Is free feeding my cat safe, or will they gain too much weight?

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.

Hello and welcome to Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. It sounds like what you are doing is perfect if their weight is ideal. It is fine to just leave food out 24/7. This might need to change if your cats become overweight. Best of luck with your little ones!

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

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.

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! You can feed your kitty as recommended in the bag or by your veterinarian. If you stick to a regimen like that, there should not be a concern about her getting overweight. I think by measuring what you give her as you do already, you are already doing a good job to prevent her from getting overweight. Good luck and have a great day!

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!

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.