on a metabolic weight control diet. As I see it, cats seem to get hungry, 10 minutes after I turn off the light for bed, so having some available will help me sleep all night. If Maximus is more considerate, & you do not mind feeding when he asks for food, you can certainly do this. Ideally, I would calculate the proper amount he needs daily based on what your bag of food recommends & divide this into 3 feedings, morning, noon or early evening, & the remaining amount for snacking overnight. Remember, if you are feeding for an ideal weight, or for Maximus to lose a little weight you will feed for that weight. In other words, follow the food amount recommendations for a 10 or 12-pound cat if he needs to lose a couple of pounds. Just divide the total daily amount into 3 separate meals. 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

Hello. At this point in your kittens lives, I would continue to allow them to free feed as they are still growing & maturing. If, after they are 1-2 years of age, they begin to get a little too heavy, you may need to restrict access to their food, but it is not necessary nor advised now. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

Hi, thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! It can be. But you have to watch Kiki’s weight closely. Cats that are free fed can become obese. Obesity is a huge problem in cats and can lead to significant health problems. I hope this helps!

Hello. That actually does not sound too unusual. You can certainly offer her the canned twice daily ( my house kitty gets a spoonful morning & evening ), & then he is free to pick at the dry all day. MOST cats are good at self regulating & will not eat too much to become obese, but this is something to watch for as Aspen grows older. It is very much an individual thing, but for now Aspen can be free to eat when he wants to. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

Wet food has fewer calories than dry food due to it's higher moisture content, so it does take more of it to give a kitten the correct calorie amount for the day. That being said, because they are free fed dry food throughout the day, they can meet their caloric needs with this, so the amount you are feeding them of wet food is fine :-)

Thank you for submitting your question regarding Pocky. At this age, it is fine to free feed him. By 4-5 months though you will need to start measuring his food. He can still eat when he wants as cats prefer to graze throughout the day. You will just need to be aware of how much he is consuming to prevent him from becoming overweight. I hope this information helps!