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The litter tray

Join our community of cat lovers on the Mumsnet Cat forum for kitten advice and help with cat behaviour.

Original poster

how many times a day do you feed your adult cat??

28 replies

simpson · 08/09/2011 13:35

Hi

My 2 one yr old kitties are constantly begging for food and its doing my head in Blush

I am just wondering if maybe I am not feeding them enough (although they don't look starving Hmm)

Also how many times a day are your cats fed?

OP posts:
HenriettaFarthingay · 08/09/2011 13:39

Mine gets 'dinner' (Tesco wet food) at about five. Otherwise I keep his kibble bowl filled, and he wanders in and has a munch every now and again. Cats need to have access to food at all times, else they bring in little presents.

Ooopsadaisy · 08/09/2011 13:43

2-year old Jemima is fed twice a day.

(Sometimes 3, when "bad kitty" across the road gets through her cat-flap and eats her food! - I'm sure she does the same there through!)

Most cat food packets will give a rough idea of how much a cat should need based on it's size/age/weight.

If in doubt ask your vet.

Also make sure they are wormed (the cats, not the vet, obviously!). Cats with worms will eat more.

Lizcat · 08/09/2011 13:43

Twice daily. They get 25g of dry food each in the morning and 1 sachet each in the evening. If cats have access to food all the time the will get fat, it is an old wives tail that cats self regulate. Obese cats get diabetes like obese people do. The majority of domestic cats hunt for fun not to survive.

NevermindtheNargles · 08/09/2011 13:43

We do that too, dry food in the morning to graze on all day and then wet food in the evening.

We still get lots of presents.

NevermindtheNargles · 08/09/2011 13:43

We do that too, dry food in the morning to graze on all day and then wet food in the evening.

We still get lots of presents.

Original poster
simpson · 08/09/2011 13:49

up until now they have been getting 3 small meals a day (all in the evening - 2 wet food meals and one dry meal)

And they still want more Shock

Today I have decided to feed them first thing in the morning instead and see if this makes a difference and tbh they have only started begging for food in the last 15 mins.

If I put dried food down for them to graze on I have a feeling they would treat it like a meal, eat the whole lot and want more

I have been away for 2wks and got back last sat (cats in cattery) and I was Shock at how much weight one of them has put on.

They have both been wormed btw (I have the scars to prove it Blush)

OP posts:
Ooopsadaisy · 08/09/2011 13:56

Oh yes, OP - I too have worming "war-wounds"!

Did you check with the cattery what their eating habits were there?

Are you sure the weighty one isn't a pregnant female?

Not all worming techniques work perfectly every time. Any sign of worms at all or do they poo exclusively outside?

Perhaps they pined for you whilst in the cattery and are now "acting out"? Are they used to being separated from you?

fruitshootsandheaves · 08/09/2011 14:06

Mine have a pouch of wet food twice a day, sometimes they don't turn up for a few meals but that's usually after they have eaten a mouse/rabbit/deer or aren't hungry as they are about to vomit a huge half digested mouse on the kitchen bench...yes I'm talking about you black fluffy one.

I don't leave food down as not able to graze means they come when I call them...sometimes Grin. Also the dog would eat it if i left a bowl of food down.

they would eat about 6 pouches a day if I fed them everytime they yowled at me!

I think you should be mean and ignore them or they'll be fat bloaters, unless of course they fade away then you're not giving them enough

PaperView · 08/09/2011 14:10

mine has a bowl of dry food and a foil tray/pouch in the morning. She always eats the wet food but if the dry is empty ish by tea time i will give her another tray/pouch. She's around 1 so a teenager lol!

FagButt · 08/09/2011 14:12

i just fill the bowl up if it is empty. 2 adult cats.

CMOTdibbler · 08/09/2011 14:17

A pouch of wet food twice a day when they ask, and crunchies always there. All 3 are v slim, and all bring in presents

Original poster
simpson · 08/09/2011 14:20

They are definately not pregnant (just greedy!!) as both have been spayed.

They are due at the vets in the next couple of wks as they need their booster jabs so may get him to worm them again just in case.

TBH I think the problem is that when they are in the house they are constantly begging/scrounging for food that I get fed up and stick them outside then when its feeding time, I let them in again so they associate being in the house with being fed iyswim.

OP posts:
Original poster
simpson · 08/09/2011 14:23

fruitshoot - do we own the same cats?? Grin

Although mine would never miss a meal. It has happened once since I have had them and that's because the daft moggy got herself shut in the airing cupboard Hmm

OP posts:
Lizcat · 08/09/2011 15:56

Forgot to add several of the cat behaviourists have suggested that what we interpret as begging for food is actually asking for attention - only we feed them and train them that this is how to get food.

fruitshootsandheaves · 08/09/2011 17:12

simpson - perhaps they're coming to your house to be fed when they miss their meals here Grin

pointydog · 08/09/2011 17:25

Few biscuits in the mornigng, one pouch in teh evening.

She is still porky, lazy and does bugger all hunting.

Egg · 08/09/2011 17:41

Ours has recently graduated from half a kitten pouch mixed with dry food twice a day to a whole adult pouch mixed with dry food twice a day. She tends to leave a bit of the dry though. Never had any presents yet but she is only nearly a year old. Her friend down the road finishes anything that is left.

HenriettaFarthingay · 08/09/2011 17:42

Lizcat, I'm sure you're right, but my boy is a lean, mean, very fit, hunting machine, checked over regularly by the vet, and is pretty much a perfect weight for his size. He doesn't gobble at it all the time, it's just there if he fancies a wee munch, much like me when I fancy a biccie with my coffee. Also, to be honest, he did used to bring presents, till he realised I didn't like them very much, and he wouldn't get through the door/window/whatever if he had a little something in his mouth. Keeps them outside now and toys with them.

CharlotteBronteSaurus · 08/09/2011 17:48

crunchies are down all the time
wet food given on demand - 3-4 times daily. in addition 2 or 3 mice/birds each week.

she is lithe and slinky. vet says she's perfect. i am Envy of her metabolism.

ColdSancerre · 08/09/2011 17:52

Light cat biscuits down all the time, pouches in the evening. I have one porker and one that's slim, so I try to balance the slim one getting more pouches and the porker eating more of the light biscuits. He's not getting any smaller.

Original poster
simpson · 08/09/2011 19:38

there seems to be a slight improvement today Smile

I gave them a pouch of wet food each this morning and put down some dry food throughout the day for them to munch on.

Have just given them another pouch of wet food (one cat lingered for another Hmm)

Will see how they are around 9pm as thats when they are at their worst.

My cats are both just over a yr and we have had several "presents"

A couple of mice (one half dead Sad) and a baby bird....

I suspect its only one cat that catches them though the other one is too lazy slow Grin

OP posts:
HenriettaFarthingay · 08/09/2011 22:07

Speaking of presents - the worst I had was a rabbit with three limbs and no head. Quite quite horrible.

Original poster
simpson · 08/09/2011 22:38

OMG that sounds awful!!!

I was bad enough with a dead mouse, I had to ring my dad to come over Blush

OP posts:
Fluffycloudland77 · 09/09/2011 18:16

Two pouches in the morning, biscuits at 5pm in the winter and a pouch before bed.

He is very slim, a very active breed (bengal) and will lead you to the food cupboard at food times.

If I have a day off and am still in bed when second breakfast is due he stands in the hall looking at me and I can see him thinking "your STILL in bed?".

SIL cats have half pouch in the morning and half at night. Biscuits are on offer all day.

tabulahrasa · 10/09/2011 00:01

I have dry food out all the time and it used to be a pouch of food a day between them - and I was never harrased for food.

One of mine now has to be fed small amounts more frequently (medical reasons) so I'm feeding her from pouches 4 times a day, she now insists I should be feeding her every time I look like I might be going in the kitchen Hmm

she does know though when it is actually a mealtime, that's when she's more forceful, she just chances her luck the other times, lol

i'd feed them at set times and see if they get better after a couple of weeks