Question
I'll be moving to my new apartment in +/- 2 years, and I plan on adopting a cat, since I always wanted one, but never could due to our dogs (which I also love).
But then I realized that his feeding times would be "irregular". I leave my home to go to work at 6:40AM and come back only at 5PM.
So, could I give him a reasonable ammount of food before leaving home and then he eats what he needs? Or would he overfeed himself? What other options do I have?
Answer
Cats will generally overfeed themselves (there are always the exception), from the Association for Pet Obesity, in 2016
An Estimated 59% of Cats and 54% of Dogs in the United States Are Overweight or Obese.
A large portion (if not all) of a cats diet should be wet food, since wet is expensive most owners will supplement with dry to cut the cost. Depending on the food you choose and how much your pet weighs he should be fed a specific amount daily. When starting a new food weigh your pet every 2 weeks to ensure he is not losing or gaining weight (if a kitten we want gain of course).
As Journeyman mentioned, buying an automatic food dispenser is great!! Cats are grazers and will benefit from being able to eat small portions throughout the day vs all at once.
For dispensing wet food be sure the product you use can keep the food refrigerated until use. Cats typically like warmer foods as the smell is much stronger, their taste buds are sub-par compared to us so they heavily rely on smell.
If you do not wish to have an automatic food dispenser you can feed him twice a day, 1/2 the daily portion in the morning and 1/2 in the evening.
Other StackExchange questions that may help you:
- How many times a day should I feed a cat?
- How often should cats eat?
- Is 10 months late to teach a cat to self-feeding? If not, how shall I proceed?
Answered By - Rebecca RVT