Switching To Feeding Twice A Day...?

[CurlyEmy]

Hello,

I have a Siberian cat on a raw diet. I usually feed him 3 times a day (8am, 2pm, 8pm). He eats around 8 ounces so I feel him 1/3 each time. He’s a big cat, around 15 pounds.

He just turned 1 year old this week. I’m wondering if I can change him to eating twice a day and how I would go about that. I was thinking 8am and 6pm, still the same 8 ounces but split into half a cup in the morning and half a cup at night. His breed is a very slow to mature breed (apparently 5 years), but his major growth spurt is over. Would it be okay to switch to twice a day? I’m not sure how to go about it.

Thanks!

 

[daftcat75]

You can still feed him three times and they don't need to be evenly spaced. For example, you can give him breakfast, dinner, and bedtime meal. (8am, 6pm, and 10pm or midnight depending on your bedtime.) Switching him from three meals to two can be difficult on him. For starters, the meal size. Do you know if he even has a 4 oz stomach? My Krista would pop on anything more than 2 oz. I want her eating at least 8 oz a day which means I'm feeding her at least 4 times a day. Currently six, but we're working on that. If you still want to stick to two feeds and don't want to cause him distress, take it slowly. Grow the two meals you are keeping by a teaspoon every few days while shrinking the meal you're getting rid of by the same amount. Back off and take it slower if he looks too uncomfortable (or vomits) after meals.

 

[mrsgreenjeens]

First, I would try slowly increasing the morning and evening meals while decreasing the middle meal to see if he can handle larger meals. I have one cat who absolutely cannot handle larger meals, so if he misses lunch for any reason, I cannot increase his dinner portion or he'll just upchuck it. If your guy doesn't have any issues with the increases, then I would just slowly continue increasing them and decreasing the middle meal until pretty soon there is no more noon time meal.

 

[CurlyEmy]

I’m sure he can handle 4oz in one meal, I actually used to feed him as much as he wanted when he was a kitten (up until a couple months ago) and he used to eat 4-5oz three times a day. Just recently I was on vacation and found out my mom (whom as taking care of him for me) was giving him 1/2 cup three times a day haha. Apparently she didn’t hear me when I said he was only eating 8oz now. He’s a big eater. I’m just concerned that he might start begging around lunch time even if I feel him his 4oz for breakfast and give him an early dinner at 6pm instead of 8pm.

 

[Furballsmom]

was giving him 1/2 cup three times a day

Hi!
I guess my question is that if he's still eating that much, why are you not only feeding less, but asking him to go for a longer stretch inbetween meals? I personally don't think he's ready yet, especially considering that he's not going to finish maturing until quite a lot later.

 

[CurlyEmy]

Hi!
I guess my question is that if he's still eating that much, why are you not only feeding less, but asking him to go for a longer stretch inbetween meals? I personally don't think he's ready yet, especially considering that he's not going to finish maturing until quite a lot later.

He was eating that much before, but when I came back I noticed he had put on quite a bit of belly fat. So little by little I started reducing because I've heard I should feed between 2-3.5% of his body weight (of course when he was a kitten I was just giving him more until he stopped asking, but I was told that percentage was appropriate for cats 9 months and older), so I've been feeding him on the higher end (3.5%) which is 8oz. I was just wondering if I should feed him twice a day since he's older now, since it had been suggested to me before. But if feeding three times a day is better for him, then I'm more than willing to continue doing so.

 

[lisahe]

Based on our experience with changes to our cats' meal plan, I think I'll fall back on the all "if it ain't broke, don't fix it" advice. A few months ago, we tried to shift from five meals to four. And it was a disaster. Cats really are creatures of habit and their days really revolve around their meals, so they were mad and confused.

I do think that it's better to feed more than two meals a day, particularly if a cat is younger (they can keep eating a lot until they're over two!), has difficulty keep a larger meal down, or they have food insecurities. I wish we could feed only (ha! only!) three or four meals but I just don't think it's in the cards.

Your cat looks beautiful!

 

[Furballsmom]

I noticed he had put on quite a bit of belly fat.

ah, I wondered if maybe this was the situation

How active is your boy? Can you increase his exercise? Can you take him for walks?

Harness And Leash Training For Cats

7 Proven Ways To Get Your Cat To Be More Active

Pardon the title on this one;
17 Best Toys For Lazy Cats

How To Choose The Best Toy For Your Cat

8 Superb Automated Cat Toys That You're Going To Love!

How To Make Your Home Bigger (at Least For Your Cats)

 

[CurlyEmy]

ah, I wondered if maybe this was the situation

How active is your boy? Can you increase his exercise? Can you take him for walks?

Harness And Leash Training For Cats

7 Proven Ways To Get Your Cat To Be More Active

Pardon the title on this one;
17 Best Toys For Lazy Cats

How To Choose The Best Toy For Your Cat

8 Superb Automated Cat Toys That You're Going To Love!

How To Make Your Home Bigger (at Least For Your Cats)

I play with him around 2 to 3 times a day (maybe around 10-20 minutes each time) with different wand toys. He is very energetic so he does love running around. At night, he goes crazy and chases me playing "hide and seek" all around the house.

Since he is such a high energy cat, I've been harness training him in hopes of taking him out for daily walks. So far, he isn't that big of a fan of the harness but I can manage to make him walk around for a few minutes with it on, as long as I lure him with treats haha. Thank you for the articles!

 

[CurlyEmy]

Also, I think I'll continue feeding him 3 times a day! Thank you for all your suggestions.

 

[Furballsmom]

So far, he isn't that big of a fan of the harness but I can manage to make him walk around for a few minutes with it on, as long as I lure him with treats haha.

Sounds like you're a ways ahead of things - at first my boy wasn't impressed either LOL. He was doing that low-to-the-ground slink, and it was MOM! I can't possibly, EVER NEVER EVER walk right in this thing!! But we got it eventually and he even got to the point he'd wait for it and sort of stick his head into it, since he knew it would get him outside time

!!

 

[Furballsmom]

chases me playing "hide and seek" all around the house

That's your boy in your avatar photo? He's simply GORGEOUS!!

 

[lisahe]

Also, I think I'll continue feeding him 3 times a day! Thank you for all your suggestions.

I'm so glad to hear that! Maybe our two cats aren't typical but I swear feeding them lots of small meals keeps them happy cats!

 

[mrsgreenjeens]

I'm so glad to hear that! Maybe our two cats aren't typical but I swear feeding them lots of small meals keeps them happy cats!

Mine too. If I happen ti be gone for their "lunch", I do notice there is more fighting than usual that day. They tend to get moody when they're hungry, just like me

 

[daftcat75]

Krista is a senior kitty with IBD and recurring dental issues. I feed her six times a day because she's still not eating single portions large enough to go to fewer meals. I will feed her as much as I can that she can eat and keep down because I never know when the next issue is going to put her off her food, for how long, and how much weight she'll lose in the process. I keep saying, "when she's back to a healthy weight again, I can revisit the feeding schedule." But that someday keeps getting pushed back...

 

[CurlyEmy]

Sounds like you're a ways ahead of things - at first my boy wasn't impressed either LOL. He was doing that low-to-the-ground slink, and it was MOM! I can't possibly, EVER NEVER EVER walk right in this thing!! But we got it eventually and he even got to the point he'd wait for it and sort of stick his head into it, since he knew it would get him outside time

!!

I’ve actually made progress with him quite quickly! Today he managed to have a play session with his harness on. I think he realizes it gets him treats and that he can actually move haha. Hopefully he’ll get to the point of even waiting for it once he realizes it will get him outside like your boy lol.

 

[CurlyEmy]

That's your boy in your avatar photo? He's simply GORGEOUS!!

Yes that’s him! Thank you!

 

[Furballsmom]

Today he managed to have a play session with his harness on.

 

[CurlyEmy]

Krista is a senior kitty with IBD and recurring dental issues. I feed her six times a day because she's still not eating single portions large enough to go to fewer meals. I will feed her as much as I can that she can eat and keep down because I never know when the next issue is going to put her off her food, for how long, and how much weight she'll lose in the process. I keep saying, "when she's back to a healthy weight again, I can revisit the feeding schedule." But that someday keeps getting pushed back...

Poor kitty, IBD is tough. I’m not sure if you already give her probiotics, but that could help a bit. My kitty takes Purina’s FortiFlora. I hope her digestive health can improve over time. She’s very fortunate to be in caring hands.

 

[daftcat75]

Poor kitty, IBD is tough. I’m not sure if you already give her probiotics, but that could help a bit. My kitty takes Purina’s FortiFlora. I hope her digestive health can improve over time. She’s very fortunate to be in caring hands.

There is something in FortiFlora that actually triggers her IBD. She has a chicken sensitivity and I wonder if maybe the animal digest is still close enough to chicken.

She’s actually got the barfy kind of IBD. Her poops are pretty good these days. We did go through a healing process where she was having black mucous poops. But a month or two of herbal supplements including slippery elm bark and bentonite clay has cleared that up.

Our current works in progress are getting her portion sizes back up, getting her any kind of arthritis relief that doesn’t twist her tummy or soup her poops (currently that’s salmon oil), and most recently, getting hairball prevention back in her diet without souping her poops. That will be a very small amount of egg yolk powder to be increased every week as her poops can tolerate it until she’s no longer producing a weekly hairball.