Meal-feeding Better Than Free-feeding?

[Lenox]

Feel free to vote in the poll too.

For wet food only (Mookie eats only wet food), where does this community stand with meal-feeding versus grazing/free-feeding? I've read that the main benefit to having your cat graze or have food available all the time is that it's easiest on schedules. Aside from that, are there any benefits? Are the disadvantages true? Should cats be trained to eat only at meal time so that they know that food won't be available all the time?

I've also read conflicting information about how leaving wet food out doesn't harm cats as it would humans, which is why I'm curious as to wet food specifically, and not dry food, which is what's generally left out for free-feeding.

Why Free Feeding May Put Your Cat's Health at Risk - Petful
Cat Feeding Schedule: The Benefits of Meal Feeding Your Cats | Catster

 

[terriesdoll]

My cats get 4 smaller meals a day. I feed freeze dry raw. One of my cats loves dry food but I don't allow it. He would eat so much the he would barf everywhere.

 

[duckpond]

I prefer either several mini meals, 4 or more if possible. Or free feeding. I feed wet meals, and free feed dry.
In the wild cats eat many times a day, little bits here and there as they can catch it, its how they are designed to eat. My two females will never eat enough at one time, they are big time grazers. Also i have read that larger meals raise the ph of the urine to much, mini meals not so much. I also have a cat that if he goes for longer than 6 or 7 hours without eating just a little, he will barf. It just works for us.

I do have some wet foods i don't mind leaving out longer. I leave the house at 7 and get back for lunch at 12, then leave again until 5. Right before i leave i will often put down a new can of wet, so they have that option as well as the kibble, i do encourage as much wet as possible. then when i get home if its not eaten i throw any left overs out. Normally it will be eaten so i dont mind leaving wet out for 4 or 5 hours. i personally don't at night, but they have their kibble.

I don't leave out pate, or minced normally, as those seem to dry out and turn nasty quickly. I don't mind leaving out real shredded foods, like tiki cat, weruva, or almo naturals. The shreds seem to hold up better, and my cats will eat it throughout the day.

 

[EmmiTemmi]

I've also read conflicting information about how leaving wet food out doesn't harm cats as it would humans, which is why I'm curious as to wet food specifically, and not dry food,

I've never been a fan of leaving wet food out longer than 2 hours, although I know many people say it's fine. At the right temperatures, many bacteria, like E. Coli, have a generation time of 20 minutes. Meaning their population doubles every 20min (Staph has a generation time of 30min). I know cats have hardy stomachs, but I'm not willing to take that chance, especially for my boy with a sensitive tummy. But I understand why some people do free feed wet, especially if they have busy schedules.

 

[kissthisangel]

I do not worry so much about bacteria in food left out, especially in canned foods or pouches, they are treated with so many chemicals. I'm more worried about what the chemicals will do in the long run. I also think our cats know when a bit of chicken or fish has gone off, they must be able to smell the change in the food. I would not leave food that has dried out, the maximum I would leave the food out for would be overnight, but I would put fresh in a clean bowl every morning. It doesn't worry me any more than eating a bit of leftover chinese takeaway.

 

[1 bruce 1]

Feel free to vote in the poll too.

For wet food only (Mookie eats only wet food), where does this community stand with meal-feeding versus grazing/free-feeding? I've read that the main benefit to having your cat graze or have food available all the time is that it's easiest on schedules. Aside from that, are there any benefits? Are the disadvantages true? Should cats be trained to eat only at meal time so that they know that food won't be available all the time?

I've also read conflicting information about how leaving wet food out doesn't harm cats as it would humans, which is why I'm curious as to wet food specifically, and not dry food, which is what's generally left out for free-feeding.

Why Free Feeding May Put Your Cat's Health at Risk - Petful
Cat Feeding Schedule: The Benefits of Meal Feeding Your Cats | Catster

It depends.
For a single cat, I like the free feeding option for convenience, to be honest, but with multiples, free feeding can unfortunately leave a cat that's gone off food in the dust until days or weeks have gone by.
We have many cats here, and meal times allow me to observe them. Is everyone eating like usual, or are they picking? Do I see any dings, nicks, cuts, or difficulty chewing? Do they rush to their places/plates/bowls/whatever, or are they limping or moving slowly, etc.? After awhile, this routine becomes a very reliable predictor for their individual behavior.
A few of our cats got a nasty URI a few months ago, and the eating thing was terrible. Meal prep is usually a circus, and they didn't care, and the meal times allowed me to see immediately who decided to start eating and who did not, and how much.
Another perk IMO to non-free feeding is free feeding = food 24/7, which is great for a lot of cats and a lot of people, but if you're wanting to teach your cat something, something that's available all the time isn't a great motivator or reinforcement for doing what you'd like.
One other thought--if you're feeding a colony of ferals, keeping feeding times almost crazy-regular sets off their internal clocks. Cats have a good concept of time and will learn when the food arrives and it will be easier to keep an eye out for who is missing or who appears to be ill.

 

[duckpond]

I leave out Dr. Elseys dry, for free feeding. But i do meal feed the wet, so at those times you can notice if someone is not eating their wet foods, or acting off. They can get a bit wild when waiting for us to dish up the wet My male cats would most likely be fine with just wet meals 3 or 4 times a day, but my thin little girls are such grazers i would worry. One specifically will not eat much at all at one time, when i did try only meals a few years ago she lost way to much weight.

It always amazes me how good they are at telling time. I feed some outside feral and stray cats too, and yes they know when its food time, or if im late, i get such accusing looks..lol i don't free feed them, because it would get eaten by the possums and raccoons, and neighbors dogs, poor cats would never get anything

 

[lalagimp]

The boys have been on a feeding schedule for years because they have a problem with the fat lard. Cannot be free fed ever again. They get five small meals a day. 2 years ago my boyfriend bought them feeders that rotate instead of us always having to be here. I still kind of have to be here though because if they're eating different amounts, Stewart will finish first and go eat the rest of Tom's while he's eating. Then Tom loses weight again and Stewart goes up. This is typically an issue for the 9:30 feedings, am and pm when Tommy gets an extra half ounce.

The girls eat whenever. They have a microchip feeder with a split dish for dry and canned. 5 oz of food ends up being broken up throughout the day and added to their feeder, because if you put too much in and it gets too "old" for Princess Yue Pants as the day gets on, then she won't eat it.

 

[Neo_23]

Do people who free feed measure the amount of food they leave out or do they just leave out a bunch of food and let the cats eat however much they want?

 

[kissthisangel]

Do people who free feed measure the amount of food they leave out or do they just leave out a bunch of food and let the cats eat however much they want?

Personally when we free-fed dry it was "a full bowl" and we would top it up when it was looking empty. I'm sure that many people will weigh the overall amount meant for the day and leave it out so the cat has access to their dietary needs. We do not do this anymore since Charlie now needs wet food. We only use dry in the smallest amounts, spreading it around for them to hunt out. I think if you have many cats then the meal feeding can have benefits (spotting injuries /ailments). With younger cats I would still prefer to free feed if possible, especially those under 6Months so they can help themselves. We kind of have a balance between the two, portioning the wet food, then leaving the dry food about for them to find, but it's all portion controlled now and with added water in the wet.

 

[1 bruce 1]

Do people who free feed measure the amount of food they leave out or do they just leave out a bunch of food and let the cats eat however much they want?

When we free fed, we usually filled the bowl to a certain level and would re-fill it once more.
Some dog people I know will put, say, 2 cups out in the morning and allow their dog to graze at will, and if the food is still there at night, no big thing, if it's gone by noon, that's the daily ration. Others keep food in 24/7 no matter how much the dogs eat and the result is usually a chunky dog.

 

[Neo_23]

Okay thanks - just wasn't sure what was meant by "free-fed." In that case I vote for meals in the sense that I would prefer to measure a certain amount of food for the day rather than put out a free for all.

 

[1 bruce 1]

A funny on the subject of free-feeding...

When I was a kid, we had several house cats that we free fed. Our cats were pigs and would leave food and bits of food scattered all around the bowl and feeding area. Our oldest cat was like a wingless Eagle, everyone respected her and she was a tiny little thing that ruled with an iron paw. She'd march into the feeding area, and start cleaning up the crumbs and pieces of food off the floor, doing that "NOMNOMNOM" growling sound the whole time, like she was cursing the little slobs that trashed her kitchen.

 

[duckpond]

lol.. im the odd one out with this. You guys know i feed wet meals. but with my dry i put out two bowls in different parts of the house. i don't really measure, i put 1/2 to 2/3 cup in each bowl. They don't ever finish it in a day, as long as i am there to feed wet. I have not used the young again dry food, keep meaning to try it, but my guys are so good on the dr. elseys i am afraid to mess that up. But the way they say to dry feed on the young again site is kind of what i do. But i do feed wet as well, which i don't think they recommend.

I guess it all depends on the cats, and what you feed. I was feeding Orijen at one point, and everyone started gaining weight. Switched to all Elseys and everyone got back to where they should be. I guess there are many different ways to feed, and many different foods, this just works for us.

 

[1 bruce 1]

lol.. im the odd one out with this. You guys know i feed wet meals. but with my dry i put out two bowls in different parts of the house. i don't really measure, i put 1/2 to 2/3 cup in each bowl. They don't ever finish it in a day, as long as i am there to feed wet. I have not used the young again dry food, keep meaning to try it, but my guys are so good on the dr. elseys i am afraid to mess that up. But the way they say to dry feed on the young again site is kind of what i do. But i do feed wet as well, which i don't think they recommend.

I guess it all depends on the cats, and what you feed. I was feeding Orijen at one point, and everyone started gaining weight. Switched to all Elseys and everyone got back to where they should be. I guess there are many different ways to feed, and many different foods, this just works for us.

If it works, it works...and don't mess with it if everyone is thriving and they're happy, and you're happy!!
I've had friends that feed Orijen, and some love it and some didn't. It's a very good food, but very "rich" and some pets just don't handle it well.
Sometimes I think worrying over their diet is a good thing, as it keeps us alert to their health status and alert to things like dangerous recalls and if their weight balloons or drops suddenly...but when we OVER stress I think that's just as bad, bad for us and for them as they pick up on our stress.
Even if places don't recommend a wet diet, keep in mind their kidney needs for moisture, etc., and all that...but even if that isn't an issue at this point, it's ALWAYS (IMO) good to have cats that recognize several different types and consistencies of things as "food" so if you have one go off, or develop special needs, a diet change will be easier and more seamless vs. a cat going on a hunger strike!

 

[Lenox]

Okay thanks - just wasn't sure what was meant by "free-fed." In that case I vote for meals in the sense that I would prefer to measure a certain amount of food for the day rather than put out a free for all.

Free-feeding vs Meal-feeding, as I understand it, isn't as much about portioning a certain amount but more about meal frequency and timing. And since wet food comes mostly in pre-set container sizes, the quantity is kind of set for you. It's the time that the cat eats that isn't set.

Meal-feeding would be that cat food is set out at specific times for a limited amount of time. Free-feeding would be putting the daily contents of food down for the cat to graze whenever they feel like it.

 

[Neo_23]

Free-feeding vs Meal-feeding, as I understand it, isn't as much about portioning a certain amount but more about meal frequency and timing. And since wet food comes mostly in pre-set container sizes, the quantity is kind of set for you. It's the time that the cat eats that isn't set.

Meal-feeding would be that cat food is set out at specific times for a limited amount of time. Free-feeding would be putting the daily contents of food down for the cat to graze whenever they feel like it.

That’s what I thought it was too but seems that people have different definitions of it. I think either way is fine to be honest. I’m most concerned about over or under feeding. That’s why either way I would put out a set amount.

I meal feed with wet food. I usually give 1/3 of a 5.5oz can and then put the rest in the fridge. I add warm water to it when reserving.

If I’m out for a long day I will freeze some wet food in advance and put it out as I’m heading out the door.

 

[Lenox]

How does the frozen wet food work out? I'm not familiar with this method.

And was your cat ever resistant to having water added to their food?

 

[Neo_23]

How does the frozen wet food work out? I'm not familiar with this method.

And was your cat ever resistant to having water added to their food?

I portion out the wet food, mix in a bit of water and use covered ice cube trays to freeze. Then I just pop out a portion as I’m heading out. It will take a few hours to defrost depending on the temperature of your house and it’s always eaten when I get back.

Some people combine this method with timed feeders.

Nope, I’ve done this with 2 cats and they both don’t mind having water added. They would probably actually eat the food cold even without warming it but I like giving them extra water anyway.

 

[Lenox]

That’s what I thought it was too but seems that people have different definitions of it. I think either way is fine to be honest. I’m most concerned about over or under feeding. That’s why either way I would put out a set amount.

I meal feed with wet food. I usually give 1/3 of a 5.5oz can and then put the rest in the fridge. I add warm water to it when reserving.

If I’m out for a long day I will freeze some wet food in advance and put it out as I’m heading out the door.

I portion out the wet food, mix in a bit of water and use covered ice cube trays to freeze. Then I just pop out a portion as I’m heading out. It will take a few hours to defrost depending on the temperature of your house and it’s always eaten when I get back.

Some people combine this method with timed feeders.

Nope, I’ve done this with 2 cats and they both don’t mind having water added. They would probably actually eat the food cold even without warming it but I like giving them extra water anyway.

Interesting. I may try this.