#GetHealthyHappy: Why Mealtime is So Important

Sometimes I feel like a crazy person, (shush to the peanut gallery) particularly when I’m feeding my three cats in the morning and at night.

Since each of my cats eats a different wet food – for various reasons we’ll get into – it’s like being a line-cook at a diner with extremely picky clientele. Not to mention the clientele have access to my bedroom and wake me up at 6am with annoyingly loud meowing and by knocking over my belongings (one would think they were regularly starved!).

And I’m a line cook who doubles as a bouncer. I run a high security establishment. Patrons are not allowed to leave their assigned “tables” (bowls) and fraternization (aka. stealing someone else’s food) is frowned upon and punishable by an airlift back to ones appropriated area.

Why do I subject myself to this “ritual” (aka. pain-in-the-ass) twice a day? Because not all of my cats have the same nutritional needs. There are three primary ways to feed your cat. This article on those three feeding options is interesting and helpful as it provides the pros and cons of each method.

Free feeding is one of the options mentioned, but won’t work in my home because Petie is on a restricted-calorie diet. Taking the healthy weight quiz will help you determine if any of your cats has a weight problem. Kip is underweight and I need to make sure he eats his food and not Petie. Haddie could stand to loose a pound or two but I have higher order priorities at the moment!

Left to right: Petie, Kip and Haddie

While they eat, I am a prisoner in my own kitchen. The moment I should even attempt to step foot – or even toe – into the living room, Petie has magically made his head at-home in the depths of Haddie’s food bowl.

There are reasons other than weight that may require your cat be on a special diet – diabetes, hairballs, life stage (I can’t believe Kip is 11, I should probably talk to a vet about his dietary needs soon), just to name a few. Being confident you’re selecting the right food for your cat can be a challenge, as is knowing when to change your cat’s food.

If you want to try a different cat food, Hill’s Pet Nutrition is offering a $10 off promotion on select Hill’s Science Diet products – click for more info!

If you are making a change in food, there are ways to help make the transition a smooth one. “How Do I Switch or Transition Foods for My Cat, “ is one article that provides guidance.

How did you go about deciding what to feed your cat? Have you come up with ingenious ways to manage feeding time? Please share!