How often do cats need to eat?

[cheeser]

I used to feed Buddy canned food three times a day, and leave some low-carb/high protein dry food out for him as a bedtime snack, which he'd nibble on throughout the night. But now that he has lost interest in that food and only eats a tiny bit during the night, he has started to throw up a small amount of water just before daybreak, so it would seem that overnight is too long for Buddy to go without food.

Is there a general rule of thumb about how often cats need to eat?

Buddy acts pretty normal during the day when he gets fed per his usual schedule. He just seems to get nauseated after he's gone for a longer stretch of time at night without food, especially right after he has pooped in the little box.

I've been trying to space out his feedings a little more so his last meal of the day is closer to bedtime, and give him some slippery elm bark syrup along with that last feeding of the day. I'm also going to try some other things as bedtime snacks that he might find more agreeable to him at this time, such as other low-carb/high protein dry food, PureBites, or other low-carb treats that won't spoil if left out for several hours.

In the meantime, until I can find that elusive bedtime snack that meets Buddy's standards, do I just need to get up in the middle of the night and give him a small amount of wet food to help tide him over until morning? Or is there something else I can try?

Thanks oodles!

 

[kashmir64]

I feed mine a can of Fancy Feast twice a day and one of those single Sheba packs before bed (usually around 11pm). Also leave kibble in case they get hungry later or I wake up late.

 

[FeebysOwner]

Every cat is different, so there is no golden rule in terms of how often one should feed a cat. Three times a day, with dry food left out overnight would work for many cats - apparently, just not Buddy. If there is a huge gap between the last meal of the day and first meal the next morning, the gap should be narrowed - especially since Buddy isn't really eating his overnight dry food, as it seems you are already either trying or considering.

You could add a 4th meal, and just reduce the amount of the other 3 to accommodate for it. as you see fit. That could be set out as late as possible and serve as his overnight meal - even wet food, if he is getting to the point of not wanting the dry anymore. I leave wet food out for my cat for hours and hours and have never had an issue with it getting spoiled. How many hours are you talking about?

If you are really worried about this aspect, there are motion activated feeders that would keep the food covered other than when he eats it, which would help. Some of them also have compartments underneath for ice to help keep the food fresher.

 

[rubysmama]

cheeser : Your Buddy sounds like my Ruby, in that if too much time goes between eating they vomit up a clear looking liquid (bile).

With Ruby, this can happen both overnight, as well as during the day if she naps too long and doesn't eat.

At night time I will put down a fair amount of wet food, in hopes she'll eat enough to keep her stomach from being empty too long. As she tends to eat during the night, this mostly works. But again, not if she sleeps too much, or gets fussy about the food I put down for her.

So all I can suggest, is putting out a dish of wet food just before you go to bed, and hope Buddy nibbles enough till morning to keep his tummy happy.

As for getting up in the middle of the night to put down a little bit of wet food, I have actually done that. But not on a regular basis.

Good luck. I know how frustrating it is having an empty tummy vomiting cat.

 

[cheeser]

I feed mine a can of Fancy Feast twice a day and one of those single Sheba packs before bed (usually around 11pm). Also leave kibble in case they get hungry later or I wake up late.

Cool! That makes me feel much better.

I was afraid that maybe I had gotten into the habit of feeding Buddy on a similar schedule merely for my convenience, and not necessarily what was in his best interests. And staying up a bit longer for an 11 pm feeding time sounds like a good idea. I just got into the habit of going to bed early after my elderly parents got sick, and I needed a little bit of head start re: bedtime in case I had to deal with some kind of crisis in the middle of the night.

 

[cheeser]

[...] If there is a huge gap between the last meal of the day and first meal the next morning, the gap should be narrowed - especially since Buddy isn't really eating his overnight dry food, as it seems you are already either trying or considering.

You could add a 4th meal, and just reduce the amount of the other 3 to accommodate for it. as you see fit. That could be set out as late as possible and serve as his overnight meal - even wet food, if he is getting to the point of not wanting the dry anymore. I leave wet food out for my cat for hours and hours and have never had an issue with it getting spoiled. How many hours are you talking about?

I'm afraid there's a pretty big gap between the last meal of the day, and breakfast the next morning. Buddy used to eat supper around 6 p.m., snack throughout the night, and eat breakfast around 6:30 a.m. Now that he's not eating much during the night, I've been feeding him around 9 p.m. instead, along with a small dose of slippery elm. But if I could manage to sneak in a nap at some point during the day, maybe I could stay up later and get up earlier to try to close that gap. Based on recent history, he usually pukes about two hours before his usual breakfast time, so perhaps I could start by trying to close that gap by two hours.

Bless his heart, this just wasn't an issue for Buddy until recently, when he suddenly lost interest in his dry food. However, in all fairness, he's eaten it every night for the past 5 years or so, and maybe he's just sick and tired of it, and it's time for a change.

I was thinking about ordering some Dr. Elsey's Clean Protein dry food, as it is pretty low in carbs, but looks like they only have two flavors. Unfortunately, Buddy has had some problems with both protein sources. But chicken is the lesser of the evils, and it's a heck of a lot easier to deal with yeasty ears and toes than it is to get him to eat!

Thanks bunches, hon! Your help is very much appreciated.

 

[cheeser]

cheeser : Your Buddy sounds like my Ruby, in that if too much time goes between eating they vomit up a clear looking liquid (bile).

With Ruby, this can happen both overnight, as well as during the day if she naps too long and doesn't eat.

Poor Ruby! I'm so sorry to hear that she suffers from this problem, but it does give me hope that we can eventually learn how to manage this for Buddy.

The funny thing is, I did find a half eaten house gecko on the floor a while back, so I know Buddy is capable of eating during the night if he really wants to. Maybe I need to find some gecko flavored dry food for him to nibble on at night.

Okily-dokily. I'll start with trying to close the gap between supper and breakfast, and try supplementing that with wet food in the middle of the night if need be. And hopefully I can hurry up and find an acceptable alternative to his current dry food that will tickle his fancy.

Thanks ever so much!