Rooming with a feline is so great, isn’t it? They offer companionship as well as entertainment. Their silly antics are absolutely hilarious at times! It makes sense then that as a cat guardian, you want to take good care of your cat. Ensuring your feline is cared for means asking lots of questions. One of those questions pertains to food and diet. Have you found yourself wondering how much you should feed your cat? Read on for some helpful hints and tips.
No Hard and Fast Food Rule
Before diving in to some particular details, there’s one important thing to remember. Though there are general guidelines, there are no hard and fast rules. Each cat is going to have individual differences, just like with anything else. Keeping this in mind, let’s explore some of the best practices on feeding frequency from Cornell Feline Health Center.
Growing Kittens Need a Bit More Food
Young cats will need a different amount of food than older cats. In fact, kittens should be fed a bit more food than mature cats. Allowing kittens to eat a larger portion of food will help them develop and grow as they head toward adulthood. You may find that your kitten needs to eat three times in a day as she grows up. This is fairly typical since she needs food to fuel her growth.
Feeding Adult Cats
Once your cat turns about six months old, he is likely considered to be mature. That means he is no longer a kitten! As your cat gets older, you will want to consider reducing meal frequency. Try feeding him two times per day rather than three. Depending on the cat, you could also fill the food dish just once per day.
Senior Cats
For the most part, you’ll want to keep on feeding your cat once or twice per day as he enters his golden years. As long as your senior cat is doing well and gets a clean bill of health, you can continue to feed him like the mature cat he is.
How Much to Feed Cats
As far as the amount of food to put in the dish, Kirkwood Animal Hospital provides some helpful guidelines. First, be sure to feed kitty a quality food with plenty of protein. Indoor cats will likely require between one-third to one-half cup of food daily. They also suggest feeding your cat a mixture of dry and wet foods. Try giving kitty about two ounces of dry kibble and roughly 2.5 ounces of canned food each day. Monitor your cat and adjust these amounts as needed.
Consider Kitty’s Health
A number of medical conditions can crop up with cats. This will impact nearly every aspect of their lives, including their dietary needs. When cats have diabetes for instance, you will need to time their food delivery with insulin. If your cat has some dental health issues and can only eat wet food, you may need to feed her more often.
Cats and Food
These general guidelines will help you figure out how much and when to feed your cat. Don’t forget to adjust these guidelines according to your individual cat’s needs. Your vet should be a trusted resource if you have specific questions about your cat’s diet.
There is a study which has suggests that the average healthy feline only needs one meal per day, but it seems that many cats would not stand for that—which should come as no surprise given most cats love of eating!