How many times a day do you need to feed a cat and what does it depend on?

Sometimes owners of cats do not think about how to properly feed their pets and usually do not adhere to any regimen. But a properly organized diet is not only a guarantee of the animal’s health, but also a necessary condition for its activity and emotional mood.

A properly organized feeding schedule is of great importance. A well-fed animal, accustomed to receive food at a certain time, does not require feeding in the interval between feedings, the cat is calm and happy. Features of proper feeding are to comply with such rules as:

• feed is at the same specific time;
• food intake should be limited - usually a cat needs about 20 minutes to finally get enough; the feeder should be removed if the cat has not eaten all the food;
• a single amount of food should be fixed - with two meals a day, the daily norm must be divided in half.

The frequency of feeding cats depends on many factors. One of them is the daily routine of the owner himself. It is also necessary to adjust the feeding of the pet under it. Several important factors should be taken into account.

The frequency of feeding cats depends on age. Feeding an adult pet is fundamentally different from feeding kittens. At an early and young age, when the animal is actively growing and developing, it is necessary to feed it more often. The need for food in kittens in the first days of life is very large - approximately 8 times a day they are fed by a cat. Monthly kittens eat little and less often, but still quite often - up to 6 times daily. Gradually, the number of meals decreases.

At the age of three months and up to about 6 months, kittens need to be fed 4–5 times already. Cats older and up to one year of age are limited to three or four feedings daily.

A pet from 1 year to 10 years old is considered an adult. Cats older than 1 year should be transferred to two meals a day and preferably fed in the morning and evening. From the age of 7 years and older, the aging process gradually begins, which manifests itself in a slowdown in metabolism and in problems with teeth. Cats over 10 years old are already considered old.

The frequency of feeding also depends on the general well-being of the cat. In the presence of any disease in animals, a decrease or complete lack of appetite is often observed. Sometimes a sick animal even has to be force-fed. And only after complete recovery the cat has an appetite again and it is possible to transfer it to the usual feeding schedule.

The veterinarian should prescribe the correct diet and amount of food for the sick pet. Most often, an individual diet is prescribed in accordance with the disease. Usually a sick cat is fed often - about 3-4 times. But one-time servings of food are smaller. If the state of health of the pet allows, then you can leave two meals a day.

Feeding characteristics of sick cats depend on their diseases. Feeding cats with diabetes and taking insulin should be associated with the time when insulin is administered. You need to feed such a cat 4 to 6 times in small doses. Frequent feeding in small doses is also recommended for cats who have problems with digestion and assimilation of food. If the pet is allergic to food, the frequency of feeding does not matter. It is important not to give the food for which there is an allergy.

Obesity is also a disease. To lose weight in a cat, it needs to be fed often in small doses. It is necessary to exclude foods rich in carbohydrates, increase protein content and increase pet activity through games. The sick kitten needs to be fed often, approximately every 2 hours, and in small portions. In this mode, the daily feed rate should be equally distributed between all feedings.

The activity of cats depends primarily on their age and changes as the animal grows older. The more active and mobile a pet is, the more energy it spends. Therefore, small kittens need to be fed more often when compared with adults. Besides, neutered cats and sterilized cats are more passive and spend less energy. Therefore, they should receive fewer calories with food, but this does not affect the frequency of its intake. It remains the same, but at the same time they reduce the daily rate.

Cats living in a private house have the opportunity to go out and lead a very active life. Such a pet can be fed once by placing the entire daily norm in the trough immediately. It is not recommended to feed passive pets in this way; it is better to stick to traditional two meals a day.

It is believed that cats need more food than cats. This is because the cat has a higher need for nutrients, so they are advised to slightly increase the daily rate. As for the frequency of feeding, it is no different from the routine of eating cats, that is 2 times a day.

Eating a cat during the gestation period also has some differences. In the first half of gestation, the cat’s appetite remains almost the same. During the second half, she already needs more feed. A pregnant cat is fed more often, about 4 or 5 times a day, and the daily norm of food is gradually increased.

Besides, food should be high in vitamins and high in calories. Before the birth, the animal may not eat at all. This is completely natural. At the end of the birth, the cat can ask for food only after 3 or 4 hours. During the feeding of newborn kittens, the cat continues to be fed fractionally - from 4 to 6 times a day, but the portions should be small.

Most cats need to eat 2 times a day. However, cats of some breeds require a slightly different diet. So, large individuals, for example, Maine Coon, need a larger amount of feed. They can be fed not 2, but 3 times, adding another feeding during the day. Three meals a day are recommended for Siamese and short-haired cats of Asian breeds, Persian and cats of breed munchkin.

To determine how many times you need to feed a cat a day, you need to keep in mind other important factors. The frequency of giving food also depends on the calorie content of food. In order not to overfeed the animal and not leave it hungry, you need to know how many calories are contained in the daily feed intake and how much a pet needs per day.

The best option would be a properly balanced diet, which will fully satisfy the cat's appetite when it is fed twice a day. It is preferable to give the cat a smaller amount of food, but having a higher calorie content.

Calorie content affects the daily rate of feed volume and can range from 30 to 60 grams also per 1 kilogram of a pet’s weight. So, a healthy and adult cat weighing about 5 kg will need about 350 kcal per day and about 250 g of food. Naturally, the lower the calorie content of the feed, the greater its quantity will be required, and you will have to feed your pet more often. Therefore, it is necessary to choose a high-quality feed, which has a high content of protein components and useful additives. There are several options for eating a pet.

The use of dry food for domestic cats has the following advantages:

• if necessary, it is possible to feed an animal with such food not two, but once, by placing the entire daily allowance in the feeder, which will allow the pet to independently regulate nutrition and eat food at will;
• determining the portion size and the total amount of dry food is quite easy and simple, since they are always indicated in detail on the package;
• ready-made mixtures cannot deteriorate and harm the pet;
• such a food is properly balanced and includes all the nutrients, trace elements and vitamins that the animal requires;
• a wide variety of species allows you to choose exactly the food that your pet needs; there are feeds for castrated and sterilized animals, for kittens of different ages, young individuals and other options;
• feeding with dry food is convenient for the owner of the cat - you do not need to make a daily menu;
• eating such food and gnawing pillows, the animal cleans its teeth of plaque and stone.

Of course, this feed has its drawbacks. First of all, this is its cost, especially for premium quality feed. At the same time, the animal quickly gets used to it and subsequently, when necessary, it is difficult to transfer it to another food.In addition, a slightly high salt content is observed in dry feeds, especially in low-cost species. Animals that eat dry food require a plentiful drink, so fresh water should always be available and available to the pet.

There are still ready-made wet feeds. They may differ in different degrees of density and density. They are divided into stews, pieces of meat in different sauces, pastes. They can be used as an addition to the main feed. However, it must be remembered that they contain different preservatives that can cause digestive disorders in the animal.

The best option and more nutritious food are canned food for animals. They include meat ingredients with the addition of cereals, minerals and vitamins in properly balanced proportions. Canned pies are recommended even for kittens, old and sick cats. Dry food and wet can be combined. At the same time, it is important to observe such a ratio as: dry food - 70%, wet - 30%

The benefits of wet feed are as follows:

• a large assortment of taste indicators: with the taste of beef, chicken, rabbit and many others;
• in consistency they are very similar to natural food; in qualitative forms, meat fibers can be distinguished with exactly the taste indicated on the package;
• calories are easily controlled and the daily feed rate is indicated.

The main problems of natural nutrition is the difficulty of determining the energy content and the preparation of properly balanced food, which would include all the necessary elements. Meat is the main and largest component of natural cat food and is supplemented with a small amount of offal.

The advantage of natural food is that only natural products are used without preservatives or harmful additives. And the disadvantages are the need to waste time on cooking and a short shelf life.

The meat can be given both boiled and raw, but previously doused with boiling water. Very useful for cats and cartilage.

It is recommended to feed a pet with boiled sea fish 1 time per week. More frequent feeding of fish can disrupt the magnesium-phosphorus balance in the animal and lead to diseases. Boiled vegetables or in raw form are also needed for pets. The necessary additives for good nutrition are various cereals - from buckwheat, oatmeal, rice, which include vegetables and meat ingredients. Sour-milk products should be included in the diet - cottage cheese, kefir, fermented baked milk, natural yogurt, as well as cheese.

The daily feed amount for kittens up to 9 months is 10% of their weight, and over 9 months and for adults - 5%, respectively. So, for a cat weighing about 4 kg per day, 200 g of food will be required, including meat (it should be 50%), dairy products, cereals and other components. With this nutrition, cats, starting from 1 year old, are required to give vitamin complexes.

It is possible to determine that a cat is full, according to its behavior. Usually, cats prefer to rest after eating. A pet that receives enough food is active, energetic, and cheerful. But the weight of the animal must be monitored, since not only excess weight is dangerous, but also too small. Adult cats weigh an average of 2.5–5 kg. Periodically, you need to control the weight of the pet. With its excess or deficiency, it is required to accordingly reduce or increase the calorie content of the portion.

Owners of cats often make such mistakes when organizing their food, such as:

• when cooking natural food, owners add salt; this can not be done, because cats are predisposed to urolithiasis;
• often pets are given dry food for other purposes: for example, sterilized cats are offered regular food or vice versa;
• feeding from the table is also unacceptable, since many dishes are not allowed for cats, including pork meat, fried spicy meat, smoked meats and sweet foods;
• It is also impossible to combine dry and natural food, as the cat’s stomach feature does not allow you to quickly tune in to another type of food;
• the transition from one type of feed to another should be carried out gradually, for about two weeks.

About how many times a day to feed a cat, see the next video.