Do cats know when they are full?

[poppincandy]

Or do they just eat as much food as they can get?

I've got two kittens, and I've been feeding them a pouch four times a day, which they eat as soon as put down, but the bowls aren't completely empty.

However, I'm going back to work, so they will need their lunch time meal as dried food, so I have been getting them used to the biscuits. I put the biscuits down at 10 and they cleared the bowl, I was expecting them to graze on it through out the day, now I think I need to give them a pouch at lunch time or they will be starving by tea time, but tomorrow I won't be here at lunch time, so will they be really hungry or is it just a case of cats will eat whenever food is given.

Any advice?

IME cats will eat when hungry and not just because it's there like dogs do.
You can get sealed food bowls for small animals that you can set on a timer to open which may be ideal for your kittens.
I'll get a link to something

something like this?

I had the same thing with my kittens. The vet told me to feed them twice a day.(this was when they were about 3.5 months) Sometimes they leave food, sometimes they don't.

soem kittens are greedy buggers and will trough whenever they can.

I'd add a few more biscuits to the bowl and leave them.

I feed mine once a day now and they only have a pouch once a month or so.

Cats will basically scrounge anything they think they can get IMO! They will stop eating before they explode though so judge it day by day, give them more or less each day depending on whether they cleared their bowl last time.

I think all cats are different.

My parents cat will eat all day if you let it but my cat will graze/just eat when she's hungry.

My cat would eat all day if I let him, right from being a kitten (he's only one how so still a teenager really). We think we feed him three times a day (otherwise he'd chew our legs off) but actually I'm sure it's more like four as I give in to nagging! He always leaves some dried food in his bowl, so it's there if he feels like a snack between meals. Doesn't stop him acting like a poor deprived moggy who hasn't been fed for aaaaages, though.

(Btw, he's not fat, no larger than the neighbour's cats/my sister's cats. Dunno where he puts it all. Actually that reminds me, it's about time for another worming tablet...)

My two put on weight in the winter and slim in the summer, (could be to do with them basically sleeping 23 hours a day in winter) It all evens out eventually though.

Had occasion years ago to leave one of my previous cats with a friend for a month while i was in hospital. Typical tom ruler of the neighbourhood, built like a racing snake - lithe and skinny, but muscular. Went to collect him when I was better and this enormous round thing made of fat and fur came sauntering round the corner of the kitchen licking his lips, obviously just finished a meal. "Oh he's lovely" said my friend, "but a bit skinny when he came here so I hope you dont mind but I increased his portions a bit!" Turns out she was feeding him 2 TINS a DAY!!

Thanks for all the advice, I'm going to invest in one of those timer dishes, and keep some biscuits in a normal bowl for them as well, don't want them to become very fat cats, but also growing boys so don't want them starving