This is exciting! There are new guidelines in how we should be feeding our cats according to The American Association of Feline Practitioners. Gone are the days where we just put a bowl of kibble on the floor and let them at it. I’ll provide a couple of links at the bottom of the post. But here is the gist of the matter!

• Cats can get fat, there is a growing number of overweight and obese pets, especially our indoor cats.
• Cats, like ALL animals, need to be stimulated, feeding allows up to help them exercise their mental muscles. (keyword Environmental enrichment)
• Food puzzles help cats use their minds and instincts to get their kibble. I found this awesome site describing all sorts of puzzles and even some DIY!
• Boredom itself can result in the cat over eating, so making sure it has something to do can also help with appetite
• feeding small frequent meals is more natural to the cat, automated feeders and food puzzles like the slim cat ball that I mentioned in my cat obesity post help facilitate these smaller meals
• feeding up high, and when feeding in multi-cat households feeding in different locations (*unless your cat suffers from arthritis)
• Change up the location, another attempt at letting them use their senses and “hunt”

AAFP Consensus Statement- Feline Feeding Programs: Addressing Behavioral Needs to Improve Feline Health and Wellbeing.

If you haven’t read it yet- My post on cat obesity and feeding.

Final point:
Our pets/cats are getting fatter, we also know much more about mental well-being of animals. Allowing the animals to express their natural tendencies (providing pigs with environmental enrichment, cows with cow brushes, cats with their hunting and mental stimulation) will not only help their physical health but their mental health as well. We need to carefully examine the ways we’ve done things and reflect on how we can do better!