How often should your feed a cat?

After many years of owning cats & kittens, I’d have to say that there’s no cut and dry solution as to how often one ought to feed them. Many factors have to be considered such as your cat’s physical condition, age, lifestyle, health, appetite and more.

Let’s look at some of the facts to help with your feeding routine.

How often to feed a cat

My current cat has just turned one, and already I’ve noticed a changed in his appetite. Cats are considered adults when they’re one year old, at this point you may notice that their appetite reduces and may need feeding less frequently. However, this is dependent upon your cat’s lifestyle and physical condition.

My cat doesn’t appear so interested in his lunch and has become somewhat fussy what he eats. During his kitten years, he’d try to eat anything and always ran into the kitchen when I jumped in there, however, he’s now completely the opposite. This switch gradually happened within a couple of months of turning one year old.

Generally, with adult cats it’s a case of listening to what they’re trying to tell you through their body language. If his appetite has changed, keep an eye on your cat’s weight and health just in case he might be sick. I feed my cat Applaws and he currently consumes 80g per day divided into two portions.

How often to feed an elderly cat

At this stage, it all depends upon your cat’s health and weight. Obviously, if your elderly cat becomes overweight, then portion sizes will need to be reduced. If your cat is consuming a grain-free diet, then I’d suggest not to change your cat’s diet unless it’s for medical reasons. Carbohydrates in the kibble are weight gainers; in the wild a cat only source protein type foods such as mice or birds etc.

Another reason to change your elderly cat’s food is if their teeth are decaying and thus it becomes difficult to eat dried kibble. I don’t recommend canned foods; they are full of salt, sugar, aluminum and preservatives, but if convenience is your first choice, then opt for pouched food or homemade mashed-up foods. This can be foods such as any meat and veggies, generally cats don’t like fruit; however, they often like potatoes and rice so go easy on these starchy foods as they’re typical weight gainers.

How often to feed a kitten

Kittens are extremely vulnerable; they require quality food that can provide excellent nutrients. I love the grain-free Applaws; cats and dogs shouldn’t consume grains; they’re nothing but fillers, thus offer zero nutrient value. Kittens need a lot of food; I would advise not to feed it to them all in one go, but rather in stages throughout the day.

You may find your kitten is always hungry or even begging for food, don’t worry this is completely normal. To avoid a kitten permanently scavenging at your dining table offer food into his bowl away from the kitchen. I always gave meat and vegetables separate from his daily kibble allowance to give variety, and I still do this from time to time.

Watch your kitten’s weight and if you’re not sure have him checked out at the vet. As a rough guide feed your kitten four meals per day up to six weeks old, three meals per day from six weeks to one year old, there on you can feed your cat two meals per day. I have found Applaws to be quite spot on with their feeding guidelines.