How often do you feed your cat?

[Daftaboutthecat]

According to the manufacturer my cat needs 2 pouches per day.
I give him 1 at 7.30 and ideally 1 at 5 there is always some dry food available too. He usually starts miaowing for more wet food in between times though. Am I leaving too big a gap between feeds. This is our first ever cat so any advice welcome

[gingerboy1912]

Dried food down all the time and fed half a pouch of wet food three times a day.

[hollinhurst84]

5kg - he's put on 0.7kg since December
Gets 65g meat in am and same in pm plus his supplements (raw fed)

[19lottie82]

Pippa is about 5kg and gets a pouch in the morning and a pouch in the evening. Also gets a few dreamies before bed time.

[TeaMeBasil]

Mine has dry food down all the time (James wellbeloved stuff which I think is a complete meal type) and a pouch randomly, every other day or so - I figure that's just extra & really just give it for variety. She has zero interest in any food other than cat food, nose is turned up at ham or prawns! She'll scoff a bit of tuna but that's about her limit.

It doesn't sound like much written down but she's small and an indoor cat. She's a bundle of energy though so I can't be too far off what she needs...

[SoupDragon]

I weigh FatCatSlim's food into about 2 weeks worth of small clip lock boxes. He definitely gets fed in the morning and evening and sometimes I'll tip some in at lunch time if he is particularly bothersome. I have to ensure he only gets fed the day's allowance though as we've fought hard to reduce his weight by a kilo!

[RoastChickenDinner]

gamerchick "pestering at the crack of twat", lol, love it

[thesilentone]

I have 3 cats - 2 girls are skinny and 1 boy is overweight. I used to let them graze on kibble all day which suited the girls just fine but since I've had my boy, he's been pigging away and is now on a diet. I've started trying to give measured amounts in bowls twice a day but they aren't getting it. The girls are not eating enough now and I'm worried about them although my boy has lost half a pound. I feel like I can't win!

[MyBreadIsEggy]

On the box of food I feed my girl, it says "one pouch four times a day". I tried giving he that much at first, but she would just leave it there until it went all dry and minging in the dish. So now she has one pouch in the morning, and one in the evening, with dry food and water left out all day. She eats it all now

[sashh]

I feed mine once a day, first thing in the morning - dry food and always available.

Then at 8am she goes for her wet food breakfast with Norman (neighbour who regularly has 6 or 7 cats on his lawn being fed).

If I'm home and the window is open she will go for an afternoon nap in Ginger's (another neighbour) and is fed by his grandchildren.

She then has some more dried food in the evening.

Oh and usually a bot of chicken/beef if I'm having my tea and she is around.

[gamerchick]

1 pouch on an evening and unlimited dry. Any more and she gains weight and the nurse tells us off.

I won't feed on a morning to ward off pestering at the crack of twat.

[StillMedusa]

Portia.. tiny 16 yr old, eats little and often (and pukes a lot) So max half a pouch in the morning, then DS2 is usually conned into feeding her a bit more if he's in the house..11 ish.. then another half at 4.30 when I get in, then maybe another half later on... she nibbles daintily. She's not keen on dried food so doesn't eat any.

Ophie.. around 12 pounds or so, prefers dried and has Royal Canin gastro as she can't tolerate wheat, and a little wet food first thing..she only eats what she needs and probably also has one packet a day but with lots of dry as there is always a bowl out.

Obie..eats every time someone goes into the kitchen! So we do a whole packet in the morning, then halves throughout the evening and also wolfs down the dried stuff.. but he's a 20 pounder MC and still growing.

I've always fed them on demand pretty much and none are porky :)

[FlowersAndShit]

Boycat is around 2 and gets 2 pouches a day and dry food is always down, he nibbles this throughout the day/night. I also give him 2-3 dreamies/temptations when he comes in from being outside.

[cozietoesie]

I've never known a cat to give you lurrvv for any reason but that they wanted to - they might give you pleading or attention before feeding time but not that quiet 'I'm happy to be with you' thing.

No - he likes you.

[Daftaboutthecat]

I hope so cozie can't believe how much I love this wee guy already. Love this forum dont know too many cat lovers in real life to share exciting steps like this

[JapanNextYear]

6 to 7 a day. He weighs 7.1 kg, big not fat. Feeds on demand.

[coffeeisnectar]

Boy cats get a pouch each in the morning and again at teatime.

Girl cats get half a pouch each although only licks the jelly off and the other barely touches it.

We have three dry food dispensers and the girl cats prefer that so the two boys "minesweep" all the wet food bowls.

Water always available.

None of them are overweight but both boys are large cats and out a lot. The girls prefer lazing at home.

[Lurkedforever1]

One (average size)feeds herself, only eats cat food if she can't hunt, i.e unwell. Given the quantities, would be about 2/3 cans a day if not more. The other (small size) about 3 pouches a day, maybe a handful of dry and whenever she hears the fridge door. Both very fit and slim, if anything the latter is on the scrawny side.

[cozietoesie]

Achh - that will be because he likes you. (He probably takes the feeding as a given.)

[WhirlwindHugs]

Aw, I loved that moment with our rescue Daft!

Cozie - yes it totally is. I always have to remind DH that they aren't being cheeky they're old now and need the extra!

[Daftaboutthecat]

Clearly whatever schedule we are following is suiting he has just came up on sofa beside me for the first time and is purring away. I'm so happy the rescue centre said it could take a long time if ever before he would do that

[cozietoesie]

If Seniorboy asks for food outside his schedule, he's given some. That's the difference with a very old cat - you get those calories in somehow.

[bonzo77]

Half a pouch 7.30am and 5.30pm, bowl of dry 10.30pm. Extras sometimes if she asks and I'm not sure if I've forgotten to feed her. Small (2.8kg) neutered 5 yo female, free to go out doors during daylight only. Not fed by neighbours and rarely has titbits.

[cozietoesie]

That's Seniorboy's schedule - little and often. Maybe it's an age thing.

[WhirlwindHugs]

Dry food gets topped up once a day. Plus half a pouch 3 times a day (They're elderly and need to keep their weight up, little and often seems to be working best)

[bloodyteenagers]

Mine are 4 months so still eating loads.
They have 3 or 4 pouches between them depending if they are hungry. Always have dried down. Plus chicken/beef/lamb/fish depending how I have cooked it. And maybe some veg as well. But then they won't want a pouch so evens everything out.