My cat is healthy free-feeding. Should I switch to scheduled meals?

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.

Hi there! Hunny Cat is very cute! I believe it's better to feed cats canned food. It has more moisture and adds a little bit more hydration to their daily intake. Later in life, cats can commonly develop kidney disease and/or urinary bladder disease. In both cases, cats will benefit greatly from the increased water content of a canned diet. The canned food is a lot better too to help keep an indoor cat's weight in check. All indoor cats have a tendency to become overweight, as they don't exercise as much as feral cats. Since cats usually will ingest the canned food right away, it is easier to portion the food out and also provide cats with meal times. This is very helpful to increase their metabolism, and to help discourage them from gaining weight. Far too often, we see cats being fed a pile of dried food in a bowl where they eat buffet-style on and off all day long. This can easily lead to weight gain and obesity, as well as all sorts of health problems. Nutro is good food, and so is tiki cat, weruva, science diet, royal canin, and iams/eukanuba, Purina is also good. I just like for pets to have a balanced diet. Grain free isn't really a necessity, but thus far in cats, we're not really seeing too many issues. I hope you find this answer helpful! Best of luck!

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.

Start feeding them separately and measure their food. Divide the total amount your cat should have per day and split it into two, three or more meals, depending on your schedule so she doesn't have to go too many hours between meals. Check the label on your cat food for feeding recommendations for your cat's weight or, if you haven't yet done this, make an appointment with your vet for an evaluation and a prescription diet and weight loss plan. Feed one cat in one room, shut them in and feed the other cat at the other end of the house, or upstairs if you have a two-story home. Depending on how food motivated your cat is, you can get her to follow you around the house a few laps before putting her food down for her. If she likes to play, take some time to play with her every day, using a wand toy or a ball she can chase and swat around. Drag a toy on a string for her to chase as you walk around the house, anything to get her moving and active.

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

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!

Most cats don't have a set schedule with meal time and that is ok. The most important thing is that Kacey is eating daily and consuming a low fat (calorie) diet if she is at risk for repeat pancreatitis episodes. As long as her body condition score is ideal and she isn't pre-diabetic, I would not worry about trying to get her on a feeding schedule. It is good if she readily converts to a schedule, but it isn't absolutely necessary. Make sure you discuss with your vet what the appropriate amount of food to offer her daily. Also you can use the feeding charts on her food labels to get a rough estimate of how much she needs. Try to only offer her amounts of food that fall within that chart and you should be fine. Most cats typically only need around 1-1.5 cups/cans a day. And the probiotic is always a good daily supplement to keep her stools regulated.