How often should i feed my cat?

From six months to maturity, most cats do well if they are fed twice a day. Once the cat becomes an adult, around one year old, it is adequate to feed it once or twice a day in most cases. Older cats, seven years of age or older, must maintain the same feeding regime. The number of meals a cat eats per day depends completely on the family schedule.

Cats should eat at least two meals a day, about 12 hours apart. However, a schedule of breakfast, lunch, afternoon, dinner and just before bed is an equally good option. If more than 12 hours pass between meals, the stomach can become hyperacidic and cause nausea. So what's a better approach? Instead of leaving food out all day, try setting specific meal times for your cat.

This way, you can ensure that you eat the right amount of food at regular intervals throughout the day. Generally speaking, most cats do well with two or three meals a day. Because cats have small stomachs (about the size of a ping-pong ball), they are better suited to eating little and often. Cats that are fed large portions can become sick after eating or gain weight over time.

So, a few smaller meals a day should work well for your cat instead of one big meal. In an interview with Scientific American, Mikel Delgado, an expert in feline behavior, says that she likes food puzzles not only as a reward, but also as a way to feed cats every day. While some cat owners choose to “feed their cats for free” and not give them food throughout the day so they can graze, this makes it difficult to control how much their cat eats and can result in weight gain. An automatic timed feeder, such as the Cat Mate C500 digital feeder with 5 dog meals &, which can be preloaded with several measured meals is a great way to provide your cat with just the right amount of food, divided into small meals.