Best Way to Feed a Cat: Times, Amounts & Frequencies Explained

How to feed cats is a hotly debated topic. Check out the most recent findings from a study conducted by the American Association of Feline Practitioners.

A brown cat eating food and licking his lips. Photography ©bluebeat76 | Thinkstock.

Written by: Jackie Brown

Last Updated on December 29, 2023 by Catster Editorial Team

Best Way to Feed a Cat: Times, Amounts & Frequencies Explained

/ Cat Food & Cat Treats / By Jackie Brown

The American Association of Feline Practitioners recently issued a consensus statement about the best way to feed a cat. The statement, called “Feline Feeding Programs: Addressing Behavioral Needs to Improve Feline Health and Wellbeing,” published in the Journal of Feline Medicine and Surgery, discusses medical, social and emotional problems that may result from today’s feeding practices.

According to the AAFP, the best way to feed cats is to replicate normal feline feeding behaviors (i.e., hunting and foraging) and to feed frequent small meals that the cat can savor alone. To learn more about these feeding tips, visit catfriendly.com/howtofeedcats.

Thumbnail: Photography ©bluebeat76 | Thinkstock.

About the Author

Jackie Brown

Pet expert Jackie Brown has spent 20 years following her passion for animals as a writer and editor in the pet publishing industry. She is contributing writer for National Geographic’s Complete Guide to Pet Health, Behavior, and Happiness: The Veterinarian’s Approach to At-Home Animal Care (April 2019) and author of the book It’s Raining Cats and Dogs: Making Sense of Animal Phrases (Lumina Press, 2006). Jackie is a regular contributor to pet and veterinary industry media and is the former editor of numerous pet magazines, including Dog World, Natural Dog, Puppies 101, Kittens 101 and the Popular Cats Series. Prior to starting her career in publishing, Jackie spent eight years working in veterinary hospitals where she assisted veterinarians as they treated dogs, cats, rabbits, pocket pets, reptiles, birds and one memorable lion cub. She lives in Southern California with her husband, two sons and miniature poodle Jäger. Reach her at jackiebrownwriter.wordpress.com.