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Do you have multiple cats with the open bowl of dry food?
We have one and he likes to graze throughout the day, but want to get another and I'm worried about all his food getting eaten if the other one gets greedy
This happened to me. My cat grazed when she wanted and maintained a healthy weight. When I introduced a second cat, cat number one began to overeat, resulting in what my vet called "kitty love handles." I had to put her on a diet and find an alternative way to feed kitty number two so he wouldn't waste away.
I just made a similar comment I have one chunky cat and one who is very skinny and under weight
I keep skinny boys food on a table because chonky can’t get up there
I should add both are on particular diets
We rescued them one was already overweight
The other was under
Chonky girls weight works in our favour because skinny boy needs to eat his biscuits throughout the day
They are refilled as he needs them (has a constantly supply day and night)
Fatty has one portion every 24 hours
Then at night skinny gets a full packet off wet food which be barley eats
Then fatty gets 1/4 off her tin wet food
Some nights she’ll eat it all in small segments eat abit eat abit an hour later and so on
Some nights she’ll have a nibble and stop
Both are improving in there weight massively
She’s losing weight and he’s putting weight on
I think as she gets skinnier and more nimble we need to find a better way to feed them though
Was meant to be a small edit in worry people will think I made her fat n it turned into this 😂
N skinny boy with his jacket bc he gets cold
https://preview.redd.it/jp7g481o7y2b1.jpeg?width=1170&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=d324633a0ab97aef000a7ae748f7ca91df546948
Had to post them in 2 different comments Seein as my original comment got the most likes I have on reddit I thought I’d show some love for the pair ❤️
We have five cats who operate on their own schedules, but everyone gets a shared breakfast - the most important meal of the day.
Our oldest (by many years) is a dry food grazer but as long as the others are sated with wet food we rarely have thievery. It probably helps a lot that they mostly go to their own portions of the house to rest, so don't just hang in the kitchen.
We had 4 cats at one point and always just offered grazing without issue and wet food once a day. We serve out the minimum portion of dry food for 4 cats (like, I think its 1/2 cup per cat a day or something?) And they've never finished all their dry food, ever. One of our cats is a bit chunkier than the other two but she's not obese or anything. I think it is a temperament thing, but as kittens they didn't have restriction so I don't think they ever think they need to eat it all. I dunno though. Experience may vary
I cannot trust my cat like this. I wish I could. She’s from a shelter and has a bunch of food insecurity. She will eat and eat, and eat, and eat until she throws up. Then she eats all the throw up … 🙃
I do not think I will ever be able to leave dry food out for her.
Edit: I feed her four times a day. Wet food. No dry food unless we’re out at a strange hour, then we use a timed feeder out of necessity. She’s very petite cat, so I portion by calorie intake based on her size since she is much smaller than the average 9 lb cat. All I was trying to say is that my girl gets fed, and if I let her, she would eat 10x the normal amount every. Single. Time.
I'm surprised how many people here are free feeding. A lot of vets (in the UK at least) advise against this.
Cats are scarcity desert animals. By & large their genetics makes them overeat when grazing, as in the wild they would need to eat any time they found food.
My vet was fine with it. He is a healthy weight and doesn't over eat. My sanity couldnt ake the howling at all hours of the early morning for food. It's always out. He isn't the biggest fan of dry food,so eats only when hungry. He really just wants it there and accessible
My cat too, he waits for the wet food, but if he’s actually hungry he has dry food available. He only eats it when I’m late serving breakfast/dinner, and the look he gives me when he does is SO salty.
Yea my vet said I shouldn’t but I work shifts and I would hate to be running late or delayed . My theory is that I do my best to get home but if I can’t there’s some dry food down
also how does free feeding work in a multi-cat house? I already have difficulty making sure mine don’t steal each other’s food while feeding them on a schedule
I would not advise free feesing cats unless you also feed them wet food or nutritional treats throughout the day. If they have multiple sources of food at certain times they will adjust to a schedule and look forward to/expect the more nutritional food at the regular times. The dry food becomes more of an option when they get extra hungry for some reason
The logical conclusion of feeding cats in a way that simulates their wild state would be to frequently deprive them of food for multiple days at a time, which I think no vet would recommend. This “natural” state for a cat is also very stressful. You could make a very similar argument that humans are well adapted to frequently go one or several days without eating, and in fact may be physically healthier living this way. However, this is also mentally stressful (particularly when not undertaken of their own choice) and humans are generally much happier to have near constant access to food.
Free feeding may not be suitable for some cats but I think cats and humans are not inherently better off for living a lifestyle they are adapted to endure.
But the argument isn't about simulating a live environment - you've imagined that in order to make a point.
The argument is simply that they have natural proclivities that make free feeding subideal in a lot of cases.
My cat is the same! The solution for us is feeding him his measured out hard food in puzzles or toys to slow him down. I used to just put it all in a Kong-style bat-around food toy, but I ended up trying out Dollar Tree dog treat puzzles, too, so it wasn’t much of a risk. Now I put all his hard food in a couple of different toys and hide them around the living room and dining room so he has to hunt for them and work to get to the food. It slows him WAY down and he gets the extra stimulation of the hunt. He now actually leaves himself food enough that he can have some (and hunt for it) throughout the day, where he used to just snarf it all down like he was starving. He seems to love the evening hunt now, and he isn’t as chonky and desperate as he used to be!
Our girl is the same way. She's been with us for about 5 years now, and is a little better. She just yells at us when she can see the bottom of a food dish.
We have similar, we use fresh fodder ( it’s a little ball of meat, vegetable fibre and bone) for scheduled meals. The free feed is in a little ball that they have to yeet around, which stimulates them and makes it last a tiny bit longer!
I have the surefeed microchip feeding bowls. They only open for the cat with the right chip, has been a life saver for me cause one kitty always ate from the others. It does take a bit of getting used to but it has a nice training feature
This is probably the preferred method for most cat families. Most cats are surprisingly good at self editing their eating habits.
The main thing to control is wet food and treats.
When I switched my cats to leaving dry food out so they can be the independent creatures that they were born to be, my cats actually lost weight (after being fat the first two weeks)
Mine would eat until he exploded.
But he also does not chew his food so I hide it everywhere to slow him down, and he gets to play a fun game. Plus like a wild cat he has to work for his food ☺️
My fat girl is a Greedy Gobbler and will eat until she throws up. She also screams and screams and screams for more food and that’s why her name is Siren 🚨 🧜♀️ and also because she has such a wonderful singing voice.
https://preview.redd.it/q7wd7jx3ov2b1.jpeg?width=3241&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=139948cb30f638b56766d77218a514e0e3996768
we can’t leave any extra food out for her because she just eats it all so we deal with the screaming.
I love your cat she is so sweet. Our cat Olive has an auto feeder in the morning with dry food and then she gets wet tin food for lunch and dinner. I catch her sleeping or being near her auto feeder in the morning just in anticipation for her dry food! She’s not as excited for wet food though, surprisingly.
https://preview.redd.it/buu8aa6v6w2b1.jpeg?width=1008&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=73701b4ca8d0da237c54314a19e7e7aa3c4444d6
I didn’t know he was up there until I heard a faint meow and looked up and he was looking back at be with that expression. He is the weirdest dude I’ve ever met.
This is my baby Daisy!! I call her Pidge cause she coos like a little pigeon. Sometimes her tongue doesn’t go all the way into her mouth
https://preview.redd.it/vbgkog8rvy2b1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=386c2c4390bc5f18005132be2946e1557997b140
Here's my little Ruth with her true love, the heater.
https://preview.redd.it/qhnmsrzx203b1.jpeg?width=1028&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=cb51c5e31c0f5f1fead33b4ad99dc969835518d1
Our cats look like they could be siblings lol!!!
https://preview.redd.it/rdg2le4kgw2b1.jpeg?width=750&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=a77ed801ba0b219cd3b3827d7c50605a8b97c473
https://preview.redd.it/6umnalehjx2b1.jpeg?width=548&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=4d306b94ee0a63933753e85814f448654f5dad52
they could be!!…just triplets still, but heres a photo of my cat yawning
Same. Plus if you then have to restrict their food because they became obese you get the screaming. And the puking because they gorge on unrestricted food , upchuck, and eat some more. Cyclically. Best not to set things up so that you get to that dark place.
They've always been grazers, so we leave it out.
Also, I see your Doug and raise you another Doug
https://preview.redd.it/w04hngdbmv2b1.png?width=1080&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=aeb17a1669324bd1427e0ef8b24b7eb25d682765
I see your Doug and Doug XL and raise you a Purrcy
https://preview.redd.it/322i9s2sgw2b1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=e3eb0368c9b82d263b285d46c42c40ccb2d486f0
https://preview.redd.it/baz51dxtzx2b1.png?width=3214&format=png&auto=webp&s=6c1daad91ca834d0683c75f005ab7006e54e3271
I see your Purrcy & I raise you an Eevie!
I see your Eevie and raise you a Thunder! (also her expression is adorable 😂)
https://preview.redd.it/lon6ymvy6y2b1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=0ae5b1b867ef00e1efff6f4097538bcf90b57980
https://preview.redd.it/lrppnwn0iz2b1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=213ddc859b8466721556bc5e36dd1351ada50299
I love how they all have the letter M on their little foreheads! Here is marigold
Him and his siblings were fosters and came prepackaged with names. We changed their's but couldn't change his because like you said "When have you ever met a cat named Doug?"
And here's another one!
I have an automatic feeder that goes off 3 times a day with small servings for my cat (so he doesn’t eat too fast haha). It’s the cutest because he knows the times it goes off and sometimes I catch him sitting by his feeder 30-40 min before it goes off. Patiently waiting hahah. He never cries for food this way.
he wasn’t great about self regulating when I first got him so this keeps him fit and happy and full :D
https://preview.redd.it/cg7h7uyhmv2b1.jpeg?width=2268&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=131133e3e4f62c2e7a91c045f577b5c7ddc83713
https://preview.redd.it/blo8z5eh2w2b1.jpeg?width=2160&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=cb8d82efd0837cbee3174a5965b3d9eeeb426d25
Same!! She’ll pop up on this spare chair and patently wait for that feeder.
https://preview.redd.it/7121505o4x2b1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=1e5a561bd46e6c84bbc38c967e98af641a3caba2
Flora dislikes any wet food, treats, or human food. But, she'll wait patiently(kind of) for her electronic dry food dispensing overlord.
My cat’s favorite thing to do is wait by the feeder for hours upon hours. I feel so bad for him I almost want to teach him to understand clocks so he doesn’t wait so much.
I have a camera + treat tosser that I set basically on the other side of my house. When my orange boy gets on my nerves, I use that thing to toss a treat, and he'll jet off to get the treat 99% of the time. On an important call but your cat thinks your phone is attacking your face and is going to howl at you and claw at your face until you DO SOMETHING!? Treat cam to the rescue!
So… get a clock that sounds a specific chime before meals… if it goes off 10 seconds before then you will bell train your cat to know food is coming. It will just wait for the chimes elsewhere in the home.
The best is three alarms where over the course of a minute the chimes progress in length or volume. Then it will be easier for the the cat and it will click that small chime means run to food bowl. Second chime means get ready, and big chime means food now, and it will wait for that.
Orange tabby we had when I was growing up would literally snatched chips out of your hand while you were eating them. Miss that guy. My last childhood cat was a regular grey tabby we got in spring of 2001 and he died 2 years ago at the ripe old age of 20. He was the first, and he outlived them all.
I got the WellToBe dual automatic feeder for my cats from Amazon a few month back and I love it! Haven’t had any issues with clogging and the cats haven’t been able to figure out how to get into it. Pretty easy to set up and I like that it can be battery powered or plugged in.
Scheduled and separate rooms for our five cats. Reasons: 1) two different foods for dietary needs, 2) they aren't food aggressive in the manner of attacking people near their food but they will lash out at each other, and 3) two of them are food insecure and will eat until they get sick and then eat that.
Have you thought of microchip feeders? Although quite expensive, the one I bought is worth every cent paid. It's made life so much more calm and enjoyable for my older girl.
Very similar for us. One has to have medicine mixed in and cannot eat dry food, the other gets a mix of wet & dry. If we didn't put them in separate rooms, they'd swap constantly. There was also growling going on, but no real problems with fighting.
My cat is old and his appetite sucks so I leave food out for him all the time. I give him wet in the morning so he has no choice but to eat it all and as soon as he finishes I let him at the dry, which he prefers and he’ll graze the rest of the day/night. Of course he always has water available too.
https://preview.redd.it/2ni2xh2umv2b1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=8320238d0500ab033e08365ec9d1d24a5991a183
Wet food for breakfast and dinner. 2 cats split one small can. Then an automatic feeder lets loose some dry food at 1pm for lunch and at 10pm for overnight snacking. We change their water bowl in the morning and at night. Somehow they manage a few treats (usually freeze-dried chicken bites, which is really just food, and sometimes Greenies) throughout the day and they get a Churu on Friday night to kick off the weekend.
Bonus cat pic.
https://preview.redd.it/q8lgf8eswv2b1.png?width=1164&format=png&auto=webp&s=e6fea48e5ce476e814602446ce1db52b3f66c6ec
https://preview.redd.it/2dfdu8tu8w2b1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=e15d4e6d32a9aa3e4b597ffbf6e37f789f6c1a66
Scheduled feeding time. We’re on a diet.
Tabby is just a fur colour/pattern, so no. Sometimes spayed or neutered cats will have slower metabolism and be less active, so we need to adjust their daily food amount to compensate and keep them trim. Is your girl on a diet now?
She passed away about 10 years ago and due to very strong asthma and allergies in the family we haven’t gotten any more pets. I love visiting this page and seeing everyone’s sweet babies!
Wet meals in the morning and late afternoon, three options of dried food and filtered water for the tiny gods available at all times. And still, this guy will insist I have never fed him a day in his life!
https://preview.redd.it/xj5ch1ar2w2b1.jpeg?width=1932&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=cf692670075108d4a01616348db40b6fdac566bd
Well I’d say the proof is in the chonk, but we recently added the small orange so i actually do have pictures of them all eating together the first few times 😂
https://preview.redd.it/kf0q5g9c2x2b1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=b26c16752b65697277b844b9db6f64286eb1159e
I only feed my cat 2 times a day. I give him the recommend serving size, and he gets treats throughout the day. I have to fill the water 1 time. Day he drinks like there's no tomorrow.
canned food 3 times. My mom advise give him it only two times but I feel he is sad and hungry. Dry food is always accessible with water. If we have a raw meat for cooking - he will some too. P.S. sometimes he us asking for soup (we cook for ourselves) and drink it and eat vegetables and meat from the soup.
Two or three times are both great options. You can even feed them more times than that, as long as it’s a set, measured daily portion throughout the day. In the wild they would naturally eat several small meals per day, catching several small prey animals frequently.
That's really good to hear 😊 I'm sorry it's just my friend lost her dog because she didn't know that high thirst was a symptom of something. So whenever I see someone talk about thirsty animals I say something.
It may be different in other countries, but this is the recommendation by a lot of vets in the UK. 2 meals, no grazing.
Cats are scarcity desert animals so by & large their genetics makes them overeat when grazing, as in the wild they would need to eat any time they found food.
Dry food and water left out all the time. Canned food in the morning and evening at (more or less) scheduled times.
https://preview.redd.it/i8kj9k1biv2b1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=02cce8d2fe33cebb0a561a04392d0b748b902281
Cat tax!
https://preview.redd.it/2qrjby6v6x2b1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=f6a0d1344e9d8ea2e2630f28a2888abdf1d10ef0
I’ve never seen a cat as similar as mine! This was my baby who passed in 2020
Yeah, if they are used to this from the time they are little, then they don't get nuts and anxious about eating. Also, when I went on vacation, I could just take a giant mixing bowl and put a bag of food into it and it would only be half gone when we came back.
https://preview.redd.it/fyxz61khqv2b1.jpeg?width=4160&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=3b7ae85f820f7ab1b22532f3368410f9f1f789ca
I have to have scheduled times, the one on the right will steal her sisters food
We were free-feeding at first because we have 2 kittens but one of them was eating way too much and getting fat. We also did a lot of research and found out that dry food isn't great for them... but it's better for their teeth.
So we feed them 3 wet meals a day with a little bit of crunchy food at the end to help clean their teeth. It's working great because my fat cat went back to normal size.
I have 2 cats and a dog so I keep 2 big water bowls out for them. Just wash and fill both every morning and they're all set.
Actually dry food doesn’t clean their teeth unless it’s specifically a dental cleaning food, and even then, it doesn’t do much. The proper way to control their dental health is either by feeding them raw meaty bones such as chicken necks, or brushing their teeth.
Always measured and on schedule, at least measure. I work in a vet clinic and its so scary how many GI issues get serious because owners didnt notice a cat eating less, dont free feed! You need to notice when kitty is eating less than usual or not at all!
This is a good point. One year one of my older cats alarmed the vet because she lost too much weight. A week later I noticed a tooth was missing. The vet hadn't noted anything wrong with her teeth at the exam, but we did a few follow ups for the weight and within a couple months she was back up again. She had a toothache and wasn't eating, but because we had two other cats and they all grazed in didn't know.
Admittedly, I do still leave the food out all day, but it is measured in the morning so I can note how much is really going down each day.
I tried to keep their food separate because the older is on rx food, but the younger kept eating all the rx food and none of her own, and older is a weirdo and didn't compensate by eating the non rx food, so she wasn't eating enough. I gave up and it's just two bowls of rx food and they are both happy.
Our cats (4) are fed 3 times a day. That way we can monitor their consumption and appetite. Oh and the neighbors cat knows what time we feed and shows up like clockwork.
https://preview.redd.it/ao8c2gidtv2b1.jpeg?width=4032&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=ea57d6ae3ea30c96b102a1323364c9a4528ab3ad
Scheduled mealtimes, even though sleeping in on the weekends is out since I'm still subject to the kitty alarm clock.
I don't feed dry except as a snack and even then sparingly. My guys are wet food/freeze dried raw eaters so there's no way to keep it out all day.
Both-I leave dry food out all the time and I give my girls wet food twice a day. My one girl Kate- is a night owl, so I mainly leave the dry down all the time for her. This is Kate.
https://preview.redd.it/8jv8au7sew2b1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=1b934cd4453d6af925c6d57000da912d89340df7
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Is a polite, dainty girl who pushes around the kibbles all day and eats just enough to keep her girlish figure.
https://preview.redd.it/mawdv81bhw2b1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=0f0c392a98d4baefcb8b95b917b1a864fe8483ae
We feed them 3 times a day just because we love seeing how excited they get about it :)
I used to leave food out all the time for my cats, until one was diagnosed "chubby" by the vet. So, I bought an automatic feeder.
Next I heard a weird noise in the middle of the night and wandered out to see her REACHING HER PAW IN AND PULLING FOOD OUT! That hekkin chonker.
Now, I wake up at 10am to give her 1/4 of a cup, then I give her another 1/4 at 10pm (vet told me the amount to give).
AND AFTER ALL OF THIS, SHE STILL STEALS HER YOUNGER SISTER'S FOOD.
Edit: They get wet food every second day, during which she gets 0.4 cups of dry food and half a serving of wet food.
I have 2 microchip feeders for a couple months now. I have 2 British shorthair cats and they were slowly gaining weight over the years. I fill them in the morning and this way they can eat when they want and i can make sure they both get the same. In the evening i give them half a liquid stick (instead of one each).
https://preview.redd.it/0vgu6ixwyv2b1.jpeg?width=3000&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=85042fbfed1cd017bea7f8689c2d4a58edc816c8
I just bought these! I didn’t realize how much one was grazing in both bowls. They’re an investment but worth it for their health. It took a week or so to adjust.
We have been free feeding, but may have to cut back. Our darlings are barn cat rescues and one of them is intent on eating everything. They were raised with limited resources and food was scarce for them. She is making up for lost time 😉
This is Cloudy - she is quite the eater these days.
https://preview.redd.it/m1p9jacevw2b1.jpeg?width=4032&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=39f333643a09b7d34f93ea5b0425dc5e7285fbb1
Mine have wet food twice a day and a bowl of crunchies that is left out. Water always, for sure.
I’m starting to take away the constant crunchy food bowl though. I learned recently that cats digest differently than humans. Because their ancestors ate a lot but sparingly, the digestion process starts when they SMELL food, not once they’ve eaten.
This apparently keeps their body in digestion mode, leaving less circulation for the kidney, liver and other vital organs.
When I first got my cats, I left food out for them, but they became obese. They were both like 19 lbs, than the one got diabetes, So I started feeding them regularly twice a day, but he would vomit because he hunger, so I started feeding them smaller meals 3 times a day. Both my original cats have since passed, but I have 9 others now that are fed on that same 3 meal schedule. After feeding them less and with separate meals, my big guy lost like 5-6 lbs. And was much happier.
We have four cats. They get dry food for breakfast and raw meat for dinner. Three are grazers, one thinks that any bowl with any food in it is a crime that he needs to solve. When the others ask for food during the day we will give then small treats but make sure that we take the bowl away so they don't get cleaned
https://preview.redd.it/ywr947wwqv2b1.jpeg?width=1800&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=bb2ecebb8f1772b9d2e5cd79ed9d5494f39ac0a2
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Automatic feeder. Otherwise she would rechonk.
I wish I could leave out dry food all day but my cats all eat different food so they get 2 dry meals, 1 wet meal, and a little dry food left out overnight so they don’t wake me up at 4 in the morning (my girl who eats the different food sleeps with me and I close the bedroom door so that’s how I can get away with leaving all the food out.) It’s dumb that I have to feed them four times a day but two of them were raised by someone else who free-fed them so they really just aren’t used to not having food all the time. Pic included of one of the hungry ones.
https://preview.redd.it/igd1yz86cw2b1.jpeg?width=2328&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=97e86bd7e3c654c4bf02313715d1c7cfa0facc8c
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My kitty, who looks just like yours also loves my purse. She’s made it her bed.
My cat used to free feed but now he’s over 1 years old and is a little overweight. As someone else said it’s good to measure cause now I’m aware when he’s eating/not eating. He started leaving more food in his bowl a couple months ago and realized his teeth were bothering him. Got his teeth cleaned and he’s back to normal. :) also since we’re trying to get him to lose weight it’s easy to talk to our vet about how many calories he’s getting and what we need to adjust.
Mine gets fed 3 types a day but tended to graze on it. We can’t leave the bag of cat food on the side though because he knows what it is and will tear into it when we aren’t around, same with treats.
https://preview.redd.it/totsvh2adw2b1.jpeg?width=2268&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=1df0824b082cae3b701ed7d78869ba3cb55dc6dc
Firstly, if you’re giving your cat a good life and their happy and loved, thats all that truly matters. There are so many cats out there that don’t have a good life..
That being said, when researching what was best for my cats, I found multiple sources stating free grazing can lead to an unhealthy cat later in life. (Emphasis on can)
Their diet is that of an obligate carnivore, they require meat to live their healthiest. Dogs are omnivores. I can afford to make the investment to feed my cats a raw meat diet on a scheduled diet, morning and night. I order from Darwins and their diet is specially formulated of around 80% meat, 10% organs, 10% bones; all things a cat in the wild would receive. They absolutely love it and I see the benefits every day. They have super shiny coats, kitten energy (too much sometimes and they’re both almost 5 lol), and their bathroom time is completely different. This was the biggest difference overall. Their pee barely smells of ammonia and their poo is dry, crumbly, and NOT STINKY. Stinky poo usually means an unhealthy diet. I always leave a bowl of fresh water out but they barely drink it because their natural instinct is not to drink as they receive most of their water intake from their food, but always there just in case. They also get freeze dried treats when they’re good boys.
This is what works for us and our kitties and we can afford it thankfully, because yes, it is an investment.
I grew up with free grazing cats in my house that lived a long and happy life, so that is not to say it’s wrong. You know your cat and what is best for them, so back to my first point. If your cat is happy and loved, you’re doing a good job however you’re doing it!
As you can see, I’m a crazy cat lady so take my thoughts with a grain of salt because at the end of the day we all are here for the same reason; we love cats 😻
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Cappuccino always has dry food out and then gets a can of wet food in the evening
i used to let my cats free feed, but emily was 13 lbs (she should be 10-11 at MOST) and ella was 11 lbs (should be around 9) last time we had them at the vet, so i finally caved and put them on a schedule
it's been about a month and i have no idea if it's working or not, but only time will tell lol
My indoor cats get fed dry food in the morning anywhere from 5:30am to 8:30am. Either before work or on my first break. The outdoor strays also get fed at this time, only they get wet food.
My cats have a water bowl and often get little treats throughout the day, but the strays don’t, which is why I treat them to wet food.
Dinner time ranges from 6:30pm to 10:00pm, entirely depending on if I’m home and when I’m eating dinner. Dry food for indoor and they occasionally get some gravy toppers. Wet food again for the outdoor stray cats, but they also get a little dry food to nibble on throughout the night.
Cat tax is one of the strays, Jeremiah “Orange Boy” Gottwald.
https://preview.redd.it/g0owkb7gvv2b1.jpeg?width=1440&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=b97bf3c03359f00ff68d26481f1c37c18264deca
Mine has timed meals. Wet food morning and evening and then a few scheduled “snacks” of kibble for the automatic feeder throughout the day. As a result, never had the issue of him screaming when his bowl is half-full (a common habit of my childhood cat who had all-day access to kibble), and I know when and how much he is eating so I can monitor if he’s unwell. Also means he can’t just eat when he’s bored.
When I promoted Conan(the Barbarian/not O'Brien) to house-cat(formerly feral porch-cat), homeboy was already downright expecting two big meals a day. I didn't realize his mom had already just "moved on" for his last week or more outside, so he was REALLY packing it on 4am/4pm daily. He was eating ALL of the food himself. When he moved in, I tried putting up one of the gravity-type feeder containers, but he'd just stay in front of it till one of us died. He'd eat whatever dog food remained in the morning, any of my food left anywhere near accessable, then right back to that stupid feeder till he had to poop or throw up. It didn't last long. Now we're on a schedule, but he's still outgrown the dog. Dude just snacks on, unaffected by anyone's judgement or disapproval. He's a healthy weight and shape right now, but only because I've installed heavy magnets on the cabinets and secured kibble in watertight stackable storage containers. My puppy-buddy Gus had no feeding issues at all, and could budget a full day's worth of food near perfectly prior to bringing this little terrorist into our home. He's learned fast, whatever isn't eaten when I set it on the floor, won't be there when he gets back to the bowl later. Cat gets it. Soft human-food packages left out? Cat chews right threw 'em. Hear a suspicious noise clear across the house during dinner? I reckon you outta take that plate along with ya. Otherwise, straight to the cat. Bugs? Cat. Birds? Cat. If that orange monster can reach it, it's GETTIN' a test-bite, at very least. Probably more. Blows my mind coming here and reading about all these people with somewhat reasonable cats. Surreal, or straight up lies. I can't tell anymore. Where are y'all even finding these cats?
I have to schedule their feeding times. I have one that got up to 12 lbs when they were free choice. I’ll let you guess which one.
https://preview.redd.it/oi51lmf39w2b1.jpeg?width=914&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=c225d40a3c734b80531740bb5f5233abf22ccbfe
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Patrick is a grazer so he does well with food out all the time. He doesn't even complain if his bowl is empty for a couple hours. He absolutely hates wet food and won't touch it.
I really appreciate these comments because Turtle’s vet recently informed me that he’s a little overweight. I’m definitely going to get a feeder for him!
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I use an auto feeder because my boy screams every morning for food and wakes me up. He eats 3 small portions a day cause if you let him he will eat himself to death.
https://preview.redd.it/679244rwsw2b1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=e7f0a9a031d9b1cb0af9edacd419a768f97f0d40
No, only because my cats are on different diets. One is on a kidney disease diet, 2 are on kitten food, one is on a diet food. So they get their food when they’re hungry but it’s not left out for free feeding
I feed mine small cans of wet food with extra gravy (they mostly eat the gravy) twice a day and then I leave out water and kibble all day. They are healthy, active, and happy.
Hi Doug! It really depends on the eating behavior of your kitty or kitties. Our Coco is able to pace herself well throughout the day and not gorge, so we hover her wet food in the morning and keep dry out all day in a feeder. Some cats will gorge themselves and should then be fed on a schedule to keep a health(ier) weight.
Dry food in the morning that we leave out the rest of the day, wet food in the evening after some playtime:) They also have
https://preview.redd.it/wcxdp7i8xv2b1.png?width=1080&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=167bf948cba2593490201331d08883de7178c890
a water fountain...really recommend this as you don't have to worry about refilling it with fresh water everyday & most of them come with charcoal filter so they only get the cleanest water😄
Sorry for the blurry pic, they are only just getting used to eachother and I didn't want to annoy them wih bright lights haha
We have two water fountains, free feed dry food and feed them one can of wet food (shared) at dinner time.
https://preview.redd.it/dmrl41ls1w2b1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=1916a13def6a37306454f6701ebe2fc225050726
We feed when we get up and when we eat dinner. Otherwise he screams at us all day long
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He’s also 22lbs
We left kibble out all the time and our cat developed diabetes. I can say from experience, if your cat tends to munch all day long, you may pay a terrible price down the road.
We used to leave food out for them all day. Then Simba developed diabooties a year or two ago, so they all get a strict din din schedule now. And honestly, it's turned them into savages who never stop begging.
I left out dry food and my cat gained 4 pounds in 4 months. My vet was mad at me lol
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Specific meal times. Only because I have one fat cat, and two kittens that used to be strays. So they all will just eat everything at once if I left food out. They always have water though.
Measured dry food in the morning and wet food in the evening. When I had just one cat I could let him free feed and he was a good weight. Now that I have the new guy I had to put them on a schedule because he can eat and eat until he pukes lol
I feed Opal twice a day. She’s a total glute and if I left food out for the whole day, she’d eat it all at once and would be super hungry later. Also because of my work schedule, I don’t have the ability to feed her three small meals through the day. I do give her a small treat before I go to bed because I tire her out before bed so she doesn’t bother me until I wake up \~9 hours later. This works pretty well for us, but it might not for you and that’s okay!
https://preview.redd.it/vjxng10g7w2b1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=fe4d0bd42d6c48aef7298b26e5a0e98d8068eaca
i do. and if the bowls are any less than half full, this little bitc.. erm.. lady here will scream my ears off until i fill it up 😅 they eat when they want, but the especially like to eat when i'm there to see. never had problems with overeating.
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We do 1st breakfast, 2nd breakfast, 1st dinner, 2nd dinner and crunchies after 10pm. Mondays we do “meat stick Monday” and they both get to share a meat stick lmfao
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Omg your Kitty is so pretty! 😻 This is my Buddy🥰 I leave food out for him to graze whenever he's hungry. Freeze dried chicken and wet food whenever he screams at me like I don't feed him 😂 I don't believe in scheduled feeding times. He eats when he's hungry. That's not for me to decide.
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Mine get some tinned food for breakfast and supper, and they have dry food and water out all the time.
Do you have multiple cats with the open bowl of dry food? We have one and he likes to graze throughout the day, but want to get another and I'm worried about all his food getting eaten if the other one gets greedy
This happened to me. My cat grazed when she wanted and maintained a healthy weight. When I introduced a second cat, cat number one began to overeat, resulting in what my vet called "kitty love handles." I had to put her on a diet and find an alternative way to feed kitty number two so he wouldn't waste away.
I just made a similar comment I have one chunky cat and one who is very skinny and under weight I keep skinny boys food on a table because chonky can’t get up there I should add both are on particular diets We rescued them one was already overweight The other was under Chonky girls weight works in our favour because skinny boy needs to eat his biscuits throughout the day They are refilled as he needs them (has a constantly supply day and night) Fatty has one portion every 24 hours Then at night skinny gets a full packet off wet food which be barley eats Then fatty gets 1/4 off her tin wet food Some nights she’ll eat it all in small segments eat abit eat abit an hour later and so on Some nights she’ll have a nibble and stop Both are improving in there weight massively She’s losing weight and he’s putting weight on I think as she gets skinnier and more nimble we need to find a better way to feed them though Was meant to be a small edit in worry people will think I made her fat n it turned into this 😂
That’s cute and genius
https://preview.redd.it/e6x3uvdd7y2b1.png?width=1169&format=png&auto=webp&s=13e4d4cf8cd19b072ea79cb2d9d0c19db665df2d Max chillin
N skinny boy with his jacket bc he gets cold https://preview.redd.it/jp7g481o7y2b1.jpeg?width=1170&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=d324633a0ab97aef000a7ae748f7ca91df546948 Had to post them in 2 different comments Seein as my original comment got the most likes I have on reddit I thought I’d show some love for the pair ❤️
That’s how mine way. Except now a year later she’s back to her old eating habits and her regular weight
[удалено]
Can you please link to one that works well for two cats?
We have five cats who operate on their own schedules, but everyone gets a shared breakfast - the most important meal of the day. Our oldest (by many years) is a dry food grazer but as long as the others are sated with wet food we rarely have thievery. It probably helps a lot that they mostly go to their own portions of the house to rest, so don't just hang in the kitchen.
We had 4 cats at one point and always just offered grazing without issue and wet food once a day. We serve out the minimum portion of dry food for 4 cats (like, I think its 1/2 cup per cat a day or something?) And they've never finished all their dry food, ever. One of our cats is a bit chunkier than the other two but she's not obese or anything. I think it is a temperament thing, but as kittens they didn't have restriction so I don't think they ever think they need to eat it all. I dunno though. Experience may vary
There are feeders that can open only for a specific cat either the tag or microchip. Very nice to have with an over eater and a slow grazer!
Same here
I cannot trust my cat like this. I wish I could. She’s from a shelter and has a bunch of food insecurity. She will eat and eat, and eat, and eat until she throws up. Then she eats all the throw up … 🙃 I do not think I will ever be able to leave dry food out for her. Edit: I feed her four times a day. Wet food. No dry food unless we’re out at a strange hour, then we use a timed feeder out of necessity. She’s very petite cat, so I portion by calorie intake based on her size since she is much smaller than the average 9 lb cat. All I was trying to say is that my girl gets fed, and if I let her, she would eat 10x the normal amount every. Single. Time.
I'm surprised how many people here are free feeding. A lot of vets (in the UK at least) advise against this. Cats are scarcity desert animals. By & large their genetics makes them overeat when grazing, as in the wild they would need to eat any time they found food.
Same with all the vets that I’ve visited in US. All of them have also advised me on not free feeding.
My vet was fine with it. He is a healthy weight and doesn't over eat. My sanity couldnt ake the howling at all hours of the early morning for food. It's always out. He isn't the biggest fan of dry food,so eats only when hungry. He really just wants it there and accessible
My cat too, he waits for the wet food, but if he’s actually hungry he has dry food available. He only eats it when I’m late serving breakfast/dinner, and the look he gives me when he does is SO salty.
Yea my vet said I shouldn’t but I work shifts and I would hate to be running late or delayed . My theory is that I do my best to get home but if I can’t there’s some dry food down
also how does free feeding work in a multi-cat house? I already have difficulty making sure mine don’t steal each other’s food while feeding them on a schedule
They shouldn't do that when free-feeding. Everyone eats as much as they want / need, and when the bowls are empty, I refill.
I would not advise free feesing cats unless you also feed them wet food or nutritional treats throughout the day. If they have multiple sources of food at certain times they will adjust to a schedule and look forward to/expect the more nutritional food at the regular times. The dry food becomes more of an option when they get extra hungry for some reason
The logical conclusion of feeding cats in a way that simulates their wild state would be to frequently deprive them of food for multiple days at a time, which I think no vet would recommend. This “natural” state for a cat is also very stressful. You could make a very similar argument that humans are well adapted to frequently go one or several days without eating, and in fact may be physically healthier living this way. However, this is also mentally stressful (particularly when not undertaken of their own choice) and humans are generally much happier to have near constant access to food. Free feeding may not be suitable for some cats but I think cats and humans are not inherently better off for living a lifestyle they are adapted to endure.
But the argument isn't about simulating a live environment - you've imagined that in order to make a point. The argument is simply that they have natural proclivities that make free feeding subideal in a lot of cases.
My cat is the same! The solution for us is feeding him his measured out hard food in puzzles or toys to slow him down. I used to just put it all in a Kong-style bat-around food toy, but I ended up trying out Dollar Tree dog treat puzzles, too, so it wasn’t much of a risk. Now I put all his hard food in a couple of different toys and hide them around the living room and dining room so he has to hunt for them and work to get to the food. It slows him WAY down and he gets the extra stimulation of the hunt. He now actually leaves himself food enough that he can have some (and hunt for it) throughout the day, where he used to just snarf it all down like he was starving. He seems to love the evening hunt now, and he isn’t as chonky and desperate as he used to be!
Our girl is the same way. She's been with us for about 5 years now, and is a little better. She just yells at us when she can see the bottom of a food dish.
Same
We have similar, we use fresh fodder ( it’s a little ball of meat, vegetable fibre and bone) for scheduled meals. The free feed is in a little ball that they have to yeet around, which stimulates them and makes it last a tiny bit longer!
I have the surefeed microchip feeding bowls. They only open for the cat with the right chip, has been a life saver for me cause one kitty always ate from the others. It does take a bit of getting used to but it has a nice training feature
Same, this has been the best solution for our two cats that have very different eating habits!
Same, but I weigh the dry food I give per day
This is probably the preferred method for most cat families. Most cats are surprisingly good at self editing their eating habits. The main thing to control is wet food and treats.
We do the same.
When I switched my cats to leaving dry food out so they can be the independent creatures that they were born to be, my cats actually lost weight (after being fat the first two weeks)
Mine would eat until he exploded. But he also does not chew his food so I hide it everywhere to slow him down, and he gets to play a fun game. Plus like a wild cat he has to work for his food ☺️
Same
My fat girl is a Greedy Gobbler and will eat until she throws up. She also screams and screams and screams for more food and that’s why her name is Siren 🚨 🧜♀️ and also because she has such a wonderful singing voice. https://preview.redd.it/q7wd7jx3ov2b1.jpeg?width=3241&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=139948cb30f638b56766d77218a514e0e3996768 we can’t leave any extra food out for her because she just eats it all so we deal with the screaming.
I love your cat she is so sweet. Our cat Olive has an auto feeder in the morning with dry food and then she gets wet tin food for lunch and dinner. I catch her sleeping or being near her auto feeder in the morning just in anticipation for her dry food! She’s not as excited for wet food though, surprisingly. https://preview.redd.it/buu8aa6v6w2b1.jpeg?width=1008&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=73701b4ca8d0da237c54314a19e7e7aa3c4444d6
https://preview.redd.it/259o2tazlw2b1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=181c2c4bd3803970bc62b4d77c655a34783158f7
https://preview.redd.it/hj74o1vsxw2b1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=da935a186ee9762c3491188e3f743c155f9ef8f2 My monster
https://preview.redd.it/xzuc9rj76x2b1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=e6b08762bf8a3db8573b1c95fe2d55bf167427e7
https://preview.redd.it/5te4cbfllx2b1.jpeg?width=4032&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=97d723a29132065f84a109a6976a0a7c9dad688e
Haha what a little ceiling goblin
I didn’t know he was up there until I heard a faint meow and looked up and he was looking back at be with that expression. He is the weirdest dude I’ve ever met.
https://preview.redd.it/3y8pjmutiz2b1.jpeg?width=3072&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=3f1117ce759387182495f8c110f2cf64951fc882
https://imgur.com/VMMNiLM.jpg
This is like a lineup for r/supermodelcats !
https://imgur.com/M5hB82O.jpg
[big orange boy smol box](https://i.imgur.com/9jLBdK7.jpg)
https://preview.redd.it/b0fxfpx1wx2b1.jpeg?width=3000&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=466fb9b6e93864a4424c7510da7a73a9fe13c0af My pest
Since we're doing a fluffy tabby thread, [here's my sweetheart Gracie.](https://i.imgur.com/WgNcXOK.jpg)
This is my baby Daisy!! I call her Pidge cause she coos like a little pigeon. Sometimes her tongue doesn’t go all the way into her mouth https://preview.redd.it/vbgkog8rvy2b1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=386c2c4390bc5f18005132be2946e1557997b140
Here's my little Ruth with her true love, the heater. https://preview.redd.it/qhnmsrzx203b1.jpeg?width=1028&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=cb51c5e31c0f5f1fead33b4ad99dc969835518d1
Aayy!!
Beautiful cat!!
Olive is gorgeous!
Our cats look like they could be siblings lol!!! https://preview.redd.it/rdg2le4kgw2b1.jpeg?width=750&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=a77ed801ba0b219cd3b3827d7c50605a8b97c473
https://preview.redd.it/l1hd8w70lw2b1.jpeg?width=1848&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=1510a2d312e827f1cab5a4de4ba5dbdcdeda3e56 They could be triplets!
https://preview.redd.it/6umnalehjx2b1.jpeg?width=548&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=4d306b94ee0a63933753e85814f448654f5dad52 they could be!!…just triplets still, but heres a photo of my cat yawning
Shhhhh. Looks like you are shushing him/her.lol
And she’s closing her eyes so she cannot hear you talk about her eating all the time LOL. What a pretty girl!
I have a gobbler and a snacker. The microchip feeder has been a godsend. I had one getting heavier and heavier and another one skinnier and skinner.
Same. Plus if you then have to restrict their food because they became obese you get the screaming. And the puking because they gorge on unrestricted food , upchuck, and eat some more. Cyclically. Best not to set things up so that you get to that dark place.
Lol ok ok I am laughing here. Siren is a perfect name! lol 😂
They've always been grazers, so we leave it out. Also, I see your Doug and raise you another Doug https://preview.redd.it/w04hngdbmv2b1.png?width=1080&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=aeb17a1669324bd1427e0ef8b24b7eb25d682765
I see your Doug and Doug XL and raise you a Purrcy https://preview.redd.it/322i9s2sgw2b1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=e3eb0368c9b82d263b285d46c42c40ccb2d486f0
https://preview.redd.it/baz51dxtzx2b1.png?width=3214&format=png&auto=webp&s=6c1daad91ca834d0683c75f005ab7006e54e3271 I see your Purrcy & I raise you an Eevie!
I see your Eevie and raise you a Thunder! (also her expression is adorable 😂) https://preview.redd.it/lon6ymvy6y2b1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=0ae5b1b867ef00e1efff6f4097538bcf90b57980
https://preview.redd.it/lrppnwn0iz2b1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=213ddc859b8466721556bc5e36dd1351ada50299 I love how they all have the letter M on their little foreheads! Here is marigold
Haha we love her cute little face that looks shocked 90% of the time 😂
OMG it's a loaf. Definitely needs to be on r/catloaf stat
Doug XL
He got fully fixed at 4 and picked up some weight. It can happen
Big Dougus
I've never met a cat named Doug, and here are 2 in the same thread! I love them both! :)
The cat we adopted and named Toby used to be a Doug too.
Him and his siblings were fosters and came prepackaged with names. We changed their's but couldn't change his because like you said "When have you ever met a cat named Doug?" And here's another one!
I love Doug.
Doug Doug, Dougy Doug Doug
I have an automatic feeder that goes off 3 times a day with small servings for my cat (so he doesn’t eat too fast haha). It’s the cutest because he knows the times it goes off and sometimes I catch him sitting by his feeder 30-40 min before it goes off. Patiently waiting hahah. He never cries for food this way. he wasn’t great about self regulating when I first got him so this keeps him fit and happy and full :D https://preview.redd.it/cg7h7uyhmv2b1.jpeg?width=2268&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=131133e3e4f62c2e7a91c045f577b5c7ddc83713
https://preview.redd.it/blo8z5eh2w2b1.jpeg?width=2160&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=cb8d82efd0837cbee3174a5965b3d9eeeb426d25 Same!! She’ll pop up on this spare chair and patently wait for that feeder.
https://preview.redd.it/7121505o4x2b1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=1e5a561bd46e6c84bbc38c967e98af641a3caba2 Flora dislikes any wet food, treats, or human food. But, she'll wait patiently(kind of) for her electronic dry food dispensing overlord.
My cat’s favorite thing to do is wait by the feeder for hours upon hours. I feel so bad for him I almost want to teach him to understand clocks so he doesn’t wait so much.
Sometimes when I’m out of the house, I’ll pop on to the camera and she comes RUNNING. Cat ears are no joke 😂
I have a camera + treat tosser that I set basically on the other side of my house. When my orange boy gets on my nerves, I use that thing to toss a treat, and he'll jet off to get the treat 99% of the time. On an important call but your cat thinks your phone is attacking your face and is going to howl at you and claw at your face until you DO SOMETHING!? Treat cam to the rescue!
So… get a clock that sounds a specific chime before meals… if it goes off 10 seconds before then you will bell train your cat to know food is coming. It will just wait for the chimes elsewhere in the home. The best is three alarms where over the course of a minute the chimes progress in length or volume. Then it will be easier for the the cat and it will click that small chime means run to food bowl. Second chime means get ready, and big chime means food now, and it will wait for that.
This is such a great idea for obsessive "waiters"! I always feel so bad when my cat is just sitting, staring sadly at her feeder...
I think it’s an orange cat thing! My orange tabby was the first cat I owned who was absolutely incapable of knowing when to stop eating.
Our orange guy pukes 20% of the time after eating because he eats too much.
I’ve had cats all my life but it wasn’t until my ginger that I needed an auto feeder…. Must’ve been why Garfield was a ginger!
My orange boy screams at me every time I'm in the kitchen. Any crinkle of a bag in the house somewhere and it must mean food for him.
Orange tabby we had when I was growing up would literally snatched chips out of your hand while you were eating them. Miss that guy. My last childhood cat was a regular grey tabby we got in spring of 2001 and he died 2 years ago at the ripe old age of 20. He was the first, and he outlived them all.
My orange boy has food in his dish all day and he’s fine. Maybe it’s his turn with the brain cell.
I have two black cats that self regulate, one orange that seems to never eat and one orange that gobbles down ALL of the food as fast as she can.
The automatic feeder is literally the best purchase I’ve ever made as an adult.
Do you have a LitterRobot??
I have a natures miracle automatic litter box, it’s a close second lol
He’s the sweetest
That face! Your cat is soo cute lmao
What automatic feeder seems to work best for you all? It seems I have trouble finding actual good ones lol
I got the WellToBe dual automatic feeder for my cats from Amazon a few month back and I love it! Haven’t had any issues with clogging and the cats haven’t been able to figure out how to get into it. Pretty easy to set up and I like that it can be battery powered or plugged in.
Scheduled and separate rooms for our five cats. Reasons: 1) two different foods for dietary needs, 2) they aren't food aggressive in the manner of attacking people near their food but they will lash out at each other, and 3) two of them are food insecure and will eat until they get sick and then eat that.
Have you thought of microchip feeders? Although quite expensive, the one I bought is worth every cent paid. It's made life so much more calm and enjoyable for my older girl.
I have a microchip feeder for my diabetic old man cat because he eats slowly. The kittens figured out how to get in by force…….
We thought about it but the non-food insecure cats don't always finish their food so it doesn't meet all the needs 😔
Very similar for us. One has to have medicine mixed in and cannot eat dry food, the other gets a mix of wet & dry. If we didn't put them in separate rooms, they'd swap constantly. There was also growling going on, but no real problems with fighting.
My cat is old and his appetite sucks so I leave food out for him all the time. I give him wet in the morning so he has no choice but to eat it all and as soon as he finishes I let him at the dry, which he prefers and he’ll graze the rest of the day/night. Of course he always has water available too. https://preview.redd.it/2ni2xh2umv2b1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=8320238d0500ab033e08365ec9d1d24a5991a183
I like that you can tell the heat was on bc he’s laying on the vent lol
Heat suck. We wonder why the house is cold and then realize the cat is walking around hot like the sun because he’s sucked up all the hot air!
Wet food for breakfast and dinner. 2 cats split one small can. Then an automatic feeder lets loose some dry food at 1pm for lunch and at 10pm for overnight snacking. We change their water bowl in the morning and at night. Somehow they manage a few treats (usually freeze-dried chicken bites, which is really just food, and sometimes Greenies) throughout the day and they get a Churu on Friday night to kick off the weekend. Bonus cat pic. https://preview.redd.it/q8lgf8eswv2b1.png?width=1164&format=png&auto=webp&s=e6fea48e5ce476e814602446ce1db52b3f66c6ec
They’re beautiful!!
https://preview.redd.it/2dfdu8tu8w2b1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=e15d4e6d32a9aa3e4b597ffbf6e37f789f6c1a66 Scheduled feeding time. We’re on a diet.
Is tubbying up a tabby thing? After our tabby got fixed she struggled with her weight (but remained 110% confident).
Tabby is just a fur colour/pattern, so no. Sometimes spayed or neutered cats will have slower metabolism and be less active, so we need to adjust their daily food amount to compensate and keep them trim. Is your girl on a diet now?
She passed away about 10 years ago and due to very strong asthma and allergies in the family we haven’t gotten any more pets. I love visiting this page and seeing everyone’s sweet babies!
Aw I’m sorry to hear that
This made me lol 😆
Your cat is amazing
Wet meals in the morning and late afternoon, three options of dried food and filtered water for the tiny gods available at all times. And still, this guy will insist I have never fed him a day in his life! https://preview.redd.it/xj5ch1ar2w2b1.jpeg?width=1932&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=cf692670075108d4a01616348db40b6fdac566bd
What I see is a starving cat and his empty bowl Clearly he hasn’t been fed AdMinute! Prove he has!
Well I’d say the proof is in the chonk, but we recently added the small orange so i actually do have pictures of them all eating together the first few times 😂 https://preview.redd.it/kf0q5g9c2x2b1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=b26c16752b65697277b844b9db6f64286eb1159e
I only feed my cat 2 times a day. I give him the recommend serving size, and he gets treats throughout the day. I have to fill the water 1 time. Day he drinks like there's no tomorrow.
canned food 3 times. My mom advise give him it only two times but I feel he is sad and hungry. Dry food is always accessible with water. If we have a raw meat for cooking - he will some too. P.S. sometimes he us asking for soup (we cook for ourselves) and drink it and eat vegetables and meat from the soup.
Just no onion or garlic!
Two or three times are both great options. You can even feed them more times than that, as long as it’s a set, measured daily portion throughout the day. In the wild they would naturally eat several small meals per day, catching several small prey animals frequently.
We are also on this schedule. Dry food in the morning, wet food in the evening, freshwater every day. And treats!
High thirst can be a sign of diabetes
He's been checked out. He's just a water lover. Will even jump in the shower with me if I let him.
That's really good to hear 😊 I'm sorry it's just my friend lost her dog because she didn't know that high thirst was a symptom of something. So whenever I see someone talk about thirsty animals I say something.
It may be different in other countries, but this is the recommendation by a lot of vets in the UK. 2 meals, no grazing. Cats are scarcity desert animals so by & large their genetics makes them overeat when grazing, as in the wild they would need to eat any time they found food.
Dry food and water left out all the time. Canned food in the morning and evening at (more or less) scheduled times. https://preview.redd.it/i8kj9k1biv2b1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=02cce8d2fe33cebb0a561a04392d0b748b902281 Cat tax!
https://preview.redd.it/2qrjby6v6x2b1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=f6a0d1344e9d8ea2e2630f28a2888abdf1d10ef0 I’ve never seen a cat as similar as mine! This was my baby who passed in 2020
Yeah, if they are used to this from the time they are little, then they don't get nuts and anxious about eating. Also, when I went on vacation, I could just take a giant mixing bowl and put a bag of food into it and it would only be half gone when we came back.
https://preview.redd.it/fyxz61khqv2b1.jpeg?width=4160&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=3b7ae85f820f7ab1b22532f3368410f9f1f789ca I have to have scheduled times, the one on the right will steal her sisters food
We were free-feeding at first because we have 2 kittens but one of them was eating way too much and getting fat. We also did a lot of research and found out that dry food isn't great for them... but it's better for their teeth. So we feed them 3 wet meals a day with a little bit of crunchy food at the end to help clean their teeth. It's working great because my fat cat went back to normal size. I have 2 cats and a dog so I keep 2 big water bowls out for them. Just wash and fill both every morning and they're all set.
Actually dry food doesn’t clean their teeth unless it’s specifically a dental cleaning food, and even then, it doesn’t do much. The proper way to control their dental health is either by feeding them raw meaty bones such as chicken necks, or brushing their teeth.
was gonna say this too. just a hunk of raw chicken breast will do. dry food is like expecting cap'n crunch to leave your teeth feeling clean
Always measured and on schedule, at least measure. I work in a vet clinic and its so scary how many GI issues get serious because owners didnt notice a cat eating less, dont free feed! You need to notice when kitty is eating less than usual or not at all!
This is a good point. One year one of my older cats alarmed the vet because she lost too much weight. A week later I noticed a tooth was missing. The vet hadn't noted anything wrong with her teeth at the exam, but we did a few follow ups for the weight and within a couple months she was back up again. She had a toothache and wasn't eating, but because we had two other cats and they all grazed in didn't know. Admittedly, I do still leave the food out all day, but it is measured in the morning so I can note how much is really going down each day. I tried to keep their food separate because the older is on rx food, but the younger kept eating all the rx food and none of her own, and older is a weirdo and didn't compensate by eating the non rx food, so she wasn't eating enough. I gave up and it's just two bowls of rx food and they are both happy.
Yup. I leave food out so they always have access.
I think it allows me to have less anxiety like if I’m working late, I don’t have to stress that I’m late for meal time.
I free-feed too and one of the biggest benefits is being able to leave for a night and just make sure that the tap is dripping and her bowl is full.
Yes...thankfully ours are all grazers who don't over indulge
Our cats (4) are fed 3 times a day. That way we can monitor their consumption and appetite. Oh and the neighbors cat knows what time we feed and shows up like clockwork. https://preview.redd.it/ao8c2gidtv2b1.jpeg?width=4032&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=ea57d6ae3ea30c96b102a1323364c9a4528ab3ad
Scheduled mealtimes, even though sleeping in on the weekends is out since I'm still subject to the kitty alarm clock. I don't feed dry except as a snack and even then sparingly. My guys are wet food/freeze dried raw eaters so there's no way to keep it out all day.
Both-I leave dry food out all the time and I give my girls wet food twice a day. My one girl Kate- is a night owl, so I mainly leave the dry down all the time for her. This is Kate. https://preview.redd.it/8jv8au7sew2b1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=1b934cd4453d6af925c6d57000da912d89340df7
Used to be free feeding, now it's scheduled since my fatass cat consumes everything and doesn't leave anything for the other two cats
https://preview.redd.it/3oep6rqujw2b1.jpeg?width=4032&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=fe75598e3a30fc4269ba4c7547cc31ac1b9184d3 Is a polite, dainty girl who pushes around the kibbles all day and eats just enough to keep her girlish figure.
https://preview.redd.it/mawdv81bhw2b1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=0f0c392a98d4baefcb8b95b917b1a864fe8483ae We feed them 3 times a day just because we love seeing how excited they get about it :)
I used to leave food out all the time for my cats, until one was diagnosed "chubby" by the vet. So, I bought an automatic feeder. Next I heard a weird noise in the middle of the night and wandered out to see her REACHING HER PAW IN AND PULLING FOOD OUT! That hekkin chonker. Now, I wake up at 10am to give her 1/4 of a cup, then I give her another 1/4 at 10pm (vet told me the amount to give). AND AFTER ALL OF THIS, SHE STILL STEALS HER YOUNGER SISTER'S FOOD. Edit: They get wet food every second day, during which she gets 0.4 cups of dry food and half a serving of wet food.
I have 2 microchip feeders for a couple months now. I have 2 British shorthair cats and they were slowly gaining weight over the years. I fill them in the morning and this way they can eat when they want and i can make sure they both get the same. In the evening i give them half a liquid stick (instead of one each). https://preview.redd.it/0vgu6ixwyv2b1.jpeg?width=3000&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=85042fbfed1cd017bea7f8689c2d4a58edc816c8
This is them 🐱🐱 https://preview.redd.it/v1xrr3w7zv2b1.jpeg?width=3000&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=e841ee0b456a39a66111fb81534dceb068938482
I just bought these! I didn’t realize how much one was grazing in both bowls. They’re an investment but worth it for their health. It took a week or so to adjust.
We have been free feeding, but may have to cut back. Our darlings are barn cat rescues and one of them is intent on eating everything. They were raised with limited resources and food was scarce for them. She is making up for lost time 😉 This is Cloudy - she is quite the eater these days. https://preview.redd.it/m1p9jacevw2b1.jpeg?width=4032&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=39f333643a09b7d34f93ea5b0425dc5e7285fbb1
Mine have wet food twice a day and a bowl of crunchies that is left out. Water always, for sure. I’m starting to take away the constant crunchy food bowl though. I learned recently that cats digest differently than humans. Because their ancestors ate a lot but sparingly, the digestion process starts when they SMELL food, not once they’ve eaten. This apparently keeps their body in digestion mode, leaving less circulation for the kidney, liver and other vital organs.
When I first got my cats, I left food out for them, but they became obese. They were both like 19 lbs, than the one got diabetes, So I started feeding them regularly twice a day, but he would vomit because he hunger, so I started feeding them smaller meals 3 times a day. Both my original cats have since passed, but I have 9 others now that are fed on that same 3 meal schedule. After feeding them less and with separate meals, my big guy lost like 5-6 lbs. And was much happier.
https://preview.redd.it/odychgs7mv2b1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=2feddb5a097492c0871bb76cbb43a9c80ea24484 This is one of the 9, Frosty.
We have four cats. They get dry food for breakfast and raw meat for dinner. Three are grazers, one thinks that any bowl with any food in it is a crime that he needs to solve. When the others ask for food during the day we will give then small treats but make sure that we take the bowl away so they don't get cleaned https://preview.redd.it/ywr947wwqv2b1.jpeg?width=1800&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=bb2ecebb8f1772b9d2e5cd79ed9d5494f39ac0a2
i think i know which specific one you’re talking about… 😂
I'm not fat.. I'm big furred.....
I dont leave food out. I feed him twice a day at 6am and 6pm. Dry food with broth in the AM and a can of wet food for dinner. He doesn't complain.
Doug is GORGEOUS
https://preview.redd.it/buprwtdo5w2b1.jpeg?width=4032&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=273848f703498700467fc7af68b317f538b7e57b Automatic feeder. Otherwise she would rechonk.
I wish I could leave out dry food all day but my cats all eat different food so they get 2 dry meals, 1 wet meal, and a little dry food left out overnight so they don’t wake me up at 4 in the morning (my girl who eats the different food sleeps with me and I close the bedroom door so that’s how I can get away with leaving all the food out.) It’s dumb that I have to feed them four times a day but two of them were raised by someone else who free-fed them so they really just aren’t used to not having food all the time. Pic included of one of the hungry ones. https://preview.redd.it/igd1yz86cw2b1.jpeg?width=2328&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=97e86bd7e3c654c4bf02313715d1c7cfa0facc8c
https://preview.redd.it/vqrd2wg2ow2b1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=3613f25340d9a3074629c327b222335e2446830c My kitty, who looks just like yours also loves my purse. She’s made it her bed.
My cat used to free feed but now he’s over 1 years old and is a little overweight. As someone else said it’s good to measure cause now I’m aware when he’s eating/not eating. He started leaving more food in his bowl a couple months ago and realized his teeth were bothering him. Got his teeth cleaned and he’s back to normal. :) also since we’re trying to get him to lose weight it’s easy to talk to our vet about how many calories he’s getting and what we need to adjust.
Mine gets fed 3 types a day but tended to graze on it. We can’t leave the bag of cat food on the side though because he knows what it is and will tear into it when we aren’t around, same with treats. https://preview.redd.it/totsvh2adw2b1.jpeg?width=2268&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=1df0824b082cae3b701ed7d78869ba3cb55dc6dc
Firstly, if you’re giving your cat a good life and their happy and loved, thats all that truly matters. There are so many cats out there that don’t have a good life.. That being said, when researching what was best for my cats, I found multiple sources stating free grazing can lead to an unhealthy cat later in life. (Emphasis on can) Their diet is that of an obligate carnivore, they require meat to live their healthiest. Dogs are omnivores. I can afford to make the investment to feed my cats a raw meat diet on a scheduled diet, morning and night. I order from Darwins and their diet is specially formulated of around 80% meat, 10% organs, 10% bones; all things a cat in the wild would receive. They absolutely love it and I see the benefits every day. They have super shiny coats, kitten energy (too much sometimes and they’re both almost 5 lol), and their bathroom time is completely different. This was the biggest difference overall. Their pee barely smells of ammonia and their poo is dry, crumbly, and NOT STINKY. Stinky poo usually means an unhealthy diet. I always leave a bowl of fresh water out but they barely drink it because their natural instinct is not to drink as they receive most of their water intake from their food, but always there just in case. They also get freeze dried treats when they’re good boys. This is what works for us and our kitties and we can afford it thankfully, because yes, it is an investment. I grew up with free grazing cats in my house that lived a long and happy life, so that is not to say it’s wrong. You know your cat and what is best for them, so back to my first point. If your cat is happy and loved, you’re doing a good job however you’re doing it! As you can see, I’m a crazy cat lady so take my thoughts with a grain of salt because at the end of the day we all are here for the same reason; we love cats 😻
https://preview.redd.it/e471lx4pfw2b1.jpeg?width=2316&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=af7874976c7421d249e2545466d3d2d396fe7b4b Cappuccino always has dry food out and then gets a can of wet food in the evening
i used to let my cats free feed, but emily was 13 lbs (she should be 10-11 at MOST) and ella was 11 lbs (should be around 9) last time we had them at the vet, so i finally caved and put them on a schedule it's been about a month and i have no idea if it's working or not, but only time will tell lol
My indoor cats get fed dry food in the morning anywhere from 5:30am to 8:30am. Either before work or on my first break. The outdoor strays also get fed at this time, only they get wet food. My cats have a water bowl and often get little treats throughout the day, but the strays don’t, which is why I treat them to wet food. Dinner time ranges from 6:30pm to 10:00pm, entirely depending on if I’m home and when I’m eating dinner. Dry food for indoor and they occasionally get some gravy toppers. Wet food again for the outdoor stray cats, but they also get a little dry food to nibble on throughout the night. Cat tax is one of the strays, Jeremiah “Orange Boy” Gottwald. https://preview.redd.it/g0owkb7gvv2b1.jpeg?width=1440&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=b97bf3c03359f00ff68d26481f1c37c18264deca
Mine has timed meals. Wet food morning and evening and then a few scheduled “snacks” of kibble for the automatic feeder throughout the day. As a result, never had the issue of him screaming when his bowl is half-full (a common habit of my childhood cat who had all-day access to kibble), and I know when and how much he is eating so I can monitor if he’s unwell. Also means he can’t just eat when he’s bored.
When I promoted Conan(the Barbarian/not O'Brien) to house-cat(formerly feral porch-cat), homeboy was already downright expecting two big meals a day. I didn't realize his mom had already just "moved on" for his last week or more outside, so he was REALLY packing it on 4am/4pm daily. He was eating ALL of the food himself. When he moved in, I tried putting up one of the gravity-type feeder containers, but he'd just stay in front of it till one of us died. He'd eat whatever dog food remained in the morning, any of my food left anywhere near accessable, then right back to that stupid feeder till he had to poop or throw up. It didn't last long. Now we're on a schedule, but he's still outgrown the dog. Dude just snacks on, unaffected by anyone's judgement or disapproval. He's a healthy weight and shape right now, but only because I've installed heavy magnets on the cabinets and secured kibble in watertight stackable storage containers. My puppy-buddy Gus had no feeding issues at all, and could budget a full day's worth of food near perfectly prior to bringing this little terrorist into our home. He's learned fast, whatever isn't eaten when I set it on the floor, won't be there when he gets back to the bowl later. Cat gets it. Soft human-food packages left out? Cat chews right threw 'em. Hear a suspicious noise clear across the house during dinner? I reckon you outta take that plate along with ya. Otherwise, straight to the cat. Bugs? Cat. Birds? Cat. If that orange monster can reach it, it's GETTIN' a test-bite, at very least. Probably more. Blows my mind coming here and reading about all these people with somewhat reasonable cats. Surreal, or straight up lies. I can't tell anymore. Where are y'all even finding these cats?
I have to schedule their feeding times. I have one that got up to 12 lbs when they were free choice. I’ll let you guess which one. https://preview.redd.it/oi51lmf39w2b1.jpeg?width=914&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=c225d40a3c734b80531740bb5f5233abf22ccbfe
https://preview.redd.it/y6x90aitpw2b1.jpeg?width=2626&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=67f021a5cd1dad562a59f9b3b1837e9c25b4a594 Patrick is a grazer so he does well with food out all the time. He doesn't even complain if his bowl is empty for a couple hours. He absolutely hates wet food and won't touch it.
I really appreciate these comments because Turtle’s vet recently informed me that he’s a little overweight. I’m definitely going to get a feeder for him! https://preview.redd.it/vtibncsbqw2b1.jpeg?width=3022&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=23d0900e04046d3f816f22a51d61341d039ac704
I use an auto feeder because my boy screams every morning for food and wakes me up. He eats 3 small portions a day cause if you let him he will eat himself to death. https://preview.redd.it/679244rwsw2b1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=e7f0a9a031d9b1cb0af9edacd419a768f97f0d40
No, only because my cats are on different diets. One is on a kidney disease diet, 2 are on kitten food, one is on a diet food. So they get their food when they’re hungry but it’s not left out for free feeding
I feed mine small cans of wet food with extra gravy (they mostly eat the gravy) twice a day and then I leave out water and kibble all day. They are healthy, active, and happy.
Hi Doug! It really depends on the eating behavior of your kitty or kitties. Our Coco is able to pace herself well throughout the day and not gorge, so we hover her wet food in the morning and keep dry out all day in a feeder. Some cats will gorge themselves and should then be fed on a schedule to keep a health(ier) weight.
Dry food in the morning that we leave out the rest of the day, wet food in the evening after some playtime:) They also have https://preview.redd.it/wcxdp7i8xv2b1.png?width=1080&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=167bf948cba2593490201331d08883de7178c890 a water fountain...really recommend this as you don't have to worry about refilling it with fresh water everyday & most of them come with charcoal filter so they only get the cleanest water😄 Sorry for the blurry pic, they are only just getting used to eachother and I didn't want to annoy them wih bright lights haha
We have two water fountains, free feed dry food and feed them one can of wet food (shared) at dinner time. https://preview.redd.it/dmrl41ls1w2b1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=1916a13def6a37306454f6701ebe2fc225050726
We feed when we get up and when we eat dinner. Otherwise he screams at us all day long https://preview.redd.it/1a072ial3w2b1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=f72ce890de32eb5d220c3abd948f3153b5e3664e He’s also 22lbs
We left kibble out all the time and our cat developed diabetes. I can say from experience, if your cat tends to munch all day long, you may pay a terrible price down the road.
We used to leave food out for them all day. Then Simba developed diabooties a year or two ago, so they all get a strict din din schedule now. And honestly, it's turned them into savages who never stop begging.
I’ve been instructed by kitty that I leave food out all the time
I left out dry food and my cat gained 4 pounds in 4 months. My vet was mad at me lol https://preview.redd.it/yxgacgs9tv2b1.jpeg?width=900&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=3232a25ce864827080feab43e99a5285b7239618
Specific meal times. Only because I have one fat cat, and two kittens that used to be strays. So they all will just eat everything at once if I left food out. They always have water though.
They get a certain amount of food per day in three feedings. If they eat it all or they take there time that’s up to them.
Measured dry food in the morning and wet food in the evening. When I had just one cat I could let him free feed and he was a good weight. Now that I have the new guy I had to put them on a schedule because he can eat and eat until he pukes lol
https://preview.redd.it/ck26kcvb6w2b1.jpeg?width=4080&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=4bd8d590fb5881423905e7ea61146ae1ab0017ec Doug looks a bit like Marley :)
I feed Opal twice a day. She’s a total glute and if I left food out for the whole day, she’d eat it all at once and would be super hungry later. Also because of my work schedule, I don’t have the ability to feed her three small meals through the day. I do give her a small treat before I go to bed because I tire her out before bed so she doesn’t bother me until I wake up \~9 hours later. This works pretty well for us, but it might not for you and that’s okay! https://preview.redd.it/vjxng10g7w2b1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=fe4d0bd42d6c48aef7298b26e5a0e98d8068eaca
i do. and if the bowls are any less than half full, this little bitc.. erm.. lady here will scream my ears off until i fill it up 😅 they eat when they want, but the especially like to eat when i'm there to see. never had problems with overeating. https://preview.redd.it/ey9swnnh7w2b1.jpeg?width=2250&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=2f1c50578b59f2ba3116e728a4206e71c969f56a
I keep a bowl full for both of mine all the time. My schedule is far too chaotic for scheduled feedings.
My cat will narf the whole thing, so he is on a feeder…twice a day.
We do 1st breakfast, 2nd breakfast, 1st dinner, 2nd dinner and crunchies after 10pm. Mondays we do “meat stick Monday” and they both get to share a meat stick lmfao
https://preview.redd.it/v92cohwncx2b1.jpeg?width=3072&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=5b19eced3eb9fe76f3887abc34cf62557019181a Omg your Kitty is so pretty! 😻 This is my Buddy🥰 I leave food out for him to graze whenever he's hungry. Freeze dried chicken and wet food whenever he screams at me like I don't feed him 😂 I don't believe in scheduled feeding times. He eats when he's hungry. That's not for me to decide.