How Often Should I Feed My Cat?

How often a cat should be fed depends on the age, health and size of the cat as well as the size of each serving per meal.

  1. Age

    • Most adult cats over 1 year of age need to be fed only once or twice a day. Most kittens require more food to support their growth, and should be fed more often--up to three times or more a day.

    Considerations

    • Health issues can affect a cat's eating schedule. Feline diabetes requires cats to eat when insulin is administered, which could be multiple times a day. Feline thyroid problems may require frequent feedings throughout the day. Each specific health problem should be evaluated by your cat's veterinarian.

    Overweight Cats

    • Overweight cats may require specific feeding times. Special diets for cats, such as Catkins, a high-protein, low-carbohydrate diet for cats, have certain requirements that determine specific feeding times.

    Portion Control

    • Most cat food labels are based on average-sized cats, and portions should be adjusted based on your cat's weight.

    Types

    • Cat food is available in dry or canned (wet) form. Canned food is sometimes more tasty to cats, and they tend to overeat if only canned food is offered. Canned and dry can be given alternately to prevent overeating.

    Warning

    • Leaving dry food out all day, also called free-feeding, is possible as long as your cat can use self-control and not overeat. Some cats will snack constantly and can become overweight if free-feeding is not monitored.