What Time Should I Feed My Cat | You Need To Know Right Now

What time should I feed my cat, it’s a very important question for every cat owner? Cats generally have a longer egesting period. They take a pretty long time between meals. Unlike a human being who can eat meals at intervals of 5 to 6 hours, cats may easily up to 12 hours a day. The good news, however, is that you can train your cat on the feeding intervals. Some cats can feed every moment.

Some who have been trained are used to having their food at predetermined intervals. Having a cat feed continuously is expensive in the long run. Creating a timetable for feeding is one of the surest ways of managing the cost of maintaining the cat. This brings out the question, what time should I feed my cat? In trying to solve this puzzle, this article is going to be handy for you. Go through it to find out more.

What time should I feed my cat?

Cats are not active. They spend most of their time sleeping. During this time, the rate of digestion is very low. In fact, in science, this is the period where the cat needs a minimum amount of energy while sleeping. This condition is known as the basal metabolic rate. This is different however from when the cat is very active. Since it is quite inactive, you can feed your cat once or twice a day.

A cat can stay comfortably for about twelve hours without eating anything. It, therefore, means that a cat can do with at least two meals on any given day. If you do provide him/her with an additional meal for dinner or lunch, that would be an option too. Always ensure that 12 hours do not elapse before giving your cat a meal. It may cause the stomach to become hyper acidic, causing nausea, general body weakness, and health issues.

Is it possible to feed a cat once a day?

This majorly depends on the breed of the cat. It also depends on how you have trained your cats on eating intervals. The age of the cat also matters. For a kitten, it is recommended that it be fed by up to three times a day. As an adult, a cat can be fed even once a day. It is not however so advisable to do so, but if there is no choice, then once a day feeding is okay.

So yes, it is possible to feed an adult cat once a day. Most of the cats do not have a problem feeding once a day. They also do hunt in the while, meaning that they have something extra to eat.

How much food should I feed my cat in a day?

The most important thing to put into consideration is whether you are giving your cat dry food or wet food. Both have a different amount of calories. Every cup of dry food has about 300 calories. Canned food has about 250 calories per cup. A cat that is about 8 pounds in weight would, therefore, need about ⅘ of a cup of dry food. At the same time, it will need an almost full can of wet food per day.

Other factors to consider when deciding on the amount of food to feed the cat per day are:

The state of the health of the cat.
Size of the cat.
Age of the cat.
The physical activity of the cat.
Cats breed amongst some few others.

Cats do not eat the same amount of food. So you need to get the specific characteristics of your cat before you settler on the amount of food to feed it on.

Is it wise to mix both wet and dry food before feeding the cat?

Many cat owners think these two food types should not be mixed. However, research has shown and proven that mixing the two benefits your cat in several ways. This is so because the cat can derive the nutritional benefits from both foods at once. If in any case you do the mixing and it does not go well with your cat, get the help of the vet.

Can I feed my cat with human food?

During meal times, it may be fine to share some of your food with the pet. Cats do not eat all human food. It has a preference for some specific food types. If it is comfortable eating what you have on your plate, it would be so beautiful to share. Some cats are however so picky, such that they wouldn’t want to feed on human food. In this case, you will her to feed him/her on its food. Consult your vet on the best human food that a cat can feed on.

Conclusion

In conclusion, therefore, we can say that cats especially grown-up ones can eat once or twice a day. The best interval between the two meals in 12 hours. You can choose to shorten this interval if your friends get to be hungry often. Smaller cats or kittens need food approximately 3 times a day. Mixing both wet/canned food and dry food is more beneficial to your cat. Finally, a cat can share in human food, depending on its preferences and the food type that you are eating.