What we feed our cats is very important, but an often-overlooked aspect of cat health is how we feed them. Providing the proper environment for feeding will make your cat happier and help them avoid overfeeding or underfeeding.
Understanding Your Cat’s Feeding Preferences
On an instinctual level, cats have certain preferences for feeding that should be considered by caregivers. First, cats prefer to eat multiple small meals throughout the day. Unfortunately, many cats are frequently fed in one location with relatively large volumes of food once or twice a day. Some cats even have food out and available at all times. Both of these can lead to inactivity, obesity, and stress for your cat.
Cats are Hunters
To help mimic natural feline feeding behaviors and satisfy that instinct, puzzle feeders can also be used. Puzzle feeders hold food and must be handled by the cat to get the food out, which increases activity, and provides mental and physical stimulation. You can learn more about puzzle feeders at foodpuzzlesforcats.com.
Another consideration you should take when feeding your cat is their preference to eat alone. This can be especially challenging for homes with multiple cats. Forcing cats to eat together can cause anxiety, stress, obesity, and health problems. To reduce these concerns, each cat should have a separate feeding station with distance and visual separation between cats. You can also provide elevated feeding spaces.
For more detailed information on How to Feed Your Cat, download our brochure. If you are concerned that your cat is overeating or undereating, or if you are having trouble feeding one or multiple cats in your home, your veterinarian can provide additional advice and evaluate your cats weight and health.