At what times should I feed my cat?

[cattoyaya]

Hi everyone! I’m having a bit of trouble timing when I should feed my 7/8 month old kitten. So in his current schedule he eats at about 6 am, 11 am/12 pm, 3 pm and 8 pm, but I’m worried I’m feeding him too many times a day and that his meal times are too close together. Should I only be feeding him 3 times per day? I know kittens at around this age usually only eat 3 meals a day but I don’t know how to evenly space out his meal times so he won’t get hungry during the night or morning. Can anyone help? Also attached a silly picture of him! ^_^

 

[di and bob]

There really are no set rules, just what is convenient. a kitten really can't be fed too much or too often, so just pick times and stick with it. i do suggest one feeding later in the night/evening to help them sleep. You could try 6AM, 2PM, and 8PM and see how that works, the main thing is keeping the same times. Cats live for routine.

 

[lisahe]

There really are no set rules, just what is convenient. a kitten really can't be fed too much or too often, so just pick times and stick with it. i do suggest one feeding later in the night/evening to help them sleep. You could try 6AM, 2PM, and 8PM and see how that works, the main thing is keeping the same times. Cats live for routine.

This is all so true! Cutting a meal from the schedule (even if the overall amount of food fed each day remains the same) can really stress cats out. I also think a bedtime meal is always a good idea.

 

[maggie101]

Hi everyone! I’m having a bit of trouble timing when I should feed my 7/8 month old kitten. So in his current schedule he eats at about 6 am, 11 am/12 pm, 3 pm and 8 pm, but I’m worried I’m feeding him too many times a day and that his meal times are too close together. Should I only be feeding him 3 times per day? I know kittens at around this age usually only eat 3 meals a day but I don’t know how to evenly space out his meal times so he won’t get hungry during the night or morning. Can anyone help? Also attached a silly picture of him! ^_^

Since my cats were kittens,I fed them 3x a day plus more with a food timer. I am no longer a mathmetion so I followed what the can said and how much they could eat and want to eat. When I got up,came home,went to bed. I only work10-3 every day and go to bed 10-11

 

[cattoyaya]

There really are no set rules, just what is convenient. a kitten really can't be fed too much or too often, so just pick times and stick with it. i do suggest one feeding later in the night/evening to help them sleep. You could try 6AM, 2PM, and 8PM and see how that works, the main thing is keeping the same times. Cats live for routine.

I’ll definitely try those times! I know routine is very important to cats so I’ll definitely make sure to stick with the times for his meals and try feeding him at 6am, 2pm and 8pm. Thanks so much!

 

[cattoyaya]

This is all so true! Cutting a meal from the schedule (even if the overall amount of food fed each day remains the same) can really stress cats out. I also think a bedtime meal is always a good idea.

Yeah, I definitely don’t want him to be stressed out so I just gotta find a good routine and stick with those times. I always make sure to feed him at night so he doesn’t get hungry while I’m asleep and to help him sleep better.

 

[cattoyaya]

Since my cats were kittens,I fed them 3x a day plus more with a food timer. I am no longer a mathmetion so I followed what the can said and how much they could eat and want to eat. When I got up,came home,went to bed. I only work10-3 every day and go to bed 10-11

I was worried that maybe a 4 hour distance from his meals was too much but I see now that it isn’t that big and that I actually have to space out his meals longer, so I’m definitely gonna do that!!

 

[maggie101]

I was worried that maybe a 4 hour distance from his meals was too much but I see now that it isn’t that big and that I actually have to space out his meals longer, so I’m definitely gonna do that!!

I read somewhere it takes 8 hrs for their tummies to digest food. Something like that. My cat peaches would be too nauseous to eat in the morning since I sleep 9 hrs! I bought a timer for wet online. I also have a 4 meal timer if I'm gone all day

 

[lisahe]

I read somewhere it takes 8 hrs for their tummies to digest food. Something like that. My cat peaches would be too nauseous to eat in the morning since I sleep 9 hrs! I bought a timer for wet online. I also have a 4 meal timer if I'm gone all day

I'm not sure about full digestion but after all Edwina's stomach problems I asked our vet how long it takes a cat's stomach to empty... It was something like four or five hours. She also said that a cat's stomach can stretch.

Edwina has always had a stomach acid problem but her nighttime snack really helps. I think habit and her lifelong food insecurity are at the root of her problem, though, since she was so underfed as a kitten. She has always had a tendency to eat too fast and overeat so we've always had to be careful of portion sizes and meal timings. I wish we could use an autofeeder but the cats paw and scratch at it so it opens!

 

[maggie101]

I'm not sure about full digestion but after all Edwina's stomach problems I asked our vet how long it takes a cat's stomach to empty... It was something like four or five hours. She also said that a cat's stomach can stretch.

Edwina has always had a stomach acid problem but her nighttime snack really helps. I think habit and her lifelong food insecurity are at the root of her problem, though, since she was so underfed as a kitten. She has always had a tendency to eat too fast and overeat so we've always had to be careful of portion sizes and meal timings. I wish we could use an autofeeder but the cats paw and scratch at it so it opens!

Thanks. That helps straighten things out. YIt is different for every cat