SOFT NEWS You might be feeding your cats wrong, according to a new study

Dennis Olson

Dennis Olson

Chief Curmudgeon
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www.foxnews.com /lifestyle/feeding-cats-wrong-new-study

You might be feeding your cats wrong, according to a new study
James Leggate
3-4 minutes

A new study has revealed some a-meow-zing new purr-spectives on cats and their dietary needs.

New research from animal nutrition specialists at the University of Guelph, in Ontario, Canada, found that cats who are fed one big meal each day may be more satisfied and beg for food less than cats fed multiple smaller meals.

The findings were published in the journal PLOS One Friday.

Cats who ate just one meal per day had higher levels of three appetite-regulating hormones, which the researchers said suggested the animals were more satisfied. They were also burning their fat stores and had more protein available to build muscle.

The study looked at just eight indoor cats, which were fed once daily and then fed four times daily for 21 days. While just a small sample size, the study could change best-practices in cat care because the researchers tracked the cats’ physical activity, energy expenditure and appetite-suppressing hormones.

“These findings may surprise the veterinary community and many cat owners who have been told their animals need several small meals a day,” said Adronie Verbrugghe, a professor and veterinarian with the University of Guelph’s Ontario Veterinary College.

Previous studies have only looked at the effects of meal frequency on cat behavior and not monitored cats' health to the same level, according to Kate Shoveller, a professor with the university’s department of animal biosciences.

“There was no good research to back up the several-meals-a-day approach that many owners hear, and so we wanted to put some real data behind current feeding recommendations to be sure they were right for cats,” she said in a press release.

Shoveller compared the findings to research in humans that has shown “positive health outcomes with intermittent fasting and improved satiety,” as well as big cats in the wild that feast on a kill and fast until their next.

“Physiologically, it makes sense that feeding only once a day would have benefits,” she said.

Verbrugghe said they plan to do longer studies, noting that “this approach might be helpful to promote satiety in some cats, [but] it might not help another.”
 
ioujc

ioujc

MARANTHA!! Even so, come LORD JESUS!!!
My cats are forming a UNION to stop this form of abuse. In addition, they are forming protest group called CLAM>>>>CAT LIVES ALWAYS MATTER and are taking out ads on dog food commercial times. They also have a 'team of GIANT cats called CLAWSDALES>>>who have fuzzy feet and pull a wagon. They plan to use them to sell a new microbrew called CAT TAILS BEER.
 
Red Baron

Red Baron

Paleo-Conservative
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We had a male grey tabby called Max that made it to 20 years old. He was very atypical from all of our previous cats.

He was very placid and very well mannered for a cat. He was DD's cat when she was eight years old and it was love at first sight for both of them. She trained him well and spent all kinds of time with him.

Max loved water, loved a bath in the kitchen sink, loved going for walks on a leash, loved our relative's dogs and always slept with one of us every night.

Max would eat like a dog. He preferred any kind of moist canned cat food or canned fish. I left a bowl of kibble out and he would just peck at it during the day. The canned food, he would relentlessly attack each day.

Max passed away a year ago and I really miss that big lovable rascal.

eileen 008.jpg
 
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M

Martinhouse

Deceased
My cat is very vocal and demands a big meal at breakfast and then doesn't ask again all day. If he leaves any of the early meal, he might graze on it during the day if a stray or birds don't beat him to it.

Seems to me that it's most natural for cats to hunt all night and then lay around or sleep all day with a full belly. With domestic cats I'm sure there are plenty of exceptions, but once they are weaned, I've never fed my cats more than the morning meal, be they indoor, outdoor, or both.
 
AlfaMan

AlfaMan

Has No Life - Lives on TB
Looks Harmless said:
Explain that to cats. And while you're at it I have a list of things you can explain to progressives. You should have about the same outcome.
Click to expand...

You'll have a better outcome with the cats. They're far more intelligent. I mean, they train their owners so well :) Progressives are as a whole dumber than rocks.

Roscoe has a bowl of food (Meow Mix, tasty centers with power bursts!) that is topped off every morning. He eats when he wants; Astor usually likes his food and Roscoe's for breakfast (just think-Astor eats surf and turf every morning. What a life!) Hunter Kitty and Thomas and Grey Kitty and Sly have two bowls that are topped off every morning too.

All the cats and the dog essentially graze-eat a little when they want to throughout the day. Never half the bowl at one sitting. And then there's our dinner; Astor is my official taste tester and Roscoe checks it out if I have something like cheese, bbq potato chips etc.
 
S

summerthyme

Administrator
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It makes sense, in terms of the natural habits of the big cat species... hunt and then gorge their fill. They rarely eat more than once a day, and often, less often if the hunting is lean.

But! Their diets are almost pure meat and bones. The much higher carbs in commercial cat food is going to metabolize entirely differently. The stomach and intestines will empty faster,fa and their blood sugar is likely to spike and crash. (I wonder how often wild cats develop diabetes?)

And then there is the boredom factor...

I'd want to see a *lot* more research before I changed feeding patterns on a cat who was doing well with the status quo.

Summerthyme
 
N

night driver

ESFP adrift in INTJ sea
Easy gets soft food at 7 AM, noon, 4, 9, (2 or 3 AM). And at 16 she is in as good shape as she has been since a kitten. She just doesn't jump as high anymore.

And yes that DOES mean a 3 o'clock feeding for the cat. RELIC and I never had kids but we now understand the joy of 3 AM feedings.

She STILL doesn't walk ANYWHERE, she goes at Warp 4.5 EVERYWHERE.
 
F

FireDance

TB Fanatic
summerthyme said:
It makes sense, in terms of the natural habits of the big cat species... hunt and then gorge their fill. They rarely eat more than once a day, and often, less often if the hunting is lean.

But! Their diets are almost pure meat and bones. The much higher carbs in commercial cat food is going to metabolize entirely differently. The stomach and intestines will empty faster,fa and their blood sugar is likely to spike and crash. (I wonder how often wild cats develop diabetes?)

And then there is the boredom factor...

I'd want to see a *lot* more research before I changed feeding patterns on a cat who was doing well with the status quo.

Summerthyme
Click to expand...
Agree. I put out a small bowl of dry for my grazer and they split a can in the morning. At night I give each a full can which they graze on during the night. (My older cat can’t eat the dry.)

A lot of times, I end up tossing about 1/2 a can total at night. I’m not sure if it’s appetite or if it just gets funky over time. Other days, the bowls are clean and of course they are just going to die if I don’t put something out by 2pm.

I still haven’t quite figured it out. I’m more concerned that the older cat who can’t graze on dry has something to keep his blood sugar stable than anything. I think the dry lasts about two days, but I always wash the wet food bowls at night. So...

And this is not a study. Not enough cats. Interesting, but not science.
 
Border Guns

Border Guns

Veteran Member
I have an orange and white kitty about 15 yrs. old. She wants me to feed her at 6am, not ever going to happen. She eats but picks out the chicken parts. They are rubbery and I can see why she doesn't like them. Her very favorite thing besides cat treats is when I fix myself a pastrami sandwich. She is all over me to have some bites.
 
M

Mary Contrary

Inactive
Matt said:
My cat gets access to a self serve bag of dry and all the critters he can catch outside......healthy, happy and fit.
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I leave a big bowl of dry cat food out and they munch from time to time. I don't like feeding them once. Even the dogs get a raw chicken leg for breakfast and later at night get their dry dog food mixed with fish or beef broth or a bit of can dog food, even a can of sardines or mackeral which they love.
 
M

Mary Contrary

Inactive
Looks Harmless said:
Explain that to cats. And while you're at it I have a list of things you can explain to progressives. You should have about the same outcome.
Click to expand...
Oh yeah, remember a couple yrs ago in California the pet shelters were saying they were feeding the dogs and cats a VEGAN meal and no more meat? They would be making these animals VERY sick! Sick liberals! Dogs and cats are BRED to eat MEAT!!
 
M

Mary Contrary

Inactive
AlfaMan said:
You'll have a better outcome with the cats. They're far more intelligent. I mean, they train their owners so well :) Progressives are as a whole dumber than rocks.

Roscoe has a bowl of food (Meow Mix, tasty centers with power bursts!) that is topped off every morning. He eats when he wants; Astor usually likes his food and Roscoe's for breakfast (just think-Astor eats surf and turf every morning. What a life!) Hunter Kitty and Thomas and Grey Kitty and Sly have two bowls that are topped off every morning too.

All the cats and the dog essentially graze-eat a little when they want to throughout the day. Never half the bowl at one sitting. And then there's our dinner; Astor is my official taste tester and Roscoe checks it out if I have something like cheese, bbq potato chips etc.
Click to expand...
I have a gray and white half angora who loves potato chips. I have an orange cat that keeps dipping her paw in the water bowl and licking her paw instead of drinking the water. Then the bowl is all dirty and i have to add fresh. She does it every single day. She plays with the water. If i leave the faucet dripping a tiny bit she will keep dipping her paw in it and also drink from the drips. She was my sons cat. I named her Grouch cuz she was mean when i got her 3 yrs ago, but now she's real sweet and purrs for me. She's spayed. The Angora is neutered and a little shy of the chiwawa, but cat will lay on my chest at night when i sleep. Then sometimes the chiwawa will chase him (Puddy Tat) and he runs away.
 
D

don24mac

Veteran Member
My cat has become a socialist. She wants me to feed her for free, house her for free. And she doesn't contribute anything to her cost. Her job as a mouseketeer is taken care of with traps. So, she just sleeps around the house and purrs.
 
hunybee

hunybee

Veteran Member
WalknTrot said:
Haha! Talk about a First World problem. Even for cats.
Click to expand...


yah!

we recently got a cat again after not having pets for many years. i grew up with cats and dogs and had them for a while as an adult before we had to get rid of all indoor animals because of allergies.

call it stupid, but we all really needed a pet lol

it is going pretty well, and as long as we just keep it vacuumed and only keep the cat in one area of the house (and out of our bedrooms), it is tolerable. we miss a kitty snuggling at night, but then again, we don't miss a kitty attacking our head and feet at night while we sleep LOL!

the one thing i noticed right away (and summerthyme can verify my shock) is that people have lost their ever loving mind in regards their pets!!!!

i mean, coo coo for cocoa puffs!! i thought it would be the same as i remembered with what was "required" and practical things for them.

nope.

for sure, there is a strong portion of the population that has this very weird need to control every aspect of SOMETHING in their life, and the pets seem to have gotten caught in the cross hairs. how on earth did all the animals up through history make it to this point without the humans micromanaging them?

of course, there is a part of the pet population that DO need some regulation. that is a small part. we found a vet (thank God) that seems to be very old school. yes, they can and do offer the newest things and whatever that customers may want, but they very much do not believe in going off the deep end. they told me truthfully that there really are only a few shots that a cat truly NEEDS to stay alive, and they take into account what their life will be and make recommendations accordingly with reality and practicality in mind. their position seems to be that sometimes animals need some help, but we should let their bodies do what they do as they are built for it. she (the vet) agreed that people are nuts about their pets now and wishes some sanity would return.

we never (except for when they were sick or were having something done and we were told NOT to feed them) restricted their food or water. they were both indoor and outdoor cats and indoor/outdoor cats, and some went from indoor/outdoor to indoor only. they never had a weight problem or any major health problems. one had at one point gotten a little overweight, but he was part maine coon and was built very big to begin with. he hit 25lbs at his biggest, but he was not fat. he was long and strong and just plain huge. people often told us they saw a mountain lion in our yard, but it was our cat hahaha.

anyway, if any of our pets got a little overweight, we stopped giving them as many treats (as in letting them lick the ice cream bowl, etc.) and exercised them more. they were happier and lost the small amount of weight they needed to.

i agree with summerthyme about the diet being more of a factor, though. not so much how often, but the what.
 
C

Catnip

Veteran Member
AlfaMan said:
You'll have a better outcome with the cats. They're far more intelligent. I mean, they train their owners so well :) Progressives are as a whole dumber than rocks.

Roscoe has a bowl of food (Meow Mix, tasty centers with power bursts!) that is topped off every morning. He eats when he wants; Astor usually likes his food and Roscoe's for breakfast (just think-Astor eats surf and turf every morning. What a life!) Hunter Kitty and Thomas and Grey Kitty and Sly have two bowls that are topped off every morning too.

All the cats and the dog essentially graze-eat a little when they want to throughout the day. Never half the bowl at one sitting. And then there's our dinner; Astor is my official taste tester and Roscoe checks it out if I have something like cheese, bbq potato chips etc.
Click to expand...
My cat Sam used to sit in front of her bowl when she was hungry. She preferred the wet food, though she had a self-feeder of dry to munch on. I still miss that cat. She's been gone more than 15 years already.
 
L

Leela

Veteran Member
We had a ginger cat adopt us some years ago, vet says he's about 10 1/2. He has good quality dry food all day long, won't eat wet food, but we also supplement his diet with chicken thighs or legs. He's about to start walking on the keyboard as I speak. Oh wait, he wanted out to the garage. He brings us mice, etc. when he can find them, but we have had to keep him in at night or when we're gone, too many vet bills from getting his throat slashed by some creature. There are coyotes out here and bobcats, also have seen mountain lions once in a while. He's so sweet with us, sleeps on our bed, but also a scrapper. DH loves him too, and he always had dogs.
 
Meemur

Meemur

Voice on the Prairie / FJB!
Hunybee, it seems like keeping pets gets crazier all the time. I think I wrote about all the garbage I ran into from rescues just to adopt a two-three year-old mixed breed kitty, not exactly worth hundreds of dollars or with a long waiting list. I still can't believe I got turned down by two of them because I didn't allow home visits.

Not to mention the diet several wanted me to feed the kitty! I ended up with Royal Canin because it is a decent food and she keeps it down, but one of the rescues had never heard of it.

/rant.
 
Blastoff

Blastoff

Veteran Member
my cat eats like 53 times a day and needs treats anytime anyone goes in or out the front door
once a day is going to get me murdered in my sleep
 
Melodi

Melodi

Disaster Cat
Summertyme mostly said it already: this fits with the nature of "wild" kitties but tame/domestic cats can be all over the map when it comes to feeding and best practice.

Many barn cats are happy with dry crunchies replaced every day or two (or kept in a chicken/cat food feeder) plus what they kill, but there is a growing problem for housecats and mostly housecats fed either on nothing but kibble or way too much-canned food.

Also, just a few decades ago, when I was a child; even vets tended to think that cats and dogs lived only about 10 years because cats who live partly or fully outside don't tend to make it past that (and less was understood about dog nutrition and other issues).

Now, we know that quite a few housecats make it between 16 to 20 and a few just keep on going like the Energizer Bunny until they are "off the comparison with human years charts" and make it to 30 or beyond (the two record-holders made it to about 35).

With this life extension and modern (especially dry) cat foods, there has been an explosion in severely overweight cats, cats with type II, cats with all sorts of weight-related diseases and metabolic disorders that often force owners between expensive treatment and euthanasia - so preventing these problems when possible is a good idea.

Our kitties, all but two of whom are inside-outside barn cats (we live far away from the road, we lose more cats to the neighbors adopting them than cars) get free access to the "horrible" dry food 24/7 and fed some pouches or canned stuff every evening at 8 when my very German housemate feeds them.

She refuses to listen to "the mob" gathered at 7:50, no feeding time is 8 pm and that's iz what happens ya! We stick to the schedule!

Now if we had fewer cats, I might be more willing to experiment with things like raw meat diets (you freeze it first) along with occasional treats (that they get anyway).

I attribute the fact that we have always fed our cats some treats and a variety of foods to the reason we never lost any casts during the great food disasters such as the one that had dry cat food not supplementing a chemical that most mammals (including dogs) create in their systems but cats don't (thousands died even on veterinary formulas because the producers were not adding it at the factory).

Oh and one last thing KITTENS before one year of age (at least until about 8 months) NEED frequent and constant exposure to food - a gradual tapering off after about six months to one year is a good idea, the kitty may have a "constant hunger" phase before their last growth spurt at about 14 to 18 months - larger breeds like Maine Coons and Forest Cats will grow until age four, and may have two spurts, one about age two and the other at about age 3 1/2; at both times the kitties will get the "teenage" munchies.
 
Grouchy Granny

Grouchy Granny

Deceased
I have 2 separate feeding stations set up for dry food along with water bowls. One is on the counter in the dining room the other in my bathroom.

My 5 (indoor/outdoor with the exception of the youngest) all let you know without a doubt when their bowls are empty. The one female Lena will walk up to you and pat your leg with all claws extended. Mikey sits in front of the bowl and yowls (so does Riley). The Furball (aka Furbie) just stomps over the top of you at midnight using all four feet as hard as she can.

The youngest (Gabriel) also complains if the dishes are empty. My vet wanted me to give him at least half a can of wet food a day, but he won't eat it - so the others get it instead.

Lena was over weight until she started going outside - she's slimming down nicely. I think chasing all the mice from next door helped. Mikey and Riley are mousers par excellence!

Lena also puts her paw in the water dish and licks her paw - Mikey would rather drink out of the faucet and will sit on the edge of the sink and complain until you turn it on. Of course, there's the community water dish for dogs and cats which they all use as well.
 
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