Cats beg a lot for their meals but I can't free feed. Advice?

[tnbsp]

I have two cats: Spartacus and Gannicus. I feed them three meals a day. One in the morning, one in the afternoon, and one at bedtime. The vets say I'm feeding enough and they're both a good weight. But they BEG like crazy until I give in! Especially for their afternoon and dinner meals. I sometimes think about getting an automatic feeder, because if I free-feed, Gannicus will eat everything in one sitting. But the problem with the automatic idea is that two of my meals are wet food AND I can't control who is eating what if I'm not there to serve it, so one cat might get more than the other.

I'm quite stressed out with the begging and don't think I can handle more than three meals a day. I also don't want to pay the cost for that really expensive microchip feeder on the market. I'm also pregnant and expecting my first human baby this October and quite nervous about how I will handle the kitties' meal times while learning to care for a newborn.

Any advice or ideas are appreciated. Thank you! If you're more curious about the portions and what I feed per meal - it's below.


Morning: 1/4 cup of dry kibble
Afternoon: 1.32oz of wet
Night: 2.5oz of wet.

I also give them greenies treats on occasion, but not necessarily every day.

 

[fionasmom]

18 Awesome Cat Feeding Tips By Thecatsite Staff Members – TheCatSite Articles

As you scroll down this article, you will come to interactive feeders. I wonder if food were available in game form if it would occupy them and at the same time let them feel that they were receiving more food. Personally, I would put a little extra kibble in the feeder as opposed to taking it away from their daily supply.

 

[FeebysOwner]

Hi. How old are these cats? Are they begging before or after the afternoon and night meals? You might try changing it up and feed the wet in the AM, dry in the afternoon, and then wet as usual for the night meal. Dry can be filling because of all the carbs, but sometimes because of the carbs, it doesn't last as long in terms of satiation. And, maybe they need a closer split between the two wet meals as well. The above portions don't sound bad, especially if the vet thinks they are at a good weight, but it really doesn't tell me how many calories they are consuming in a day. Knowing that could be helpful. Taking their current weights, and knowing how many calories they eat in day could be a telling sign that they could actually stand a bit more food during these meals without getting overweight - especially with the canned food.

Lastly, maybe you could use this TCS article to help with getting your cats ready for a baby - congratulations!
Cats And Babies: All Your Questions Answered! – TheCatSite Articles

 

[tnbsp]

Hi. How old are these cats? Are they begging before or after the afternoon and night meals? You might try changing it up and feed the wet in the AM, dry in the afternoon, and then wet as usual for the night meal. Dry can be filling because of all the carbs, but sometimes because of the carbs, it doesn't last as long in terms of satiation. And, maybe they need a closer split between the two wet meals as well. The above portions don't sound bad, especially if the vet thinks they are at a good weight, but it really doesn't tell me how many calories they are consuming in a day. Knowing that could be helpful. Taking their current weights, and knowing how many calories they eat in day could be a telling sign that they could actually stand a bit more food during these meals without getting overweight - especially with the canned food.

Lastly, maybe you could use this TCS article to help with getting your cats ready for a baby - congratulations!
Cats And Babies: All Your Questions Answered! – TheCatSite Articles

They are about 4 years old. 10lbs. Indoor cats but very playful. They are begging before the afternoon and night meals. I like your idea about changing up the dry and wet meals. I might try that.

If I check the calories for their portions it's:
Morning (Dry 1/4 cup): 102.5 Calories
Afternoon (Wet 1.32oz): 38 Calories
Night (Wet 2.5oz): 78-87 Calories - this varies because I rotate a few different cans

 

[tnbsp]

.

Lastly, maybe you could use this TCS article to help with getting your cats ready for a baby - congratulations!
Cats And Babies: All Your Questions Answered! – TheCatSite Articles

and thank you! will read the article

 

[LTS3]

Your cats may not be getting enough calories to be satiated. The general rule of thumb is 20 to 25 calories per pound of ideal body weight daily but some cats may need more or less. Can you add an other half can to the afternoon and evening meals? What brands of dry and canned are you feeding?

 

[tnbsp]

Your cats may not be getting enough calories to be satiated. The general rule of thumb is 20 to 25 calories per pound of ideal body weight daily but some cats may need more or less. Can you add an other half can to the afternoon and evening meals? What brands of dry and canned are you feeding?

Oh no, i thought they were fine because the calculators seemed to say so and a year ago my vet said one was getting too fat and needed to lose a pound because he has asthma Another reason im hesitating to overfeed but I’ll definitely think about this because I don’t want them being hungry

dry food and one of the wet foods is merrick purrfect bistro (chicken and poultry only) the other brand of wet is nutro portion packets (chicken and turkey)

thanks for your help!

 

[Bri5]

I'd say they are probably underfed. 25ish cals per pound is a good rule of thumb but if they are very active they could need more. I have 5 and they definitely eat in proportion to their activity level.

 

[Bri5]

Also, I wonder if they are big fans of dry food. Some cats prefer it, including one of my girls. I always give her a tiny bit of dry with her morning wet food to get her to be at all interested in eating.