Feeding Our Cats Wrong - Get Rid of the Bowls and Change The Schedule

Cats should be fed twice daily from cat food bowls and other pets to prevent behavioral problems. Here are some ideas for feeding cats differently.

How you feed your cat may be just as significant as what you feed him regarding his overall health and behavior. And a process is underway led by leading veterinarians to provide for your cat's innate needs by eliminating the cat food bowls and forgoing a twice-a-day meal serving schedule. Below, we gathered just some of the mistakes we make when feeding cats and how to feed cats the right way!

1. It is not advisable to feed your cat simultaneously as other cats or dogs.

Many cat owners unintentionally deprive their feline companions of a fulfilling life by serving up a bowl of kibble each morning and evening. The same goes for feeding your cat with your dogs. Placing down a row of bowls for your three or more cats may inadvertently cause more harm than good.

There is a real threat to your cat's health when it eats in your home with other cats, dogs, and people, says Elizabeth Bales, VMD, a veterinarian at Red Lion Veterinary Hospital in New Castle, Delaware. In addition to the risks cats face while eating, they are also solitary hunters and predators. Because cats are solitary hunters and predators, they want to eat and hunt alone," she says. "Cats are prey, and they attempt their best to hide any signs of weakness or stress. Because of this, veterinarians can see how environmental stress affects a cat's health." A stressed cat is at risk for obesity, eating too fast, skin diseases, and urinary tract infections.

2. It is essential to change how much you feed your cat and when you feed it.

It is a cat's instinct to hunt for smaller, portion-controlled meals throughout the day and to interact with their prey," she said. "Cats typically eat 30 calories' worth of prey and then leave. It is not fussy behavior when they eat only a few bites of palatable food. It may gorge when we provide a cat with a large food bowl. This leads to 'scarf and barf' as the stomach measures only Ping-Pong sized and can only hold a limited quantity of food."

3. Providing cats with food from cat food bowls can cause behavioral issues.

When Dr. Bales attended feline lectures at veterinary conferences, she left armed with information on the connection between diet and behavior/health issues. Like her colleagues, she was frustrated about how to utilize that information to enhance the lives of domestic cats.

"The No. 1 reason cats are euthanized is because of behavior issues, which are the No. 1 reason their owners surrender them to shelters," she said. Because of developments in environmental enrichment, providing cats with their natural feeding drives in the home is a fantastic starting point. Dr. Bales is a central figure in the growing catvocate movement, which advocates for indoor cat safety, health, and engagement. Because of her work, pet parents, shelter workers, and professionals are learning how to support cats' seeking circuits and boost their hunting, killing, and eating behaviors. As a result of this process, dopamine is released, which creates an eagerness for activity and produces a sense of achievement after the cat eats the kill.

Indoor cats are deprived of their natural desire to do so because their food is given to them in bowls. According to Dr. Becker, a feline medicine and surgery specialist and founder of the Feline Nutrition Foundation, cats desire to determine their meals based on a recent Norwegian study. Furthermore, she said that cats hunt and catch prey 60 to 80 percent of the time.

4. It's possible to feed cats without cat food bowls, which taps into their instincts.

Because of this issue, she developed the NoBowl Feeding System, plastic molds in the shape of a prey's body that allow you to pour unique kibble into two openings. These molds are covered in outer cloth wraps so that a cat may clutch, claw, and bite them to stimulate a tactile sensation.

Dr. Bales has invented an item that she claims offers an answer to cat owners' problems. To get started, set out these kibble-packed faux mice on a floor in a closed room. Once your cat learns how to swat or bite to acquire the kibble, make the challenge harder by hiding these disposable NoBowls for him to find. Carlos, Dr. Bales' cat, can now locate a faux mouse inside a hidden shoe box with a lid. This isn't about science; it's about solutions.

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