Advantages and disadvantages of free-feeding vs. timed feeding for cats

One of the headaches for all cats owner is how to feed your cat, how many times a day is it good to feed your cat? How many times a day should a cat be fed? Is it better to feed the cat freely or regularly? Today, we will analyze the advantages and disadvantages of free feeding and regular feeding with all the pooper scoopers, after reading it, you will know how to feed.

The cat's food plate must be used permanently and cannot be replaced casually

Free-feeding for cats

Free-feeding for cats

Free-feeding is to leave the cat food directly and let the cat eat as much as it wants until it doesn’t eat.

Pros: The only advantage is that it allows the cat to eat more.

Disadvantages: Compared to the advantages, the disadvantages of free feeding are actually more.

1, easy to cause cats picky eaters

Many pooper scoopers are afraid of starving their own cats, and the inside of the food bowl is a state of having food every moment. This feeding method is easy to cause the cat to picky eating, the cat feels dispensable.

2, easy to obesity

If the cat is too greedy, accidentally eat too much, it is easy to cause obesity, and this way causes the cat to eat more, consume less, and naturally become fat. Especially kittens, once you eat, you can’t stop, give as much as you want to eat, and you don’t know how much you’re full.

3, can not grasp the diet of each cat

For multi-cat family, if the free food, the pet owner will not be able to grasp the eating situation of each cat, individual cats are very likely to be sick because of the lack of appetite and refusal to eat, parents can not even be found in a timely manner, it is also very difficult to control the health of the cat.

4. Some cats can’t eat

If you have more than one cat at home, completely letting free feeding may make fat cats and more dominant cats eat more, and cats in a disadvantaged position at home eat less or even not eat.

5. Food is not fresh

Free-feeding puts cat food in the air, the food is left for too long, it is easy to deteriorate and not fresh, and some cats will get sick if they eat the food that is covered with bacteria.

Timed feeding of cats

Timed feeding of cats

In fact, a more reasonable way to feed cats is to feed them at regular intervals, which is a more scientific way of feeding. What are the benefits of regular feeding?

1, can control the cat’s weight

One day to feed the cat at a fixed amount, the small greedy cat will not eat into a big fat, and is conducive to maintaining the cat’s healthy body shape.

2、Easy to observe the eating situation

With regular feeding, the pooper scooper can see the cat’s eating condition, know whether it has vomited, whether it is too slow or too fast to eat, and how palatable the cat food is, etc. All these are conducive to the pooper scooper to grasp the cat’s physical condition.

3. Ensure the freshness of the food

Regular feeding, the food is definitely fresh, if the cat does not eat for half an hour, it can also correct the problem of picky eating.

4、Maintain the gastrointestinal regularity

The cat’s intestinal tract is short, the stomach capacity is small, fast digestion and other factors, regular feeding can greatly reduce the cat’s gastrointestinal pressure, so that the cat’s digestive system can get a rest, to avoid gastrointestinal discomfort, and is conducive to the formation of the correct intestinal and digestive patterns.

So how to feed at regular intervals? How many times a day is it good to feed cats?

How many times a day is it good to feed cats?

Kittens need to eat less and more meals, so they can be fed 3 to 4 times a day, and adult cats can be fed 2 times a day.

If you are a working person, there is now a very scientific and humanized instrument called – automatic feeder, you also need to set the time, so that the cat knows that there is something to eat here is good.

How many grams of cat food does a cat actually need to be fed a day?

The amount of cat food a cat needs to eat per day is based on the cat’s weight, calculating the amount of calories consumed by the cat per day, and then going to convert the amount of calories to the corresponding amount of food.

Daily cat food for cats = daily calories needed by cats (body weight in kilograms x 35+70) ÷ metabolizable energy value (written on the package of cat food) x the unit of measurement followed by kcal (written on the formula sheet: kcal/100g is multiplied by 100, kcal/1000g is multiplied by 1000.)

Generally, the outer package of cat food has a recommended feeding amount, and pet owners only need to adjust it according to their own situation. In addition, it is important to choose a high quality cat food for your cat, which is beneficial to maintaining its health. Generally speaking, cat food with a protein content of about 38 to 40% is good.

Conclusion: How many grams of cat food does your cat eat a day?

Scroll to Top