How To Feed Your Cat: The Modern Direct To Feline Foraging

The best way to feed cats has changed. Instead of leaving kibble inwards a bowl, here’s what you lot should produce now.

Photo: Africa  Studio / Shutterstock

By Zazie Todd, PhD

It used to last simple: set kibble inwards a bowl together with move out it out all day.

But that’s non how nosotros should last feeding our pet cats. H5N1 novel consensus disputation from the American Association of Feline Practitioners explains the way nosotros feed cats now.

The AAFP says are several reasons to retrieve to a greater extent than carefully nigh you lot feed your cat. One is the growth inwards overweight together with obesity inwards pet cats, which is bad for their wellness (see: how to aid a fatty truthful cat lose weight).

Another argue is that using food puzzles for cats is a dandy enrichment activity that engages cats’ hunting instincts. This is peculiarly of import instantly that most pet cats are kept indoors for a lot or all of the time.

As well, having the right feeding organisation tin aid to give-up the ghost on feline stress levels low. This is peculiarly of import inwards households alongside to a greater extent than than 1 cat.

Read on to uncovering out the modern way to feed a cat.

Use puzzle feeders

Puzzle feeders are toys that brand the truthful cat piece of occupation to become the nutrient out. For example, a ball alongside a hole inwards that lets pieces of kibble autumn out when the truthful cat pushes the ball around. Or something the truthful cat has to achieve into alongside a manus to become the kibble.

There are many dissimilar commercially available nutrient puzzle toys, but it’s equally good really slow to brand your own. Most are designed for dry out nutrient similar kibble, but some equally good piece of occupation alongside moisture food.

When your truthful cat is novel to nutrient puzzles, you lot necessitate to brand them slow together with run treats; over time, your truthful cat tin progress to to a greater extent than hard nutrient toys.

For reviews of many dissimilar types of nutrient puzzles, depository fiscal establishment jibe out foodpuzzlesforcats.

Frequent pocket-sized meals for cats

The AAFP recommend the cats’ daily calorie count is split upwards into multiple pocket-sized meals throughout each 24 lx minutes period.

Although they produce non specify how many meals a 24-hour interval is ideal for cats, International Cat Care suggest you lot feed your truthful cat v (or more) pocket-sized meals a day.

Since it is probable you lot volition last out for some of those meals, you lot tin run an automated feeder together with laid the timer to furnish a repast when you lot are at work.

Feed High Up together with inwards Different Places

Cats similar to last high up, together with and hence nutrient does non direct maintain to last provided on the floor. In fact, the AAFP recommend that you lot run high places to feed your cat.

But they caution that for some cats, such equally those alongside arthritis, this may non last possible.

For all cats, alter the location of the nutrient instead of feeding inwards the same house each time. This way cats direct maintain to run their senses (such equally their nose) to provender for it.

Keep nutrient together with H2O separate

Cats prefer to direct maintain their resources separated, together with hence that way nutrient should last kept separate from water. And it needs to last inwards a place(s) the truthful cat feels safe.

It's slow to brand DIY nutrient toys for your cat. Photo: jessjeppe / Shutterstock

As well, nutrient together with H2O should of class last inwards a dissimilar location than the litter boxes.

Separate nutrient inwards multi-cat households

If you lot direct maintain to a greater extent than than 1 cat, you lot necessitate to direct maintain trouble organisation human relationship of the human relationship betwixt the cats when feeding them.

Although some cats may become on good together with non mind, most cats would prefer to swallow separately. Remember they are lonely hunters together with would usually hunt together with swallow on their own.

So if you lot direct maintain multiple cats, brand certain their nutrient is separate. They should last able to swallow their nutrient inwards peace without seeing the other cats.

If necessitate be, you lot tin become crafty together with set 1 cat's meals inwards locations other pets cannot achieve or mash into, and/or run automatic feeders that volition solely opened upwards for the right animal's microchip.

Keep an oculus on your cat’s weight

Your vet volition weigh your truthful cat at each appointment, but the AAFP recommend that you lot monitor your cat’s weight. If you lot direct maintain whatsoever concerns, verbalize to your veterinarian. You volition equally good uncovering some tips inwards my article on how to aid a fatty truthful cat lose weight.

You don't direct maintain to halt giving treats if your truthful cat is overweight, but give-up the ghost on an oculus on how many you lot give. The AAFP state that treats should non brand upwards to a greater extent than than 10% of the cat's daily calorie intake.

How to feed cats

So that’s how to feed cats: Five (or more) pocket-sized meals a day, via puzzle feeders left inwards dissimilar locations, preferably high up, separate from the H2O bowl, together with away from other cats inwards the household.

If you lot direct maintain whatsoever questions or concerns nigh you lot cat's weight or food, verbalize to your veterinarian.

Do you lot already follow these guidelines when feeding your cat? How many meals a 24-hour interval produce you lot reach your cat?


P.S. If you lot honey , you lot tin support me on ko-fi.


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Zazie Todd, PhD, is the writer of Wag: The Science of Making Your Dog Happy. She is the founder of the pop spider web log , where she writes nigh everything from preparation methods to the human-canine relationship. She equally good writes a column for Psychology Today together with has received the prestigious Captain Haggerty Award for Best Training Article inwards 2017. Todd lives inwards Maple Ridge, BC, alongside her husband, 1 dog, together with ii cats.

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