Terra the Cat insists on being fed an hour early

[thefishyone]

I am a Mac gamer, and Terra will become EXTREMELY disruptive if her belly needs filling. I feed her 3 times a day (8 AM, 2 PM, and 8 PM). Is it important to keep her on a strict feeding schedule, or should I just give in and feed her early?

 

[DeesCats]

Are you feeding wet or dry, special food? or are you counting calories? What is the reason for the strict feeding schedule?

 

[FeebysOwner]

Routines are usually better for cats, so a food schedule is not a bad thing. if she doesn't eat her full 8PM meal, that could cause her to want to eat earlier the next morning. If you feed her a variety of different foods, some may be more filling than others, so that could play a role in when she wants to eat. So, take those kinds of things into consideration when contemplating whether or not to feed her early.

The key is to figure out if there is a reason behind it. If she only does this on occasion, it probably isn't a big deal to give in. If she is doing it all the time now, you may be adjusting her schedule. It all dpends on how flexible you want to be.

 

[Caspers Human]

Maybe you could try to be a little bit more random in your feeding schedule.
Of course, still stick to your set schedule but vary the times a little. Maybe a half hour early or late.

The idea is to teach the cat to stop watching the clock, so to speak. (Cats can't tell time but they still understand the idea of "when" things happen, on a general level.)

We're trying to let the cat know that food will come, just not at the exact time they demand it.

A cat living in the wild doesn't get its food on a set time schedule. A house cat should be no different.

 

[Mamanyt1953]

There are cats all over the country right now demanding to be fed early. They just don't get Daylight Savings Time, and rely on their internal clocks. She should adjust, eventually, or you can keep her on HER schedule, and simply feed an hour early during DST, whichever is best for you.

 

[thefishyone]

Terra doesn’t demand to be fed early all the time, but my implied question was, “Am I being too much of a hard ass about this?”

 

[Caspers Human]

They just don't get Daylight Savings Time, and rely on their internal clocks.

I didn't think of that but, yes, it's true! Their internal clocks haven't adjusted, yet.

 

[Alldara]

Terra doesn’t demand to be fed early all the time, but my implied question was, “Am I being too much of a hard ass about this?”

Cats can have different hunger levels depending on the day just like people. Since it's spring, they get a bit more active as they hear more outside and get excited. You might try an extra snack before bed if you're so inclined.