What is your feeding schedule like?

[Krienze]

I'm trying to get my tuxedo to lose weight. He's not morbidly obese, but he is heavier than he should be. I want him to be healthy, so we're trying to work on his diet.

For people who manage their cats weight, what feeding schedules work best for you?

 

[Jemima Lucca]

We have an interesting schedule; I get up for work at 4:45am. My husband gets up at 4:30am when he works. So our kittens want food at about 4:00am EVERY day. It’s s a problem because our female kitten wants to eat slowly with bites and play and bites and play. Lucca the male acts as if he hasn’t eaten anything for a week and will eat his and then Jemima’s also. So we have to put hers in the microwave, (he can’t get it in there) let her play and then just before I leave for work, I put Lucca in the bedroom and put her food back out and hope she finishes it. But the basic schedule is the AM meal at 4:30, the middle of the day meal at 2-2:30 and the night time meal at 6:30ish. If they’re hungry in between, I’ll give Jemima raw freeze dried Stella and chewys and Lucca a very small amount of Stella and chewys kitten dry. He’s also pudgy (but he’s still a kitten at 6mths) and greedy so I know I have to control the amount he eats and only give him the proper amount according to the guidelines on the cat food.
I’d just make sure your cat is getting exercise in the form of playtime. It helps

 

[Krienze]

I’d just make sure your cat is getting exercise in the form of playtime. It helps

See, he doesn't really like to play much. He likes to play if we use string toys with the cat nip fishes, but when he catches them he goes full demon mode and it's a whole ordeal to get the toy from him. We tried the feather, but he just looks at us like we're batty.

 

[Jemima Lucca]

How about a laser light? Krinkle balls? Springy plastic toy? Jemima goes nuts for the plastic cap from coffee creamer. Try throwing a cat nip toy in the tub. Make him work for his food by putting a little in one spot then another to make him walk around to eat it. There’s so many different cat toys.

 

[tabbytom]

I'm trying to get my tuxedo to lose weight. He's not morbidly obese, but he is heavier than he should be. I want him to be healthy, so we're trying to work on his diet.

For people who manage their cats weight, what feeding schedules work best for you?

Feeding schedules has got nothing much to do with weight lost. It's what they get fed with.

Feeding dry food is one way to obesity as dry food is full of carbohydrates and oil and not much nutrients are left after the process. Free feeding of dry food is also not controlled and cats can overeat.
Some treats are bad too.

On the other hand, wet food with fillers are also not a good candidate. Fillers make the cats fat and they don't need them. Some have too much starch in them in order to make gravy, which is also adding unwanted weight for the cat.

Best is to feed wet food with no fillers at all and get those with real good meat in them. Wet food have good nutrients and proteins and keep the cats fuller longer and keep them hydrated.

Some cats can follow feeding schedules as they start young. Other than that, it is still possible to have feeding schedules but it takes some time for them to get use to it to the schedule.

And as cats age, the feeding schedule change with them. As long as your cats are indoors and not too active, feeding of wet food consisting of 200 - 250 calories a day is sufficient. If it's a very active cat, then around 300 calories.
Check the Kcal count on then and get a rough idea from there. No hard and fast rules here, it's just a guide.

My boy is fed only wet food, no dry food and no treats and no hooman foods and no free feedings. I used to feed him on schedule when he was a three week old kitten and that went on till he was around 1 1/2 years old and because when he past his growth spurt period and after he past his adult age at one year old, his schedule is changed according to his hunger pangs.

His food comes in 3oz cans and no matter if he eats on time or whatever the amount tis teach sitting, at the end of the day, he gets a total of around + - 250 calories. So I don't go count go calories for him. I just roughly gauge the number of cans daily. He's quite an active.

To get your cat's weight down, feed him wet food with real meat and get him to exercise by playing with him for a longer period.

Here're some articles for you to read :-

check-this-out-chart-for-cat-food-ingredients.394476

by-products-in-cat-food-5-facts-you-need-to-know

cat-food-feeding

cat.php

6-reasons-dry-food-clean-cats-teeth

 

[kittyluv387]

Wet or raw food twice a day.

 

[Krienze]

Feeding schedules has got nothing much to do with weight lost. It's what they get fed with.

Feeding dry food is one way to obesity as dry food is full of carbohydrates and oil and not much nutrients are left after the process. Free feeding of dry food is also not controlled and cats can overeat.
Some treats are bad too.

On the other hand, wet food with fillers are also not a good candidate. Fillers make the cats fat and they don't need them. Some have too much starch in them in order to make gravy, which is also adding unwanted weight for the cat.

Best is to feed wet food with no fillers at all and get those with real good meat in them. Wet food have good nutrients and proteins and keep the cats fuller longer and keep them hydrated.

Some cats can follow feeding schedules as they start young. Other than that, it is still possible to have feeding schedules but it takes some time for them to get use to it to the schedule.

And as cats age, the feeding schedule change with them. As long as your cats are indoors and not too active, feeding of wet food consisting of 200 - 250 calories a day is sufficient. If it's a very active cat, then around 300 calories.
Check the Kcal count on then and get a rough idea from there. No hard and fast rules here, it's just a guide.

My boy is fed only wet food, no dry food and no treats and no hooman foods and no free feedings. I used to feed him on schedule when he was a three week old kitten and that went on till he was around 1 1/2 years old and because when he past his growth spurt period and after he past his adult age at one year old, his schedule is changed according to his hunger pangs.

His food comes in 3oz cans and no matter if he eats on time or whatever the amount tis teach sitting, at the end of the day, he gets a total of around + - 250 calories. So I don't go count go calories for him. I just roughly gauge the number of cans daily. He's quite an active.

To get your cat's weight down, feed him wet food with real meat and get him to exercise by playing with him for a longer period.

Here're some articles for you to read :-

check-this-out-chart-for-cat-food-ingredients.394476

by-products-in-cat-food-5-facts-you-need-to-know

cat-food-feeding

cat.php

6-reasons-dry-food-clean-cats-teeth

Do you mind if I ask what brand you feed your cats?

If you'd rather PM me to tell me (I know food topics can sometimes get heated) I'd be okay with that.

I've looked at wet food, but a friend of mine lost her cat to the iams (I believe it was iams) wet food issue years back and ever since then I've been so stupid paranoid when it comes to wet food.

I tried giving my older cat 4health wet food -- because she has no teeth (vet says it's just a genetic thing with her) but she wants dry food. She ignores the wet, likes gumming the dry x.x i don't get it

 

[tabbytom]

Do you mind if I ask what brand you feed your cats?

If you'd rather PM me to tell me (I know food topics can sometimes get heated) I'd be okay with that.

My boy is a rescue and he was fed Fussie Cat brand the day he came home and is on this brand till now. He was fed several flavors from Tuna to Tuna with Anchovies and then to Sardines and Mackerel for about a year and I switch over to Tuna with chicken as I don't want him teed fish and want to transit him over to chicken. After around 1/2 a year of Tuna with chicken, I switch completely over to Fussie Cat Super Premium Gold Chicken in Gravy since March 2017 till now.

He grew up with this brand and he's doing ok with the current flavor and so I leave it as it is.

 

[kittyluv387]

Do you mind if I ask what brand you feed your cats?

If you'd rather PM me to tell me (I know food topics can sometimes get heated) I'd be okay with that.

I've looked at wet food, but a friend of mine lost her cat to the iams (I believe it was iams) wet food issue years back and ever since then I've been so stupid paranoid when it comes to wet food.

I tried giving my older cat 4health wet food -- because she has no teeth (vet says it's just a genetic thing with her) but she wants dry food. She ignores the wet, likes gumming the dry x.x i don't get it

That's a company thing. Recalls happen too. It's not because of the wet "type" of food.

 

[Krienze]

Small update!

We bought a laser pointer and wooooow! He actually plays with it. He didn't when he was a kitten so we stopped buying them but now he seems interested. Maybe because of the kitten

 

[cataholic07]

My kitties are raw fed and fed 4 times a day. They also get treats because well I have almost 5month old kitten and over a year old cats so they have a ton of energy and even with being fed the recommended amount for the adult cats they can still lose weight lol.

Wet food is way better then dry food, raw as long as its completely balanced is the best. For wet food you want carragean free only, and no colors. Weruva and Tiki cat is great for weight loss but make sure to feed the fish ones only once or twice a week max.

 

[Jemima Lucca]

Small update!

We bought a laser pointer and wooooow! He actually plays with it. He didn't when he was a kitten so we stopped buying them but now he seems interested. Maybe because of the kitten

Yeaaa! And that’s good exercise! I do want echo a few people here that good food is very important to his well being. Stay away from foods that have fillers like potatoes and grains. Cats are carnivores and don’t need extras. I’m so glad he likes laser pointers!

 

[Krienze]

Stay away from foods that have fillers like potatoes and grains.

Yeah! We currently feed them 4health grain free. One of our cats had a serious skin condition and we couldn't figure out the cause of it for the longest time, then someone suggested we switch her food. So we have been grain free for like 5 years now and she no longer has any issues. She seems to love 4health, and I'm fairly sure it's a -decent- food, so I've been hesitant changing since my cat (CiCi) was VERY picky with what she ate and the fact that she'd actually eat 4health was a relief since the only other food she wanted was trash for them (which we fed her prior to us really understanding ingredients and stuff) but now that CiCi has passed, I'd really like to start looking at better foods for them now that it means I wouldn't have to buy separate bags and what not.

I'll admit,I don't really understand raw feeding. I'm going to google it though!

And yeah! The kitten seems to LOVE the laser pointer too =) He tuckered himself out playing earlier.

 

[di and bob]

I feed Sheba and other wet foods in small amounts (divided between three cats, getting about two tablespoons each) three times a day. since they are a little chubby, I do leave down some weight management science diet to keep them happy, they insist on dry food too. if they get really insistent I will give them some shaved deli turkey to fill them up without too many calories. I keep them all a little on the chubby side since they have Leukemia and I never know when they will suddenly contract something and get sick, refusing to eat and losing weight. So far, so good, I have had almost 5 months of loving them since their diagnosis and no episodes since. (they suddenly would get very sick about every three months) I contribute that to keeping them away from all the sicknesses they could contract outside by keeping them in now.

 

[Uncled]

Stick to pate style wet food, very low in carbs, I feed Friskies pate Fancy Feast classic pate and a brand from Tractor Supply ,Paws and Claws also pate. My two eat a can of Friskies split between them twice a day and a 3ounce can split at night

 

[popcorncharlie]

1/4 cup dry food at 6:30 in the morning in the automatic feeder (otherwise he wakes the whole family with constant meowing), and then 1/2 can wet food in the evening. This usually tides him over.

 

[EmersonandEvie]

We feed full meals at 6 am and 4 pm, and a small meal at 1 am (the husband does that one, the night owl). We had to do this because Emerson would wake me up 3-4 times a night starting at 3 am to be fed....

 

[MissClouseau]

I take advantage of working from home to do small meals throughout the day with wet food. For some time now it's been going. Times can change for up to an hour:

09:30: Half a can wet food
12:00: Either a bit dry food and/or boiled turkey, or complementary wet food
15:00: Half a can wet food
18:00: Half a can wet food (not the same as the morning food, another brand)
20:00: A bit dry food and/or boiled turkey
22:00: Half a can wet food
--Then I leave dry food for the night. Hima likes to eat right before she goes to sleep and sometimes again around 5-7am - she gets up, eats, goes right back to sleep.
----She usually doesn't finish at least one meal of her wet foods. She doesn't drink water at all so sometimes before the night's dry food I add a KitCat puree treat to get more water into her but it's very low calorie.

She is at a healthy weight. She doesn't put on much weight to begin with compare to how much she eats but also her second wet food is quite low calorie. Like the box recommends four cans a day for a 4kg cat, for comparison her other wet food is higher calorie and recommended 2-3 cans a day.