Newsgroups: rec.pets.cats
Subject: Re: Advice on Feeding?
From: ceci@lysator.liu.se

David Kinny writes:
[introducing the cats and their story]

>1. Is "all you can eat" a successful strategy in practice?  The last
>   thing we want is to turn our active little tigers into furry blimps.
>   (I don't mean 24-hour food, just regular meals with no quantity limit)

With most cats it is. There are cats which tend to get fat when they
get as much food as they want. Rumour has it that not being able to
regulate food intake is more frequent in neutered toms, but there are
voices both in favour and opposed to the rumour, so don't rely on it.
If you have a fat cat, you might still try this approach with one of
the fat-reduced cat foods. 

>2. What is the best way to develop "good eating habits", i.e. not too 
>   fussy, minimal bolting, no fighting?  What is it realistic to aim for?
>   Maybe most cats do eat every meal like it might be snatched away at any
>   second.

There are several different strategies. I will outline one which I
have found useful. 

First of all, counter ordinations are: cats with urine tract problem
or any other kidney or bladder oriented problem.  If your cat has
problems urinating, has traces of blood in its urine or gets swollen,
immideately stop and go to the vet, as these are symptoms of some kind
of stoppage in the urine tract. This is dangerous and painful for the
cat and SHOULD be treated by a vet. If you choose a low-ash or
low-salt brand of cat food the risk of urine tract problems will be
reduced, if the manufacturers claims are true.

What food to use for this feeding: Dry cat food. Personally I prefer
the more expensive ones, as I tend to trust a company that has a
reputation they can ruin, more than one no-one has ever heard of. Iams
and Science Diet come to mind, but there are probably more. Always
have fresh water available. If the cat doesn't like to drink from a
bowl, you could try using a drip bottle of the type that is used for
rabbits. The reason for not using wet food (out of cans) is that it
gets stale and starts to smell.

How to do it: This is called free feeding and that is essentially what
it is. Always see to that there is dry cat food in the bowl. Sounds
easy, doesn't it? Make sure that the bottom-most layer isn't too old,
by letting the cat eat the bowl empty once in a while. Don't be
tempted not to wash the bowl because it doesn't seem dirty. Bacteria
are invisible to the naked eye.


>3. How and when exactly should the strategy change as they get older,
>   get neutered, etc?

The cat will take care of regulations according to its mood. If the
cat refuses to eat for several days. it's probably time to go to the
vet. As the cat gets older you will have to be more careful to look
out for symptoms of illnesses of all kinds. Old and neutered tom cats
tend to get narrow passages from their bladders, so you will have to
watch them more carefully. Ask your vet for advice. If she can't give
you any, it's time for you to go to another vet.

When re-reading this article, I realise that it might sound as if free
feeding is very dangerous. It really isn't, but the increased risk of
urine tract problems shouldn't be neglected. For most cats it
increases their quality of life. You wouldn't like food only when it
suits somebody else to give you some, so why should your cat be
contented with that?