Leaving food out for cats?

[LynetteScavo]

My cats had a bit of a rough start in life. We got them at eight weeks old, but they hadn't been fed properly and initially would gorge themselves and then vomit. They don't do that anymore, but do get worried if we don't permanently leave food down. (Meowing at us and /or scratching the sofa) They're fed twice a day, and come back to their bowls for several small meals over an hour or so, but I don't want to leave the bowls down all day and all night. My cats disagree and ask for food, although they're not actually hungry...they just like having food there fir reassurance.

They're 2.5yo now. Am I being mean not leaving food for them all the time, and only feeding twice a day? They usually manage to con one of the D.C. or DH into feeding them if they're around during the day, but don't actually eat it because they aren't really hungry.

We leave dry food down all the time and then feed wet food twice a day

I leave dry out all of the time, and feed 2 x wet food meals.
If they started to put on weight, I might revise this, but they're both ok at regulating their own intake, so it's fine.

Always dry food out here too, they get sachets twice daily on top of that.

I also leave dry food out all the time just in case mine becomes peckish. As mine is still young, I still feed her 3x small meals and she usually eats the dry at night/early morning. You could leave some out for comfort and they might not touch it like mine doesn't some nights.

I do think you are being a bit mean, especially given their rough start in life, having food available would likely make them less anxious.

My two are fussy about what fresh/wet food they eat but always have biscuits down to graze on inbetween fresh meals. A bowl of biscuits (and a water dish) doesn't take much room and doesn't smell.

Dry food out all the time, ours never clear the bowl and still beg at dinner time. I'm of the opinion they like to ensure there is some left in case nuclear war breaks out/someone forgets.

Cats should have dry food available at all times.

The bowls in our house are never empty, both wet and dry. I would always avoid doing anything that causes them any anxiety, they’re fickle animals and we choose to keep them in a domestic environment so should make it as comfortable (well, luxurious, they are cats!) as possible

OK, I accept I've been mean. On weekdays they've always had food left down as I don't have time to clear it away before work, and until recently I've been leaving a lot of food down over night to try to stop one of them bringing nice in (I took the mouse left in his bowl as a hint I wasn't feeding him enough) but I'll carry on leaving food out all the time.

20 years ago when I got our first cats the vet was very insistent we only fed them twice a day, rather than in demand as I had been doing) and they seemed happy with that. I honestly thought every body else was feeding their cat just twice a day.

We also feed wet twice a day and dry out all the time. They hoover up the wet food and nibble the dry.

Ours have prescription dry food and we give it to them in the special cat feeders , which stops them gorging and makes mealtimes /grazing more interesting. It's transformed meal times fir my kitties
https://www.animeddirect.co.uk/coa-catch-interactive-cat-feeder?gclid=Cj0KCQiAnNXiBRCoARIsAJe1cp7vLOkMFWUeanB906Vj3PLOrNaD64ssE7M4skjEfyUn2MtY6nbwJ8aAuOOEALww_wcB

You only need to feed them twice a day but leave out what they don't eat for them to come back to.

Both my cats are grazers and only eat a few mouthfuls of food at any one time. They always have dried food available and have wet food twice a day.

@lightlypoached I might get one of those, just because I like the look of it - I think the cats would just ignore it though, because they're not keen on dry food...they only eat it to get to the wet food underneath. They might surprise me though!

I have a dry food puzzle feeder left out and topped up all the time

Mine is still under one so she has food out all the time. It would take her about five hours to finish a tray of food - but she see,s to prefer it when it’s been out for a while.

Dry food I’d always available.cat mile as a bedtime treat, and another treat once a day.

(I took the mouse left in his bowl as a hint I wasn't feeding him enough) but I'll carry on leaving food out all the time

In his bowl? OP you are on a WINNER. Watch out, though, because if you do not live up to your slave duties it will be in your shoe next time. Or alive ... at 3am.

I think it depends on the individual cats - the majority are self-regulating when it comes to food, a few are greedy guzzlers who would eat themselves into an early grave if allowed to.

Mine also had a rough start to life, a full year as feral before being taken in by a rescue, but they self regulate. As other posters above, they get fed wet twice a day and dry down all the time. They have never ever finished all the wet even if its only a little left, and they just have half a pouch in the mornings between them that's down until supper time, when they get 1 pouch between them which stays down until breakfast.

Boycat sometimes bolts his food until he is sick, but I think that's anxiety. They are decent sized cats (4.8kg and 6kg) but that's size not fat and the vet is happy with their condition ("excellent, lovely condition" was the term he used )

Just to update..my cats tell me dry food is not real food and refuse to eat it unless covering wet food. The leaving dry food out at all times has proved a bit pointless and so I'm back to leaving wet food down all the time