cat feeding question (eating, weight, smelling, drinks)

[tonybarnaby]

Ever since I've had my cat, we've given him a can of food in the morning and then a bowl of dry food that he would get in the afternoon and eat until the following morning. I get home around 3am from work, and he's always completely out of food by then. He would beg me for more, so I would give him another small amount of his dry food.

Last week I completely cut out the dry food, but I feel bad about it. I give him a can in the morning and a can in the evening. He's so used to eating a bit of dry food whenever he wants, and will wander by his bowl and meow. What feeding frequency should I use? He's the perfect weight right now. His cans are 3 ounces, so isn't 6 ounces a day too much?


Hopefully someone can help, because I don't want to make him fat or let him eat dry food anymore.

[catsmom21]

6 ounces, generally speaking, should be just right for an adult cat. Cat metabolisms vary, so 6 ounces is really just a guideline. If he starts to lose weight, you wil need to increase the amount. If he begins to get a bit chubby, cut back, or better, increase his exercise.

I recommend making two changes. First, cut the evening meal in half. Half when you normally feed and half right before bed. Add a little warm water (about a tablespoon) to each meal to make it take longer to eat and to fill him up a bit more.

Second, pick up his dish after the meal so it isn't sitting around smelling like food.

Oh wait here's a third: If he begs for food, play with him instead.

Congratulations on getting your cat on an all wet diet!

[tonybarnaby]

We already add a good amount of water. His food is almost soupy and he loves to slurp it up. Plus he has 3 water bowls and drinks from all of them.

So with his can that I split, how do I do that to avoid it going bad? Give him half and then put the rest in the fridge?

[catsmom21]

Yes, you can refrigerate the other half can, then warm it up with a little warm water when serving it. But it won't be for long will it? I mean if you feed him at (your) supper time, and then again right before bed, that's not more than a few hours, right?

This is how I do it, for split meals.

Open can. Put half can in dish, prepare and serve.

Put other half in another dish, cover dish or put dish in a food container that has a cover. When it's time to feed the second half, take out the dish of food, run hot water over a dish, move the food from the cold dish to the hot dish, (or just set cold dish in a little hot water bath for a few seconds) add a little warm water to warm it further, and serve. Rinse other dish and put in dish drainer rack.

Here is an example. Of course this is actually raw food but the concept is the same as with canned

[Lola4]

In a perfect world, 3 meals a day would be the best. However 2 meals is perfectly acceptable, if you are unable to feed 3x a day.
With you already adding water to his canned food and feeding no dry don't be surprised if he no longer drinks much from the water bowls. Cats don't have a strong thirst drive and he will no longer be dehydrated from the kibble, so it is likely there will be less trips to the water bowl.

[tonybarnaby]

Appreciate it

[Rene S]

I had a question--how much does your cat weigh, approximately? If he's a larger cat, he may need more food. If he's small, maybe a little less.

Don't worry about him going to where the food bowl was. Cats are creatures of habit and he's used to grazing. He'll soon learn that the meals are now at scheduled times.

[catsmom21]

Originally Posted by Rene S

I had a question--how much does your cat weigh, approximately? If he's a larger cat, he may need more food. If he's small, maybe a little less.

Don't worry about him going to where the food bowl was. Cats are creatures of habit and he's used to grazing. He'll soon learn that the meals are now at scheduled times.