[nico]

Hi, i'm looking at getting a cat this weekend and i'm kinda new to owning a pet(i've grew up around cats tho). I'm worried about feeding schedule.

A friend of mine has a automatic cat feeder, and tells me that you can just leave cat food out and they'll eat it when they're hungry. Is this a good idea? i don't want for my cat to get fat. Also are there any good sites online that'll tell you how mutch or how often to feed a cat?

Also whats the best way to raise a cat to be loving?

thankx!

 

[Ariel]

Hi nico!!

I've always just let my cats eat all they want, but if one of them ever did start to get fat I would merely feed the cat 1 cup of food a day, only giving it to her when she seems rather more hungry than she always looks.

As for raising a cat lovingly, I treat my cat with respect. But if she starts to misbehave... I simply tell her "no" and if she doesn't stop I tap her lightly on the nose.


Hope this helps!!! Welcome to the cat forum!

>><<<

 

[AngelZoo]

Free feeding (through a feeder) is not bad, but it wont work for every cat, you can try it and simply stop if your cat does become fat.

Otherwise you should have 2-3 feedings per day for your cat, give him half his food in the morning, and then the other half of a full days food at night, and in the middle you can give him a nice little snack/treats. If it's a very young kitten under 3 months, provide 24/7 access to dry food, and give him wet food at least 3 times a day.

How much to feed, depends on your cat, and what food you are feeding, if you feed something like Friskies or Purina Cat Chow your more likely to dish out 1 - 2 cups a day. On a food like Felidae you'd only be feeding about 1/3 - 1 cup a day, once again, depending on your cat.

As for raising a cat lovingly, each cat does have a personality so you can't 100% mold it to the vision you have of the ever loving cat.
However, start by spending most of your time with him, if he wants to sleep tyr to convince him to sleep on your lap, you are the best spot, you are the safe/comfort zone. Accustom them to you touching everything, every part of their body (this will help with their tolerance of things.) Play with him, give him good treats when he sticks with you or does something good, and teach him to come to his name, so you can simply call him and have him be with you whenever you want.

 

[Richo]

You didn't mention if you are getting a kitten or a cat. I understand that kitten food contains more fat for growing cats and even though the kitten food bag may say for kittens up to 1 year, I was told to switch to adult cat food after 6 months, unless the cat is on the skinny side and needs to gain weight.

I feed my cat at 9 am and 8 pm (1/4 cup of dry food each time) and a spoonful of canned food at around 6 pm.

As far as having a loving cat, how old it is and how it was brought up are factors. Most of the time, if you bring up a cat (from a kitten) with love and attention it will come to know that, and even expect it. Cats that were brought up in a home without much love and affection (or a stray) may not be so accepting of the affection and handling, at least not at first.

If you are getting a kitten, consider getting 2. Your kitties will always have each other for company when nobody is home. I wish I had done that 3 years ago.

Good luck, enjoy your new family member and welcome to the forum!